FREESTONEStoFLATS

As we head toward the end of 2026, I think we can all agree the economy is hurting. The dollar is not going as far as we had hoped. Price increases have hit every industry, and fly fishing is no exception. My first rod was a gift, the Orvis Encounter Outfit. At the time it came with a rod, a fully spooled reel with line, and a nice rod case. I checked Orvis a minute ago and the outfit is now $250. A $50 increase in four years does not seem crazy, but a 25% increase is harder to swallow.

I will be the first to admit I have no knowledge of foreign relations, import and export duties, or any of the industrial tariffs that raise costs for consumers here in the US. What I do know is that the price of fly fishing has gone up substantially over the past two or three years. “Entry” level gear now costs what “mid-level” gear used to. G. Loomis broke records this year with its $1,570 Asquith. I cast the Asquith at the Edison Fly Show and will admit the rod is fantastic, but is it worth three days of guided fishing in the Catskills, or two days with a guide in Belize? I am not sure, but if I had a lot more disposable income, it might be.

I would like to dive into how I buy my rods in 2026. I have bought more than five rods this year with one key principle in mind: value. To me, value depends on two things, the price of the rod and the quality of the rod. It is the intersection of the price you pay and the quality you get, with a rod or really with any piece of gear. Value is usually not found in the extremes. Neither the cheapest rods nor the most expensive ones tend to be the best use of your dollar.

In 2026, I think the general consensus is that even cheap rods can be great rods for most people, and I agree with that. If a beginner is starting out and has never cast a rod, I think their best option is to borrow one or buy a beginner kit. I would say the Cortland Fairplay Kit is a great option for people dipping their toes into fly fishing for the first time. I do not want this to be a rod suggestion or a review; those will come in a later article. For those who know they love fly fishing and want to invest in a higher-priced rod, the question remains: what price should I pay for a rod to maximize my value?

For example, I probably would not pay $169 for the 9ft 5wt Orvis Encounter rod, but I would be willing to pay $298 for the Orvis Clearwater. Even at nearly double the price, I believe the Clearwater provides better value. I say this having used, and still using, my Encounter as my main 9ft 5wt trout rod. The rod is great and it certainly outfishes me, but it lacks the one thing I think is worth paying for, and that is the warranty. The Encounter has a 5-year warranty, while the Clearwater has Orvis’s 25-year guarantee. If you fish hard, or lean your rod against your car door while rigging up, your rod will eventually break. It is an inevitable part of fly fishing: rods break. The extra $129 for the Clearwater means a new rod tip within two days instead of buying a brand new rod that already costs more than the Clearwater did in the first place.

When it comes to buying anything, my general rule of thumb is this: if one has a lifetime warranty and one does not, buy the one with the lifetime warranty. Different fly fishing companies have different warranties, but in my experience, and anecdotally, companies like Orvis, Douglas, St. Croix, G. Loomis, and Fenwick have outstanding warranties and stand behind their products. For me, paying a higher price for a better warranty is worth it, and I think it is worth it for others too, because it directly affects how much value your money can provide in a fly rod.

Fly rods these days are awesome. Those who want a cannon in their hands have dozens to sift through, and those who want a dedicated dry fly rod can do hours of research before narrowing the choice down to a dozen more. The quality of most fly rods, and of most fly rod companies, is amazing.

I attend the Edison Fly Show every year and cast as many rods as I can in the casting pools, so I feel comfortable saying that fly rods at every level perform well. I also think that after a certain price point, the quality of a rod plateaus. Sticking with Orvis, I think the Recon is a bigger upgrade in performance over the Clearwater than the Helios is over the Recon. That said, most companies’ mid-level rods will outfish most of us on any given day. I understand some readers may be fishing at a high level, but I am not. The middle of a brand’s lineup is where I tend to live. That is where I find value is maximized, from both a quality and a price perspective.

I’ll end this essay with one more piece of advice for anyone looking to get the most out of their money in fly fishing. Never, and I mean this, never pay full price for a fly rod. To start, look for websites offering a discount for signing up for their email list. In most cases, companies offer 10 to 20% just for handing over your email. Sometimes the discount code will not apply to fly rods, or to one specific fly rod, and that may be a good sign.

There are a few facets to this. First, if the discount code is not working, it most likely means the rod is new, and that the new rod is replacing a previous model, which is most likely steeply discounted. I would buy the discounted rod over the new one. Second, even if a rod is not discounted directly, there may be other ways to get a discount on the purchase. eBay is always running random coupons. Backcountry seems to always have a 10% cashback or a 15% code for signing up, and every once in a while they run 20% off. Third, look at Sierra for rods at great prices; they are constantly updating their inventory. They seem to sell rods that are being phased out at great prices, but be quick, because they do sell out.

One last tip. If you notice a company like Fishpond, TFO, or Lamson selling gear on Sierra, that means they will be updating that model in the near future. A lot of the time a piece of gear will be 30 to 40% off MSRP on Sierra while fly shops are running 25% off the same item. So if you see a fly shop with a decent discount on something, check Sierra before you buy it in the store. I am all about supporting fly shops, but in an article about getting the most for your money, I thought I would let you all know.

With that, I hope this helps.