The Drift: Expensive Fly Rods Are Worth The Money

If you spend any time in online fishing forums, fly shops, or chatting with other anglers at boat ramps and gravel pull-outs, you’ll end up talking about fly rods. Most of us are gear junkies of some variety, and in my experience, we generally fall into two camps: buying the best gear we can, or stubbornly sticking with our budget-friendly rigs.

There’s nothing wrong with either approach, and you don’t need to justify your gear purchase to anyone other than yourself (or your spouse, if you’re married). But I’ve always found it interesting that there’s a contingent of both the big-spenders and budget-conscious who want to tell you that you’re wrong for using this or that fly rod.

I suppose that’s human nature, but it’s surprising that both groups of anglers are willfully blind to the benefits of cheap or high-end fly rods.

‘Not Worth It’

I had a chat recently with an angler who was using a rod-and-reel kit from Walmart. We’d run into each other along the riverbank and had the usual conversation about where we wanted to fish, and how much room the other person would like. I was about to head downstream when he pointed at my Winston and said, “You know, those fancy rods don’t catch more fish than this.”

“Depends on who’s using the rod,” I said. “I like this one, though, I’ve had it for a while.”

“Yeah, but you spent like $1,000 on it,” he replied. “No fly rod’s worth that much money. It’s no better than mine.” He then held out his Walmart combo for me to inspect.

“Well, have a good one,” I said, and kept walking downriver. It was an odd interaction, but not the first time I’d talked with someone who seemed to have a personal vendetta against high-end gear. I’ve reviewed fly rods for about a decade now, and without fail, someone will leave a comment that sounds exactly like that guy on the river: “I’m sure it’s a great rod, but it’s not worth that much money.”

Here’s the thing, though: these high-end fly rods are amazing. And no, that’s not just me buying some marketing hype. In fact, a few years ago, one of the bigger rod makers rolled out two new rods. The company talked up these sticks like they were the second coming of the Sage XP.

After about a month of fishing with both rods, I was underwhelmed. I wrote a review about how middling these rods were, and how they hadn’t lived up to the hype. The day that review was published, the CEO of that rod company called me to have a “friendly chat” about my opinions.

I’m not afraid to call out a rod that underwhelms. The St. Croix EVOS is one that retails for $975, but I wouldn’t recommend the 9′ 5-weight to too many anglers. It’s a stiff rod without much feel in the tip section. If you’re chucking hopper-dropper rigs out of a drift boat, it’s an effective rod, but as a general all-purpose trout stick (especially for smaller dry-fly fishing), I’d recommend you spend your money elsewhere.

By and large, though, the high-end rods of today are incredible. I run out of adjectives to describe them. Often, I have a hard time finding something I don’t like about a company’s new flagship rod. Sure, the Orvis Helios could have a touch more feel, and the Winston AIR 2 could use a tad more backbone, and the Sage R8 CORE would feel better with a different cork grip, but at that point, I’m nitpicking things most anglers won’t notice.

What about the features anglers will notice, though? What are the standout reasons I’m happy to recommend someone drop a mortgage payment on a piece of graphite?

Accuracy

Well, today’s top rods are inherently more accurate, for one. Accuracy is largely in the caster’s hands, but I’d argue the biggest advancement in rod design over the past 20 or 30 years is in accuracy.

A fly rod will be accurate if it tracks straight and doesn’t oscillate (side-to-side movement during the casting stroke). If the rod tip stays in a straight line, and the rest of the blank doesn’t move too far right or left, that rod will throw a tighter, more stable loop. Tight loops are accurate loops. It still takes knowledge of casting mechanics and skill to coax tight loops from any fly rod, but the top-tier sticks throw better loops than most cheap rods do.

Some lower-end sticks, like the Douglas DXF Gen 2 ($499), Douglas LRS ($269), and Redington Classic Trout ($169) buck that trend. But most rods in the budget-friendly segment aren’t as inherently accurate as a top-tier stick.

Feel

You need to feel the rod load and unload. The rod should be sensitive enough to give you feedback at every stage of the cast and fight with the fish. The more you feel, the more control you have over casting, presentation, and fighting.

High-end rods have the latest-and-greatest graphite and resins that make them strong, accurate, and sensitive. A lot of entry-level rods are too stiff to give you the sort of feedback that takes your angling to another level.

Versatility

I fish a lot of big tailwaters, but I also live in the foothills of the Rockies, so I get my fair share of small spring creeks and freestones, too. I love pocket water as much as I enjoy long casts to wary trout, and except for extreme cases, I like to use the same rod for most of my fishing.

In my decade of reviewing rods, the few years I spent as a guide, and my almost 20 years of fishing experience, I’ve found the most versatility in rods that cost a bit more. These rods are able to handle hopper-dropper rigs, small streamers, light dry fly work, and heavy nymph rigs, effectively enough that I don’t feel the need to switch rods throughout the day.

Rod designers know we ask a lot of our 9′ 5-weights, and they’ve built these to be incredibly versatile sticks. With the exception of a few cheaper rods (the Douglas LRS comes to mind), I’ve found more versatility in the expensive sticks.

The Sage R8 CORE is a great example of a rod that feels equally at home tossing dry flies, nymph rigs, or swinging small streamers and wet flies. It’ll set you back $1,050.

Speaking of Price

While we’re at it, let’s talk about price for a minute.

I did some digging and found an R.L. Winston catalog from 1975 online. It shows the company’s top rod (which was bamboo at the time) listed for $275. That same rod in 2025 dollars would set you back $1,611.80, per the CPI Inflation Calculator.

In 2013, you could buy a Sage ONE for $775, which is $1,053.94 in 2025 money. The ONE was Sage’s top rod, and the R8 CORE is the company’s flagship now, which sells for $1,050.

Even though the dollar amount has crept up, we’re paying roughly the same amount of money for top-end rods that we always have. And just because they cost over $1,000 now doesn’t mean they’re suddenly not worth it.

Will You Notice?

What makes an expensive fly rod “worth it” is whether you notice the differences in performance, and whether those differences are large enough to justify the rod’s cost. But to make a blanket statement that “expensive fly rods aren’t worth the cost” is dishonest and ignorant. It might not be worth it to you, but other anglers will feel differently.

It’s also not a slight or a personal insult to admit the failures of cheap rods. I fished an old, awful Redington for years before I stepped up to a mid-level Sage. That Sage got quite a bit of work before I dropped some coin on my current favorite, go-to rod: a 9′ 5-weight Winston Boron IIIx.

I wasn’t a good enough angler to really notice the difference when I first bought that Winston. I’ve always been a middling caster, and I unfortunately have video evidence from back then of how awful my casting was. It took a long time for me to dial in my casting and really appreciate what a great tool the B3x is.

In some ways, I wish I had waited to pop on a nice rod. Back then, though, my ego was the size of Montana. I thought I was some big-shot who needed an expensive fly rod, and though I hate to admit it now, the jerk in me loved showing off my fancy, glamorous Winston to the unwashed masses (the folks who, for reasons I’ve never understood, fished with me back then).

I distinctly remember being disappointed that my fishing didn’t make a huge leap forward after I bought the Winston. I even thought something was wrong with it. It wasn’t until I ate some humble pie and focused on improving my skills that I realized how wonderful the B3x is.

So, if you’re new to fly fishing or you don’t get to spend much time on the water, it’s hard for me to recommend a $1,000 rod. As great as the top-end rods are, they’re not the best tool for everyone.

They are a ton of fun to fish with, though. And fun’s worth something, right?

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