Damon fly rods

[Steve H.]

Has anyone ever fished with these rods? Someone recently suggested I check them out. I've been told the 'Ausable' model is a nice rod for just over $200. Just curious...I'd never heard of them until recently.

www.damonrods.com

[SaltH2oFly]

I've heard they are good rods. And...I'm partial to what I call these "second" or "third" tier vendors/Mfg's. Most of them are producing very good products for much less than the big name companies. My understanding is that Damon actually tests each rod before putting on his guides so the casting is very smooth and balanced....

[Steve H.]

Thanks for the input.

I've become partial to the "second and third tier" manufactures as well. While I have a couple of very expensive fly rods I bought when I was younger, these days I can't justify buying them especially since there are so many good rods available for $200 or less. The thing is that there are lots of rod makers in this catagory now: Redington, St. Croix, TFO, Albright, Damon, LL Bean, Cabelas, Bass Pro, the list goes on and on. Not to mention the premier brands like G Loomis, Sage, Orvis, etc. that have lowered prices on it's "entry level" rods to compete in this market.

So many options! Competition is good, of course, but sometimes it's hard to know what to buy. It would take quite a while to cast all these rods. That's why these forums are so great to share exeriences and opinions!