Redington Crosswater Review in 2024 – Fly Rods

We all remember that special rod with which you caught your first fish. In this Redington Crosswater Review, we see how this rod was designed.
redington crosswater review

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In this Redington Crosswater review, I took this budget friendly fast action rod down to the river to see if Redington could produce a decent rod at such a low price. 

The Redington Crosswater is a great first rod to test the waters and get the hang of casting. The action is great, but I did find that it lacked a little accuracy and power when compared to higher end rods.

More experienced anglers will also find it useful as a backup rod, or a rod to teach their children or grandchildren the secrets of fly fishing.

Redington Crosswater

Redington Crosswater Specs:

Line Weight: 4 – 9 Length: 7 – 9ft
Action: Fast Handle: Reversed Half-Wells
Rod Weight: 4.1oz Rod Tube: Cotton Rod Sock
Color: Blue Sections: 4
Warranty: One-Year Warranty Country Of Manufacture: USA

Overall Score

74%
Build Quality
70%
Performance
70%
Weight and Balance
80%
Aesthetics and Design
70%
Price to Value Ratio
90%
Warranty and Brand Reputation
60%
Customer Service
80%
Innovation and Features
70%

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Reddington-Crosswater-Fishing-Outfit

Founded in 1992, Redington has become well-known for its quality gear and competitive pricing. Their motto is that good quality fishing gear and rods don’t have to be expensive and over-priced. Fly fishing should be fun and accessible for beginners and experienced anglers alike.

The Reddington’s Crosswater outfit fits straight into this mold, with its graphite medium-fast action fly rod. The option available of buying just the fly rod or complete fly fishing outfits makes it attractive and affordable for the beginner learning fly fishing.

As well as providing a consistent, excellent performance, the Crosswater is constructed from high quality materials like the anodized aluminum reel seat. From the reel seat to the wraps, the rod is finished with care and attention to detail.

Features & Benefits

In the following sections, we’ll review a number of the important benefits and features of the fly rod combo and help you make a more educated buying decision. Let’s get stuck in!

Weight

The different line weights vary from 4 weightt to 9 weight, depending on what water and species you’re targeting. The 4wt comes in both 7 feet 6 inches and 9 feet variations. The 5 weight comes in 8 feet 6 inches and 9 feet length rods. Finally, the heavier 6wt, 8wt, and 9wt come in 9 foot variations and up.

The physical weights range from 3.5oz up to 4.9oz, depending on the particular model selected. Overall the Reddington-Crosswater rod fits well into the hand and has a light, weight in-hand feeling that won’t easily tire you out.

Build Quality

The Crosswater is a well-constructed rod with a blank manufactured from graphite which makes it lightweight but very strong. The graphite construction gives the rod the necessary sensitivity to fish for any size fish, and the medium-fast action allows it to easily cast any type of flies smoothly and accurately.

The alignments dots on the blank enables fast and easy setup of the rod. The finish is good and the blue colour gives it a subtle appearance.

The fly rod has an anodized aluminum reel seat suitable for all water conditions – you can even use this rod in saltwater thanks to the anodized reel seat. The solid cork handle is tapered to fit the hand well, and the guides are basic with excellent thread wraps.

Redington Crosswater

Action

As mentioned, the Crosswater has a fast to medium-fast action that casts very nice and easy. The rod flexes in the first half of its length, making it ideal to cast almost any fly. This action makes it the ideal rod to target small and larger fish species in fresh or saltwater (in larger weights).

The action will be suitable for most anglers with the benefit of its overall performance coupled with its control and hook setting. The rod responds fast and absorbs shock well to ensure great fighting ability without ripping the hook out of the fish’s mouth.

Versatility

The Redington Cross water fly rod allows you to construct a very versatile set-up. It can be used to sling heavy flies into far reaching pockets, while also being able to push out a dry fly. The heavier weights allow large streamers, saltwater flies and bulky bass lures to be cast with great accuracy onto their targets.

Warranty

The Redington-Crosswater unfortunately only offers a limited 1-year warranty to buyers which covers them against any manufacturing defects. A longer warranty period would have been preferable, in particular when the rod is used by inexperienced, novice anglers.

You can also consider Redington Path fly rods. The Path is another great product from Redington.

redington crosswater fly rod

Redington Crosswater Review (From Locals!)

It’s always interesting to hear the opinions of other enthusiastic fly anglers. So, I scoured the internet for Redington reviews by other anglers who have used and reviewed the Redington-Crosswater rod and combo outfits. 

The response is highly positive – here are a few reviews that I would like to share with you:

I bought the rod for my teenage son, it’s well priced with excellent action and balance. He found it easy to cast and caught some great rainbow trout on our first trip. This rod hooked him onto fly fishing for life.

Well-designed rod at a great price, well placed for the new fly angler. Very versatile with the ability to cast any fly. Buying it won’t be a mistake.

Great rod and reel combo at a good price. The carrying case is well constructed with individual storage for the rod sections and offer great protection for the reel.

Pros and Cons

In this review – Redington Crosswater, we have identified several pros and cons of the rod and fly reel combo outfits that we would like to share with you.

If you want another option from Redington, we have our Redington Hydrogen review here.

Pros

  • Versatile so you can target a range of species
  • Great for beginner fly fishers
  • Great quality carry case with a separate pocket housing the fly reels
  • Excellent price
  • You can buy the complete rod outfits with preloaded reel

Cons

  • Limited 1-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
  • Lack of a shoulder strap on the carry case.
  • The outfit reel is a bit too small for serious saltwater fishing.

Wrap Up

In summary of the review – Redington crosswater, we can safely conclude that this fast action fly rod is the perfect choice for any beginner learning to fly fish.  The fact that it’s available as a single rod or a complete rod reel combo makes it attractive and affordable.

The more experienced angler will also find it a reasonably priced backup rod to take along on any time you’re heading on a fishing trip. The versatility of the Redington Crosswater, with its fast action and ability to cast any flies, makes it the ideal buy for any beginner.

If you’re on the search for that special rod at an excellent price, you won’t go wrong with the Crosswater.

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2 thoughts on “Redington Crosswater Review in 2024 – Fly Rods”

  1. Interesting article. The Redington Crosswater also comes as a combo with rod, reel and line. I’m curious to know what you think of the line included with the combo. Thanks

    1. The line that comes with the combo is great to get started, however, as your skills improve you’ll want to swap it out for some Rio gold or grand. We have an article on the best fly rod combos here if you’d like to compare them?

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