TFO AXiom Rods

[Troutbum from Griswold]

Picked up the new TFO Axiom rods. Got the 6 wt for streamers, 8 and 10 wts for the salt. I absolutely love this rod. All I have to say is FAST ACTION! POWER! That simple. I fished the Pawcatuck River on Friday and the wind was up pretty good. The 8wt was able to cut through the wind like nothing. Even though the wind was coming in behind us and at times in front of us and pushing the rod and line everywhere, I was still able to gun the line through the wind and get the fly where I needed it to be. These rods are pretty light in the hand. Great series of rods. These rods will perform and out perform some of Sage's and Winston's rods. I have fished with pretty much them all and I already feel they are better than the BIIX for sure. Tons more power.

[Fascist Killer]

I heard these rods described in boxing terms... their like fighters who cut weight to fight in a weight class one or two lower. Sounds powerful...

[FK]

"These rods are pretty light in the hand. Great series of rods. These rods will perform and out perform some of Sage's and Winston's rods."

TFO Axiom
6wt = 5.3 oz.
8wt = 5.5 oz.

Sage
6wt Xi2 = 3 7/8 oz, TCR = 3 5/8 oz.
8wt Xi2 = 4 1/8 oz., TCR = 4 1/16 oz.

The TFO Axiom is a nice $275, made in Korea, older technology design.

Regards,
FK

[Troutbum from Griswold]

FK,
I was just simply talking from my personal experience with the rods. I know that they are not actually lighter than the XI2 or BIIX. But, they still don't feel like your casting a tree trunk like some rods. I spent hours casting the 8wt last Friday and I wasn't remotely tired from casting it. I have BIIX rods and have used them in the salt. These rods cost almost 3x as much and they don't have the power the Axioms do. I had a Sage RPLXI and a RPLX which felt heavy to me. The RPLXI 10 wt felt very heavy to me. I have owned and fished a lot of rods and over time, I am realizing that the rod doesn't have to say Sage or Winston or cost $650-750 to have a high level of performance and quality. In my opinion, there are some TFO rods that will equally perform or out perform some of the rods from these other companies. I know others who agree and others who disagree as well. Just my feelings on the subject.

[Nymphmeister]

I own (ed) a TFO 9' #7 TiCr and loved it, I would put it against any Sage as equal in performance. It's not as pretty, but it throws like a mother____er. It's a standout in the TFO lineup of rods. Davy Wotton fishes a TFO Pro 10' #5 as his go-to rod for wets & nymphs. He's a guy who owns 60-70 rods and can fish anything he wants, so this speaks strongly on the subject to me.

[Troutbum from Griswold]

That alone speaks volumes. He is a world famous flyfisherman/tyer and isn't even on the TFO staff I believe. Torrey, that 7wt TICR is another good example. I have the same rod and that rod is a cannon. Great light saltwater rod especially for the flats. Personally, I am a big fan of black matte finishes. No shine. I like that. Has the old GLX look too it.

[Fascist Killer]

Davy designed the TFO 11 foot 5 weight I believe. And loomis still sells those matte finish 2 piecers. Gotta love em.

[FK]

There was a fad that started with Gary Borger some years ago,,,,,mamy FF would take fine xxxx steel wool or abrasive paper and dull the factory Urethane finish,,,,,,stealth rods,,,,no flash or radar detection.

Regards,
FK