I hadn't stopped by this forum in a while, so that's why I'm digging this thread up.
Temple Fork is our best selling fly rod these days. Overall they have been great for the industry; people can now get into fly fishing with quality gear at a good price and a lifetime warranty.
As for reels, that one is a little tougher. Here is where picking the right product matters. Stripers and blues don't kill fly reels. Even albies and bonito usually don't. But real tuna do. If your drag can't dump heat it's going to die, just like conventional and spin gear.
The other thing that kills fly reels is corrosion. In most cases, the higher priced reels are definitely built to withstand the salt better. Remember the Redington AL 9/10? Decent little reel but it had bearings in it that rusted if you looked at them wrong.
Tiogas are still one of the best reels going for the money. You can drag it across the rocks, thru the sand, forget to wash it and it keeps on going. $150 for a 9-10 sized reel that will last almost as long as the $600 ones. Just don't attach it to a real tuna.
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