Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show

Bob Loblaw · Senior Member

Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show

SK60 · Senior Member

The quality of the past two shows was down due to the economy, sounds like it continues. You might get some good info/recommendations on Saturday if you ask the group.

Cole Davis · Senior Member

"you can find all that stuff on the internet" Unfortunately Bob that is the exact reason the fly shows now suck and our local mom and pop flyshops are dropping like flies, so to speak. Keep ordering from the net and we will have no other choice soon. All you local Putah folks need to be shopping at Sweeney's in Napa. I was in there the other day and they have a sweet fly shop along with tons of gear and hunting stuff. It takes me almost an hour to get there but it's worth being able to touch the stuff before I buy. Just my 2 cents....

iamamultitasker · Senior Member

BobBlahBlah,

I've only been to one of these shows and like you, got something out of the casting clinic. One of the experts there told me (under his breath) that a bunch of these gonzo casters got together and tested their skills in casting a top of the line rod vs. one they bought at Walmart. The net result was about 5ft distance wise.

Basically, if you are paying $500 for big-name rod vs $50 for a Walmart rod that 5ft is costing $450 if your technique is good. Of course, something like a Sage will most likely be lighter and maybe feel better in your hand, but is it worth it?

Just for kicks I bought a bunch of cheap rods on Ebay for like $35-$50 and compared them to my Sage rods. I didn't like the feel of 3 of them so I gave them away, but I liked one of them a lot and still fish it. IMO, it feels as good as and casts as far as a Sage, but is a little heavier.

On the other side, Sage and all the rest are American companies that make undisputedly superior products with a lifetime warranty. This counts for a lot - just not sure if it counts for $450.

Worth thinking about when buying a new rod.

Ty · Senior Member

I've always wondered about those "premium" rods. After slipping on the North Yuba and landing with all my weight on my $130 rod scratching it all up (lucky it didn't snap), I decided I'll probably never invest in a premium rod. Having said that, is the "lifetime" warranty a no questions asked deal with full replacement?

Bob Loblaw · Senior Member

Cole Davis wrote:
"you can find all that stuff on the internet" Unfortunately Bob that is the exact reason the fly shows now suck and our local mom and pop flyshops are dropping like flies, so to speak. Keep ordering from the net and we will have no other choice soon. All you local Putah folks need to be shopping at Sweeney's in Napa. I was in there the other day and they have a sweet fly shop along with tons of gear and hunting stuff. It takes me almost an hour to get there but it's worth being able to touch the stuff before I buy. Just my 2 cents....

I think we're sort of making the same point. I buy all my gear in stores; Creative Sports in Pleasant Hill fitted me out with my rod reel, line, flies, boxes, boots, you name it....and I work a few blocks from the Orvis store in SF and I'm in there a lot too. ...not mom and pop, but still bricks and mortar. THe stuff on the internet I was referring to are the vacations and out of state guide services. ..thats the sort of stuff most of us will research online anyway before a purchase and we really don't need to see a booth with a print out of their website. I would much rather have gone to a show where the booths were manufacturers/vendors of equipment rather than services.

Cole Davis · Senior Member

Right on Bob, I wasn't trying to be abrasive in my post. Just bums me out that we are losing so many great shops all over this state. Both Western sports are closed in my hood now, Reno fly shop closed awhile back and it sounds like Nevada city anglers may be closed now as well. I was in the Eureka fly shop two weeks ago and the dude says business has been so bad the last 5 years he wonders why he's still coming to work and that is one of the best stocked shops I have seen. Oh well, I'm done crying, for now....

Nohackle · Senior Member

Just a comment about warranties. A couple of years ago I bought a Fenwick rod with a 25 year unconditional warranty, meaning that they would replace it even if I closed a car door on it. Well, I haven't tested the warranty yet. However, Fenwick discontinued making that particular rod. Thus, I do question how they can honor the warranty when the product is no longer made. I presume that they would replace it with an "equivalent" rod, but, of course, I would prefer to have the exact same rod.

iamamultitasker · Senior Member

I have an obsolete Sage Light Line 5wt that I usually use for trout fishing. One time the guides got grooved from double hauling. I sent it in and they replaced the tip section for free. Then the tip on it broke off and they replaced the tip section for free again, no questions asked. At the time, the rod had been discontinued for over 5 years. I have also wondered how long they keep spare parts around.

Also, when I bought the rod, there was no lifetime warranty on it, yet they took care of business all the same. The moral of the story is that Sage is a top-of-the-line enterprise and when you spend the big bucks, they will come through.

On the other hand, if you buy a rod that works great for say, $100, you can replace it relatively cheaply a few times and come up saving money.

Cole Davis · Senior Member

That's why Sage has serial numbers on every rod. It keeps track of which graphite they used at the time and allows them to rebuild your exact rod. I just had the tip and butt section of my old DS2 (graphite 2) rebuilt last summer. Not only that but they gave me a brand new cork grip and upgraded my reel seat to nickel silver/rosewood. Those 2 items alone are somewhere around 80$ if you are buildiing your own rod. All this for 50$ not to mention they rebuilt 2 of the 4 pieces for me. Talk about service.