The Best Fly Rods of 2024, Tested and Reviewed [Video]

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This summer, in the name of research (and fun), a crew of Field & Stream editors assembled for the most rigorous fly rod test we’ve ever done. In the months leading up to the test, it quickly became clear that we’d need to narrow things down because there are a lot of fly rods on the market. Do we test freshwater fly rods or saltwater fly rods? Fresh. Do we tackle fly rods for all freshwater gamefish or focus on one species? One. Do we go with panfish or bass or trout or pike or…Trout.

Of course we picked trout. What else would you expect from a magazine brand that, for decades, concluded every story with a small icon of a Canada goose and a trout?

With that decided, the five resident trout bums on the F&S staff …