Redington Crosswater Fly Fishing Outfit 590-4

I purchased this combo in the 8 weight to fish locally for largemouth bass. Compared to the 5 weight combo I bought at a local box store, I’m very impressed! The Case: A royal blue canvas-like material surrounds The hard case. It looks handsome and feels very sturdy. I have no concerns about rod protection. The interior is sectioned off into four sleeves for each piece of the rod. The sleeves may not make a huge difference, but it seems like a thoughtful and higher end detail. The pieces don’t rattle around inside much when stored. The rod: The rod is great! A nice blue finish, and the pieces fit into each ferrule securely. There are small yellow dots at each point where the pieces connect which aid in putting the rod together without having to eyeball the line eyes with each other and the reel. The rod has a medium-fast action, so it feels slightly less flexible than my other rod which is a medium action. This slight increase in stiffness feels better to me; it feels more reactive to my arm motion than my other rod. My 8 weight has a slightly extended butt section covered in cork to help play large fish, too. The reel: Yep, the reel is essentially plastic. It feels heavy enough for plastic where I don’t feel worried about it breaking, but if it dropped too hard on some rocks, who knows? It might get damaged. If properly handled I don’t think there will be any issues. The drag is smooth, and it seats into the rod securely. I’m tempted to buy a 5 weight Clearwater combo from Redington to use instead of my other rod, I like it that much!