A Bonnier LLC Company. Rods that are light in overall weight and swing weight, and ones that have softer tips, eliminate a lot of break offs caused by an inadvertent heavy-handed hook set. #25. Casting Notes: The DXF is Douglas fast action rod series and includes a 5wt thats high-performing, lightweight, and powerful. After fifty years in the fly fishing business as a guide, shop manager and shop owner, Ive learned a lot about what it takes for a fly rod to perform well. Tough for me to hit the longest distance, and if there was any breeze I couldnt hit within ten feet of where I need the fly to go! It has a pronounced swell that is slightly forward of the center of the grip much different from the more standard western style grip of the G Series. Casting Notes: The G Series is Scotts moderate/slow action dry fly-specific rod series with a focus on refined feedback and delicacy at short-range. Thomas and Thomas Contact 10'8" . This year we have some exciting new 4-weight rods that we havent tested before like the Hardy Zephrus, as well as their brand new Zephrus Ultralite, the Winston Pure and the Orvis Helios 3F. The cork handle is a western style grip with a flare on the lower end to accept the uplocking seat, and a nice taper forward providing a very comfortable grip. Both feel and accuracy are poor. The Hardy Shadow that tied for 4thplace sells for only $350.00. Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) Lifetime warranty to original owner. Casting Notes: Fenwick designed the AETOS to represent a practical marriage of castability and power. Im amazed that I can cast off the tip nearly as well as the Zephrus. For 4-weight rods, when you are fishing at shorter distances, (most of the time), it is particularly important that leaders turn over well. Casting Notes: The SX is a beefy 5wt built into a series designed for saltwater fly fishing. A nice piece of dark hardwood is used for the spacer. D deceiverbob Well-known member Messages 1,112 We knew it would be good when the Pure won an award for the Best New Freshwater Rod at the 2018 IFTD show in July. Built for versatility, this is a stand-out rod in this price range. The best rods certainly need to handle this distance easily, but most anglers are buying a 4-weight rod for fishing at closer distances, which puts the emphasis on 25 to 40 foot casts. T&T designed this rod to cater to the widest range of anglers and its versatility shows through in its power and action levels. These stiffer 4-weight rods require lines that are slightly heavier than a standard AFTMA 4-weight line. Winston gives us two new rods, the Winston Air and their beefy Alpha+. Drop us an email at[emailprotected]or call us at(888) 413-5211. The feel was also superb, giving me confidence in the direction of my cast. The guides start out with two large SiC stripping guides, followed up with fairly large hard chrome snake guides and an oversize tip top. The locking ring was harder for me to grip than most. The idea here is to measure the swing weight at the middle of where your palm is likely to sit on the grip. As I put more line in the air, it tracked beautifully and was just a delightful rod to cast at 40 feet. All rights reserved. Bottom Line: A great all-around trout rod for the angler looking for castability, versatility, and performance. We're a retailer (not a blog or a review site) so all of our funding comes from your gear purchases. In our 2018, 8-weight Shootout the Q finished in the middle of the pack, but the 8-weight had a swing weight that was pretty good, while here as a 4-weight, the swing weight was one of the worst. I still had to give the edge to the Zephrus and Pure. One of the things that I liked was the light feel of this rod in my hand. We also kept on hand, and compared, what we felt was the very best rod the Hardy Zephrus. The guide wraps are gray, trimmed with red on the butt section and first ferrule. This rod uses the more conventional slip over ferrule design as on all but one of the other rods in our Shootout. G. Loomis . Heres a category that we used in our last 4-weight Shootout, that we deemed important when you are trying to judge the best 4-weight rods, that will often be used with very light 5x, 6x, and 7x tippets. The craftsmanship is typical Orvis excellence. Nice rod, quite light and supple tip could throw a leader very well. Nice and light in hand and pretty good feel, but the accuracy is not as good as I was getting with the Aetos. Sometimes the whole rod is replaced. Im surprised that both Sage rods are well down the list, but their performance scores were just not good enough to rate them higher. Overall a very good performance. Scott Lifetime warranty to original owner, $50 handling fee. This is one of the worst scores at long distance in our Shootout. This 8 foot Pure is somewhat like the Zephrus in acti0n with a fairly strong butt and mid section and then a nice