Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

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Truedogz
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Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by Truedogz » Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:25 pm

I've been working 6-7 days a week for a few months and so have only been able to dream about having a fish. One thing I intended doing was buy a light fly rod for chasing trout in the high country. I've currently got a 6wt Clearwater rod but did a bit of research in selecting a 4wt rod for small streams. I've had a few others over the years including some fairly pricey models.

I decided on a Redington Classic Trout 4wt based on reviews overseas (I picked out an 8 ft length for the shrubby country I venture into). Unlike the Clearwater the CT has a relatively slow action. It is a relatively cheap rod (I managed to get one here from the US for under $200 AUS) and it has had excellent reviews:

https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/revie ... od/7714344

https://www.theflyfishingforum.com/foru ... trout.html

The CT was delivered a few weeks back but this arvo was the first chance I've had to cast it, albeit in my street and not on a stream.

So what do I think of it? It is a fantastic rod, superbly suited to chasing trout in small streams. I loaded it up with Rio Gold 4wt line, which changes colour from green to yellow at about the forty foot mark. With a slow arm action the rod effortlessly rolled out the fly line while the green section was still in the runners, i.e. up to about 40 ft. What was also great was how the rod also delicately delivered the line, at least when my casts were ok! Even with fairly ordinary casts at over 30 feet the presentation was excellent. I had no leader fitted, so with a leader the effective distances are increased by 7 to 9 feet. The casting action is a lot slower, so you have to wait a bit longer before starting the forward cast, compared to faster rods.

Casting beyond 40 feet was another matter, as it became a bit tricky. It was quite windy and with a double haul I did a few casts out to about 50 feet but I had to concentrate more.

If you are interested in taking up fly fishing in streams for trout I cannot recommend the CT highly enough. It is a great rod for beginners to learn with. It will never be a rod to be used in casting championships as faster action rods give greater distance - but are far more challenging to cast with. It is not a rod for using on lakes or estuaries either where greater distances are required and more power is needed to punch into the wind.

Reading the overseas forums the 9ft 5wt is very popular as are the 8 1/2 foot 4wt and 7 1/2 foot 3wt models. The 6wt isn't as well regarded.

Seriously, anyone wanting to get a fly rod for small streams get a CT. :a_goodjob:

Forget the super cheap rods spend a bit more and get one of these. And and I wouldn't spend heaps on an expensive rod either unless you feel you need to cast greater distances. The CT looks great and comes with with an excellent carry case. One comment I've come across is that CT is one of the best value for money things in the fly fishing world. I have to agree.

For casting up to about 40 feet I've never felt another fly rod cast so easily and lay the line out so well. :thumbsup:

I will have to learn to be a bit more patient waiting for the forward cast.

Best Wishes

Truedogz

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by StarrangerAU » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:43 pm

After watching Catch and Cook on C31 last night where the boys were up the Mitta Mitta I really thought I might give the fly fishing a go.... So only just this afternoon I dropped past my local angling store to appraise the hardware. So your review is timely in as much informative, so thanks for sharing your review.
Like most of us I am not flush with cash, so the price point you quoted is ballpark to my spend.... what I gather is though, the CT rods quality surpasses the locally available stock at the same pricepoint, would that be a fair assessment? Did it come with a reel, or was that extra?
So yeah...I'll be having a good look at the Redington CT as a first Fly Rod .....
thanks again.
Brett

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by sirsquidalot » Wed Aug 15, 2018 9:57 pm

Good review of the rod. I use a 9’ 6wt Crux from reddinton. Got it with a reel set up with 3 different spools and the the thing is amazing funny when you make the step to fly fishing from conventional spinning gear how much more expensive everything gets

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by Truedogz » Thu Aug 16, 2018 6:04 am

StarrangerAU wrote: what I gather is though, the CT rods quality surpasses the locally available stock at the same pricepoint, would that be a fair assessment? Did it come with a reel, or was that extra?
Brett
I wouldn't necessarily say its quality (i.e. construction, components) is better than a $200 rod you can buy in Australia. What I would say is you are unlikely to find a rod so easy to cast at moderate distances for the money.

Casting style is very relevant. The age old advice is to cast any rod prior to buying it, particularly a fly rod. If you have never really cast a fly rod then the CT is a great first rod. Its relatively slow action means that everything happens slower during the cast and you get to feel more of what the rod does. You also don't have to work your arm as hard when casting. A faster action rod is far less forgiving and as most cheap rods are in that category are harder for beginners to learn to use.

Again I will emphasise the CT is not a rod to use to cast great distances. Once you get to 40-50 feet from what I have seen it is tricky to use and for greater distances you will need to have a reasonable amount of skill. To give you some idea the CT is perfect for most streams in Victoria such as say the Acheron but you would need to be proficient to put a fly out into the middle of the Goulburn river when it is running very high.

Out to 40 feet it is very easy to use. With my 6wt faster action rod I can get to 60 feet fairly easily. Years ago when I did a lot more fly fishing I could get flies out to 80+ feet using a double haul. Last night I got a bit frustrated with the CT when pushing out past 40 feet as I was used to a faster action, and I had to slow down. I will state again that I've never had another fly rod roll out the line so easily and gently at 35 to 40 feet. Measure out 40 feet and see what you think.

More info to help you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P92PM8e ... e=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLFe5JmpqOU

https://www.redsflyfishing.com/Redingto ... ctrout.htm

You can buy CT rods in Australia but it is cheaper to buy one overseas. As a first rod the 9ft 5wt is ideal while the 8ft 6 inch 4wt would be next best and suited to smaller streams.

