Make sure the brand that you buy from offers replacement sections that you can purchase without sending your fly rod in. Other wise you will be without for several months if not longer.

I'm new to fly fishing and bought an Orvis Clearwater 3wt and love it. I built my 5wt.

Well done. I have three of those and confirm they cast and fish great. I agree with all your assessments of each rod. They fill my needs pretty good. The Echo Carbon XL is a sweet rod I love. Several years of use now. The Orvis Clearwater is wonderful! My Echo lift in 3wt 7-6 is a new love. Another not mentioned but fits the budget range is the wonderful Redington Classic Trout. NOW THAT one really punches above its weight!

Here to say the Douglas Era is 100% worth every penny of a $500 rod. I love mine.

Orvis Clearwater is $249

The Greys rods are really good, they often have gone on sale too. Bought 3 different GR80’s for $199. They are made in same S. Korea factory that makes the Hardy rods (including award winning Zenith) and the higher end Douglas models like the Sky G. I also find the Fenwick Aetos on sale often, for less than $200, and I would take any of these over the Redingtons for sure. I also think the Fenwick HMG is good too. I have found that all these rods have tendency to have better components. The Maxcatch rods I have tried, the tip top guide will lose the chrome plating. Haven’t had that problem with the Orvis Clearwater or Moonshine rods.

The action of individual length & line weight rods "within each budget series" - by each different manufacturer - are going to vary with rods from other manufacturers - for example I really like my Orvis Clearwater 10ft 3wt as a euro rod, but when I wanted to buy a 10ft 5wt for my stillwater rod I decided to compare a TFO Pro-II with the Clearwater and really liked the extra backbone of the TFO after I cast both rods side by side at a local shop. The softer action Clearwater was good for my euro nymphing needs, but the TFO Pro better for my stillwater needs - both rods were at the same price point when I bought mine a couple of years ago. My point is - just because you like one manufacturer's budget rod series because of one rod - doesn't mean you shouldn't compare between rod makers if you the opportunity to do so. There is nothing like casting rods side by side to decide what fits you best. Just saying.

I’ve broken my Redington 8’ 3wt three times. Shipping and $25.00 later I got my rod back.

Reddington 5 wt for $150. Heavier and does not cast quite as well but that rod is sturdy and fights fish well. The Reddington classic just as good if not better than the Clearwater.

Douglas, and Scott are my go to rods, yes they all cast flies LOL, but when I started out I thought that till a buddy had Scott rod and he said try mine and I did a wow I found out that feel the line load and I could cast farther and with more accurate, JMO and the echo is very good rod for beginners and this JMO too if starting out but the best you can afford because I’ve found with good equipment you will enjoy fishing more and you not get discourage and quit believe me I’ve been there

I just got my first fly rod last year it was an Echo Lift fly rod I was wondering if you could do budget fly reels next?

My experience with broken rods replacement or repairs has been 6 months wait time from Marryat and Sage. It took Temple Fork less than one month. My experience has shown differently.

How does TFO rods compare to the ones you reviewed?

I use a mojo bass st croix fly rod. It’s $180 and I really enjoy using it as a beginner. Comes with a 5 year warranty warranty. I also love the slight purple color on the rod also. If anyone has tried the rod or other at croix fly rods please reply and leave your opinion, I would appreciate to them.

Another benefit of name brand rods, even at the low end, is that they have good resale value if you decide you want to move up. Nobody wants to buy off brands used.

I own a 5wt-9 Echo Boost and a 3wt-10 Orvis Clear water, really can't complain, my next rod will be a 6wt-9 Orvis Recon. These rods are not as a nice as a Helios, but they're on par with my skill level!

Does it cast better an expensive rod over a cheap rod if you dont have the skill to cast it well in the first place?

I was hoping you would talk about the echo lift...you kind of grazed over it and went to the echo techno......is the lift ok ? Appreciate your opinion.....

The biggest risk with budget rods is quality control. If you're gonna buy one, make sure it's backed by a good warranty.

Great timing on this clip. I am down to 3 in my 9ft 5wt choice so appreciate the advice. Clearwater outfit, Echo Carbon XL with a Bravo LT reel to pair, or a Redington Field Kit Trout. Open to feedback from anyone on which way you’d go. Thanks

What do you know about Allen fly rods and reels. They have the warranty and some of their rods provide additional tips. I think the reels are cast but appear to be of good quality. Finally, their prices are good, however I can't afford to to throw even small amounts of money away.

They missed the mark if they are considered great performance rods but look like kids toys. If they just made them look a little better they would be called high value mid priced rods. I hate the look of most of those kit rods

Yeah my fredmeyer first ever fly rod broke on the 3rd fish

Thanks for this video, Curtis. It would be wonderful if you could produce a similar video about Euro rods.

Does your assessments hold for 10' Euro Nymphing rods?

How do you think the path compares to the classic trout from Redington?

the greatest rod Redington ever put out, in my opinion, was the CPS

Iv seen so many ppl like max catch.

Graphite or Bamboo?

Maxcatch $40, casts every bit as good as my Redington, Sage, St. Croix, Orvis. I will never buy an overpriced name brand rod again 😮

1991 wants its shirt back 😅

I stopped watching because you put the fly on the mark in the first 3 minutes. I want a rod designed by people who fish first, and work is necessary to keep fishing. And fish where I fish. I’m fortunate to have a fly shop in my area partnered with a manufacturer with these attitudes and the payoff is a memorable day of gear performance when the fish don’t bite. Pardon the interruption, now back to your video.

But which one of these is your top choice in the budget range?

Orvis clearwater is hands down the best budget fly rod on the market.

Wetfly at Costco is a complete set and 240 online. Cheaper on store

Budget rods Moonshine Rod Co. Lifetime warranty, extra tip section. Great rods. Budget schmudget, Hardy Ultralite LL 3wt 10'8" with Hardy Ultraclick reel. Awesome!

I just got my first fly rod last year it was an Echo Lift fly rod I was wondering if you could do budget fly reels next?