CF Burkheimer - Presentation 489-4
8ft 9in, 4wt, four piece
£489.51 - Extra tip £62

If there's one thing that always gets my goat it's when manufacturers describe rods as great for “presentation” casts. What the heck does that mean? Can a rod make it easier to land a line more softly? Can a rod make it easier to curve a line? Can a rod make it easier to dump slack when and where you need it? I don't think so.

Apart from a few hook and curve casts, the majority of the (intentional) non-straight-line casts I make are mends i.e. repositioning the line after the power stroke. So it's difficult to see how the rod makes a difference there. And I have to say I haven't found much difference in my ability to make various hook or curve casts between fast/stiff action rods and slow/soft rods.

In most cases I think “great for presentation casts” is advertising speak for “well, it ain't gonna cast far, so we need to find something else to say about it”.

So you can see I had already built up a healthy set of prejudices by the time Mark Leggett at Alternative Tackle sent me a Burkheimer Presentation Series rod to review!

Thankfully, when I looked up the description of the rod on the AT web-site it seems to be saying that the “presentation” bit is all about an upgrade to the fittings over the basic Trout series. Nothing to do with casting at all. Phew!

And it is a nice looking rod: The most obvious feature is the handle which is decorated with contrasting cork rings. I wasn't sure about this to start with, but I have to say it's growing on me, and it's nice to see manufacturers trying to be distinctive. The quality of the cork itself is good if not the best I've seen - but again I quite liked the fact that the character of the cork was allowed to show through rather than covered over with filler that usually falls out the first time you use it.

The reel seat is a nice exotic wood (walnut?) with nickel silver fittings and gives the impression of quality.

The guides are apparently all hand made: The stripper is genuine agate in a nickel silver frame - not something you see everyday and a nice touch. The tip ring is a hayfork design, and well sized. The snakes are standard US designs and although not as fine as recoils, are light enough not to interfere with the performance of the blank.

The blank itself is deep blue-green, with matching whippings which are tastefully tipped with platinum thread. Build quality is excellent.

This is a nice looking piece of kit, rounded off with a blue-green powder-coated aluminium tube which can be personalised with an engraving and brass cap. So no argument with the “Presentation” monicker after all!

But we all know that appearances are never enough, how does the thing cast and fish? A few numbers first: The rod CCS'd with an AA of 63 and a Stiffness of 108.8g (ERN 5.4). For me that puts it firmly in the “medium action” range, not a rod of extremes.

Out of the bag and giving it a “tackle shop waggle” it feels quite meaty for a 4wt. Not overly light at 25/8 oz, it feels powerful. The inscription on the rod butt it says it's a 3/4/5 wt and from the ERN I'd expect it to be more of 4wt. So next stop, the local boating pond for a bit of a swish about with a few lines.

I started off with a #4 Wulff TT. This is a favourite river line, and the one I'm most familiar with. Roll casts first: 30ft, no problem; 40ft then 50ft - great. Good 2ft loops and a nice feeling of the rod loading as I drag the rod forward. Same thing with jump-rolls and Speys, good feel and control throughout.

On to overhead casts and I must say the #4 feels spot on. Easily loaded with 10ft of fly line out of the tip. Great loop control as the line is extended. The Wulff isn't a long-headed line at 36ft, so no surprise that the Burkheimer deals with it easily, maintaining a nice crisp feel throughout. You can overhang a Wulff a fair bit, so I did; still no problem and the line shot out easily to the backing knot, well within the capabilities of this rod. No sign of the rod running out of steam and I could hit the rod quite hard without having to open up the casting angle too much. Finally I did try a bunch of curves, mends, and hooks; yep, it does them too.

Next up a #5 Wulff TT. This is the line that Mark Leggett said he used on rivers. I can understand his choice in that the rod performs well in the zero to 40ft range on all casts. However, for me, it did feel just too much for the rod when going for distance. I felt that I had to open up the casting arc too much to be comfortable. I'm sure I'd adapt to this over time, and those of you who prefer softer rods and long, easy casting arcs would have no problems. The rod still chucked a full line, but it just felt a bit too much effort for my style.

Finally a #3 SA XPS. I really wasn't expecting much from this, however I was pleasantly surprised. If you don't do much Spey casting then this would make a very serviceable three-weight. Still some reasonable feel at short-range, albeit with a slight tip wobble, and nice tight loops as you continue to extend line. I found Speys quite a challenge with the #3 as I wasn't getting the right kind of feedback from the rod on the lift and swing. Not surprising really - and the main learning was how good the overhead casts were.

So, for me it's a bang on 4wt, but if you want to use a 5wt on it hey, that's fine by me.

“You are going to fish with it aren't you?” said Mark when he sent the rod to me. I guess he thinks I'm just a casting geek! So, I took it out on my local river: perfectly designed for a 4wt; never more than 55ft across, overhanging trees demanding a fair amount of roll and Spey casts, and some decent fish to put a bend in a rod.

Mid-summer on this stretch means very sparse day-time hatches and so not much moving to surface flies. So, on with a couple of wets and it's an afternoon searching the runs and overhangs for fish. Just on the tail-out of one tree-encrusted run the line slides off and a nice fish tumbles into the air. A minute later an a fit twenty eight ounce (that's ounces not - unfortunately - inches) brownie is next to me. A hour or so later and I've shaken fins with another couple of smaller fish, and it's time to go.

What about the Burkheimer? Well, to be honest I hadn't even given it a thought as I worked my way up and down the river. I just spent my time thinking about where the trout might be and how to get a fly to them without spooking them. And I think that's a good thing: I didn't have to consciously adjust for the rod as I switched between distances and types of casts.
Once a fish was hooked the rod did what it's supposed to - cushioning a light tippet, and bending progressively as power was applied. I did think, however, that it might run out of steam in the butt with a bigger (say 4lb+) fish in tow.

Overall I do have to say that casting and fishing with this rod was a very pleasurable experience. Anyone looking for a great all-round 4wt , made to very high standards, should add the Burkheimer Presentation 489-4 to their list of rods to try.

Details and more information

• CF Burkheimer Presentation 489-4
• 8ft 9in - Four Piece
• £489.51 - Extra tip £62
• Weight 25/8 oz
• AA 63, Stiffness 108.8g, ERN 5.42
• Rods made to order. UK lead time circa 4wks dependent on spec. (phone for latest delivery times).
• UK Distributor Mark Leggett at www.alternativetackle.com
• US Manufacturer. Contact Kerry Burkheimer at cfb@cfburkheimer.com, or write to CF Burkheimer, 2001 B St, Washougal, WA 98671, or phone (360) 835-1420

Will Shaw
April '09