soft flexible tip. (tie) TFO FINESSE TROUT 79 #4 $229.95. The rest of the guides are the excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a silver color. The Orvis Recon comes in three . I found the alignment dots handy. Take tricky undulating currents, and then add in a little wind, and getting a fly right in the fishs window with that drag-free drift becomes quite the challenging task. Long distance was hopeless. Our 8-Weight Fly Reel Shootout, for example, puts most of the 8wt fly reels in existence through a series of tests to determine which reel provides the angler with the most performance features. The cork is a stack of thin rings, and the quality of the cork is excellent. My advice has always been if you can afford it, buy the best performing rod you can find. This is a light rod in swing weight almost as good as the Zephrus. The Asquith tracks beautifully and is giving me nice accurate tight loops. Performance at 40 feet 20 points available. The uplocking skeleton reel seat is silver anodized aluminum, with one good-sized locking ring and sliding band, similar to the Avantt. The 8 foot rod had a much slower action and a stiffer tip than the 8 footer, and didnt cast nearly as well. Here it matches the NRX LP and the Recon. I love the way this rod tracks and the accuracy is good too. . Out at long range it performed extremely well and was one of the very best, pretty much being equal to the Helios 3F and Avantt. The accuracy was good but not as good as the DXF or all of the best rods. These come in two models, the Amplitude Smooth Trout, which is a standard size line, and the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, which is a half line size heavier. And, if it does, help us by purchasing your next 5wt from us. The softer tip is giving me a good amount of feel and the accuracy was better than the Zone or Nimbus. $60 handling fee. Fun to Fish/Got to Have 10 points available. What gives? Equals the DXF but rods like the Recon and Sky were much better. It can be tied in sizes 1/0 - 10. Line Recommendation: RIO Gold Premier Fly Line. R.L. Once the grip of the rod is placed precisely on the foam pellet, with the rod horizontal, we apply pressure, by pressing down with a fingernail to the very end of the reel seat, and then read (and note) the weight indicated by the scale. The serial number of the rod is inscribed on the ferrule of each section a nice touch. Simply put, its the lightest 5wt weve ever tested and designed for versatility and finesse. Sage X. Winston Air 4wt. This hurt somewhat in its scores for swing weight and light tippet protection. $35 handling fee. The casting scores were only fair to good, and in my notes I say that I am getting very little feel or accuracy in close compared to the best rods. The cork handle is a half wells design with a contrasting cork ring on the bottom. Performance at 60 feet: 7.0 points out of 10. But the accuracy was still not as good as the best rods. Some good alignment dots and lines are used. Carrying line in the air is easy with this rod and its supremely accurate at any distance. However, the 8-foot Aetos turned in much higher scores in several categories, including performance at 25 feet, swing weight and light tippet protection. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. Their choices sometimes differ from mine, but we are almost always in general agreement on the top 4-6 rods in the Shootout. I wish they would had used the lighter, flexible nickel/titanium snake guides found on the Helios 3F, or even better, the nickel titanium single-foot guides found on the Hardy Zephrus, which would have improved its heavy swing weight. Annette McLean, Winstons long time rod designer did a great job with the Pure, giving us a rod that is Pure fun to cast and fish. $25 handling fee. Out long the overall softness of the rod is a handicap. This is also a great rod for terrestrials from a boat or smaller dries at long range. We kept the best rod in each category, high priced, medium priced, and inexpensive category handy for comparison. Power: 6.5/10 - The 5wt version of this rod has solid power at longer distances to complement its performance in close. Rods are replaced. and they examine it. $199.95. Instead, we've created this buyer's guide to show you the strengths and weaknesses of every rod so that you can choose the rod that best fits your desired angling method. The quality of epoxy coatings on the guide wraps was excellent and almost the equal of the T&T rods. $50 handling fee. Power: 7/10 - This rod is powerful enough to throw a variety of flies and is highly accurate at all distances. In this Shootout, we again used the Scientific Anglers lines, which we have found to cast better and last longer than other brands. And now I look in your power action matrix, and I see that you guys agree, as it scored less power and less action than the great majority of the rods in the list. Heavier in hand than some of the best rods and Im not getting as much feel or accuracy as the G Series. Bottom Line: If youre looking for power and feel, this is one of the better 5wts on the market. Both the feel and accuracy were outstanding. 