TFO BLITZ Review - The Best Fly Rod for Beginners in Saltwater

Get your TFO Blitz fly rod here at our fly shop! 

You may think I am a gear snob since all I ever do is write reviews about expensive fly rods, and that's all I own. Not the case, I came from using $20 fishing poles for years when I was younger. Caught a lot of fish just fine. This new TFO Blitz fly rod is not $20 but it is also not $1,245 (the price of each of my Winston rods). You can get three of these rods for the price of one Winston, so if you are looking to set up a great saltwater "quiver" of a few different rods this is a killer value. Performance is fantastic, I like it even better than the TFO Axiom-II X although that rod is more aggressive. The other great TFO is the Mangrove Coast which I will review later, but believe me that's another great choice getting started.

This is the one you want for most fly fishing situations in saltwater. The Mangrove Coast is slightly "easier" to use but probably will start to have a tough time in heavy wind, which unfortunately is just something you encounter out on the flats. Again, based on that name "Mangrove Coast" you can tell it's an awesome inshore and near-shore fly rod option. The Blitz sits right between the Mangrove Coast and the Axiom-II X - Which might be too much power and stiffness for a beginner, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great rod. Especially for fighting fish.

I like a balance of these characteristics and I think the TFO Blitz just hits that sweet spot so well. And it looks absolutely beautiful in that green color. I do think the butt is ugly, I do not like composite cork, but it's durable and functional so I will let them slide. And, of course, the price-to-performance ratio on the Blitz is simply unrivaled. Nobody does that like TFO and they know it. 

Buy one for yourself, for your friend getting started, for your kids (or maybe the Mangrove Coast if they are young). It's just a great fly rod and I have no substantial complaints about it. Things I would criticize a $1,000+ rod for are not even issues here. If I am being honest, this might be better than some of those rods. 

Fly line? Depends which fish you are after: SA Grand Slam / Redfish, Tarpon or of course RIO Bonefish / Redfish / Permit / Tarpon lines, etc. are all great. Check out our fly line reviews for more info.

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