mmckenzie wrote:
Serious question - and though I'm trying to keep the thread apolitical...
Thank you for that. My hope is this site will be a refuge from the rest of the internet.
mmckenzie wrote:
I'm wondering if there are any American fly rod makers, building on American made blanks who are offering a glass rod (or even a good carbon rod) that's 8' or less in the 6-8 weight range for $350 or less?
Price wise, watch the For Sale offers here. Some of our smaller builders offer new rods in that price range. There are sometimes 'pre-loved' big name, American made rods. Not to mention there are some great classic rods offered cheap.
You could build a rod yourself and stay within budget, or maybe persuade a builder to work on a blank that you provide. For a start, there are American made glass fly rod blanks from
Lamiglas,
Ameriglass,
North Fork Composites,
Steffen Brothers, and
********* Rods (I feel I'm forgetting someone). Some of the big names, such as Sage, Scott, Winston, and T&T roll their own rods and occasionally blanks are available. There are non-Chinese blanks available from CTS, Epic, and others (I'm definitely forgetting a couple of someones). American made reel seats and rod guides are readily available. Sorry, the cork is going to come from overseas. Friends don't let friends built fly rod grips from foam.
All that said, a modern, 6-8 weight rod, of 8 foot or less, is a tough get. The market has gone 'long'. There are some options in the sources linked above. Are you opposed to considering a classic? such as a Fenwick Feralite FF756 or FF807? The FF756 is marked as a 6 weight, but I think it sings better with a WF7 line. The Fenwick FF807 is another possibility (I like this rod with WF8 lines). Both rods are often available for small money compared to new.
Tom