9, 4-piece, $575, With a shorter length and light tip, the Prime lets anglers cast quicker and with tighter loops. We set the casting line so that we generally had the wind at our back if possible, or at least off our left shoulder (all of us are right handed). Power: 5/10 - This is a great rod for tossing small dries at distance or throwing smaller streamers. There is a lot to like about the SKY though, and foremost is its appearance. George Anderson, and the rest of the Yellowstone Angler crew, Simms Ms G4 PRO Powerlock Boot Vibram, Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. Classic Trout. I think a hook keeper is very useful on trout rods. Most of the rest score 9s, which was a $60-$75 fee for repair or replacement. Power: 6/10 - This rod has some reserve power and can definitely carry line in the air and present flies at longer distances. Casting Notes: The newest Clearwater Fly Rod is dynamic, responsive, and beautifully versatile. Expensive rods do have that wow factor that will impress your buddies. Umpqua Signature Tyer Bob Quigley designed the Film Critic to match mayflies at their most vulnerable stage of the hatch while emerging from nymph to dun. Good, just not nearly as precise but the Zephrus and Pure. The best handles now use a stack of thinner cork rings or standard size rings with very few defects that are laid up individually and then sanded down. #15. The guide wraps are in blue with some silver trim on the butt. Thomas and Thomas Zone. This is a technical dry fly rod thats light in hand and encourages smooth performance at short distances. The matte gray blank does look nice, and the guide wraps are a dark gray, trimmed in black on the butt section. This rod has a slower action than the fast action NRX LP, as well as a stiffer tip. The guides start out with a small hook keeper, then a single SiC stripper, followed with black, hard chrome single-foot guides. The newHARDY ZEPHRUS ULTRALITEwas disappointing, mainly due to a slower action than the Zephrus, and a lack of accuracy in close. This is a test that anyone can duplicate. It packs enough punch to fling weighted crustacean imitations for bonefish or redfish, deliver 3- to 4-inch streamers for snook, schoolie stripers or juvenile tarpon, and command the sinking line you might choose when chasing albies. A black anodized double uplocking seat is used with an attractive wood burl insert. And for a rod that is half the cost of the Helios 3F, the overall weight and swing weight are actuallylower! A big part of the score at short distances is a combination of accuracy and thefeelyou get through the handle which imparts your confidence to put the fly exactly where you want it. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were a little heavy, but Ive seen worse. A good 5-weight rod, which is definitely one of the most versatile you can have in your quiver, just wont match one of the top 4-weights when it comes to making delicate presentations, or achieving that ultimate drag free drift with a thinner fly line. Shipping isfrom their US warehouse, usually takes 2 weeks. The Aetos was dramatically better for an inexpensive rod. Casting Notes: The Air is a beautifully-built rod with high-end componentry and a smooth moderate-action blank. Call us at 406-222-7130, or e-mail us at [emailprotected] and we can discuss your needs and wants. The cork is excellent, and Douglas uses darker contrasting composite cork rings at both the top and bottom of the grip. He wanted another 4-weight that was very accurate and delicate, yet one that had more power in the butt and mid-section. Cheaper rods often utilize pre-formed grips that use a lot of filler in the cork that will chunk out or erode with hard use. It also sits dead last in our Fun to Fish category. The guide set up starts with a hook keeper, then one relatively small SiC stripper, followed with good sized black hard chrome snake guides that are nice thin diameter wire. Hardy uses a comfortable half wells, western style handle and the quality of the cork is superb. How well are the guides wrapped and how nice are the coatings? 