The sport of fly fishing is growing tremedelously and having the wrong for the type of fishing you are doing can make for a horrible experience. This is a quick guide to help you find the best fly rods in the world are made in the USA by the companies below.
- 304 Rod Company
- Sage
- Orvis
- Moonshine Rod Company
- Kane Klassics
- Scott
- Lamiglas
- R.L. Winston
- Cajun Rods
- St. Croix
The 304 Rod Company. is located in CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA. Having a single owner, this company manufactures jaw-dropping handmade fly rods. These are custom hand planes bamboo rods.
The owner of 304 Rod learned fly fishing himself in the early ’80s and is an expert fly caster. With his forty years’ flying experience, he exactly knows what makes a perfect fly rod. Further, he claims to make over 100 fly rods until 2020.
The 304 Rod company manufactures fly rods from Tonkin bamboo, which offers an easy-to-go-with lightweight texture and a high precision. These bamboos are available in inflamed and blonde tones. In addition to that, the fly rod is finished with polyurethane for a semi-gloss finish.
Their wide variety of specifically designed excellent tapers includes both classic and modern designs. At 304 Rod Company, you can buy yourself a readymade flyrod or you can customize a taper and a bamboo that fits your needs.
To your wonder, a single tip, two-piece rod by the 304 company is merely for $750. The two tips two-piece rod is available for $950 only, whereas, the unfinished ferruled blanks are for $350 only. Also, you can get yourself a three-piece rod with nominal additional charges.
SAGE was started by Don Green and his dear friend Bruce Kirschner in 1980 to build the best fly-fishing equipment company. Don developed a new fly rod style with the name ‘Reserve Power’ in 1983 using the Graphite II technology. Later in 1987, the Linear Line series of fly rods which weighed 2-5 kg were also introduced by the Sage.
After the innovation of Graphite II flyrods, Graphite III, Generation 5 technology Z-Axis, Konnetic Technology ONE, and Konnetic HD Technology X mark some of the most incredible innovations of Sage.
Some of the most well known rods are
- TROUT LL dry fly
- DART small water
- IGNITER technical conditions
- ESN European nymphing
- IGNITER SPEY high line speed
- TROUT SPEY HD
Charles F. Orvis established the Orvis Company in 1856. The Orvis Company was initially based in Manchester, Vermont. The Perkins family owned Orvis in 1965, and they expanded Orvis operations to Roanoke, Virginia, and United Kingdom.
With over 165 years of experience, Orvis is a reliable manufacturer of tools in the fishing world. The company kept on growing, and today it has over 1700 employees, and more than 5000 products listed on their website
Not just fishing tools but Orvis also offers sportswear for both men and women. Orvis is also very well-known for its innovative dog products with the slogan” We Love Dogs”. Further, Orvis is much famous for hunting dog trainers and breeders.
In addition to all these, the fishing tools offered by Orvis are loved all around the USA. Their wide range of durable flying tools will have you awe-struck. Some top-notch flyrods offered by Orvis include:
- Helios: The ‘Helios 3’ fly rod is ideal for an experienced angular person who loves precision and accuracy. It is famous for pinpoint accuracy and enhanced power. Helios 3 gives you a flying experience of up to 60 feet with ultimate precision and accuracy, whether you fish in streams or flats.
- Clearwater: Clearwater has been the bestseller at Orvis. This flyrod gives you the ideal weight and perfect flex for every situation. These budget-friendly, two-handed Switch & Spey fly rods are perfect for short-range casting. With a 9 feet height and 4-6 wt., the prices of these flyrods range from $198 to $357 only.
- Recon: These flyrods are specially designed for angular venturesome fly casters. Its four-piece construction helps to store it securely anywhere. It is light-weight yet strong enough to handle any casting. It is 9-feet long, with a 5wt and 4 available pieces. The price starts from $498 only with a 25 years guarantee.
- Superfine: These are fiberglass fly rods for a precision casting. It comes off in a classic look mingled with the fiberglass technology for a clean casting.
- Encounter: These are the most affordable fly rod outfits made with high-grade materials – ideal for a new fly caster, and seasoned anglers.
- Bamboo rods: These heirloom-quality bamboo rods perfectly reflect the traditional values of Orvis. These are available in 2 and 3-piece packings. The price ranges between $2998 to $3298.
To search the perfect fly rod that meets your weight and length requirements, use the flyrod selector tool available at Orvis. Their outfits are highly recommended for fly caster men and women. Orbis aims to provide excellent quality fly rods at super-reasonable prices to all the passionate fly casters out there.
