Joe,
Should be an interesting read- I am looking forward to it.

Les

thanks for the heads-up. please keep us posted.
-mike

Now thats an extremely timely subject, Ive found over the years finding a really honest 1wt almost impossible, most 1wts are extremely good 2wts, most 2wts are extremely good 2wts. Point being a 2wt seems to be a rod that can be made by many extremely well. A 2wt can do alot too, Im surely interested in this topic, hope some of our premium glass rod makers took part!
Richard

Wow! I've read most but not all of the 2wt rod reviews and you guys really out did yourselves. Awesome. By far the most comprehensive, subjective review of fly rods I have read anywhere. I always take fly rod reviews with a grain of salt because they are either done by a fly shop that sells the fly rod or a magazine/web site that accepts advertising dollars (which can obviously skew the results). Bravo for an outstanding job! All though the information is readily available for those who want to look further maybe next time you guys do a fly rod shoot out you could mention where the fly rod is manufactured. It matters to some and isn't important to others but it definitely can play a role in the "value" aspect to more than a few fly fishers.

As a proud owner of Southfork's 6'6" 2wt. I'm glad it made it into the top of the list. It is indeed a sweet little rod and I really enjoyed catching two 12" rainbows on it recently. So thanks for the review I would like to see more of them in the future.

In the case of Orvis, they didn't make a product that fit the parameters of the review - a factory 2-weight under $400 MSRP. I'm not certain the others had product in that category, either. Certainly Scott and Sage would have answered the review if they had something in their arsenal, they've both had products reviewed on www.flyfishohio.com before.

Spencer, you are correct, Mystic is a Michigan concern. And if you get the chance in the future, definitely check out their product. The results of this review took me (and I think the others) totally by surprise. I don't think any of us could have predicted the order of the final line-up based on what we thought we knew going in.

The South Fork is a sweet little rod, but it's definitely an acquired taste that won't be accepted by many who have a fast casting stroke. Obviously this board tends to be populated by the exceptions! I love the rod and I'm definitely curious to see what else Dave and Margot Redington have in their glass line-up. For me it was the most comfortable rod in the line-up and compares well with my McFarland 10th Anniversary 3wt. If I didn't already own the McF I'd be shelling out the money right now to keep the S.F. around.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. This project was a real bear - lots and lots of hours invested, but I think it's something new to the industry. I've only seen a handful of reviews that compare a number of rods and none that used multiple reviewers in the way we've employed the method. This is a review profile I'm used to seeing in hobbyist audio, but not in angling. Anyway, it's gratifying to see that some folks have found it entertaining and informative. Again, thanks.

Joe C.

FFO Staff ... great review. I enjoyed the read and it is evident how much time was put into this process.