I am looking for a nice 4 weight, 4 peice, 9 foot fly rod blank. I want to pay up to $200. I would like it to have a similar in weight and action to the sage SLT. I have looked at sig V, RX7+, cabelas, and many others, what do you guys suggest.

With $200 to play with, the sky's the limit. St. Croix SCV, Dan Craft, Loomis, Shikari, many of the Rainshadows and just a whole lot more to choose from.

I have no experience with the Sage SLT so I'm afraid I can't recommend something that would be about the same in action and feel. Surely someone else here will offer you a better opinion than mine.

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Robert , not having thrown a SLT , I'm not to sure of what you are looking for exactly . In your last post you had mentioned Mod/fast , the sigV is all that , and the right price . I built one in june for a guy and it was a nice casting rod . The St.Croix SC 4 & 5 are nice also , and available in 4 pc . The SC4 was a lot slower than I was expecting , this was before I knew of the Common Cents System and how to evaluate a blank by the #s of the system . I looked on the site for the SLT and it was not on it , so to make a comparison to it would be a guess . The 2 mentioned rods in you post with the exeption of the Cabelas blank will fit the bill for what you are looking for from my personal experience, I have not even given a Cabelas blank a shake . Take a look at the CCS Data site on the left of the page , along with the fine articals on the system right above it (top of the sponcors column ). Understanding the system and using the # for comparison may help you make a more educated guess at what you are looking for . If all else fails , you can not go wrong with any of Dan Crafts blanks . They ALL build into very nice casting , and more importantly , fishable rods . Have fun . John

Got Fish ?

Dan Craft's Signature V 8'9" 4 wt is a truly excellent blank. You'll never regret the choice! It's 3 pieces, I believe, not 4, but that should not deter you. It's about $100, so you'll have enough money left over for components. It's as good as, if not better than, the SLT. At least the guides around here think so.

Jim

I built a H&H 8'6 4wt. and own a st. croix 7'6 4wt. and I like both. the H&H is a little slower than the St. Croix but the blank is cheap and is moderate/ fast. I dont believe you can beat the St. Croix blanks for feel and price.

If you like the SLT, the DC sig V 8'9" 4wt is going to feel stiff to you. A great rod it is, fast and light the way I like'em, but a bit stiff up close where the SLT excels.

Tony