Aventik Extreme Fly Fishing Combo Review: An In-Depth Hands-On Look

In this review of Aventik’s Fly Fishing Rod Combo, we’ll deep-dive into the construction, components, castability, and fishing performance of this fly rod kit.

The specific model tested for this review is the 9ft 3/4 weight combo. We’ll analyze how it performs both on the water, in real-life fishing scenarios, and off the water in dryland cast tests.

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Why Trust My Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo Review?

For these reviews, we spend countless hours casting, measuring, and testing performance. We measure the equipment ourselves to compare to the listed stats. We also put the equipment to use in real fishing situations.

As a fly fisherman for the last 35 years, I’ve seen cast, punished, and even broken my share of rods. As a professional guide for the last 15 years, I’ve witnessed how other people cast the same equipment, how different skill levels are able to utilize said equipment, and get a good look at how long this stuff will last.

Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo Review: How I Reviewed & Tested The Rod

Weights and measurements were taken. We don’t simply take the company’s website-listed stats to heart without verification.

Casting distances are then set up to see how the equipment handles casting at said distances. Feel, control, accuracy, power, and casting effort are all important factors in the information we deliver to you.

Finally, and of course the most fun part, I hit the river to see real-life fishing scenarios. Controlled casting is great but it doesn’t always correlate to on-the-water use.

From tight-cover roll casts to long, far-flung loops, from mending to twitching, from casting to catching, all of it matters when you’re out there and need your equipment to perform.

Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo Pros

After lots of casts, many different styles of casts, and even a little catching, I have a pretty good idea of who this rod/reel combo would be best suited for.

There are some definite pros with this Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo. A few that stood out the most include:

Gives You Everything You Need

You could literally buy just this one combo and hit the water with nothing else needed. Yes, some niceties are missing but not any necessities. Buy, unbox, and you’re out the door fishing.

Solid Case

The Cordura zipper case is great for travel and storage. You can leave the reel on the rod as well. The mesh pouch on the side adds a bit of storage for a few pieces of gear.

Surprisingly Good Feel

For an inexpensive rod, this does have a decent feel when casting. There’s decent backbone (especially for a lighter rod) and a decent feel in the tip.

Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo Cons

This is not a pricey setup. It’s easy to deduct that there will be some things lacking. Here are a few:

Tip is Too Flexy

There was a good feel in the tip but it was a bit bouncy and seemingly impeded line turnover during the cast. The 9ft reach helped the mend but the tip wasn’t helping out much here either.

Line Not Great

I’m trying not to be overly critical here as this is an entry-level combo with entry-level components. However, the line was definitely lacking. It works fine but I don’t see it lasting very long AND the welded loop at the end (where you attach your leader) was bare core-braid material.

The whole line, including the loops, should be coated in the poly line coating. This exposed core on the loop doesn’t float well for long. It also makes me concerned about the longevity of the coating for the rest of the line as this abrupt stop leaves a seam that may crack/peel easily.

What’s In The Box?

This Aventik Fly Rod Combo review surprised me a little as there was more “out of the box” than I’d imagined. This made for an easy transition from home to river with minimal shopping and effort.

The Case

The aforementioned case is a nice touch as it adds protection for storage and transportation. Everything you need can be contained within the case including flies and tools on the size zippered pouch.

The hard case has separated compartments for each rod piece so they won’t bang and scratch. The reel can be left on the butt section when zipped up.

The Rod

The rod is a 4 piece rod with a nice burnt-orange color, cork grip, and locking reel seat. This 9′ 3/4 wt rod fits nicely in the zippered case.

The Reel

This combo of course came with an Aventik 3/4wt Reel. It’s a smaller arbor reel that doesn’t weigh too much or take up too much space.

The Line

The line came already spooled on the reel with backing making it quite easy to just grab the case and head out the door the moment it arrives on your doorstep.

Fly Box

To my surprise, the size pouch contained a small fly box. It’s a thin, slit-foam fly box that holds up 100+ flies, size depending. Not bad!

Flies

Also surprisingly, the fly box had a small ziplock bag with a dozen flies. These are not well-tied, well-shaped flies by any means. They probably won’t fool a picky, well-fished tailwater trout but maybe a less-finicky fish will take.