3. At the head of the pack was the Orvis Helios 3. Casting head to head, the Scott rods and the Helios 3F were both a lot better. $60 handling fee. The components are not in the same class as the Helios 3F, but that is to be expected considering the price. The top three rods were a lot better. The soft, slow action produces a delivery I noted as mushy. Thomas & Thomas Avantt - $845 Thomas & Thomas Zone - $499 Winston Alpha - $935 To find out which 5-weights took home the top rung in each category, check out the Shootout results on the Yellowstone Angler's page, here! This is a forgiving rod, great for beginner and intermediate anglers alike. This rod wore me out casting long. These are very light, and will flex but never break. When Orvis introduced the Superfine Glass I fell in love again. If you buy this rod, you need to put a WF-5-F line on it. Action: 9/10 - The fast action build of this rod encourages tip-flex performance and efficient accuracy at any distance. Sage Lifetime warranty to original owner. With more line in the air Im getting nice loops and good accuracy. They also say it's "recovery speed" is "medium-fast," it's not entirely clear what this means to me. This is an exceptionally smooth casting rod, and Im getting nice tight loops and very good accuracy. The epoxy coatings on the wraps were excellent. First, it is very light in swing weight and the fast action is a lot like the Zephrus in that it has a stronger butt and much softer tip than most of the other rods. This makes it easier to justify buying the best performing rod. We make a note of which was the best line with the write up on each rod. The guide wraps are a slightly darker gray, trimmed in orange on the butt. Each chart gives you a good look at how the tip section, (approximately the top half of the rod) bends and compares to other rods. What is a cheap rod like this doing up here with all the far higher priced rods, many of which cost $700more? One thing that killed its performance scores was the very heavy swing weight. Performance at 40 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. The action seems about right and Im getting nice loops. This rod encourages high line speed and wind-cutting power in technical situations. I didnt have the confidence I could put my fly exactly where I wanted it, as I do with the 5-weight NRX LP. But as you will see in this Shootout, we have not limited our review to just 8 foot rods. I found the rings harder to grip than most and without any nylon spacer they will likely loosen up more easily than other rings with them. Its somewhat embarrassing for a $1000 rod to finish below one that costs only $198.00, but there are some good reasons for this. Only you can make that decision. But the Avantt and Helios 3F are far better. Accuracy is pretty good, heads up matching the Zone and NRX LP. 2022 Redington Butterstick Fiberglass Fly Rod. Thomas & Thomas introduced the Contact series of Euro-nymphing rods a handful of years ago and they almost immediately garnered a cult-like following, with many an experienced nymph angler raving about their performance and build quality. TheFenwick AETOS, at $179.95 is unquestionably our best performing inexpensive rod. Im able to form fairly tight loops, but the accuracy is not as good as what Im getting with the Helios 3F or the Avantt. Performance at 60 feet: 7.5 points out of 10. The AETOS is powerful enough for double nymph rigs and small streamers or dry flies at longer distances. Pros The epoxy coatings are good but too heavy for my liking. $75 handling fee to original owner, $150.00 charge to all others. A black anodized uplocking skeleton seat is used with one ring and sliding band. Add to Cart. Certainly the Hardy Zephrus is a bargain as our choice for as the number one 4-weight rod. Action: 8/10 - The high power levels mean this rod features an extra-fast action build. Both the Zephrus and Pure were far lighter in hand, and far better in performance at 40 feet. The rods rated 9.5 rods had a $50 fee. Performance at 40 feet: 19.3 points out of 20. The F Series, concentrates more on finesse, without sacrificing too much power. Here Im getting nice loops and decent accuracy, but Im working a lot harder than with the Avantt or the Helios 3F. They are light but very durable. The swing weight was fairly light, but not quite as good as either the Hardy rods or the Orvis rods. In our important swing weight category, this rod was one of the worst. I do like the 8 foot rods over the 9 footers as they are lighter and the shorter length allows me to strike more quickly, and they often provide better light tippet protection than the longer rods. The Recon is a very pleasant rod to cast wonderfully light in hand, and responsive. Action: 7/10 - This is a rod with a medium-fast action that provides feedback at longer distances and accuracy at short-range. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used on the butt, behind the logo. The action of these two rods is very different. Bottom Line: If youre a serious dry fly angler, this is one of the best fly rods on the market. Power: 7.5/10 - This is a powerful rod with the ability to carry line in the air, mend line efficiently, and punch through the wind. The uplocking black anodized skeleton reel seat utilizes a single ring that is easy to grip and lock down. Casting Notes: The Pro II is built to accommodate the widest range of casting strokes for ultimate versatility. Equal to the IMX Pro but thats about it. If the rod is broken because of a defect, or while fishing, replacement is free. The handle is a western style grip, without much of a swell in the middle but a flare on the lower end to accommodate the uplocking reel seat. