Comparing TFO Trout/Panfish Rods version #1 vs. version #2 - Part 1

I wanted to compare the version of the TFO Trout/Panfish I with the TFO Trout/Panfish II
Please subscribe, like, share….. pretty please?

[@mishutkin101]

I have the 6'6 L version 1 and it's great! Been wanting to try the new version

[@designfabrication512]

I caught a 22 inch bass in Arkansas on Memorial Day with my Version 2. What a great rod

[@FoxWithAFlyrod]

just ordered myself 6'0 UL should be in tomorrow!!

[@designfabrication512]

Awesome! Congrats! Let me know what you think after you get a chance to use it. What reel are you pairing it with?? I got a chance to use mine over Christmas on the Buffalo River in Jasper Arkansas…. I love it. This is my 3rd TFO rod and I’m hooked

[@ryajsmit]

I think this confirmed a purchase in the future

[@designfabrication512]

Thanks for watching! I hope the video helped. Let me know which one you get and what your thoughts are!

[@chipseiler1766]

Did you ever do a part 2?

[@designfabrication512]

Hey now I haven’t but I need to. On Memorial Day weekend when we were on Beaver Lake in Rogers, Arkansas I caught the largest bass I’ve ever caught in my life on that Version #2. It was 22 inches long! What a great fight. I love that rod.

[@designfabrication512]

Did you get one or are you thinking about it?

[@chipseiler1766]

@@designfabrication512 I have the TFO Trout and Panfish 2 myself, and it is' one of my top 2 "Ultra Lite" rods that I currently own. I really enjoy fighting / playing fish on that rod.

[@designfabrication512]

@@chipseiler1766 Yeah man! I’m an oldschool fly angler and slowly started getting into spin rods a few years ago because of my buddy. I got him into fly fishing and vise versa. I LOVE my Scott 4wt Radian so I wanted to try an ultra light spin rod. When I caught the 22 inch Largemouth I thought I had a large Bluegill or a medium sized bass. I was on a kayak and the fish started dragging me ha. When he breached the first time I literally screamed out loud ha. I couldn’t believe how big he was. I was surprised how strong that rod is. I just fished my girlfriend’s dad’s Version 1 on the 4th and it is a great little rod too. Enjoy that rod. I’ll try to get a Part 2 video up soon. 👍

[@perfectleveladventurefishi619]

new sub good info

[@designfabrication512]

Thank you for the great reply. I am fishing the rods this week in Arkansas…. I’ll update after my trip! 👍

[@mitchgarcia4591]

New sub. I just ordered the same 6 6. How does the 1000 fuego feel & balance with that rod?

[@designfabrication512]

I honestly love the little Fuegos. I bought a Diawa Fuego 2500 in the summer for my TFO inshore rod but decided to exchange it for the Diawa 2500 BGMQ for salt. This little Fuego 1000 is perfect for a Light or Ultra Light rod. Super smooth and for the price you can’t beat them. Let me know how you like the rod and reel setup!. Did you get the version 1 or 2 rod?

[@mitchgarcia4591]

@@designfabrication512 I got the first version , I just like aesthetics a lot more than the ll version , I was lucky to find one in the 6’6” ultra light 1 piece , … I’m stuck between that fuego & the new 2023 Excellor , the excellor looks to be more refined & looks good all silver. I’m going ultra light fishing , just playing around with little blue gill Crappie, and small bass.

[@designfabrication512]

​@@mitchgarcia4591 I like the handle on the first version too. Not a fan of the taper on the II version. I like the feel of the Fuego and the Magseal. Not familiar with the Excellor. Let me know what you think of it when you get a chance to fish with it!

[@mitchgarcia4591]

@@designfabrication512 yes after looking at the fuego online I think it will look better because of the rod being a darker color & the reel dark colored, what line are you running on the 1000 , braid or mono , what size? Another thing all though these are small 1000 reels they have deep spools & hold a lot of line. To me it’s unnecessary to have that much line on such a small reel?

[@designfabrication512]

@@mitchgarcia4591 I’m going to be a hypocrite for a second and tell you to go with the reel that FEELS better than the one that LOOKS better because I often go with the things that look the best 😆… but the Fuego does look and work well. You are correct on the line. I am using 8 lb Seaguar fluorocarbon but mono would work well. Soak the spool in hot water after you fill the spool to take away the memory. A lot of people would go 6 weight you might try the same. My eyes don’t let me use the smaller line these days. I think braided would be overkill on these small rods. I tend to not fill my spool so full either. How often does a trout run out 100 yards of line?? I’ve never had one do that. These are great little rods for catching surprisingly large trout or bass. Let me know how you like it.

[@robertheschke5823]

What type of line are you using on this set up?

[@designfabrication512]

Thanks for watching. I’m using Seaguar 8lb Flouro..let me know what you decide to use and how it works

[@robertheschke5823]

Will do.

[@robertheschke5823]

I bought a TCB rod from Trout magnet. I have not used it yet, have to wait till Spring unless I make it to a trout stream. I am using the same reel.

[@designfabrication512]

@@robertheschke5823 what’s a TCB rod? 😅

[@designfabrication512]

If my eyes and old man finger dexterity were better I would have gone with 6 lb line. Looking forward to seeing what you end up going with and your opinion

[@robertheschke5823]

Move back a finger it'll feel better or too.

[@designfabrication512]

I ended up just using a standard grip on the rod…. I’ll deal with the awkward feel of the grip. I’ll get used to it. I still like the rod a lot