Im impressed with the guide set up, starting with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripping guide, followed with the best nickel/titanium and flexible single-foot guides as on the Zephrus and Sky. $50 handing fee. The length and model on each rod section is inscribed as on the K2. Now the good butt power helps and Im getting very nice loops, good control and excellent accuracy equal to the Avantt and even better than the Zephrus. The reel seat is a double uplocking, skeleton style in anodized gray with a burgundy graphite insert. Sage promotes the MOD as a rod that will deliver delicate presentations with pinpoint accuracy. A great 4-weight rod is the best tool Ive found to meet these demands. Their T&T Zone performs well in the mid-priced class. The shorter rod is nice and light, and faster in action than its longer brother. Bottom Line: If youre considering the Foundation or you want a mid-priced Sage, this is a stellar 5wt and definitely worth the upgrade. The epoxy coatings over the wraps are very good but a little heavy in spots, as around the feet of the guides. Casting Notes: In some ways, the Echo Boost is complementary to the Echo Dry. Sage MOD 86 #4 $850.00. There's no other place online that has as many or as comprehensive reviews as you guys, and it really helps. Pretty good, but not quite as accurate or as much feel as with the Shadow. The blank itself is a deep burgundy color, with dark gray wraps. For some reason they dont use a hook keeper on this rod, maybe another way to cut the cost? All of the rods mentioned will do double duty well - light salt and streamer/bass rod. Here at Trident, we carry over one hundred 5wt fly rods. Guides start with a hook keeper, and then one SiC stripping guide, followed with black hard chrome snake guides. The rod itself is finished in a blue/gray color, Big Sky Blue but it doesnt jump out and grab you like the gorgeous Winston emerald green. Click on any rod to see the full write up. Howard Croston, Hardys rod design genius in England, has given us another outstanding rod that performs extremely well at all distances. Sure, the best rods are generally in the higher price bracket, and are usually worth spending the extra dough, even if you have to save up to buy the one you really want. The locking ring is a little harder to grip and tighten than others. It had the power to hit 60 feet easily enough but my accuracy was not very good. No other rods were as good. The color of this rod is an attractive olive, with the guides wrapped in dark brown. It also lost a huge number of points in the price and warranty categories that it couldnt pick up in the casting distance performance categories. Also, the Galvan Torque reels are basically maintenance free, using a rulon bushing that requires no lubrication. Thomas and Thomas just introduced a very light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which complements their outstanding Avantt. If you are a Scott fan and want a rod for fishing at short to medium distances, youll likely prefer this rod over the Radian. The cork handle is a half wells western style grip, with a contrasting darker composite cork at the bottom end, over the flare for the reel seat. However, if all rods are measured on the same day, the relative numbers will be consistent. When you pick up this rod, youll first notice how light it is in swing weight. 'The best' dry fly rod isn't the best rod for streamer fishing and vice versa. Even better than the Helios 3F. The newHARDY ZEPHRUS ULTRALITEwas disappointing, mainly due to a slower action than the Zephrus, and a lack of accuracy in close. Hardy uses their Sintrix 220 in this rod, a lower modulus graphite than the Sintrix 440 used in the Zephrus, but it provides easy loading yet a sharp recovery. Power: 7/10 - This is a powerful rod that cuts through the wind, recovers relatively quickly, and allows anglers to present flies at longer distances. Rods are repaired, not replaced, except for broken sections. Here is a recap of each manufacturers current policy, their latest fees and what we have experienced for repair time required. Power: 7.2/10 - More refined than other high-powered 5wts, the Radian has enough power for larger rivers but is a little more versatile than technical rods like the 3D. Weve found that fluctuating temperature and humidity from one day to the next can make a difference of .2-.3 oz. Guides start with a hook keeper, then a single titanium SiC stripping guide, followed with our favorite nickel/titanium snake guides that are flexible but unbreakable. Even though less expensive components are used, this is still a pretty nice looking rod, with the blank a rich deep blue with dark brown wraps that include a little silver trim on the butt section. Hardy is using their best Sintrix 440 graphite in this rod, also used in the Zephrus. These are very light, and will flex but never break. 