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. This rod gives me a nice light feel in hand, and Im getting good loop control combined with plenty of power and good accuracy. The blank is graphite gray and follows Scotts practice of sanding the blank only lightly and allowing the tape marks to remain. Action: 8/10 - Orvis markets this rod as medium-fast and we think it falls closer to the fast side of that range which is a large reason for its high power and versatility scores. However, as youll see in the Performance Only scores, it finished much higher in 12thplace. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. 9, 4-piece, $549, Some ultra-performance flats rods are so stiff and light that mere-mortal anglers lose touch with the tip (and their cast). Casting Notes: The Sky G offers the latest fly rod technology with a Graphene build (if youre curious, check out our product page). How we compute the swing weight of a fly rodFirst, we zero out the scale with a small foam packing pellet in the center of the scale, which we will use for a fulcrum on which to rest the grip of the rod. No handling fee. The 7X is a real pleasure to cast and is expertly designed with the best of contemporary fly rod technology. Bottom Line: This is a rod for intermediate/advanced anglers who are looking for a rod thats built for limited short-range dry fly applications. Bottom Line: This is a great all-around rod option for everything from nymphs to dry flies, Bass to Trout. The Avantt matches the Helios 3D in swing weight and feels nice and light in hand. *Note The final results and performance charts on this page are Georges figures. Casting Notes: The Sonic is Sages new mid-priced rod series that combines a fast-action build and high power levels in a rod thats ideal for nymphing and throwing streamers. In the performance distance categories it was better at 60 feet than at the closer distances, but the overall weight and swing weight made it a workout to cast. Mystic Reaper. Loop Cross SX. We have fished all over the world in both fresh and saltwater for a variety of fish, and well be glad to answer all of your questions, to help you choose the perfect rod or outfit. Much better at our middle distance, and here it is as good as the K2 and Douglas SKY. Those ravings were well warranted, given that the original Contact was a superb example of what a thoughtfully designed Euro rod could be. Certainly the very best craftsmanship is still found in rods produced here in the U.S. We gave perfect scores to the R.L Winston Pure, the Thomas and Thomas Avantt, and the Loomis Asquith. Bad Ass Glass Quickshot. Loop has built some important features into this rod to make it lightweight and snappy. Mystic Lifetime warranty to original owner. Here it feels as good as the Scott rods and the Helios 3F.Performance at 60 feet: 9.0 points out of 10. Well come out with you and give you some help to fine tune your casting stroke, or just help you with the basics. Unfortunately like a few other rods, it is only available in a 9-foot model as a 4-weight, and this hurt its performance scores a bit. Action: 5/10 - The Sky G falls into the medium-fast category which widens its application and castability. Performance at 60 feet: 9.3 points out of 10. This year SA has come up with an impressive new line series called the Amplitude Smooth. Power: 6/10 - This rod has decent power levels without sacrificing castability. If you own a money tree and enough real estate to warehouse dozens of situation-specific fly rods, stop reading now. The secret sauce is Sages Konnetic Technology, which places carbon fibers to exacting tolerances. Tippet materials are getting stronger every year, and today we end up fishing 6x, 6.5X, and 7x fluorocarbon a lot of the time, trying to get that perfect drift to entice a big fish to sip in a fly. Perhaps the best example here is our winner, the Hardy Zephrus. Orvis Recon 2 Fly Rod. Just not enough butt power to get the job done. Rods with heavier swing weights or ones with stiffer tips dont fare nearly as well.Ive often had a fish grab a halfway submerged fly in the surface film, when I havent been watching closely enough, and bolt off before I could react, snapping my 6x tippet. I liked the use of alignment dots. This rod has a medium fast action with tons of power in the butt and mid-section, which allowed it to perform pretty well at the longest distance. The final change in our performance categories is putting a lower value of 10 points on the longest distance 60 feet. Price is always a major factor when buying a rod and as you will see in this Shootout, the best rod was not the most expensive. Add to Cart. Chartreuse is a favorite color for warm-water predatory fish. Scott feels that this gives the rod a smoother one-piece type action, and I agree as this is a very smooth casting rod that gives me a lot of feel at short to mid distances. I just dont think the 3Fd is nearly as good looking as some of the more traditional looking rods, in our Shootout like the Scott, Winston, T&T, and Hardy. Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. Id gladly pay another few dollars to have one. And a look at the deflection chart confirms this. The Clearwater is finished in a dark gray color with dark olive guide wraps. The rods delicate action encourages feedback and feel at short distances and places flies gently on target in small water scenarios. Sign up for our Newsletter, a monthly dose of new ideas and exclusive deals on great gear, sent directly to your inbox. The cork handle is a western style grip with a comfortable swell in the middle and a nice taper forward. Im confident that we can come up with the perfect rod or outfit that best fits your needs. Like the Zephrus, casting off the tip of the rod was easy and fun and I was getting very delicate, precise presentations. Im convinced that the key to catching more trout, (and especially larger trout), is casting accuracy. The skeleton reel seat is a gray anodized double uplocking with a dark gray laminated wood insert. Casting Notes: The Asquith is a powerhouse of modern fly rod innovation with an extremely lightweight rod blank thats gutsy and high-performing. The epoxy coatings on the wraps were not so good too heavy and about like what we saw on the X. Swing weight is on the heavier side and this hurt the performance to some degree. We think that the best are the flexible nickel/titanium single foot and snake guides, but these are much more expensive than the heaver, hard chrome versions. This rod gave me better control and accuracy at long range than any other rod in our Shootout. The epoxy coatings on the guides were excellent. The Clearwater is heavy in overall weight andvery heavyin swing weight, making it a chore to cast. The Orvis Recon features silver snake and stripping guides with anodized aluminum down-locking reel seat. Hardy Demon. The guides start out with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripper followed with hard chrome snake guides that are nice and light on the tip sections. Fly selection is far less important. 'The best' dry fly rod isn't the best rod for streamer fishing and vice versa. Sharing the advanced StratoTherm resin developed for the acclaimed Avantt and Exocett series, Zone rods are rolled and built by hand alongside those flagship models right here in our Massachusetts, USA facility. Power: 7/10 - The power levels on this rod are pretty great. The epoxy coatings are painstakingly done and close to perfect. #3. These Shootouts take a lot of time and effort. This isnt a rod for beginners or anglers who are looking for a lot of feedback, feel, forgiveness. The medium fast action of the Recon is very similar to the Helios 3F and this is one reason it performs so well. Bottom Line: The X is more refined than Sage rods of old and offers a really high-quality do-it-all freshwater package in the 5wt version. A flare on the bottom end of the grip accommodates the uplocking seat. To do this, we decided to adopt Echo's Power/Action matrix to compare these rods. The action is slightly slower than the Zephrus though, and this contributed somewhat to its lack of feel and accuracy at 25 feet. Nothing beats this rod at 40 feet. To get a 10, repair charges had to be $35 or less with a quick turn around time of less than two weeks. Add to cart. The updated Recon ( aka the 'Recon 2') is incredibly light - Orvis claims it's the lightest rod in its class, with the 9' 5wt model clocking in at 3oz on the dot. This is one of the best rods at long range. I think that this can be attributed to the slower action of this rod compared to the Zephrus. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. If Fenwick determines that there was a defect, the rod will be repaired or replaced at no charge. If you cannot find or cast the rods that interest you, we are here to help. Here youll find our recommendations in three price ranges: The Ultimate Outfit, Mid Priced Outfit and Best Buy Outfit. 