[JesseC]

I broke my Cabelas Stowaway rod and am using the opportunity to trade up in quality.

I'm looking for a rod that breaks down into at least 5 pieces. 3 weight is fine. Over 8ft 6in would be ideal.

 

[Kent Lufkin]

May I suggest you keep an eye out for a Sage SP 389-5. It's the 3 wt., 8 foot 9 inch, 5-piece version of Sage's famous SP line. SPs were originally introduced back in the mid- to late 1990s with the 5 piece SPs coming out a few years later. All the 5-piece SPs came with two tips: 'Trip Insurance' as Sage stated in their ads.

The SPs have been out of production for 7 or 8 years, but you can still find them now and then on eBay, the classifieds here, and on other flyfishing forums. I first bought a used SP 489-5 several years ago and was taken with how well the rod fit my personal spastic casting stroke that I bought a couple more: first in 5wt; and then in 3wt about 3 years ago. The guy I bought it from lived in Minnesota and I paid him $415 including shipping. It had only been used a few times and came with a blank warranty card.

K

 

[JesseC]

Kent,

Thanks a lot for the information. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a good deal. $400 might be a little more than I'd like to spend on a backpacking rod since I tend to be pretty clumsy. But, I do love the sage rods that I have now and would love to have the same performance in a rod that I can pack into the remote areas that I really love.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Zissou Intern]

http://www.albrightflyfish.com/fly-rods/a-5-fly-rods.html

Don't let the price fool you; these are smooth casting sticks.

 

[Kyle Smith]

I have the Albright 5pc 3wt, and it loves to ride on a plane. It's also my go-to small stream rod, just feels great in the hand. They also make a 9' 4wt, I'm sure it's nice too. The March Brown rods are pretty nice, but not as nice as the Albright, I have the Hidden Water 9' 4wt and it's rather heavy but powerful. Don't pay more than $150 for a MB or you're getting screwed.

 

[Yak]

How about a sweet 4 wt only used a few times. Sage 489-5SLT. $325.

 

[Porter]

check out the redington CT rods....they have a couple models in a six piece...under 200 bones......compared to the sage LL.

 

[Brookie_Hunter]

Check this these out. They are shorter than you'd like but I've read that they cast suprising well....a ten piece, 6'9" 3wt sounds like the ultimate small stream pack rod to me.

http://www.bluedun.net/RodsandReels_pack_rod_english.htm