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). The big reason it didnt do better than middle of the pack was the action. In the 4, 5, and 6-weights, the DXF is a great casting rod. Mystic JXP 9 #4 $499.00. To read each staff members casting notes and performance finishing order, please click on their photo above. Mystic Reaper X 86 #4 $299.00. He used Gartside's Super-Secret Stuff as a flash material but here we will use Hareline's Ice Wing Fiber as a substitute. The attractive cork handle is a half wells design with a flare on the bottom end, a comfortable swell in the middle, and a nice forward taper. There are dozens of 5wt rods on the market at a variety of price-points and each rod offers something different to every angler. This is a sharp looking rod. Performance at 25 feet: 18.8 points out of 20. Action: 2/10 - The medium-slow blank of the TFO Finesse Trout is the slowest rod blank in the low-priced category. (Click here to see more deflection charts). The rest of the guides are the excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a silver color. The rest of the guides start with a single wire recoil stripper like G. Loomis uses, (I dont like these much either), but at least the rest are the good flexible nickel/titanium single-foot guides, as on the Zephrus, in a black color. I just cant push it at all and have to slow down my casting stroke to get any decent accuracy. Heavy, slower action rods never perform well. This lightweight freshwater rod is powerful enough to throw larger flies and light enough for accurate presentations at short-range with dry flies. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. We like the looks of this new Mystic rod and the craftsmanship is better than we found on the Reaper X, but the price is a lot higher also. The stiffer clear Maxima butt sections on our leaders achieve this. Its somewhat embarrassing for a $1000 rod to finish below one that costs only $198.00, but there are some good reasons for this. Performance at 60 feet: 8.5 points out of 10. Both lines utilize an improved dry tip, (the last 5 feet of the front taper that is designed to float better), and utilize SAs AST Plus slickness additive for superior shooting performance. This is a soft rod, with a slower action than the Pure. Add to Cart. The Recon was much better. TheHardy ZEPHRUSsteamrollered all contenders by combining a very light swing weight with unmatched accuracy and feel at close to medium distance. 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! Here, the softer rods, ones with softer tips and rods with lighter swing weights post the highest scores. The cork handle is a half wells with a long taper at the front, that I found to be comfortable to grip. The reel seat is a simple gray anodized double uplocking, solid aluminum seat with sliding band. Very tricky and very attractive. The extra 3 inches in length also had a negative effect on the overall action. The 8 foot rod had a much slower action and a stiffer tip than the 8 footer, and didnt cast nearly as well. For most of my fishing with a 4-weight rod in critical conditions Im using one of our 12-foot leaders down to a 5X or 6X tippet, but in the Shootout we stick with 4X Rio Powerflex as a tippet in order to minimize breaking off the yarn indicator. The cork handle is a western style grip with a comfortable swell in the middle and a nice taper forward. A powerful, fast-action rod works well for turning over larger rigs or casting longer distances in windy conditions. For 4-weight rods, when you are fishing at shorter distances, (most of the time), it is particularly important that leaders turn over well. The rings should be easy to grip and tighten. When I first picked the rod up, the overall weight was good but then when I wiggled the rod in my hand, I could see that the swing weight was heavier than almost all of the other 4-weight rods. Power: 6/10 - The Zone is a powerful rod yet maintains castability and versatility. To make it easy to judge the turnover and accuracy, we tie in a small fluorescent yarn indicator at the end of the 2-foot 4x tippet and then trim it so that the wind resistance equates to a smaller dry fly. This is not a pleasant rod to do a lot of false casting with, as you would fishing dry flies. Designed to chuck heavy, three-inch articulated streamers at meaty freshwater bass and pike, this rod (particularly in the 1-piece version) gained a cult following among redfish guides who love its action for inshore flats: The stiffer tip increases feel by loading the rod lower down, where proprietary Conduit Core material replaces heavier wraps of graphite for a lighter, more responsive build. Bottom Line: If youre an angler who knows how to adjust your timing and needs a rod for windy scenarios or long distance casting, this is a great rod option. At one point it was our Best inexpensive rod until the Fenwick Aetos muscled it aside. St. Croix Lifetime warranty to original owner, $85 handling fee. Nearly everyone is using one-coat epoxy coatings over the guide wraps now, but if these are not very carefully done, they are often sloppy or too much epoxy is applied, adding unnecessary weight. The 8 foot Pure had a much heavier swing weight, and would not be as much fun to false cast all day as this 8 footer. If you must move now I'd consider the sage sonic (with FB - salt water hardware) and the Orvis recon or the Thomas and Thomas zone. Remember that it will cost you an additional $15 or more to send your rod in unless you are using the G. Loomis Expeditor program. This rod has a slower action than the fast action NRX LP, as well as a stiffer tip. Chartreuse is a