Moonshine Rod believes in the imagination, innovation, creation, and production of unique and well-built fly-fishing rods. Not only do they have reasonable prices, but excellent quality standards too. Moonshine Rod Co. has been manufacturing specialized fly rods and reels for many years now.
These fly rods come off with Anti-Glare, and a slate Blank with Midnight Bindings. Also, the flyrods at Moonshine incorporate High modules and Nano Matrix carbon which makes them lightweight yet strong and durable.
‘Vesper’ is one of the best high-performance fly rods offered by moonshine rod co., with a moderate performance of 3-6wt and a fast performance of 7-10wt. These fly rods are made of a nano matrix material and are thus, lighter in weight but strong and durable.
‘The drifter’ is the next best from their fly rod collection with a No-Fault lifetime warranty. These are two rods of tip sections and are made up of high-performance Graphite. Structured over a stiff canvas, each of these rods is a five-compartment fly rod tube with a gleaming moonshine logo.
Other amazing flyrods offered by Moonshine include:
- Epiphany (Matt finish with black wrap at $225)
- Rambler (Two-piece Graphite construction at $179)
- Revival (Two Tip selection with lifetime warrantee at $179)
- Outcast (Anodized and high-grade AAA grip at $229)
Also, you can find a wide range of reels at Moonshine. Don’t worry about the quality or performance of your flyrods, Moonshine offers a full money-back guarantee in case of any product default.
Kane Klassics Bamboo is situated in Reno, Nevada, for the last 32 years. Since 1988, Kane Klassics is crafting bamboo and graphite rods into elegant fly rods that are famous for their durability and elegance.
These flyrods have been tested from the Pacific islands to Alaskan rivers and they always performed outstandingly well. Kane seasons each bamboo cane before preparing a fly rod and uses a traditional hand art to taper the fly rod for strength.
To ensure the quality, every rod is labeled with the rod’s size, manufacturing date, and serial number, and the stamp of Kane Klassics. Every fly rod is encased in an aluminum rod case with the protection of a cloth bag. In addition to fly rods, they also deal with folding mountain bikes and bamboo putters.
Kane Klassics offers a wide range of bamboo fly rods starting from $1265 and ranging till $1650, whereas the graphite fly rods range from $460 to $625.
Harry Wilson founded Scott Fly Rods in 1973 in San Francisco. Despite being an outclass engineer and angler, Harry left his executive job to work for his passion for building the perfect fly rods in the world. The company named after his son ‘Scott’, became world-famous for their fiberglass fly rods.
Later in 1975, Harry introduced the first graphite fly rod with a 9-foot length, which had all the anglers in awe. Since then till now, every Scott flyrod is designed and crafted by trained professionals using the best available components.
When CeRecoil stripping guides are combined with nickel-titanium frames, they never corrode and return to their original shape if bent. This technology created super-strong fly rods with a better line shooting.
Lamiglas started making rod blanks in 1949 and now produces rods for all types of fishing. Since I do more fly fishing now than anything else, I tried the LX-905. I can say it is a very good graphite rod but I prefer to have a 4 piece rod instead of a 2 piece. At 9′ long, each section is 4.5′ and that can be a little much to handle in tight spaces. Please note that in 2021 some rods will be made in Mexico to offer more competitive pricing to anglers, but Lamiglas says the quality will remain the same.
The expression “do one thing and do it well” was probably written on the wall at the original company. In short, they have been building fly rods for over 90 years, countless awards, and a wide selection of rods to suit any fish you want to go after. Take a few minutes to check out their models, cause really that is what we all want to do anyway. A $3500 bamboo fly rod is a dream for most of us.
Cajun Rods in Ohio makes very affordable carbon fiber rods for freshwater and saltwater fishing. They are very lightweight and sensitive. Of course of you will need to consider the type of fishing you want to do and decide if carbon fiber, aka graphite, is right for you. If you are fishing deep waters o for smaller fish these will help transfer the feel through the line and into the rod much better.
St. Croix might be the largest manufacturer on this list. You can find their products in many large retailers as well as small shops around the country. That means you can probably find someone that owns one if you want to try it out before buying one. They have a ginormous selection of lengths, power and action so it may be a bit overwhelming if you are not sure about which would will suit your need. If you go to one of the larger retailers, there should be an experienced angler in store that can assist you.
Did we leave someone out? We know we don’t have the complete list yet so if you know of a company we left out, Please email us the information. Thank you