March Brown Legacy Series Travel Fly Rod - 9' 8 wt 6-Piece

I like March Brown Rods I own 3

I own many fly rods and choose to use this one nearly every time. This rod has gone around the world with me on trips to S. America, Alaska, New Zealand and the Bahamas. It is an amazing rod that performs under pressure. I haven't had a problem yet and have fought hundreds of heavy fish so far.

I've been a FF for about 15 years. Thought I'd try a new brand/rod. Big mistake. I put an 8wt Lamson reel on the 8wt March Brown Legacy. First cast was really nice. Then I noticed that my reel was rotating around the rod. Thought I just needed to tighten the reel seat, but upon further inspection it became apparent that it was not properly glued (or otherwise affixed) in place so that no matter how tight you screwed the real seat rings up the real seat, the reel would swing from side to side while casting. HORRIBLE CONSTRUCTION! This thing came broken right out of the box! I was really disappointed. To the extent this problem is fixed, it might be a nice rod. Hard to say because I didn't get too many casts off without the real swinging around and throwing everything off balance.

I purchased the Legacy 8 weight rod in September 2007 for a trip to Brazil for Peacock bass in January 2008. The rod broke at the tip while casting. This occurred on the second day of use. I checked the ferrule connection, and it was tight so the break was not due to a loose fit. I also purchased a Hidden Water rod for the same trip, and it also broke at the tip on the first day of use. I did have a fish on at the time, but I again checked the ferrule connection and it was also tight. There is obviously a design or material flaw in the construction of these rods. I had to borrow a rod from the lodge manager for the rest of the stay.

Bought this rod for a travel rod,used it in New York for steelhead and fall browns,caught chromers all day. No problems.

Poor design, does not fit most reels.March Brown’s Customer Service is nonexistent, No phone, slow response to email.Rod brakes under normal use.[...]