Moonshine Rod Co. Fly Fishing Rod with Carrying Case and Extra Rod Tip Section, Slow-Medium-Fast Action

What a fantastic rod! It punches outside it's weight class in every way. First of all, it looks great! Secondly, it is made exceptionally well. I have a couple of 9' 5wt St Croix rods and needed a 3 wt. I bought the 7'6" 3 wt Moonshine Drifter II. I've used it twice and am sold. It is incredibly accurate. In fact, in just a couple of minutes of use I found myself literally just thinking of a spot and the cast was almost automatic. I was nailing challenging targets time after time like shooting fish in a barrel. Fighting a fish is natural and intuitive with the drifter II. It has great feel and is super comfortable. The action loads easily and launches line. The handle is some of the softest feeling cork I've ever felt on a fly rod. So far, it's fantastic. My hope is it holds up over the years. Time will tell. At this point, I can see this being something I could proudly hand down as an heirloom.

First off, I don't leave reviews almost ever, so that should tell you something right off the bat.I started my fly fishing journey about a year ago with the KastKing Emergence combo. It's a ~$130ish rod 'n reel set up that gets you in the water as quick as possible. For someone who had never fly fished before, it was a fantastic combo to get you going. As I started to fly fish more often (around 3-4 times a week) I decided it may be time to invest a bit more into my hobby.I did my research, watched my YouTubes, and found my way to this guy here. One of my gripes with the Emergence was that I felt as though I couldn't ever cast out as far as I needed to. I'm primarily a stillwater fisher; you won't catch me on streams and such often (no trout where I live). I decided to stick with a 5wt, but went up to a 10 foot rod.My first cast with this rod took about a fourth of the amount of false casting I normally would've done to get the amount of line out that I needed. After two days, I've already landed a personal best largemouth. This thing is the truth! If my old rod was a rifle, this thing is a howitzer. It's unbelievable how far I can cast out with this rod.Pros:- Beautiful rod, very classy- Well constructed, appears durable (time will tell)- Medium action, allows for more tactile feel while in the water and also more bend in the rod for longer casting.- Effortless casting. A beginner was able to operate this rod like a seasoned pro within 15 minutes.- Comes with extra tip section.Cons:- No guide dots on the sections. This is a minor gripe and can be DIY remedied if you wish.- The cork feels wonderful, but I noticed very small pieces of it flaking off once my hand got a little wet. I'm unsure if it'll last through the rigors of kayaking, but again, time will tell.

Got a smoking deal on the 10’ 5wt. so decided to try it. I’m used to using a 9’ 6” Sage 5wt. I like a longer rod since I spey fish, too. The Moonshine Drifter II is definitely a fast action rod. The swing weight isn’t bad. No issues there. Started out throwing a 5 wt line and didn’t get the distance I wanted, so I lined up to a 6 wt line. This added about 8-10 more feet. It’s pretty accurate from 30-45 feet and I can easily get 50-55 feet of distance without straining. The craftsmanship is decent for the price. People have complained about not having snake guides, but that’s not a deal breaker for me. They work fine. The reel seat holds the reel adequately as well. This rod will handle a double nymph set up with a strike indicator no problem. It will also throw dries. As far as durability, time will tell. It’s definitely a pretty rod, but I care more about functionality.

I found Moonshine Rods while researching for blanks to build a flyrod to replace one that got donated to the fish gods. I spent 3 days researching Moonshine after finding them here on Amazon. I've enjoyed fast action flyrods for years, but as I get older I find I like a little slower, less demanding action. The Drifter seemed like "the one" to me. I ordered a 9' 5weight. 2 days later, I was opening a box to reveal something I didnt expect. A VERY NICE looking rod appeared as the packaging went away. Initially, you are attracted to the burl wood insert on the reel seat, then the cork handle, and then your eyes start wandering over the guides thread windings. Beautifully executed, no gaps, no lumps and well done top coat finish.After receiving my new reel and line, I strung up this gem and headed to the yard to see how this baby casts. Few false casts to feel out the action and let her rip. That's when I noticed something you don't see even on high dollar factory rods unless its a custom build on a mass produced blank. Most rods don't have enough line guides. This causes the line to sag between the guides, slowing down line speed and making casting long distance difficult. This rod has more line guides than most 9' rods, and if you load the action up statically, you'll find the line follows the blank perfectly! The Drifter casts effortlessly for me to 50-60 feet. and further with a bit more effort.Well done Moonshine Rod Co, for actually building a flyrod correctly!!!The extra tip section is a nice bonus as well.I'm looking forward to actually fishing this rod. At 200 bucks, I wouldnt call this a "budget" rod, but I would call it a very high value/per dollar spent rod. You can spend more, you could spend less, but this rod hits right in the feels for the best bang/$$ IMO.BTW, customer service is unbelievable. I emailed a question at 6:30 PM mountain time, I got a response and hour later. How many business answer emails after hours? These folks are awesome

Smith casting

This rod is very sensitive, perform well for nymphing and for dry fly. It's probably going to be my favorite rod for trout fishing.

I have a few Moonshine rods now and they are light, good to cast with and great quality for the price. Usually they have to be purchased from the USA with attendant fees and shipping, so finding a rod on the UK site at a very good price was a real steal deal!

What a nice rod!! I am relatively new to fly fishing and after buying few rods I decided to buy Moonshine's. Beautiful rod, from tip top to bottom. I have the 7' 6'' 3-wt and it casts fantastic with a relatively cheap line and reel.I am extremely happy with the product.

Honest review.... Great rod for price, has plenty power in lower section to fight/land bigger fish. While still feeling on lighter side to throw any size dry flies/nymphs. Nice to see extra rod tip . You wont be disappointed if your looking for a 7 wt that can do it all.