Okuma SLV Graphite 4-Piece Fly Rod

I really like this rod. I have a few other Okuma rods but this was my first SLV as I have the slightly more affordable Crisium versions. This rod, while being 9.5 feet in assembled length breaks down into 4 pieces and is very manageable. The fighting butt is fixed to the rod which is fine for me but it would be nice if it came off in case you needed to replace it. This assembles easily and casts like a dream. I have no issue casting floating and sink tip lines. I cast further with the floating line but I am just used to that type of weight line when casting. The reel seat and components are top quality and hold the reel in tight. I paired this with the 8/9 SLV reel and it is a perfect combo together.

Normally, I would rate Okuma products on the 4 or 5 star level given value for the money. Admittedly, I own a 4, 8, and 10 weight. Took the 10 weight up to Alaska to fish the famed Russian River. The rod/reel combo handled the trout with ease, but I ended up hooking into a 10 pound red. After a few spectacular runs, the female portion of last rod blank gave way to a deafening crack. I still landed the fish, but my day went less comfortable when I now had to fish the 4 weight. I’ll give a shout out to Amazon’s return policy though. They took the 10 weight back and sent me a new one.

I am currently updating my fly fishing equipment. I bought my 'used' Okuma SLV rod from Amazon for next-to-nothing. It deserves every bit of the 5-star rating that I gave it. The writeups that Amazon presents for the Okuma SLV and the Crisium rods are wrong, inaccurate if you think wrong is too strong. I went onto the Akuma site to get information about these 2 rods. However, I'm only going to write about the SLV rod.Compared to my 25 year old rod the SLV rod is astounding. It's a single wt. rod, not the dual wt. 5/6 wt. rod that Amazon advertized. It is a medium-fast rod which means that you can cast much farther than with a medium rod and, it's going to be hard for many beginner fishermen to control the cast. A little practice will change that. Personally, I've been piling alot of line on top of my flies lately. I'm used to a moderate rod. This rod is going to be dynamite when I get used to it.I paired the rod with an Okuma 5/6 wt. SLV reel. The combination of the rod and reel is ultralite. I'm running 5 wt. line on my rig presently and, 6 wt. line on my spare spool. Even if you pay Amazon's regular price, you will get an excellent deal. Enjoy, I sure am.

Bought the 5-6 wt rod, loved it so much bought the 3wt and 9 wt too. Cant beat the quality and action of these rods. Accidentally snagged a 25+ lb carp on the 5-6wt, an hr and forty minuet fight, and the rod performed flawlessly. Many 3-4 lb bass on both the 6 and 3wt rods, a few 10+ lb steelhead on the 9wt. The 3wt is my go to rod for most stream applications since most of the trout I catch are 17" and under, and if I hook into a bass I know the rod can handle it. Pair it with a good reel and make sure you don't skimp on fly line and you will be more than happy.

Just got back from my first outing with the SLV 6wt rod. It is an attractive grey color. Craftsmanship appears to be pretty good. Cork handle is better than I expected. Reel seat looks nice. Stripping and snake guide are perhaps a little better than expected for a rod of this price.Performance is pretty good. The fish here on the Snake River are fat and strong. I landed several 18" (ish) Rainbows on the rod. I'd rate the sensitivity as 8/10.For landing power: the SLV was able to turn fish away from rocks pretty consistently.For casting: when the morning was calm the rod really did well on close casts, perhaps out to 35-40 ft. A nice, clean presentation was no problem. When the wind picked up a bit I started to think that I'd have preferred a little stiffer mid in the rod. As the breeze built, I became a little less impressed with the rod's power, feeling that rigidity was lacking in the middle and base, especially for longer casts.Bottom line: I'd buy the rod again. For the money I think it is a fine rod, solidly intermediate. I firmly disagree with the description of the rod as "moderate-fast." There is no "fast" in this rod.

Purchased the 7wt ... it is a straight 7 (not 7/8). The rod is very well balanced with my 7/8 SLV reel, line loads great, and casts effortlessly. Craftsmanship of the rod is outstanding and on par with higher priced brands. Looking forward to many years of rod service.

I bought a 10/11 SLV rod for Baja and was so impressed that I bought a 6wt after my G.Loomis blank rod cracked. So far I can tell you that this rod fishes like a much more expensive stick with just the right kind of moderate-fast action I like. It is relatively light and yet I feel like I can throw just as far as with similar rods I own that cost about 8X more.Can't speak for the durability yet, but so far so good. If you're on the fence about this one, you should just buy it.UPDATE: 06.20.13: Durability has been great. I like these rods so much that I bought a 5wt for Sage backup duty. After using these for a while, I realized that these sticks are a little more moderate in action than some of the other fast action rods I have (Sage, Echo, Ross). These Okuma SLV rods are also a little heavier, but if 1 oz makes that much difference to you, maybe you need to hit the gym more often.

I am new to fly casting, but am working on getting better and I am sure this rod will be a good one. I took my new rod into a small wooded creek where I managed to snap off the tip. I patched it up for the rest of the trip. When I got home I called the Okuma support people and they honored their warranty and sent me a new top section. I am planning to get another larger rod for a trip to Alaska and will most likely get another Okuma.

Bought the 7wt SLV. It’s GREAT!! It’s a quality rod. I would buy another. Use it with a quality Rio “big nasty” fly line and it handles the big flys no problem. Casting is a dream.Rod is flat black - carbon so it looks great too.

These Okuma fly rods cast absolutely amazing for price point definitely preform like a higher priced rod well made recommend to beginner or a good all round fly rod!!

Love this rod. Great casting for an awesome price. Also bought a Okuma reel, very happy with the setup.

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