The name written on the rod is T.L. Johnson.  This is not a logo.  It is the name of the man who oversaw the wrapping of graphite on a mandrel, selected the resin, and inspected the wrapping of guides and the application of finish.  Most companies that produce high end fly rods are in reality just a brand name.  They don't actually make any of their products.  The vast majority of rods are outsourced to China where cheap labor builds expensive rods.  The T.L. Johnson rod company is different.  You can pick up the phone and talk to the man who designed your rod from the ground up and oversaw the actual construction of the rod in your hand.  He can tell you not just about the action of the rod, but what it is made of and why and how it performs different from his other rods or rods from other companies.  This an American made rod that embodies the craftsmanship, attention to detail, and quality that makes this country great!

The Review

I've read enough rod reviews that try to sell you a magic wand that is capable of managing 8x tippet all the way up to a 40 lbs. shock tippet and weights nothing at all.  Some rod manufacturers would have you believe that their rods can punch out a 80 foot cast and also work great for delivering a size 20 dry fly to a trout 10 feet away on a glassy mountain stream in late summer.  The fact is, its just not true. 


The rod I was sent is the SL3-X in a 5wt. 9' four piece configuration.  The rod is light in the hand and has a ultra-fast action.  For the last few years I have tended to stay away from fast action rods, in part, because they tend to be unforgiving on casting strokes and as a casting instructor I find mid-flex rods easier to teach with.  There is also the marketing side of fast action rods that focuses on a rods ability to throw 80 foot casts, when the reality is, for fresh water fishing, the need for a cast longer than 40-50 feet is a rare situation indeed. 

The advantages of ultra-fast rods are more difficult to capture.  I like, for example, how fast rods can help deliver large flies into the wind much better than a mid-flex rod.  I also like how fast action rods can be used to fish dry flies and can also throw sink tips for streamer work.  With that said, not all fast action rods are created equal.  Some are poker stiff and in order to feel the rod load you need to overline the rod and have at least 40 feet of line out in order to get the rod to react.

Here is where I really noticed the difference in the T.L. Johnson rod.  The SL3-X is a true ultra-fast rod and really comes to life when you have 40+ feet of line out.  Using a 5wt. Synergy Performance taper  I could, however, load the rod with about 20 feet of line out.  The difference from other fast action rods that I have cast is that with the SL3-X I could feel the rod load.  To maximize control of a cast you need to be able to properly load the rod and also allow the caster to feel when the rod is loaded and the forward cast is ready to begin.  Poker stiff rods and rods that weigh nothing at all sell very well because in the right hands they can throw an entire fly line and when you put them on a scale they are measurably lighter than the competition.  What they cannot do is consistently deliver casts that are accurate and present a fly well!  To do that you need a rod that has some weight and some feel to it.  Coming full circle, what I appreciate about the SL3-X is that it has all the marks of a rod make by a fisherman who is less concerned about how to sell 20,000 rods a year and instead focuses on what a good rod should be.  Are there lighter rods? Yes. Are their faster rods? Yes, but I have yet to cast a rod that matches the SL3-X in accuracy in the 30'-70'+ range and is capable of presenting a fly softly.  

The SL3-X is an excellent rod for medium to long-range casting.  It has plenty of power to cast into wind and handles a sink tip with no problem.  The rod is light but not so light that you cannot feel it load.  The action is truly ultra-fast and is capable of long accurate casts with wind resistant flies. 
In Sum:  The SL3-X feels different from any of the dozens of rods I own or have cast.  It balances the need for a fast-action light-weight rod with the characteristics necessary to deliver accurate casts over medium to long ranges.  All T.L. Johnson rods are 100% made in the U.S. and the attention to detail is evident.  The T.L. Rod Company produces graphite, glass, and bamboo rods that are all made in America.  Ron Kusse once told me that, "If everybody had to sign everything that they made, you would see a great increase in quality. Anonymous hands are one thing, but making something and putting your name on it for the world to see is something else."  At the T.L. Johnson Rod Company the name on the rod is your guarantee of a quality product.  $725