Fess Up, What Do You Really Use!

[BredMan]

I have read so many forums, not just OA, where if you aren't using the latest and greatest you are wasting your time. So, with that thought in mind I am very curious as to what those great fisherman of the Ozarks are really using. How many are really sporting the likes of a $800 Sage or Orvis outfit? Is that the norm or are others using the lesser value equipment the likes of what I use. Just curious!

[duckydoty]

I use a lot of Orvis. Not saying I like it or not. Just pays me well to use it.

[Wornica]

I use an Orvis Access Rod that I got with a substantial discount.

[Phil Lilley]

My Lilleys spinning rods and temple fork fly rods. Mainly TiCr X rods. Pflueger president spin reels. I like orvis battenkill medium arbor fly reels.

[podum]

Disclaimer: I'm not a great fisherman, though many great ones will reply.

My gear:

3w temple fork lefty kreh $149

5w reddington RS4 $160

Back up - Cabelas Traditional Series 5w $100

All 5+ years old.

Cabelas RLS reels (all bought on sale) $50-$75

I love the Cabelas gear and the fact that they stand behind their stuff (awesome service and return policy)

[jdmidwest]

I have been all Orvis from the get go back in the 80's. I currently own over a dozen rods of different lengths and weights. I have traded off a few that did not fit my casting style, but have enjoyed the ones I have kept.

Orvis is a great company with excellent customer service. Most calls to them are answered before the first ring. They have gone above and beyond customer service when I have needed it. Their rod warranty is one of the best in the business. Their waders last and last. I have a pair of silver labels that I bought in 2000 and they are still watertight and breathable. I have another pair of Pro Guides that I use in the winter or colder tailwaters that I have had since 2005 and are in great condition. The only Orvis products I have used that do not wear well are the wader boots, I never get more than a couple of seasons out of any of them.

You get what you pay for. If you can afford it, in rods or waders, buy the best that you can afford and you will not regret it.

[podum]

BTW, Lilley is spot on with the Pflueger President spinning reels. Nothing better out there for the money.

[Greasy B]

Last summer I replaced one of my main fly rods, an Orvis I bought in 1983. I have some pretty snazzy equipment now but the stuff I'm replacing is decades old. I would have kept the Orvis but once I started casting modern faster rods it got to where I couldn't stand the old soft action rods. I try to get as good equipment as I can afford and use the hell out of it.

[mixermarkb]

It's not fly gear, but I use Loomis rods and Shimano reels. I have 4 GLX medium heavy and heavy casting rods for bottom contact baits, 2 GLX spinning rods for grubs and dropshot and the like, a couple of IMX rods for jerkbait and top water, an IMX popping rod I use for square bills and warts, and a Falcon Cara "deep runner" for deep crankin. As for reels it's mainly old Chronarch 100A's with a few Citica 200DPV's for crankbaits and a couple curado 100's in the mix for odds and ends. I haven't felt the need to upgrade to the newer reels like the Core or new Chronarchs. I have a few B&R outlaw rods and Temple Fork Gary Loomis signature rods with Curado 100's and Calcuttas in the locker for guests or spares. My gear is high dollar, but most of it is ten years old or more. I also don't mind picking up a rod or used. If I had to do things over again, I'd buy Falcon Cara's for everything except a couple loomis NRX's for jigs and maybe an NRX spinning rod. Good gear doesn't substitute for time on the water, but it does close the confidence gap just a little, if nothing else.

[patfish]

Good topic BredMan.

I use Sage and Redington rods, some older, some newer, one inherited. Reels are Lamson, Ross, Redington, Allen, Cabela's. I used to be a Cortland only line user, but now I am SA almost exclusively.

None of the aforementioned brands nor the amount of money spent has anything to do with the incredible fun I have fishing - either solo or with my buds.