Redington Butter Stick Review in 2024 – Fly Rods

If you enjoy the retro lifestyle and the feeling that all your fish are big then the the butter Stick is for you. In this review, we will look at the Butter Stick rod with its retro-appearance and the skill levels required to effectively cast the Butter Stick.
Redington Butter Stick Review

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In this Redington Butter Stick Review we will take a look at this budget priced retro-inspired fly rod. With a slow action and exceptional feel, if you’re looking to target smaller fish in smaller waters then this is the rod for you.

I used the Redington Butter Stick in New Zealand when fishing very tight water with smaller dry flies. It would even manage a dry dropper set up, providing the nymphs were of a smaller size.

Redington Butter Stick Review

Redington Butter Stick

Redington Butterstick Specs:

Line Weight: 3 – 5 Length: 7 – 8ft
Action: Medium-Fast Handle: Half Wells
Rod Weight: 2.8 – 3.4oz Rod Tube: –
Color: Red Sections: 4
Warranty: Lifetime Warranty Country Of Manufacture: USA

Overall Score

77%
Build Quality
80%
Performance
70%
Weight and Balance
80%
Aesthetics and Design
90%
Price to Value Ratio
70%
Warranty and Brand Reputation
70%
Customer Service
80%
Innovation and Features
80%

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Key Features

  • New Semi-Translucent Sunshine Yellow Blank
  • New Cork Reel Seat for a Classic Style
  • Now 4 Pieces for Easier Travel and Space Savings
  • Alignment Dots To Correctly Align Guides
  • Lifetime Warranty

Description

The Butter Stick is a fiberglass fly rod reminiscent of the ’70s, with retro-inspired markings on the blank. This model is a T-Glass construction build on the historical Redington blank taper, which provides the traditional glass feel to the rod. 

The Butter Stick is ideally priced for beginner fishers wanting an affordable but high-quality rod. The slow action allows for better accuracy out on the water over shorter lengths. However, you’ll want to brush up on your casting skills to be able to effectively time your casts with the Butter Stick.

The 3-piece glass Butter Stick is available in a range of lengths and line weights covering the most popular choices. You can choose between three different butts, and it all comes in a Cordura tube with dividers to keep your gear safe between fishing trips.

Features & Benefits

Let’s get onto the important benefits and features of the Butter Stick, so you can decide if it’s the right choice for you!

Weight

The different line weights of the Butter Stick vary from 1wt to 6wt, with an 8wt also available on the 8’ length. The 8wt has an aluminum reel seat and strengthened butt for saltwater and larger species.

In terms of actual weight, the Butter Stick rods start from as little as 1.9oz  and go up to 4.8oz depending on the specific model. It feels lightweight in-hand and won’t tire you out, even if you’re on the water all day.

Butter Stick

Build Quality

The Butter is built on the Heritage Taper in fibreglass, to provide that traditional glass feel. The cork used in the butt and the reel seat is tight and good quality, as you’d expect from this brand.

There are 3 different butts available in the different models, with the 6wt and 8wt models coming with a saltwater-resistant anodized aluminum seat for the reel. The Butter Stick is available in a 3 piece build, housed in a storage tube with dividers between uses. 

Not only is the Butter Stick durable and constructed to the highest standards from the reel seat to the tip of the blank, but it looks great, too. The off-white/cream blank has a sleek, elegant style that will look awesome out on the water.

To ensure easy setup, the rod is provided with dots for alignment. The build quality is underwritten with a lifetime warranty, which says everything about the confidence that the manufacturer shows in their product and its ability to handle almost any environment.

Action

The Butterstick is a slow action rod, constructed from glass fibre designed to make accurate, short, gentle casts into smaller rivers, streams and tight places. The rod is flexible throughout its entire shaft with a slow line speed allowing good control and increased accuracy. 

The action is not ideal for a longer distance cast in windy conditions. So if the wind is picking up, save your Butter Stick for a different time! 

The action is ideal when you need to delicately drop a fly in a tight spot. It also excels for dry flies, light nymphs and dry-dropper set-ups. The Butter Stick is the perfect option for trout fishing on small water, streams, and creeks.

Butter Stick

Versatility

You will find the Butter Stick glass rod suitable for fishing in small streams, creeks or rivers. It could be immense fun for stronger fighters and saltwater species when using the 8’ model equipped with fighting butt and aluminium reel seat. You’ll definitely feel the tug of the fish more with this rod – both a positive and a negative (when it comes to arm fatigue!)

The Butter Stick makes an excellent trout rod for those remote back country streams. It excels for short-range casting from 20 – 30 ft.

The rod is extremely durable, and coupled with the slow action, this makes it ideal for teaching children and beginners to fish. You can really explain the concept and the need for them to load the rod with a slow rod like this. However, it wouldn’t be my first pick for a beginner learning to fish, as it can be a bit difficult to master without plenty of practice.

Warranty

The Butter Stick rods come with a lifetime warranty to ensure total peace of mind when buying this excellent glass rod.

Butter Stick Review (From Locals)

We scoured the internet and found a number of positive reviews that we would like to share with you:

I love the feel and experience when I hook a fish and I can feel the rod bend in response to the fight.

The balance of this setup is phenomenal, the action of the light tip and strong backbone is second to none I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning.

I started teaching my kids to fishing and the Redington butter stick prove to be the best with its great durability, slow action and excellent price.

Pros and Cons

Here are the essential pros and cons you need to know about the Butter Stick:

Pros

  • Perfect rod to be used in a small stream or creek.
  • Lifetime warranty
  • Excellent price for beginners
  • Slow action rod, ideal for teaching novice anglers

Cons

  • Not an all-round rod
  • Reel seat slip fittings might not please everybody
  • Not ideal for casting in windy conditions
  • A bit tricky to cast for a beginner

Redington Butter Stick

Wrap Up

It’s time to sum up our review of the Butter Stick! These freshwater small creek fly rods have a unique retro-appeal and impressive accuracy at short range. It’s the perfect choice for anyone looking for a slower action rod with plenty of flex in the blank, ideal if you like to fish in smaller water. 

You can easily carry these small, lightweight glass rods to the river or lake to catch those high country trout. Just pack it into its sturdy storage case, grab a few flies, and you’ll be all set! 

The versatility and slow action, combined with the wide range of available models, will ensure that every fly fisher is catered for. Plus, it’s great fun to slow down and enjoy the fishing experience with this classy rod!

To get more information about the Butter Stick you can click below.

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