G. Loomis Adventure Series Fly Rods
By: Michael Uleski

            Long rods, buggy whips, call them what you will, but fly rods and fly-fishing hold a special place for a lot of anglers. There is nothing quite like seeing that tailing red only thirty feet away, casting right in front of him where the light splash of the fly doesn’t spook him, he tails on your fly, strip strike and the fight is on. Fly-fishing can be a very rewarding way to pursue your favorite game fish, but in most anglers’ minds, fly-fishing equals another expensive hobby. Rods can easily top five hundred dollars with fly reels running about half that price. But, it is possible to break into the sport, and not break the bank.

            G. Loomis created the Adventure Series fly rods for just that purpose of giving anglers the ability to have a top quality fly rod at a reasonable price. These rods will come to you in a durable aluminum rod tube and in a protective rod sock to keep the rod looking it’s best while transporting from spot to spot. They come in an attractive high gloss, earth-tone color with rosewood, or an anodized aluminum reel seat, depending on line weight. The guides are all Fuji with ceramic stripper guides and stainless snake guides .The rods range in weights from 3 up to 9 weight, and lengths of 7’6” on up to 9’6”. Price ranges from $190.00 to $250.00 with $210.00 being the average for the most common rod weights and lengths.

            The rod I use most often is a 9-foot, 8wt, which is pretty much standard for mid-weight saltwater fly fishermen. It’s primarily used on redfish, trout, but has been used offshore for bluefish and Spanish Mackerel. On all species it’s handled fighting very well with a lot of power in the butt section.

            But a fly rod isn’t designed to fight a fish; it’s designed to cast a fly. The line I’m using is Fenwick Sea Class, floating weight forward, 8wt. This rod has a feel reminiscent of the older GL2 fly rods from the mid-nineties with a slower action than their GL3 counterparts. Personally this is the feel I prefer as it allows for a longer line shooting ability as the slower rod loads easier than a stiffer fly rod. This also makes these rods incredibly easy for people to learn on. G. Loomis also took this into account when creating these rods. Their idea was to make an easy casting rod for beginners but to also have a draw for more advanced fly fishers that are on a budget. They have fit the bill perfectly for this on both accounts. And by over-lining the rod by one line weight it would make the rod even easier to cast, but at a loss of accuracy and presentation for beginners. I like this rod for it’s fast shooting ability when sight fishing tailing redfish. It takes no time to get 40+ feet of line in the air without much false casting at all. And with the shooting ability your able to keep the line out of the fishes vision while working line out, and then shooting the last of the line and fly, right to the fish.

            Many anglers have avoided fly-fishing simply due not being able to spend the money for a decent outfit, and not wanting to buy the cheapest on the market either. The Adventure Series fills that gap with a high quality fly rod at a reasonable price. More information can be found at:

http://flyfishing.gloomis.com/default.asp?Target=Catalog&Family=Fly+Rods&Subfamily=Adventure+Series

            Tight lines…