M MAXIMUMCATCH Maxcatch Fiberglass Fly Fishing Rod: 3wt/ 5wt/ 6wt/8wt in Blue,Orange, Purple or Transparent

I started my fly fishing journey on a Reddington classic 9ft 5wt. Amazing rod. As I’ve become more advanced in fly fishing Ive realized different sized rods have their own place. I do a lot of pan fishing in rivers and lakes. On the river there can be a lot of obstacles. On the lake im usually in a tube and can get as close as I want, I don’t need the extra length. I also plan on getting more into mountain stream fishing. Thus me shopping for a shorter rod. Ive also come to realize the fish have no clue what kind of rod you’re fishing with. They care about the presentation and the person behind the rod is what delivers that. I don’t buy $1,000 rods just can’t get myself to do it. I’m already catching too many fish on my budget rods and having a blast doing it. I fell onto this rod by max catch. It peaked my interest almost immediately while I was shopping in that 7ft range. I ordered the transparent rod because my favorite color is white and I thought it looked cool in the pictures. I assembled it and it feels great in the hand. Very well balanced with my 3/4 max catch trout reel. I strung up some max catch sinking tip line 4wt and went out to the front yard to throw a couple casts… holy crap.. my fly line glides out of this thing like butter. I dare to say even better than my reddington which was twice the cost. Well I dug a little deeper I wanted to understand why. I immediately noticed a glaring difference (see photo) the rod guides are much bigger on my max catch than they are on my Reddington and beefier too. Totally dig that. It really is a performance enhancer in my opinion with line casting. Have not taken it fishing yet but having become well acquainted with my other rod, I can already feel a difference in castability and action. It has a very nice flex to it. Not too fast not too slow. If you’re not familiar with spigot ferrule” or “internal ferrule” it involves a separate piece that is bonded to the inside of the lower section, producing a protruding tube that the top section slides on. When an internal ferrule is properly seated, there is a 1/8- to 1/2-inch gap between the two sections. This prevents the sections from rubbing against each other and allows for future wear. I bring this up because I see people in the reviews saying the sections don’t line up. Yes that is true and by design. It doesn’t impact performance. I’m excited to get this rod on the water. Tight lines.

The rod is beautiful, great feel. It looks to be high quality and well built.

I am revising my review as of June 2024 as I have been fishing these rods and learning more about them. The orange 3wt 7ft rod casts a 4 weight line with ease and even an 5 weight into a breeze. Good rod and great value. But it isn’t a real 3wt because it takes 4 or 5 weight line to load it when casting. I ordered a blue 8wt but was sent a 10wt. Didn’t realize it until I started casting it. Medium fast, strong rod for big fish and big flies. Could be a salmon, striper, carp, musky or saltwater rod. It is an 8ft, 4 piece rod with regular ferrules not the “spigot” ferrules like the 3wt. This 10wt rod has an action somewhat comparable to my Maxcatch 9wt Premiere but not quite as stiff as the graphite Premiere. The 10wt glass has a more sensitive tip and you might land more fish than with the stiffer graphite 9wt, but the glass 10wt is heavier than the graphite 9wt Premier which can make more tiring in my opinion to cast. The 9wt graphite is a foot longer which might be better from a kayak or boat. The quality of both of these s-glass rods (3 and 10wt) are good as is their value. I have tested their strength and think they can handle as big or bigger fish than graphite rods of their relative weights. As of 7/23 received their 8’6” 6wt in blue. As mentioned by other reviewers, it is heavy for an 8 1/2’ 6wt and doesn’t have great balance being tip heavy. The rod’s action is like the 7’ 3wt rod but long and heavy. I immediately put on a WF 7wt line to try casting. OK, but didn’t do well into about a 5mph breeze. An 8wt WF did better. I think you will want to overweight the line 1 to 2 sizes like the 3wt rod depending on wind and flies. The rod does, however, cast well. My reels didn’t fit well into the tight front slot behind the cork handle. This is unlike the many other Maxcatch rods I own. I felt the guides including the tip were too small which was also unlike other Maxcatch rods. It has some space between sections at the “spigot” ferrules which is ok. The rod should is strong and should play a big fish while the responsive tip should protect a light leader or small fly. Also got the blue 8’ 8wt version. Really like it. True 8wt, but believe it could cast 7 to 9wt line even though I haven’t tried those lines yet. More money than the 8 1/2’ 6wt but better balanced and without spigot ferrules. That 6wt would have been better as an 8’ rod; it just doesn’t have a great feel. Spring 2024 and I got the 8ft 4wt Unic Glass in purple. It is super. It is carbon glass rather than S-glass. Took a while to find what carbon glass is. It is fiber glass (S-glass?) with up to a quarter carbon fibers. June 2024 bought a purple 8 1/2 foot 5 weight Unic (carbon glass) and it is also great. The purple, carbon glass rods have a little faster tip action, but not a stiff tip. To sum up: I like all the Maxcatch S-glass rods real well except the 8 1/2’ 6wt which is too heavy and strains my wrist to cast and calls for a 7 or 8 weight line. I plan to give it to someone with stronger wrists. I don’t think it would a good rod for a youngster or woman. It is actually quite similar in action to my 1970’s two piece Fenwick 8 1/2 foot 8 weight. The purple, carbon glass rods feel and cast wonderfully (but haven’t tried the 3 weight). I have done my best to give you the best information on these fine rods to help you make a good decision. It is so hard to buy rods online without feeling and casting them. Best of luck.

I purchased the "transparent" 7 ft "3" wt. The build quality is excellent for a sub $100 rod. Per the suggestion of previous reviewers I spooled a reel with a wf4f fly line. It cast very well for near to medium distances. The transparent blank is more frosted than transparent; however, it is clear enough that you can still see a bit of the yellow glue used to attach the spigot ferrules inside the blank. Wraps an lettering are white and discrete against the mostly white blank. When assembled there is a small gap between rod sections. This isn't a defect. A quick internet search for, "fly rod spigot ferrule" will explain everything. It looks nice and casts well at distances suitable for this size and weigh of rod. If you want to try out a fiberglass fly rod without breaking the bank, this is a good choice. The only negative comment worth mentioning is that it casts a 4wt line so well perhaps it isn't really a 3wt.

Just arrived. Handsome rod and reel that feels good in the hand. Silver Eco reel with transparent rod has a classic look. Old school fiberglass. It'll be on the water in a few days and I'll report back. Took the fly rod to the stream. Very light. Balanced. Easy to cast. With the Eco reel it makes a very solid budget system.