favorite color for warm-water predatory fish. Orvis 25 year warranty to original owner. Performance at 25 feet: 17.5 points out of 20. This one is simple The least expensive rods get the highest points. Usually takes 2 weeks. Action: 6/10 - While Sage labels this rod as a fast-action rod, we think its closer to medium-fast which is good for castability and versatility. Heads up the Recon and Shadow were far better. At 40 feet you need a rod that is light and pleasant enough to do a lot of false casting, as you will when fishing dry flies, but you shouldnt have to double haul to get the rod to perform and hit this distance. In our important swing weight category, this rod was one of the worst. At long range no rod has more power. With more line in the air Im getting nice loops and good accuracy. 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. (tie) Thomas & Thomas ZONE 86 #4 $495.00. It is nearly impossible to cast off the tip of the rod like I can with the best 4-weights. The medium fast action of the Recon is very similar to the Helios 3F and this is one reason it performs so well. For this reason, we are again using our own Yellowstone Angler Clear Butt leaders in 12-foot 4X. Winston says Pure Feel, Pure Presentation and Pure Fun I cant disagree. Power: 7/10 - This is a powerful rod capable of throwing dry flies, nymph rigs, and small streamers, optimized for castability and long distance performance. Casting Notes: The Flex is a beautiful combination of versatility, castability, and a medium-fast action for power when you need it. The 4-weight Asquith was one of the stiffer rods in our Shootout and this hurt its scores at the shortest distance of 25 feet. The cork handle is a half wells design with a stack of thin corks as on the Helios 3F. The action is slightly slower than the Zephrus though, and this contributed somewhat to its lack of feel and accuracy at 25 feet. This is still a very good casting rod overall, but it just doesnt come close to matching the scores turned in by the top rods in this Shootout. The Aetos was dramatically better for an inexpensive rod. I love the way this rod tracks and the accuracy is good too. This rod encourages high line speed and wind-cutting power in technical situations. The nice soft tip allows me to cast off the tip of the rod with a flick of my wrist. 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. The skeleton uplocking seat is one of the most unusual Ive seen. #16. It is a double uplocking, anodized gray seat with an attractive burl insert, but right under where the reel seat fits, they have cut away both the threads and the burl leaving the blank that is covered with composite cork! 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. The X provides the angler with finesse in close and power when you need it, a nice combination of feedback and backbone. But if you look at just the three distance performance scores, it would have finished below the top dozen rods! Performance at 40 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. One thing I like is that there is a serial number on each rod section. The build of this rod, however, creates one of the most versatile, caster-friendly models in the sub-$500 price-range and the Shadow probably fits the widest range of casting strokes in the mid-priced 5wt category. Quantity: Preorder you will promptly be contacted with available date. Nickel silver is used for the winding check and rear grip check as well as the hardware on the reel seat, which is a sliding band and one wide locking ring. 4 Reviews. The K2 falls into the upper end of the mid-price range but it was blown away by the less expensive Hardy Shadow and Orvis Recon at 25 and 40 feet. There are not many situations when youll be fishing this far with your 4-weight, but Ive certainly had many situations, especially fishing dry flies on larger rivers, like the Missouri, where Ive had to throw it this long yet still get good accuracy and a delicate presentation in order to catch a nice fish. The heavier swing weight makes casting at longer distances a workout. 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 accuracy is only fair. Here Im getting nice loops and decent accuracy, but Im working a lot harder than with the Avantt or the Helios 3F. Power: 5/10 - Low power levels reflect Scotts intentional design; this isnt a versatile rod or a rod for streamers/heavy nymph rigs. Action: 6/10 - The AETOS is a fast action rod but not as fast as rods like the BVK and others. But the accuracy was still not as good as the best rods. We didnt award any points for this category but we know that for many people this is a factor in a decision to purchase a rod, so we wanted to list this in our Objective Observations table and also in our Final Results table. The top three rods were a lot better. I dont have the feel I can place the fly just where I want it, as I can with the Zephrus. Its perhaps a little heavy in swing weight, and this as well as its stiffness, hurt its score at 25 feet. Then it will cast and perform much better. 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 heavy swing weight is perhaps the biggest reason the SKY didnt perform so well. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a high-performance rod in the sub-$700 range and youre an angler who appreciates power and efficiency, the Sky is a great rod series. The Asquith tracks beautifully and is giving me nice accurate tight loops. Will they make you a better angler? Their choices sometimes differ from mine, but we are almost always in general agreement on the top 4-6 rods in the Shootout. We were all especially anxious to see how the Orvis Helios 3F and the new Winston Pure would fare, compared to our favorite 4-weight, the Hardy Zephrus. For our 4-weight Shootout, once again we have added anotherperformance category Light Tippet Protection. A half wells cork handle is used, but the size is a little small in diameter as I noted. Orvis Recon 2 Fly Rod. Like the K2, the Q is only available as a 9-foot rod in a 4-weight. Thomas And Thomas Zone 1.0 Fly Rod. This rod is nice and light in hand, and performed well in close, where I was getting pretty good feel and decent accuracy. I liked the nice loops I was getting and the accuracy was also pretty good, but could not match the Recon or the NRX LP. Below the final results charts we give you the exact repair charges for each manufacturer. 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. One year warranty on hardware and guides. A sliding band and one easy to grip locking ring are used. Those rods are both a lot lighter in swing weight and faster in action. Casting head to head, the Zephrus, Pure and Helios 3D are all a lot better. The blank color at first glance looks black, but is a very dark green called Black Spruce. The thread wraps are dark green, trimmed with metallic gray on the butt section. Does the tip of the rod load well enough in close to give you the feel and accuracy you need with little line or only the leader out of the guides? It can be tied in sizes 10 - 20. A great 4-weight rod must have the ability to make delicate and accurate presentations with small flies and long leaders at short distances. Still, I felt it could be our 4-weight winner until I finished casting the Ultralite heads up with the winner, the Zephrus. #6. Good, just not great. The guide wraps are a dark green to complement the rod. Thomas and Thomas Avantt. Some people might consider high priced rods status symbols. The best rings use thin nylon spacers between them to assure a positive lock up. The stiff tip didnt allow me much feel but the accuracy was decent. Pay in 4 interest-free installments of $149.50 with. I like the action, which is medium fast. (tie) TFO FINESSE TROUT 79 #4 $229.95. It performed better than any of the sub $300 rods, including the Orvis Clearwater. Naturally, you must use a double haul and form good tight back cast loops to deliver accurate casts at these longer distances. 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. The guides start with one SiC stripping guide followed with very large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Action: 7.5/10 - Loomis built this rod to be faster than the Asquith and bordering on ultra-fast action. A moderate action rod with low power levels is best for dry flies at close range. TFO FINESSE TROUT 89 #4 $229.95. If you get to Montana, we invite you to stop at our shop and do your own rod comparison right here on our lawn. #16. With the inexpensive warranties that most manufacturers offer, your new rod is one that will last you for many years. It can be tied in sizes 1/0 - 10. We have learned that we cannot trust manufacturers stated rod weights. It felt like it had less power than most rods which claim to be "medium-fast." To do this, we decided to adopt Echo's Power/Action matrix to compare these rods. A little better here but the DXF still puts it to shame. Action: 6.5/10 - A medium-fast action build creates a rod thats caster-friendly and can be used in a variety of angling scenarios. For lines, we had two on hand, one a standard size SA Amplitude Smooth Trout, and then their half size larger line, the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, both in WF-4-F. For leaders, we used our own Yellowstone Angler hand-tied 12-foot 4x leaders that use a two-foot tippet. Power: 6/10 - This rod is smooth and evenly balanced with high-line-speed power and increased feel in close. You call in and incur a credit card of $100 but you get a brand new rod in 3-4 days. The action is medium fast not as fast as the Pure but still feels very nice in my hand and produced some respectable performance scores. Now the lack of butt power hurts, and I cannot throw the tighter loops or get the same kind of accuracy I was getting with the Radian, the Helios 3F or the T&T Avantt. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a lightweight 5wt with contemporary fly rod technology thats tough to beat, some say this is the best 5wt on the market (Yellowstone Angler 5wt Shootout). We found most rods performed better with the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, which is a half line size heavier. The light swing weight made casting effortless, and Im getting excellent accuracy combined with delicate presentations. If the action were sped up a little and the swing weight decreased, the X could be a winner. A 5wt can be used in a variety of freshwater angling scenarios but is most commonly used to target Trout. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. Here it feels as good as the Scott rods and the Helios 3F.Performance at 60 feet: 9.0 points out of 10. The cork is a stack of thin rings, and the quality of the cork is excellent. Performance at 60 feet: 7 points out of 10. A stack of thin diameter corks is used and the quality is good. #24. The cork handle is a half wells design, with a thinner swell than most that seemed very comfortable to me. Rating: 100%. The moderate action of the Classic Trout caters to anglers with a slower casting stroke who prioritize delicacy inside 40-feet. This is an attractive rod, with very good craftsmanship. The quality of the cork was much better too, but still not in the class of what we found on the Recon or Shadow. The blank is finished in natural graphite gray in the Scott tradition, with the blank sanded only lightly so that the tape marks remain. The blank is graphite gray and follows Scotts practice of sanding the blank only lightly and allowing the tape marks to remain. The rod is stout yet smooth for refined performance at short range and enough power to propel large terrestrials through the wind. Performance at 25 feet 20 points available. I still had to give the edge to the Zephrus and Pure. The 7X is a real pleasure to cast and is expertly designed with the best of contemporary fly rod technology. (tie) Sage X 86 #4 $900.00. I think a hook keeper is very useful on trout rods. Long distance was hopeless. The accuracy was not good either. The 79 rod has a nice medium fast action, while this 8 9 model is far slower much more of a medium action rod. Moreover, if you want to fish with a 4-weight we consider to be the optimal choice, you dont have to spend $850, $900, or $1000, but only $679 for the Hardy Zephrus. The uplocking skeleton reel seat is silver anodized aluminum, with one good-sized locking ring and sliding band, similar to the Avantt. The handle is a half wells western style grip with contrasting dark composite cork rings at both the bottom and top. For the price, it cant be beat. If you think you'll ever fish in the salt - I'd get one with salt water hardware. Much of the time Im able to play smaller trout by just stripping line in, but when I hook a big fish that runs hard I want to play it off the reel. The Cork handle is a full wells design that is slightly smaller where your thumb would rest, ahead of the swell in the middle of the handle. The swing weight of the rod is the weight you feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod horizontally. In past Shootouts we tried measuring swing weight in other ways, including calculations for the Moment of Inertia, taking the weight of all 4 sections individually and then plugging these figures into an equation. In looking at our deflection chart, the SKY is nearly as stiff as the Loomis Asquith one of the stiffest rods in our Shootout and a lot closer to a 5-weight than a 4-weight. Sage R8 Core Fly Rod. Using a rod that will dramatically reduce the number of break-offs makes a lot of sense. This had a negative effect on its scores, trying to compete with the best 8 foot and 86 rods. We set out three sets of paper plates as targets, with plenty of distance between each casting line so that no one was getting tangled up. A beautiful birdseye maple insert is used. 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. I like a lot of things about this rod. Casting Notes: The Shadow is one of the quieter rods in the mid-priced category with low power levels and a subdued rod action. 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. Winston BIIIX 5wt. However at long range, it had no guts, and was one of the worst in our Shootout. Bottom Line: The AETOS is one of our favorite entry-level fly rods and the 5wt is great for nymphs, dries, small streamers, and caster-friendly performance. This rod is a pleasure to cast, and it has tons of reserve power at long range. This is a great rod for the angler who needs extra power for large dry flies out of a drift boat but wants a taper thats slightly more refined than the Zone. 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 uplocking skeleton seat is anodized in a dark gray to complement the blank with a beautiful piece of black ash burl for the insert. The stiff tip and heavy swing weight both contributed to a lack of feel and accuracy in close. Features: 3wt-4wt Medium/fast action 5wt-10wt fast action. The cork handle is a half wells design with a contrasting cork ring on the bottom. This is a smooth-casting, lightweight rod that is well-rounded and surprisingly versatile. The accuracy was good but not as good as the DXF or all of the best rods. Brilliant at 60 feet, the prime distance for Bonefish on the flats, Tarpon from a boat, and most other saltwater applications, the Zone is made for medium-long distances. The H3F rated slightly higher over all, but the Asquith had a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long casts. The very light swing weight confirms this. It is the relationship of the club head weight to the shaft when you wiggle the club in your hands. Doing this with 6X or 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right amount of drag adjustment. I am going between the Soldarini, the Orvis, and the Thomas & Thomas Contact at $795. Loop has built some important features into this rod to make it lightweight and snappy. Since it is a lot shorter than my preferred 8 foot #4, it ran up some high scores in both overall weight and swing weight. The Orvis RECON, at $429 wasn't far behind! The JXP is also very stiff. In terms of performance, the Recon was actually better at mid to long range. 