Leaders

Also included is a pack of 9′ 5x tapered leaders. They appear to be simple nylon leaders (vs fluoro). They also have no pre-tied loops so you’ll have to learn to tie either perfection loops to attach these to the fly line OR cut the (not-so-great-made) welded loop on the fly line and do a good-old nail knot attachment.

Tools

Your Aventik Fly Rod Combo will also include a couple of basic tools. Line nippers are imperative (your dentist will tell you!) and a handy extendable corded leash tool rounds out the contents.

Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo Specs

Understanding the specs of the equipment will help you understand performance and how/when/where the equipment will be best used.

During my Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo review, here’s what I found:

• Available Lengths & Weights: Two models to choose from 9ft 3/4wt, 9ft 5/6wt

• Action: Listed as Fast. Personally, I’d call it med-fast.
• Pieces: 4
• Blank Material: Graphite/carbon fiber
• Measured Weight: Rod: 3.4oz, Reel (lined): 5.6 oz
• Stripping Guides: Chrome-plated, ceramic insert
• Snake Guides: chrome plated
• Reel Seat: Corrosion-resistant aluminum, double locking with locking washer
• Handle: Material and style: Single-wells, composite cork
• Rod Tube: Cordura zippered hard case, reel attached, branded but not labeled
• Rod Sock: None. Divider built into the case
• Price: $99

Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo Review: How The Rod Feels

While reviewing the Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo, 9ft 3/4 wt, there were a few things regarding the cast that one should note. Here’s what I found:

Overall Weight

As listed, the rod comes in at 3.4oz and the reel (with backing and line) at 5.6oz. Together, the rod felt light enough in the hand. The small-arbor reel doesn’t add an overt amount of weight to the back end of the setup.

Power

For a 3/4-weight rod, the power produced when casting was a little surprising. I did assume that this Aventik 9′ 3/4wt combo was going to feel a bit whimpy but there was a decent amount of power helped but the surprising amount of backbone in the blank.

Action

The action of the rod is listed as fast. And while that may be physically true, it feels a little under-fast to me. At first, the backbone/stiffness of the butt section makes things feel fast, however, the feel when one reaches a typical/useable casting distance (say 30-40ft) says otherwise.

I didn’t measure exactly where the rod was flexing during the cast but it simply felt more like a med-fast rod. This may have been underscored by the rather flexy rod tip as well.

Also of note, however, was the fact that the casting cadence needed to be slowed down quite a bit. With a “fast” action rod, this shouldn’t be the case. This is more typical of a medium-action rod.

Presentation/Accuracy

With weighted setups, presentation and accuracy were just fine. For this review of the Aventik Fly Rod Combo, I was doing mostly winter nymphing. The weight of the setup helped carry and finish shots fairly easily.

When casting without weight, with small flies, or on dry land with no flies, things got a little more difficult. Not terrible, but not great.

The story was similar when attempting to deliver accurate shots. It’s doable, even fine, but not great by any stretch.

Here, again, I’d have to chalk it up to the stiffness of the backbone and the lightness of the tip. If your setup doesn’t have much weight to it, it isn’t going to be nearly as accurate.

Some of this can be mitigated by treating the rod as a mid-action instead of fast. Slowing down, waiting on your loops to open and stretch, and being a bit more patient when casting did help.

Mending

“Since this rod is a “standard” 9ft rod, you’d think mending wouldn’t be too much of a worry. The backbone through the handle and first eyelet or two really does help initiate mending well. However, the soft tip doesn’t seem to finish softer mends well at all. Momentum built up with the butt section is lost in the tip.

I found I had to over-mend…exaggerate the mending motion…to get it done. This is fine with heavy nymphing setups that “pin” the leader down a bit. An overly exagerated mend doesn’t disturb things too much.

Over-mending also isn’t a worry if you’re trying to add some motion/twitch to your bugs. It can, however, be detrimental to presentations/drifts that need to be more subtle.

Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo Warranty

The Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo comes with a 25-year warranty on the rod and the reel for the original owner. This covers defects and workmanship of the original product, not misuse or alterations.

