[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Fred, forget about looking the part and keeping up with trends - fish with whatever makes you happy! 

I like quite a few older rods and their actions ( bit of a Daiwa Whisker fan ) and I frequently fish DT lines on all my rods.

[Hamish Young]

To make life a little easier, let’s have a #5 or heavier, and a #4 or lighter option.

#5 or heavier.... well no-one said double handed rods were out of the question So my original 15' #10wt Mackenzie DTX remains my favourite rod over a #5. Just.  If it had to be a single hander then the rod I have the softest spot for is a custom Greys GPRL 10' 7/8 which (even today, 30-ish years since it was new) is a potent rod and a fine fishing tool.  But then again... the 9'6" #6wt Helios that I sat my SGAIC with is seldom far from me. Damn... failed to answer a simple question. Again 

#4 or lighter. Original Orvis Helios 10' #4 which remains the best all round versatile rod for trout fishing I have ever used.

H

[Andrew Boswell]

For me, older rods are a dilemma.

I FAR prefer the action of many older rods over more modern tip-action pokers

BUT

I know that it just takes one wrong movement to snap the tip and they’re consigned to holding up the sunflowers.

Which is a major drama, if you’ve just sunk a few hundred quid into one   

[John Wastle]

I'm not much of a catch for rod retailers, I'm not often tempted by the newest, lightest, highest tech rods.  However,

Double hander - the original Snowbee XS-P 14' 9/10 which when treated as a proper #10 became an amazing rod. It made me give up my 15' Sage Euros even on the Tay. Perfectly matched with a Rio AFS 10/11 or Snowbee 1D.

Heavy single hander, Sage XP #7. Still my go to for heavy stillwater work. One flaw being a lack of backbone handling heavier fish (I still prefer an old Norwich M400 10'6" for single handed salmon.

Light single hander, Hanak Alpen 4 in 1 nymph #4. 9'6" big river dry fly rod, 10' loch dryfly and nymph and 11' loch style rod all in one tube.

And finally, my joker. I recently rediscovered an old budget Leeda Dragonfly 8'6" 4/5. I had to fly down south and needed a rod to cast big mayfly on a small river and fish dries for reservior rainbows. I had forgotton how nice a rod it is. This winter the cheap tat is coming  of and I am going to rebuild it with good handle and fittings.

Sorry, I have exceeded my quota.
John

[Kevin McPherson]

Spotted the post while offshore so no pics but 5wt and above , I do like my Orvis Silver label 5wt nice open loops casts nice must be around 18 years old but still a cracking rod ,  But i do like my New FX2 9ft6 inch  6wt rod  for when it’s a bit windy etc
In the 4 wt and Below has to go to my 10ft 4 wt Vision Sisu  nice soft tip great for spider fishing .
Although  On the look out for a new 10ft 4wt rod not much about that takes my fancy I like a un-sanded finish a wee fighting butt and a fuller handle but nothing on the go matching my requirements, The search goes on 😩

[Andrew Boswell]

I have an FX1 10’ #6 for when it’s windy Kevin - they are great rods. Especially when half price.

I haven’t tried an FX2 yet but they were drawing a lot of interest at the Moy Fair.

[Peter McCallum]

#5 and up would be the original orvis helios #5 9' still my go to rod. Only one I've used in a  #4 or under is an orvis access #4 10' so I suppose that's the one a lovely rod for wild fish.

[Kav Ring]

I've only been back fishing a few years  but my fav is an Echo 4wt glass, fittings are not the greatest but love the action (and colour). I would like to try one of the rods from when I was kit just to see what they are like. Had a Shakespeare sigma and a glass blackfly but can't remember what weight.

[Eddie Sinclair]

Kav,

My first rod was a nine foot 6/7 Milbro trufly deluxe. Euan Inness got one for me recently off eBay and it is in great nick. I have put a line through it. I would love to say it’s great but alas we are now spoiled with modern rods but I do want to get a fish on it for old times sake.

Eddie

[Terry Coging]

I spent last week near Oban by a sea loch and used a rod that I had used for carp the previous week. It was a Daiwa whisker 9'9" 7-9 wt. What a great rod it is by any modern standards! Perfect for carp, sea trout, mackerel and pollock with an 8 wt fast sink tip. Used to use it as a s/h salmon rod and heavy lure rod on the reservoirs. It is not a poker but sticks a big line out easily. Trouble is - I left it behind in Oban

[Mike Barrio]

Trouble is - I left it behind in Oban

I guess you're gonna have to turn round and go back for it! 

[Robert MacDonald-Lewis]

This is a tricky question to answer. In the 5wt and over class, it's tempting to go with my first rod, a 10ft 7wt Shakespeare Expedition. It was a lovely rod to cast and a fair bit of sentimental value. But then I have a Helios 2 9ft 5wt that is lovely to use, so versatile, and has been used so much that numerous memorable fish and adventures are attached to that rod. It's tough to choose between the two. On top of that, in Uist last month, a 9.5ft 6wt Vision Stifu I picked up earlier in the year was the perfect tool for two windy days, which produced the best fishing of the week.

On the 4wt and under class, it is difficult for similar reasons but also situational. I have a 10ft 4wt rod built on a Taniwha blank, which has been my go-to loch and boat rod for the last few years; it is a brilliant fishing tool. It has also served well as a dry fly rod on the Deveron. Recently used its 3wt counterpart for a few days boat fishing and will be doing that again. But I also have one of Sandy's McFarland Spruce Creek 693 rods, which is sublime. But I doubt a boat partner would thank me for using it in a boat.

No, I am too much of a tackle tart to pick just two favourite rods. I need and want them all 

[Jeremy Bennett]

Currently my favourite is Gr80 Vreys Streamflex #3 10 foot - Use it for everything particularly on small streams/rivers where 7 kr 8 ft would be whats needed to the size of river but.... When they are overgrown you can reach over the bank side vegetation often catching under the rod tip.
Historical favourite Farlow Parabolic built cane 9ft 5weight (first proper fly rod I owned handed down  from Big brother)