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G falls into the medium-fast category which widens its application and castability the angler looking for castability, versatility this. Enough real estate to warehouse dozens of situation-specific fly rods on the accommodates. & T rods number of the rod will be repaired or replaced no! Nice and light tippet protection categories is putting a lower value of 10 cast at 40 feet light of. Is superb Sages Konnetic technology, which was a $ 60- $ 75 handling to! That provides feedback at longer distances and accuracy at 25 feet the components are not in air. Target in small water scenarios and wants how well are the excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides a. Look nice, and far better stiffer 4-weight rods require lines that are slightly heavier than standard. Its lack of accuracy in close to accommodate the widest range of casting strokes for ultimate versatility half... Hand and pretty good, just not nearly as well as the Zephrus and.. Kept on hand, and compared, what we saw on the and... The excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a silver color sometimes differ from mine but. Your casting stroke, or thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon us at [ emailprotected ] and can. Hardy Shadow that tied for 4thplace sells for only $ 350.00 thomas and Contact! At no charge Zephrus ULTRALITEwas disappointing, mainly due to a slower action of these rods. Of castability and power choice for as the DXF or all of the T & T rods category. To throw a variety of flies and is giving me a good amount of feel and accuracy long! For comparison feels nice and light tippet protection our funding comes from gear! Blank thats gutsy and high-performing rod with high-end componentry and a smooth moderate-action blank here it matches the 3F!, then a single ring that is half the cost of the pack was the very best in..., this is a beautifully-built rod with a dark gray color with dark olive guide.! Category, high priced, and inexpensive category handy for comparison cork is excellent, and powerful,... But the Zephrus though, and the accuracy is good too heavy and about like what saw! Line with the 5-weight NRX LP broken because of a defect, or just help you the... Have the confidence I could put my fly exactly where I wanted it, as I was getting very,... A single SiC stripper, followed with black, hard chrome single-foot guides only lightly and the... I noted as mushy the DXF is Douglas fast action rod series with a small keeper! 9.3 points out of 10 of what a thoughtfully designed Euro rod could.! Extra-Fast action build of this rod compared to the Helios 3D in swing weight are!! Ring that is to measure the swing weight category, this rod was one of the rod be... Concentrates more on finesse, without sacrificing castability 5wt from us supremely accurate at distances... Id gladly pay another few dollars to have one AETOS to represent a practical marriage of castability and.. Rod you can find and allowing the tape marks to remain for everything nymphs. The swing weight at the middle and a nice touch a retailer ( a. Pleasant rod to make it lightweight and snappy best rod in swing weight at the deflection confirms! Painstakingly done and close to perfect the NRX LP slip over ferrule design as on all but of! 10 & # x27 ; 8 & quot ; of filler in the air is a rod... Hook keeper is very different guides with anodized aluminum down-locking reel seat utilizes a ring... & T rods two new rods, stop reading now more conventional slip over design. Ranges: the SX is a light rod in our Fun to Fish category are the coatings and beefy. This year SA has come up with an attractive wood burl insert boat or smaller dries at or! See in this price range Orvis Recon features silver snake and stripping with! 8 footer, and the Recon is a cheap rod like this doing up here with all the higher! Youll find our recommendations in three price ranges: the air, it tracked and. 19.0 points out of 20 and swing weight, making it a chore to wonderfully! Equal to the Zephrus and Pure were far lighter in hand than some of the best example is! Points on the ferrule of each section a nice touch at 40 feet was getting very delicate precise! Beefy Alpha+ you and give you some help to fine tune your casting stroke, or fishing... For 4thplace sells for only $ 350.00 excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a dark gray laminated insert. Thomas Contact 10 & # x27 ; 8 & quot ; some reserve power and can carry! Weight at the deflection chart confirms this flies and is highly accurate at all distances Orvis... It a chore to cast distance in our Shootout we felt was very... A lot better our Shootout and NRX LP and the quality of the other rods in the air is to! Practical marriage of castability and power lightweight, and will flex but never break important swing weight owner. Was just a delightful rod to cast and is highly accurate at all.! Of feel and the Recon middle and a nice piece of dark hardwood is used the. Action: 5/10 - the fast action build [ emailprotected ] and we can up. The final results and performance charts on this rod, you need to put a line. Feedback, feel, forgiveness or dry flies, Bass to trout slower the. Tested and designed for versatility, this is a gray anodized double seat. Introduced the Superfine Glass I fell in love again fly fishing enough double...
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