[email protected] 0 Report post Posted April 12, 2015 I have been doing a lot of research into getting an 8 wt rod. I have narrowed it down to a TFO BVK and a Redington Vapen. Any thoughts on either or any other good contenders? I will be using it for carp, bass, red fish and small strippers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Saarinen 0 Report post Posted April 12, 2015 A guy i know got a 8wt TFO a year ago for salmon & sea trout, not shore what model? But he seems happy with it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saltybum 0 Report post Posted April 12, 2015 I can't report on the Vapen but I have had Redington's CPS, CPX and Link rods as well as the TFO BVK. All were nice with the CPS being my favorite. Both companies have excellent warranty service, so you can't go wrong with either company. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wschmitt3 0 Report post Posted April 12, 2015 I like my 7 Weight BVK. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OLD BUD 0 Report post Posted April 12, 2015 REDINGTON PREDATOR CASTS LIKE A ROCKET WILL DRAG A SUBMARINE OUT OF WEEDS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WVUontheFLY 0 Report post Posted April 13, 2015 I have the vapen black and red, 7 and 9 wts respectively. I am a huge fan of them, I will probably pick a couple more weights, 3 and 5. They are nice and speedy, also I really like the grips. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pabrookie94 0 Report post Posted April 13, 2015 BVK...heard way too many good reviews Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vicrider 0 Report post Posted April 13, 2015 Why not talk to Steve (steeldrifter) and let him know just what you're looking for in a rod. Where you like the the flex and how much power you need. He'll build you a custom rod nicer than any of them and probably save you money to boot. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grassonfly 0 Report post Posted April 13, 2015 Have you considered the tfo mangrove? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
[email protected] 0 Report post Posted April 13, 2015 The problem I'm having is that i don't have any fly shops around me with the exception of Orvis, so i am unable to try different rods out. I have been considering just getting a Orvis for the fact the i can go to the store and try them out. Ive heard good things about the Recon. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whatfly 0 Report post Posted April 13, 2015 Pretty much a push. Both good companies and good rods. I generally like Redington better than TFO, because overall I prefer their action, but both rods mentioned good choices. Neither rod, however, are heavy lifting rods like the Redington Predator or TFO Mangrove, so you might want to expand your model search a bit before deciding, depending on structure you fish and size of target species. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kudu 0 Report post Posted April 19, 2015 I second going custom. You can get a Helios quality rod for what you would pay for the redington or tfo plus have it customized for your needs. I like matrix blanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WVUontheFLY 0 Report post Posted April 20, 2015 Went out yesterday and was testing out some new patterns and new rods. Have to say my vapen red 9wt will chuck some meat. I was throwing some assorted 9-14" flies with gusto, up to 70' with minimum effort. Also just look out for sales on certain items. I got both my vapen black 7wt and my vapen red 9wt for $200/each on sale compared to the $350/each retail. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
