Reviews of Fly Fishing Tackle

In this article, we will look at some of the product review websites available on the Internet to see some of the best-reviewed fly fishing tackle to help you when buying new or gently used equipment. The sites we looked at were Tackle Tour, Outdoor Review and Big Fish Tackle. The latter is more oriented towards sea fishing tackle, but contains some fly fishing tackle reviews as well.

Fly Fishing Tackle Reviews: Fly Rods

Tackle Tour took the Powell Tiboron XL fly rod out to the Eastern Sierra to test it out on the trout there. The reviewer compared it to the more expensive G Loomis GL3 fly rod, saying that it "didn't feel as crisp" but that it offered a "subtle power" that was comparable to the GL3. His overall verdict was that the Tiboron XL "delivered an unexpectedly good balance of performance and value" and found it surprisingly good for such an inexpensive rod.

At Outdoor Review, the emphasis is on user reviews. Many of the newer products had yet to be reviewed, but the site helpfully offers the option to sort products in each category by number of reviews. The most reviewed freshwater fishing rod was the Sage DS 5 weight, with 55 reviews and an average score of 4.65 out of 5. "Sage advice? Buy this rod" was one reviewers opinion.

For saltwater rods, the most reviewed product was the G Loomis GLX 10 weight rod, with 9 reviews and an average score of 4.89 out of 5. Reviewers liked the lightness and distance of the rod, but complained that it broke way too easily.

Finally, the most reviewed two-handed rod was the Thomas and Thomas Horizon 9 weight, with seven reviews for an average 4.67 out of 5. Despite getting a lower average score than the GLX, reviewers spoke glowingly of its strength and fast action.

Fly Fishing Tackle Reviews: Fly Reels

Still at Outdoor Review, we now turn our attention to reviews of fly reels. The most reviewed reel there was the Orvis Battenkill with 64 reviews and an average rating of 4.17 out of 5. Reviewers felt that it was good value for money, but not especially hardwearing.

Big Fish Tackle only had one reel review, of the Shimano Curado. The reviewer felt that it was a very smooth reel, and great value for money.

Fly Fishing Tackle Reviews: Fishing Line

Tackle Tour offered a comprehensive review article surveying this season's new fishing lines, as unveiled at the ICAST 2008 fishing expo. They reviewed the Berkeley Fireline Tracer Braid, the Stren Sonic Braid and several new products from Spiderwire. They concluded that the Berkeley Fireline and Spiderwire Camo braids were "very exciting and definitely something we will have on our list of products to test for 2009".