Redington Crux Fly Rod Review Review

The Crux is Redington’s entry into the “mid price range” of the fly rod market. I recently
had the opportunity to fish with it and share my thoughts on the product. I paired the 9 foot 6 weight Crux fly rod with the Redington Run fly reel and the 6 weight Rio Elite Stillwater Floater fly line.

Redington Crux Fly Rod Review | Construction

Redington advertises the Crux to have a “fine diameter” aka thinner blank. Which I did
not find noticeable until reading the specs online. This was noted to “reduce drag and increase rod recovery speed”. The 4 piece blank is finished in a nice matte green colour, and features nice alignment dots on its sections for easy assembly, which seems to be standard with most of today’s rods. The grip is made from a “more dense” pre compressed cork, which I quite like the feel of. The cork feels like it is of good quality and is visually appealing. The Crux also features a fully anodized reel seat, which features the “Crux” logo engraved on the back, and a 6 indicating the line weight, another unique feature which adds visual appeal.

At the bottom of the grip is the integrated hook keeper. This is my first real complaint with the Crux as the integrated hook keeper is just a small hole in the bottom of the grip. An interesting concept, sure. However I found it to lack practicality. Larger hooks (size 12/14 2X plus) have no problem fitting into the keeper hole, but with smaller hooks (size 14/16 2X and lower) the hook bend is too small for the keeper. As someone who primarily fishes the Kamloops area, this presents a big problem when fishing chironomids. I personally prefer the more classic hook keeper at the front of the grip … easy, convenient, and no need to reinvent the hook keeping wheel.

Redington Crux Fly Rod Review | Performance

Initially swinging the Crux, the rod felt a little clunky to me. The Crux is labeled as a fast
action rod, yet feels slower than other fast action rods of the same tier. For comparison, I
typically fish with a TFO LK Legacy, also in a 9 foot 6 weight, and I find it to be noticeably faster. I don’t think this is a big deal as every manufacturer will have some variance on their range of slow to fast and it didn’t take me long to get used to the action.

Initially, casting with the Crux was a real struggle and had me quite worried. I was expecting it to be comparable with other rods of the same(ish) price point that I was used to but it seemed to require much more work to throw the Rio Grand Stillwater as well as the others did. Adding 20ish feet of leader, a bobber, a swivel and a fly, and the rod was completely overloaded.

I decided that I’d better try the Crux with a lighter fly line and the next day swapped out the Rio Stillwater for a TFO Special delivery fly line. Right away I noticed the Crux had a much easier time casting, turning over indicators and picking the line up off the water. Casting into the wind was much easier and it felt like the rod was now working for me, instead of against me. If you already own, or are considering buying the Crux, my recommendation would be to pair it with a lighter line in order to optimize casting performance. Example: use a 5 weight line on a 6 weight rod, or shop for a line with a lower grain weight. Something to consider as I have seen a trend in 1.5x heavy floating fly lines lately.

As for landing fish, again the lack of backbone becomes noticeable when compared to the other fly rods that I am accustomed to. Controlling fish was a bit tough, whether trying to hold them out of the weeds or steering them into the net. Not a huge deal in general but it may be frustrating if/when needing to power larger trout.

Redington Crux Fly Rod Review | Value

At the time of writing, the Farbank website is selling the Redington Crux for $419.99 USD (approx $575 CAD) which I would say is in the upper-mid range of today’s market. Not cheap by any means but considerably less expensive when compared to a rod from its parent company Sage. In comparison, the TFO LK Legacy is currently priced at $465.99 CAD so amongst that class it seems to be on the high end of the scale.

Redington Crux Fly Rod Review | Summary

In my opinion, the overall fit and finish of the Redington Crux is very nice. However, it’s performance when compared against rods of the same class is a bit (in my opinion) below the curve of where it’s price suggests it should be. It’s not a terrible rod by any means, and if you’re an angler that prefers slower action fly rods then it might be for you. My suggestion would be to go out and try the many fly rods available in this price range before making a decision. Pair them up with different fly lines until you find a combo that works for your casting/fishing style. In the end if the rod you arrive at is the Redington Crux then it will certainly serve you well!

Just my .02 … Matt

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