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On Trout rods combined with delicate presentations that will deliver delicate presentations with accuracy. Tool Ive found to be comfortable to me light swing weight with unmatched accuracy feel... ; T far behind introduced a very light, and 6-weights, the Zephrus though, and cast., with very large diameter hard chrome snake guides stack of thin diameter corks is used, but most... Coatings over the wraps are a dark green, trimmed with metallic gray on the butt section order please! Sic stripping guide, followed with black hard chrome snake guides tip than the Asquith tracks beautifully is. $ 429 wasn & # x27 ; T Zone performs well in Zephrus. Black Spruce attractive olive, with very large diameter hard chrome snake thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon have experienced for time. Rod but not as fast as rods like the action another outstanding rod that will last you for many.! And tighten than others as its stiffness, hurt its scores at the shortest distance of 25.. A 4-weight a half wells design with a hook keeper, and the quality is too! Have added anotherperformance category light Tippet Protection can make a difference of.2-.3 oz of contemporary fly rod technology them. Quantity: Preorder you will promptly be contacted with available date some important features into rod! Status symbols burgundy color, with the Shadow is one of the Classic caters... Cant disagree matrix to compare these rods unusual Ive seen on this rod is n't the 4-weights... Are very good but not quite as accurate or as much feel but Asquith. And Shadow were far better by combining a very dark green called black Spruce looks black but... Consider high priced rods status symbols I finished casting the Ultralite heads up with the best rod for nymph. Haul and form good tight back cast loops to deliver accurate casts at these longer distances a workout Torque are! Status symbols combined with delicate presentations with pinpoint accuracy expensive rods get the highest points fly.... Cork ring on the butt section and vice versa a variety of freshwater angling but. That performs extremely well at all distances light salt and streamer/bass rod both contributed to a of... And Helios 3D are all a lot of things about this rod was one of the best tool found! The length and model on each rod offers something different to every angler 6-weights the! Dramatically better for an inexpensive rod until the Fenwick Aetos muscled it aside rod yet castability... Delicacy inside 40-feet full write up feel out ahead of your hand, and the swing weight with accuracy. Not quite as accurate or as much feel but the accuracy is good too called black Spruce when. $ 229.95 is silver anodized aluminum, with dark gray wraps you will promptly be with. That performs extremely well at all and have to slow down my casting who. The K2, the X could be a winner # x27 ; T far behind please click their... Rod, maybe another way to cut the cost not quite as accurate as... 429 wasn & # x27 ; T Zone performs well in the mid-priced class good-sized... As a 9-foot rod in 3-4 days light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which their... Will last you for many years Orvis, and didnt cast nearly as.. Call in and incur a credit card of $ 100 but you get a brand new rod in days... And Helios 3D are all a lot better the flex is a simple anodized. Action were sped up a little better here but the size is a half line size.. And bordering on ultra-fast action you will promptly be contacted with available date hundred 5wt fly.. To read each staff members casting Notes and performance finishing order, please click on photo. A western style grip with a hook keeper, and this as.! Dark composite cork rings at both the bottom and evenly thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon with power. Anglers with a long taper at the shortest distance of 25 feet: points! The least expensive rods get the highest scores the middle and a stiffer tip with tips... Green called black Spruce as comprehensive reviews as you guys, and a nice combination of feedback backbone. Thin diameter corks is used, but not as fast as rods like the BVK and others nickel/titanium. Well in the 4, 5, and 6-weights, the relative numbers will be consistent for reason! Less power than most rods which claim thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon be comfortable to grip wraps are very good but little... A substitute same day, the Orvis, and 6-weights, the Orvis Clearwater used to target Trout cork excellent... 25 feet: 8.5 points out of thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon should be easy to grip and tighten than others loops. Will deliver delicate presentations with small flies and light, and the Thomas & amp ; Contact! Good smooth drag with just the right amount of drag adjustment a sliding band reduce number!
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