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After fishing and testing the Redington Original Freshwater Kit, we’re going to give you a full, in-depth review.
For beginner fly anglers, purchasing an entire fly fishing setup can be intimidating. Figuring out the rod, reel, backing, and line is all daunting to someone who has never done it before.
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Thankfully, companies like Redington have created kits like the 9’ 5-weight Redington Original that give anglers a chance to purchase an all-in-one setup that makes getting onto the water extremely easy.
The 9’ 5-weight Redington Original Kit has a throwback design paired with modern fly fishing technology. It gives anglers of all levels to get on the water with peace of mind that their fishing equipment is set up properly and prepared to take on a variety of fish.
This setup is fairly new to the market, so there aren’t many other reviews of the Redington Original Combination. We’re excited to be able to provide you with one of the first.
Redington Original Freshwater Kit
Order the Redington Original Freshwater Kit on Amazon.
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Why Trust My Redington Original Review?
At Into Fly Fishing, we pride ourselves on providing honest and authentic reviews. We only review gear we have personally used, so it allows us to help you, the angler, determine what equipment is best for you.
Redington did send us the kit to review, but we are going to provide full transparency with our thoughts about its performance.
I was able to fish with this rod for a few days. I also spent time at a local park casting and figuring out everything it was capable of doing.
What’s in the Box?
When you receive the Redington Original Kit, you’ll get a heavy-duty rod case, the 9’ 5-weight rod, a 4/5/6-weight Crosswater Reel paired with 100 yards of backing, a 5-weight weight forward floating line from Rio as well as a 9’ tapered leader.
The entire setup has been balanced and tested in order to give anglers a productive and authentic fishing experience without having to worry about quality or performance.
Redington Original Price
The Redington Original Freshwater Kit is going to cost you $200. Since the setup is newer to the market, you’re getting a fair price for what you receive.
The line, leader, backing, and reel are worth at least $100, and the rod itself is also worth at least that. It’s by no means a rip-off. It’s a fair market price for many other different combinations on the market.
Redington Original Freshwater Kit
Order the Redington Original Freshwater Kit on Amazon.
Redington Original Features and Specs
The Redington Original is built with the traditional high-quality that all other Redington rods and reels are made with. It’s going to live up to its advertisement.
Build Quality
The Redington Original rod is made with a performance graphite blank. The reel seat is anodized, so it’s ready for different types of water. The cork is of high-grade quality and doesn’t feel as if it’s going to give you blisters after a few uses.
The guides are steel and are a bit thinner than traditional guides. The smaller size is noticeable, especially when you’re making longer casts. There’s a bit less resistance than what you’d normally face.
The Redington Crosswater Reel is made with a composite material. The drag system is carbon fiber, so it’s extremely light and powerful. You’re able to get plenty of power on your drag so that you can put up a fight with most trout and panfish you’re going to find.
Action
The Redington Original is a medium-fast action. The rod feels more like a medium-action than it does fast. It has the power to do most things a 5-weight should do, but when you’re trying to really launch a fly or fight a larger fish, you’ll find that it lacks just a bit.
However, for anglers who are learning the sport for the first time, the extra sensitivity and bend in the rod are ideal. It makes learning to cast far easier than it otherwise would.
Presentation and Mending
I found that the presentation and mending abilities of the Redington Original Kit are what make this rod worth the $200. What it lacks in power and backbone, the rod makes up for in its sensitivity.
This rod does a great job of allowing you to present your flies softly. When I found the rhythm, I could get my dries, as well as my nymphs, to lay down nicely. When I started throwing streamers, the roll casts were fairly easy.
I had to stay limited to a bit lighter streamers, but I could roll cast a good 15-20 feet into the spots I wanted.
The smaller or medium-sized mends are easy. The rod responds quite well to your movements, so you don’t get an overly delayed mend. As the day progresses, many anglers get tired. So, mending becomes more and more important.
The Original doesn’t take much to get things in the proper place. Smaller flicks of your wrist are enough to do mends a few feet up for downstream.
You have to put a little more behind your movements when doing large mends. The lack of strength at the tip of the rod requires you to put some extra power behind your mends to make sure they get in the right place.
Short Distance Accuracy
In shorter distances, the Redington Original thrives. Anywhere between 0-40 or 45 feet is easy. You don’t need many back casts, and the rod feels easy to operate. If you have any experience casting a fly rod, you won’t have any issue getting your fly to the proper places inside 40 feet.
You can drop dries, nymphs, and streamers anywhere you would like. The medium-fast action makes it easy.
Long Distance Accuracy
As you get beyond 50 feet, the Redington Original can be challenging to cast. The extra sensitivity on the rod tip doesn’t allow you to launch your flies as easily. You have to work hard to launch those flies long distances.
As a result, you can lose some of your accuracy. If you need a rod that’s good and easy to throw within 50 feet, then the Redington Original Freshwater Kit is for you.
Warranty
Redington offers a 1-year warranty on the Redington Original Freshwater Kit. The warranty backs up any sort of manufacturing error. If you receive the rod with a hairline crack or something is wrong with the design, you’re protected.
The warranty isn’t going to protect against any neglect or abuse on your part.
Redington Original Freshwater Kit Review Video
Redington Original: My Personal Thoughts
Redington Original Freshwater Kit
Order the Redington Original Freshwater Kit on Amazon.
The design of the Redington Original Freshwater Kit is absolutely awesome. The burnt orange/brown color paired with the orange and white stripes provides the ideal vintage look. Redington was getting back to their roots and the basics with this setup.
It’s one of my favorite-looking setups on the market. Plus, the silver reel seat and black reel look great together. I may switch out the color of the fly line to make it all match a bit better, but the design is definitely worth noting.
I enjoyed fishing with the Redington Original. One of my favorite budget rods from Redington is the Crosswater model, so I can’t help but compare every Redington rod I fish to it.
The Redington Original didn’t feel quite as smooth as the Crosswater, but it was close. Being that it is a 9’ 5-weight, I was excited that it was going to be versatile enough to hold its own in a variety of situations.
When casting, I noticed a few different things about the Redington Original rod. First, within 45 or so feet, this rod was great to cast. It was smooth, it could easily shoot the line after a few false casts, and I found it to be very accurate in some shorter-distance areas.
It had good power, but I felt this was where it was lacking. I would have liked a bit of a faster recovery rate and backbone for the medium-fast action. As I was casting, I sat wondering if it could get enough on my forward cast to get my line to where I would want.
I spent time being a bit skeptical about casts beyond 45 feet. I started to feel the rod tip shake, and I would lose a bit of integrity on those longer casts. It wasn’t overly noticeable, but I didn’t feel as if the Original kit was up to the challenge as much as I thought it could.
I really like the Redington Crosswater reel. I like the design and the feel. The large drag knob, rubber-coated reel handle, and overall aesthetic are great. The reel responded extremely well when I needed to pull the line out quickly, and I could get the drag to exactly where I wanted.
The Rio weight forward floating line paired well with the reel. It glided through the guides extremely well and sat high on the water column. Plus, the 9’ tapered leader handled my dry flies well. I could get them to lie down softly. Redington did a nice job balancing out everything on this setup. Nothing felt out of place.
Overall, I’m a fan of the Redington Original. I find that it’s perfect for anglers who are looking for their first rod or for someone looking to fish in the backcountry and aren’t overly eager to bring along their high-performance rod.
If you have the budget to spend $200 on a more entry-level setup, then I think the Redington Original kit is a wonderful option. You’ll be backed by a decent warranty and have a great-looking rod that will last for years.
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