what in most peoples opinion is the best rod 2 0r 4 piece and why do most of the expensive rods seem to be 4 piece ?

The best is neither 2 or piece, try a 1 piece for the very best action!
My favourite rod is a 1 piece 6 footer in cane,

I think that the 4 piece rods are made for ease of travelling with and as 1965nick has said 1 piece rods are better. not very practical having a 1 piece 10foot rod?

As previously stated, the fewer sections, the better the performance of the rod, the more sections, the more practical/transportable. I bought some new rods about a year ago, and didn't want to buy rods with more than 2 sections. I reluctantly ended up buying 2x 10'6 3pc diawa wilderness, and have to say the extra section makes such a small difference you can't notice it. In fact i can cast a full line plus over ten yards of backing with relative ease (doesn't seem to help me catch more fish though). Which is no less than i could with my old 2 piecers. There is also no loss of performance in playing fish either.
Not exactly sure on why the top-end ones are usually 4 piece. Might just be that now, rods can be made in more sections, but have the same performance as the old 2 piecers, just due to technology etc. so you can have performance and practicality.
Some of the tackle dealers will probably have a better/more reliable idea.

I suppose that if someone can afford a £500 4 piece rod then they can afford to fly around the world using it in exotic destinations.

My assumption would be this is why they (the manufacturers) make 4 piece rods in the high end market. If you are going to buy one, expensive rod, then you would want it to be as much of an 'all round' rod and hence as transportable as possible.

just my thought


Ben

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I think it's a question of better engineering and manufacturing techniques have allowed the makers to build rods with more sections, but to keep the performance close to the same. Years ago there was a significant difference in rod weight and feel of a 4 pc vs a 2 pc, but now I think most would be hard pressed to tell.

A US magazine a few years back did an article where they had casting instructors and guides test a 4 pc and a 2 pc of the same model of rod while blindfolded. The test results showed that the participants were essentially just guessing, they couldn't really tell which was the 2 pc or 4 pc and none of the 10 testers showed a consistent preference for either. The conclusion was that if there's a performance difference, then it's only theoretical because even very experienced casters couldn't consistently tell.

I think the fact that more and more rods (expensive and not so expensive) are made in 4 pc shows the shift in angler preference. It's just so damn convenient to have rods break down into 4 pieces and it allows you to use these rods for both regular use and for destination fishing that involves airline or bush plane travel.

Once you get into 6-9 piece rods, the difference becomes more pronounced and I've heard the performance does become a bigger issue. For 4 pc, however, I think there's very little downside.

Grouse

so its fair to say overall no performance difference ,just individual practacality for travelling .if thats the case a 4pice should be better for me

HI', Maybe the expensive rods are often 4-piece, because those who can afford them can also afford to fly. TC

I have a 6 piece G-tec and I cannot tell much difference between it and the 3piece if I am being perfectly honest. Perhaps just a touch stiffer but nothing that I find to be unpleasent. I also here the 7 piece Orvis is a gem of a rod as well.

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Tight Lines
JD

Familiarity breeds contempt - and children......

I have to say as a long-time coarse angler the lack of multi-piece coarse rods really annoys me.

I love the convenience of a 4 piece fly rod (stick it in a car, suitcase, rucksak, etc. ... brilliant for travelling).

I'm not a good enough fly-caster to tell the difference (if there is one) between 2 and 4 piece rods but for me the convenience of a 4 piece is one of the deciding factors when buying a rod.

Just wish I had more choice in the coarse fishing market ...

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Lawrence