Video: Redington Pursuit Review from Summit Publishing on Vimeo.
As fly fishing becomes more and more popular, the industry is striving to produce more technically advanced equipment to satisfy their clientele. This produces amazing advancements in rod, reel, and line technology, but it also drives the price of these products up, making the sport unattainable for some enthusiasts and others who want to get into it. The trend is not unusual in the outdoor industry, but makes it hard for fly fishing to shake the pipe smoking, tweed jacket wearing, rich man hobby stereotype.
Fortunately, there are some companies that are beginning to move away from higher priced gear by taking the existing technology and packaging it into an affordable option for the intermediate angler. The Redington Pursuit is one such package. The Pursuit is a high quality line of rods and reels that pack a lot of the latest tech into an economic outfit. Rods range from 4 wt to 9 wt in either 4 pc or 2 pc configurations. The rods come ready to fish right out of the box, with graphite rod, aluminum reel, backing, floating line, and leader all in a plastic case. The rods are fast action and the reels are tough and have a large arbor design.
This is all great stuff, but the Pursuit really begins to shine when you see the price tag. The entire outfit runs $159 for the 2 pc and $179 for the 4 pc. You also have the option of purchasing the individual parts separately. This is a quality outfit from a respected brand in the fly fishing industry, so there is really no downside here. This is the perfect option for a guide rod, backup rod, or a rod in an unusual size you need, but don’t use all the time. This would also be a great gift for a wife or girlfriend (or husband/boyfriend for that matter) or niece or nephew. Heck, it’s good enough to be my go to.
Case in point: I bought a rod similar to this for my girlfriend’s birthday one year. Only three years later after we were married did she reveal that she never liked fly fishing and she only did it to keep me on the hook. Now it’s my backup rod.
We tested the 9′ 4 pc 5wt. When I was fishing this outfit I could not tell the difference between it and the more expensive rods in my quiver. That’s about the best testimonial you can have. Check out the video below to see the rod in action on Mossy Creek outside of Bridgwater, Va.
