I’ve been fly fishing for over 30 years and have fished many a rod/reel. Started with my Orvis Clearwater 9 ft 5wt and reel combo. I then migrated to a Scott A4 9ft 5wt and Lamson Konic 3.5 reel, because my casting style was better suited for a medium/fast action. Love it so much, I bought the 8wt set up as well. My Scott 5wt cost about $450 all in.
My conversion came about from being introduced to the Veteran 9 ft 5wt rod and reel combo. I also upgraded to the premium fly line, which I LOVE in Sage green. This rod casts exactly like its doubly priced counterpart. I’ve fished nymphs and dry flies with it. Roll casts are precisely laid one time and mends are with a simple flick of the wrist! For dries, the rod loads and unloads with perfect stiffness to punch that fly exactly in the draft line. I’ve cast flies easily 30 meters with complete precision. The Veteran Reel has a very accessible drag system to modify during the fight as needed. The combo is well balanced, super comfortable and the PERFECT set up for trout, bass and panfish! I also bought the Veteran 8wt combo and am excited to use it for Steelhead in the Fall. Like I said, I’m a convert and thank you Perfect Hatch for a high quality set up for an extremely reasonable price!