Outside of this, reel repairs cost $10-$20, rod repairs cost $20-$40, and the buyer is responsible for shipping costs.

Casting The Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo

As with most rods, there will be strengths and weaknesses in certain casting distances. For the Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo, here’s what I found:

0-20 Feet

0-20 feet wasn’t too much of a problem. The stiff backbone isn’t conducive to easy, short casts but the soft tip seemed to help out with this. A bit of a push was needed to help the rod flex with under 20ft of line out.

20-40 Feet

20-40 feet would be the sweet spot for this combo. This is good news for new casters as longer shots (and funny enough short shots) can be a bit more difficult. This 20-40ft range is the range most newer casters will probably be fishing.

The backbone helped push the line well enough. There was enough line (weight) outside the rod tip that it didn’t feel like you had to over-power the cast at all. Momentum is on your side.

The over-flexy tip did come into play but not like in the longer shots. Slowing the cadence helped.

40-60 Feet

40 feet was still easily doable, however, getting up to 60 feet started to feel like the cast wasn’t degrading a bit. There’s enough backbone but the tip is just too flexy. You really have to be patient on pausing the cast here.

60+ Feet

60 feet and up is also doable for experienced casters, but it’s not very pretty. Things start to fall apart here. I don’t recommend this rod for newer casters that want to push 60+ feet of line.

I don’t think this will happen often but this might mean a newer caster will outgrow this rod at some point.

Other Rods That Compare To The Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo

In case you’ve been shopping around for a good, inexpensive 3/4wt fly rod combo, let’s take a look at a few comparable models.

First, the Patriot Package from Bozeman Fly Works is a good comparable model. This one only goes down to a 4wt model and you’ll have to drop to an 8.5″ rod length. You’ll also have to pay $175 more and forgo the flies/fly box. The rod and reel components, however, are a step up from the Aventik.

Next, the Maxcatch Combo is very similar in price to the Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo. While there are many options for lengths and weights, you’ll have to drop down to an 8’4″ length to get that 3/4 weight and forgo the 9′ of the Aventik.

In my searches for this Aventik Fly Rod Combo, 3/4 Weight review, this was the only combo offering the full package plus extras in a 3/4 weight and a 9′ length.

Who is the Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo For?

The Aventik Fly Rod Combo is a great, ready-to-fish from the get-go combo that gives you everything you need to start your fly fishing journey. It doesn’t give you lots of extras, but you can hit the water right away with this combo.

This package is geared toward beginner casters/fisherpersons who want to get a lot of bang for the buck. There isn’t anything in here that will blow your mind but the rod was solid, especially noting the price. There are other Aventik models (not combos) available that, to me, feel much better. However, this rod is decently fishable.

Someone who has only been fishing for a short time and wants to add another rod for a specific situation will also benefit from this package. You’ll be able to have a couple of rods in the quiver for different situations and have plenty of gas money left over for the trip.

As for the tested rod (9′ 3/4wt), the length will lend itself to open, bigger rivers where standard casts or even roll casts can be made. The reach makes mends easier. It’s a great rod for targeting panfish and smaller trout. Lighter presentations with small dry flies for medium-sized trout are also doable.

The 3/4wt would be great for small eastern rivers as well, however, I would recommend a shorter-length rod.

Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo Review: My Personal Thoughts

As a seasoned fisher and guide, I’ll be passing this one up. It just doesn’t have the tech, materials, or the feel of higher-end rods. I don’t think the quality of the materials will stand up to repeated abuse by myself or by my fishing clients.

That being said, I will be recommending this rod to beginners who need a first rod or to begin building their arsenal. For folks who fish 1-20 times per year, the components should last you long enough to make the purchase worthwhile.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, this Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo review shows this rod to be a decent beginner rod that won’t break the bank.

Shop The Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo

View the Aventik Fly Fishing Rod Combo and compare prices on AMAZON.

VIEW ON AMAZON

Pick your weight, 3/4 or 5/6, wait for it to show up, and hit the water the moment it arrives. It’s not going to win you any casting competitions, but hey…being on the water and searching for fish is much better than not!

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