A new 5 weight rod overview, this time from Yellow Dog Flyfishing. The testers being John Juracek and Whitney Gould isn't a bad thing. In this overview Sage rods (generally too stiff) doesn't fare well. Although the R8 and the Classic R8 does end up in the top 5 once for a specific application. Orvis doesn't look good either.
Among the $1000+ (!) rods, Winston seems to be doing the best. However the big surprise is that the Redington Classic Trout, a rod model that has been around for 10+(?) years, at just over $150(!) is the overall winner. Yay for medium action rods!… Both Sage and Redington being owned by the same private equity company makes it a bit awkward.
It's really odd that generally all rod brands still prefer to make only fast/stiff rods. These rods give very little to no feel when casting distances up to 20-25 feet. Not everyone fishes from a drift boat casting 40+ feet.
What I really liked is the remark that most factory built rods have too long/large grips and too long reel seats. Not only do they look aesthetically bad, too long seats will result in your line getting wrapped around it. Totally agree! Take a look at Japanese rods, both factory as well as custom built rods. The length of the grips as well as the length of reel seats are proportionally perfect.
Here's a (rather long) video of the top contenders
