Corey I wonder where you heard the chip analogy

I agree the whole line is spectacular. That 7'9 4wt is something special. But I will own the 6wt one if these days.

Bob

FYI Fred made a 6wt as part of his Brown Series

I have a weakness for 7'9" 4 and 5 weights so I decided to have one of Fred's. The 794 is a wonderful rod with a fast taper, quite bit of power for a 4 wt (but I agree with the line rating), a strong butt and yet plenty of feel. It has the kind of backbone that you might expect from bamboo. It's easy to generate line speed and to cast tight loops with a compact casting stroke. This rod is undoubtedly very versatile for a 4wt and exceptionally fine. I'm sure it will get plenty of use.

There is one notable downside: it's so handsome that my wife wants it.

Fred's 8ft 5wt is a very smooth casting trout rod. I was able to spend some time fishing it this spring and really enjoyed it on the water. I fished it mostly with nymphs (and a little weight) because that was what the trout wanted and the tip was sensitive enough to let me know what was happening and strong enough to handle the double nymph and split shot with accuracy so I was 't just lobbing the flies upstream like I often do. It handled dry flies exceptionally well both in the air and on the water. I also tied on a Chernobyl ant with a beadbead dropper to see how the rod performed (that is my blind casting new water go to). Again the rod did what I wanted with very little effort on my part. I think that is one of the characteristics of Fred's new rod tapers. They are very easy to cast. I feel like I am on autopilot and don't think about the rod or cast. Felt the same way with his 705, 794 and 836. They cast themselves:) I do have his 836 and it has seen a lot of use. Water levels are too low and warm to fish for trout so I have been hitting the bass with my kayak and the 83 6wt. Hopefully this fall I will be swinging streamers for some large brown trout and Fred's 6wt will be the perfect rod for the day handling both streamers and small BWOs with ease.

I was able to cast Fred's 794-3 beside an Epic 480.
Fred's tip is much more delicate, and an overall softer (and smoother!) casting rod.

Unless you like to throw weighted junk with a 4wt,
I very much preferred Fred's for fishing a single dry fly.

Epic = more versitile
Paddock = sublime dry fly rod (but NOT a fast dry fly taper. much more complex than that)

Giogio,

Thanks for the comparison. The attributes make sense given the reference taper.

Think the color change is going to be great, yellow glass is gorgeous

Very nice!

That is a great color.

Nico

Very nice Fred! Really looking forward to seeing these!

giogio, i got a kick out of this quote from your post...

"I have those two rods (Epic and Paddock)... Both these rods are such sensory delights that if you are at all puritanical in inclination you might choose to avoid them!"

fred, good luck with your new series. looking forward to seeing your house hardware too. i much prefer the new yellow blanks. i hope to cast one of these soon.

Beautiful metalwork and inserts! Elegant all the way.