Posted on October 17 2019
The Thomas & Thomas “Paradigm” rod is my favorite freshwater (e.g. 5-weight) at this show, and it isn’t all that close. I cast it quite a bit, and I liked it more, the more I grooved my own cast around the rod itself. It has a very fair, honest action… not fast for the sake of fast. It’s a pick it up and set it down, accurate, intuitive rod. But it has an extra gear. In other words, it can do all those intimate and gentile moves at close range—I especially like how this rod rolls and mends. But when you step on the gas and want to punch some line, it goes. This rod purrs and growls with equal effect.. T&T built a reputation on the “Paradigm” brand a generation or so ago, but this rod transcends its own namesake. If you don’t already carry T&T, you need to give that a hard thought.