MAXCATCH EXTREME

The rod felt nicely balanced in my hand. It is remarkably lightweight, and the rod, reel, and spool of line weighs just 315 grams- less than three-quarters of a pound!  It's very responsive, and casting out to 70-plus feet was effortless. The rod also comes with a nice carry case with a compartment for each 4 sections of the rod. I found the rod to be far better than other rods at this price point. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the Maxcatch Extreme gives some higher-end rods such as Sage, Orvis, and G. Loomis some stiff competition- for a fraction of the cost.

The reel was quite good for the price. It comes apart easily to reconfigure between left- and right-handed use by just removing and reversing the central bearing. The large arbor reel is great because it helps the line to pull out straight  for smooth casting (when compared to a smaller arbor reel that can cause the line to curl), and the larger diameter means that you can reel in more line, faster, when you got that fish on the line. There is some difference between the Eco reel and a high end fly reel in terms of finish, but it was still very smooth when reeling and the drag system was smooth as well. Overall the reel performed far better than other similarly-priced reels.

Maxcatch also offers a one-year warranty.

 

My uncle-in-law talks fondly of buying a new Toyota van on the cheap years ago, when Toyota was first breaking into the market and establishing a reputation. I wouldn't be surprised to find that, a few years from now, Maxcatch rods are selling at a higher price point. I look forward to trying Maxcatch's high-end fly rods!