Marmot Dam

Report by: J. Morgan Jones
Here is a question that we get asked a lot at the shop, though not in so many words, “Can I get a top line $800 spey rod for less than $400. The answer is of course, "No, you cannot." Regardless of what any manufacturer might trying to convince you of, it’s not happening. But... with the advent of the new T F O Deer Creek spey rods, it is getting closer than you might think.

The T F O folks have been making  pretty good entry level spey rods for a number of years. I know that we at the shop have been very pleased with these offerings.  Some time ago, the
T F O company began consulting with two very experienced spey rod designers, Mike Kinney and Bob Meiser in their quest for even better spey rods. Both Mike and Bob have been known for making some very good rods on their own, so we were quite curious just what kind of rod TFO might end up with. TFO is known for their “price point”, business-like spey rods. Besides making a very nice casting spey rod, Bob Meiser is also known for his excellent finish work and a somewhat spendy price.

By pure happenstance, I was able to “liberate” the entire collection of the Deer Creek rods from TFO rep, Dick Sagara for about two weeks. As this was an unplanned circumstance, we were running a bit short in the “testing” department. Mark Bachmann (and Patty) were going to be out of town, Josh Linn was headed to Alaska, Roger was busy (we think he’s too shy for this stuff). So, there was nothing to do, but cast the rods myself (along with a few friends) and then bring in one of the Big Guns himself, the great and powerful Leroy Teeple. If you do not know Leroy Teeple, suffice it to say that he understands ALL phases of anything to do with spey rods. Sort of a “novice” and the “master” thing (I did not say who was which). 

To keep the suspense for building too much...... the Deer Creek rods are quite surprising. Very nicely appointed. Deep gloss finish, copper colored windings, detailed cork; attractive rods to say the least. Unlike previous T F O rods, these rods are designed to catch your eye. And they do this very well, thank you.

But, in the world of spey casting, it all comes down to casting. Looks are a plus, but only if the rods cast well. The TFO people, along with Meiser and Kinney, got it right the first time... these rod DO cast. Are they magic?  Uhh... no, but they do grow on you. But they are good solid, smooth casting rods. I would not hesitate to say they cast much better than the cost would indicate, if you get my drift. These rods are very straight forward, no casting quirks that we noted. They seemed to be rated correctly for the line weight on each rod. As a matter of fact, the line rating of the Deer Creek rods are in the grain-weight range format. The heavier line is going to load sooner and the lighter is going to throw further and so on. We believe this is something that the rest of the industry could do to make understanding line weights for spey rods somewhat easier to digest.

The Deer Creek spey rods are made in the 5 wt to 10 wt sizes. Rather than make one rod to test the waters, they introduced the entire line at one time. As a trout guy, I was really attracted to the 5-weightt rod. I must say that it compares well to the rod that I am using now. Though I am not a qualified expert, I enjoyed casting all the models of the entire series.

Kudos to the TFO Company for making a very well-done spey rod series, at very good prices, which amounts to very good value.  We are predicting success for the the Deer Creek rods.