Redington RS3 Series

by Brad Tomlinson            

Redington has long been known for its commitment to affordable quality in fly fishing products.  With the acquisition of Redington’s holdings by Sage, that upscale rod maker has brought its production standards and attention to detail to the table at Redington.  What they have not brought, however, is the price-tag normally associated with such standards.  The RS3 is billed as an improvement on the venerable Redington RS2 series, but it really deserves to be treated as a new animal entirely. 

Utilizing some of the advanced rod-building approaches pioneered by the mad geniuses at Sage, the RS3 stands out in a very crowded field of sub-$200 fly rods.  On a recent afternoon’s fishing in Elevenmile Canyon, a 8’6” 4-weight proved to be quite capable of tossing size 22 blue winged olive dries as well as handling double nymph rigs with a #1 split shot.  Several 14-16 inch rainbows and one 20-inch brown trout proved to be no match for it, either.  I’ve fished the 9’ 6-weight on Spinney Mountain Reservoir for some hot ‘bows hopped up on callibaetis nymphs and found it to be very efficient at whipping big, strong trout.  Several folks who cast the rods side-by-side at the 2004 Fly Tackle Dealer’s show declared it to be the best new rod of the year.  It’s an effective rod for dry flies, streamers, and nymphs.

  Available in line weights from 3 to 12, with 3 two-handed models also available for the spey caster, the RS3 is a great rod for the beginning angler or for the discerning fly fisher who wants a top-notch backup rod.  This medium-fast action rod is available in 2- or 4-piece configurations with a whopping 28 single-handed models to choose from.  The rod has a mahogany-brown blank with attractive red and silver accenting, quality cork grip, polished aluminum fittings and a cocobolo wood reel-seat.  The rod comes in a well-made Cordura-covered PVC case.  While lifetime warranties are the norm amongst the higher-end rod-makers, rods in this price range often are a bit lacking in that department.  Not so the RS3; it sports an unconditional lifetime warranty. 

If you’re shopping for the entire outfit, and not just a new stick, the rods also come packaged as part of an RS3 Outfit (14 total models in 2- and 4-piece configurations) with the new CD series machined, disc-drag reel, WF floating line, backing, leader, and combo rod/reel case.  Great pricing rounds out the deal: $169 to $199 for the rods, $299 to $329 for the outfits. 

For more information you can check them out at http://www.redington.com or call your local Redington dealer.

About the Author
Brad Tomlinson is the owner of The Peak Fly Shop in Colorado Springs & Woodland Park, Colorado. You can visit his website at www.thepeakflyshop.com.