# Temple Fork Outfitters fly rods



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Inside the outdoors

http://www.freep.com/sports/outdoors/outinside1e_20050901.htm

About five years ago, I became a fan of Temple Fork Outfitters fly rods. They cast well and were super bargains, which warmed the cockles of my Scottish heart. 

Temple Fork president Rick Pope has expanded his line considerably since then, so when an airline lost several of my reels, I replaced two with Temple Fork models and was delighted to find they were just as good as the TFO rods. 

I have two large arbor models, the TFO 310, which takes a No. 6 line, and the 375, which takes a No. 8. The 310 retails for $225, the 375 for $250. That's a fair chunk for a fly reel, but far less costly than some more famous brands. 

I've also used a friend's TFO MK 1, a narrower arbor reel that takes a No. 5 or 6 line and sells for about $150, and I liked it, too. 

The large-arbor reels will work better in salt water for hard-running fish that sometimes require recovering a lot of line. I've caught four carp in the 12- to 20-pound range, a five-pound Atlantic salmon, a four-pound steelhead and a dozen nice smallmouth bass on the TFO 375. It handled the long runs by the carp and salmonids and short, hard tugs of the bass equally well. The 375 let me set the drag near the maximum breaking strain of the leader tippet with confidence the drag would give line when necessary. 

I've used the 310 for bass and trout. A couple of bigger smallmouth gave its drag a mild workout, but it hasn't really been stressed. I'll put it to the test when the chinooks come into the rivers this month. 


ERIC SHARP, Detroit Free Press


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## Jackster1 (Aug 17, 2001)

Eric Sharp could have also looked around and quite easily found fine AMERICAN made rods at the same price level... reels as well.
I note he somehow failed to mention TFO's are made in Korea. Oh well... details, details!
Sad to see even public figures fall for hype. :16suspect


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## DryFly (Jun 4, 2001)

Most of the quality rods and blanks are out of Korea. 

Do you know who is manufacturing and not just assembling in the US?


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## Jackster1 (Aug 17, 2001)

DryFly said:


> Most of the quality rods and blanks are out of Korea.
> 
> Do you know who is manufacturing and not just assembling in the US?


Sage, Orvis, Winston, St. Criox, Diamondback...
Shall I go on?
I know Sage, Winston and Orvis have gone off-shore for some of their low-end rods. St. Croix rods are all built here and I'm not sure about Diamonbacks low-end rods.
Even the top of the line rods from the above companies can be had at great deals if you look around.
I highly disgree most 'quality' rods are built in Korea... most rods might be though. Still no reason to not try and keep your neighbors working.


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## Scottie (Jul 31, 2003)

Jackster,
You forgot to mention Scott Fly Rods http://www.scottflyrod.com/difference_craftsmanship.html
I'm only calling you out on this one because I know you own one or atleast used to. 


I'll be really interested to see how many of those TFO's will be exercising their warranty this fall. 

scott


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## Jackster1 (Aug 17, 2001)

Scottie said:


> Jackster,
> You forgot to mention Scott Fly Rods http://www.scottflyrod.com/difference_craftsmanship.html
> I'm only calling you out on this one because I know you own one or atleast used to.
> 
> scott


How could I miss those Scott Rods!  

Did someone mention QUALITY?  It don't get no better!

Signed:
PROUD owner of a 9'6" 7 weight S3 and the sweetest brookie rod known to man, the 6' 10" 3 weight 'G' series!


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## Old Steelhead Dude (Jan 5, 2003)

All The Blanks I have been building lately, the Bamboo has come from the Tokin peninsula of Communist China

OSD.


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## DryFly (Jun 4, 2001)

Getting back to the original post, I have a TFO rod and it is a very nice unit.
The 4 piece 5 wt. rod cost $140 and performs as well as any other costing way more than twice the price. I was tuned into these rods by many friends who have used them, this includes certified fly casting instructors. 

I know of a guy who returned one because of a broken tip and was suprised on how fast the turn around was as compared to the Sage he sent back. TFO did not just replace the broken tip, they gave him a completely new rod, no questions asked. 

If the quality is there and the price is a value, I will certainly buy American first. 

I know many of the above mentioned manufacturers are American companies but I will gamble that their lower end rods priced under $300 will not perform any better and I will also bet that the graphite components come from off shore. Their top line rods are manufactured in the USA. 

One other thing Sage most likely will not even tell you where their lower end rods are made. 

I do buy American products but do not feel bad if I purchase a foreign made item. I justify this in my mind by considering it a pay back for the American made products that they buy. 

Either way we can no longer consider products made overseas to be a lesser quality. Some might be, but I have bought a quality rod made in Korea and have also bought some real junk made in America. 

For what it's worth.


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## FliesOnly (Sep 24, 2004)

I know that the Fli series of SAGE and the Launch series are both made on Bainbridge Island in Washington State.


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