Fly Rods: Small Brands?

SnowshoeThompsonwhat kind of rod/size are you looking for? Basic?ESN? Switch/Spey?

I run pretty much all cabelas rods because I live next to a store, their warranty is rad, they’re way cheaper than any other rod worth buying And they’re just redington rods with a cabelas logo

I have some buddies that are ambassadors for moonshine rods. They seem cool and are definitely a smaller company. I just haven’t seen any sizes I like.

Echo makes some sweet rods but they are not cheap unless you’re looking for a basic 9’ 5 weight. I’ve heard good things about their warranty as well.

JoeF2661What did you end up going with? Just bought a new rod for under 300 bucks from the fly shops freshwater series and I'm really enjoying. Gonna set up a nymph rig later today and hopefully catch something.

patagonialukeI ended up going with the Moonshine Midnight Special (9' 6wt). Been absolutely loving it so far, though a lot of that is simply because its a faster action rod than my last one and we fished a lot of more open water this early season. But the quality seems pretty stellar so far and I love the feel. Water is super high up here still so I haven't been using it a whole lot recently but I think we've either already hit peak flows or are about to, and I can't wait to get it up to some alpine lakes once the high ones thaw out.

animatorMoonshine makes great rods. TFO is also super slept on compared to the big brands, if you're ever looking in the future they make great rods at prices that are a lot lower than the competition. People mentioned Sage, Loomis, Thomas & Thomas, they're all bigger brands and charge you 3 years rent for a rod (granted I have a Sage and a few from Loomis, and they're fantastic but not worth it for a 6wt). Whats the line and reel pairing?

patagonialukeYeah I think if I ever decide to expand the quiver with something more niche like a small-stream 3wt or pike / salmon rod I'll be checking out TFO for sure. Honestly can't remember what line I bought this summer, some all-round Rio (either Grand or Gold). Reel is just a crappy Cabelas reel but around here my reel is pretty much just a storage device for line, so it's never been an area I felt the need to spend.

patagonialukeSo my crappy Cabelas fly rod finally broke after a solid decade of use, and seeing as many small companies are suffering, I figured it could be a good opportunity to support a smaller business rather than just getting another cheap rod from a big brand.

Admittedly, I don't want to spend more than ~$300 on a new rod which I know limits my options, but if anyone knows of any small-ish brands — or just brands that are making efforts toward things like conservation or getting people into fishing — I'd love to hear about them.