At the moment the best price is at:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/401454145773

Best Wishes

Truedogz

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by Truedogz » Thu Aug 16, 2018 6:41 am

sirsquidalot wrote:funny when you make the step to fly fishing from conventional spinning gear how much more expensive everything gets
It doesn't have to be that way. There is so much hype in fly fishing - and a lot of bull to go with it.

You can learn to fly fish with a low budget kit, but something a bit better is easier to learn with such as the CT. Go to a specialist fly shop and 'entry level' rods can be $300 and top of the range a grand.

For about $200 landed in Australia the CT stacks up really well. Add in Rio Gold line and the total is around $300. You only need a basic reel to go with it which you can get for about $50.

If you want a decent set up for surface fishing for cod a rod will be up around $150 (eg a Cod/Barra Raider), a Curado reel $250 and throw in the braided line for say $50, so more than the fly gear I have outlined. Of course, you can spend more than this on a Wilson rod and less on the reel - you could do it for $200 - but most people would agree that the combo I outlined is a good one.

There are some fly fishing combos around for about $150 but if you budget for $400 for the CT, Rio Gold, a basic reel and some basic flies learning to cast will be easier and you will have a quality set up from the beginning.

Flies are cheaper than spinners and a lot cheaper than cod surface lures. :(

Best Wishes

Truedogz

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by StarrangerAU » Thu Aug 16, 2018 8:04 am

Wow, great advice.... and gratefully appreciated.
Makes me want to get on with it and have a go!

** Subject to the Minister of Finances approval :-(

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by dazz999 » Thu Aug 16, 2018 7:22 pm

great advice my first rod around 1993 was a st croix 8.6 5wt my local was importing the blanks fantasic rod nice slow action and as you said slow action rods great to learn a year later purchased a loomis 9ft 5wt this things a racehorse completely different action can punch the flys out into the wind with ease

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by Truedogz » Fri Aug 17, 2018 6:48 pm

I had another cast with the 4wt Classic Trout last night and compared it to my 6wt Clearwater.

THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY GOOD ROD FOR THE MONEY!!!

I was routinely placing 12-14 m casts and landing them on the same spot. The line rolls out beautifully and doesn't land in coils if you screw up a bit. When false casting you can feel the tug of the line at either end of the casts, which helps a lot with the timing. You definitely have to slow down and wait before starting the forward cast. The rod responds well if you snap your wrist back on the backcast. You have to wait longer between the back and fore casts. Initially, I cracked the whip a few times and created some wind knots. Once I slowed down laying down a 40 ft cast (with no leader) was almost routine. It pays to look back and see what the line is doing on the back cast to get the timing right.

The 6wt routinely went 10 ft further but the line did not roll out as well and the better casts with the CT matched it. The CT is very light compared to the 6wt Clearwater and I would not get fatigued casting it all day. I tore a muscle in my arm 3 weeks ago and the CT did not trouble it but after 20 minutes with the Clearwater it hurt.

Its been a long time since a piece of fishing tackle has wowed me as much as this rod has. I have cast some high priced fly rods and the best are really powerful but this rod is so easy to use.

If you are someone that plans to occasionally fly fish for trout in Victorian streams or are a novice that is certain you want to fly fish in freshwater this is definitely the rod you should get IMHO. It is so easy to use, is very responsive and lays the line out so well. Get a 9ft 5 wt or the 8ft 6 in 4 wt.

If you are an experienced fly caster you still might very much enjoy this rod - it depends on you casting style. Its not going to be a great rod distance wise, but apart from that the casting with this rod is the easiest I have experienced.

Best Wishes

Truedogz

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by davek » Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:03 pm

Yep, I'll look into it, cheers davo :thumbsup:
It's an exhilarating feeling catching a fish
But it's an even better feeling releasing them

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Re: Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod

Post by sirsquidalot » Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:19 am

Truedogz wrote:I had another cast with the 4wt Classic Trout last night and compared it to my 6wt Clearwater.

THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY GOOD ROD FOR THE MONEY!!!

I was routinely placing 12-14 m casts and landing them on the same spot. The line rolls out beautifully and doesn't land in coils if you screw up a bit. When false casting you can feel the tug of the line at either end of the casts, which helps a lot with the timing. You definitely have to slow down and wait before starting the forward cast. The rod responds well if you snap your wrist back on the backcast. You have to wait longer between the back and fore casts. Initially, I cracked the whip a few times and created some wind knots. Once I slowed down laying down a 40 ft cast (with no leader) was almost routine. It pays to look back and see what the line is doing on the back cast to get the timing right.

The 6wt routinely went 10 ft further but the line did not roll out as well and the better casts with the CT matched it. The CT is very light compared to the 6wt Clearwater and I would not get fatigued casting it all day. I tore a muscle in my arm 3 weeks ago and the CT did not trouble it but after 20 minutes with the Clearwater it hurt.

Its been a long time since a piece of fishing tackle has wowed me as much as this rod has. I have cast some high priced fly rods and the best are really powerful but this rod is so easy to use.

If you are someone that plans to occasionally fly fish for trout in Victorian streams or are a novice that is certain you want to fly fish in freshwater this is definitely the rod you should get IMHO. It is so easy to use, is very responsive and lays the line out so well. Get a 9ft 5 wt or the 8ft 6 in 4 wt.

If you are an experienced fly caster you still might very much enjoy this rod - it depends on you casting style. Its not going to be a great rod distance wise, but apart from that the casting with this rod is the easiest I have experienced.

Best Wishes

Truedogz
thanks for the review and the heads up, i'll definitely check out the rod.

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