Travel Rod Review: March Brown Hidden Water

[JobyKSU]

After about 1 year of use, I think it's time to tout the performance of the 7-piece travel rod I keep in my car. In that time it has probably seen water 15 times or so.

Originally purchased for a backpack trip, this rod breaks down and fits nicely into a solid cordura-covered tube about 18" long with 2 1/2" diameter . The case fits comfortably in my daypack or under the seat of my car. This is, by far, the most convenient rod I have ever been exposed to. Further, this rod shatters any misconceptions about modern ferrules' ability to provide crisp, sensitive fishing with multiple piece rods. The designers from MIT that developed this bit of technology really knew what they were doing.

The rod is extremely light in the hand and looks great. High-end components are well matched to the good looking matte black blank. It is pure fun to cast with plenty of backbone and throws a ton of line with gorgeous, tight loops. I would classify the action as fast, but it is probably a step slower compared with the current trend in new rod action.

I've arranged my comments into 3 sections: Performance, Components & Construction, Value, and the ever-important "X factor"

Ratings are based on a scale from 1-10 with 10 being the best, and what I perceive to be an "average" fly rod would receive ratings of 5.

Performance: 9/10

This rod is amazing to fish. I was initially worried that a 9 foot rod with 6 ferrules would be stiff and I would not be able to feel the sensitive bumps that go with nymphing. Boy was I wrong. This rod is every bit as sensitive as the 2-piece Sage XP 4 wt that I fished alongside it. Nymphing without an indicator is a whole-new experience when you realize how many little hits you haven't even been noticing. The tip is soft enough to protect light tippet. The butt is nice and solid, however, and provides ample fighting power to allow you to bring the bigger fish in without extending playing time. The rod casts nymph rigs and dry flies equally well. Predictably, I would not expect it to cast large streamers, although it did fantastically with smaller wooly buggers and was entirely acceptable fishing clouser minnows.

Components & Construction: 7/10

March Brown has loaded this offering with the quality components that you would expect in a premium rod. This rod has fantastic looking, high-quality cork, a burled Madagascan hardwood reel seat, and nickel-silver hardware. The wraps are black with attractive silver trim bands. To save on weight, single foot chrome guides were used. After more than a season of use, the rod is holding up perfectly. There appears to be no weaknesses in the construction and it feels like a rod that will last for years.

Value: 6/10

The Hidden Water comes with a lifetime no-questions-asked warranty. The retail price is $498. That puts the rod in some pretty stiff competition. The performance and quality of the rod definitely allows it to hold its own, however. The added convenience of a 7-piece design bump the rod to "better than average." If you put in a (very) little bit of search effort (as I did), though, you can still find some really good discounts on these rods. At that point the "Value" for these rods skyrockets.

X-Factor: 9/10

I can not tell you how nice it is to have a superb fly rod that fits anywhere and accompanies me wherever I go. The fact that I don't have to sacrifice any performance is even better. The rod is amazingly light and just feels like a natural part of my cast. Further, it is versatile, having landed (so far) trout, perch, smallmouth, white bass, and sauger. I even gave a surprised gar a good go before it bit through my leader.

In summary: I like this rod. Actually, I think I love this rod. It feels at home fishing high alpine streams or our tailwaters. It goes everywhere with me. I have never had any problems with this rod (includeing ferrules loosening or coming apart).

I thought long and hard about the drawbacks of this rod. The first - it takes a bit longer to put together 7 pieces and get them aligned (although alignment dots are provided). It seems like the time increase is exponential when you figure the excitement level I have because I get to go fishing.

The second drawback is a technicality: the retail price. If you are looking for a specialty rod for that one backpacking trip, then you might not get much use out of this rod to justify the price tag. Of course, that was my initial intention with the purchase, but it has become a go-to rod that I choose to use rather than a fall-back rod that I use because it's convenient. This argument further falls apart when you consider the going discount price at which you can find these rods.

The more I think about it, the more likely I am to recommend a 7 piece 5wt as the perfect first fly rod. This rod embodies the concepts of performance, versatility, and forgiveness that one looks for. If you ever find yourself in the presence of a March Brown fly rod, take a few minutes to test-cast it if possible. It might change your idea of what the ideal fly rod consists of.

[Greg]

Nice review. I've seen that fly rod brand before but never cast one. I'm kind of an old dinosaur in that I prefer 2 piece fly rods. But you certainly give up a lot of convenience with a 2 piece (although they are somewhat faster to set up and take down). I'd like to have a nice 5 or 7 piece rod for travel.

Greg

[timsfly]

March brown rods are great, I sell them and use them, I have 9' 10pc 5wt, I took it to New Zealand last time I went and it performed great, used it for a month, I have used it several times at Taney and is a good rod to keep in the jeep, it takes up no room at all, I also have the 7pc 8wt, I use for bass, and will be taking it to alaska this sept. and I have one of the 6 1/2-5 1/2 covertables, that I have used on the san juan and in the mtns. of colorado, the rods are great and they stand behind their rods, I know I have broke two of them and have sent them back and they were returned in less than two week, I broke both in dumb ways, one in a ceiling fan, the other a client of mine fell on it while we were in my boat. The rods are good and the price is right in line with other similar rods.

[Danoinark]

Never seen or cast one...but looking at a web site a few ago..the 9 ft 3 wt only weighs 2.2 oz...now that is nice.

Dano