Action: 6/10 - The Avantt features a medium-fast profile that encourages tight loops and works well with a variety of flies. Equals the DXF but rods like the Recon and Sky were much better. Feels good in my hand, and Im able to cast well off the tip. No other rod maker does this better. Although the overall weight was an amazingly light 2.3 oz, the swing weight was a fairly heavy 8.0 oz about equal to the Scott G series. In close, I could not cast off the tip of the Ultralite nearly as well as with the Zephrus. Very nice feel with excellent accuracy at short distances. Head to head, the Radian and Avantt were better. Loop has built some important features into this rod to make it lightweight and snappy. Orvis Recon. Here is a brand new rod from Loop that we liked better than their stiffer, more expensive Cross rods. In this years 4-weight Shootout, we found that most manufacturers are building more powerful 4-weight rods than in the past. The Orvis Recon comes in three . Action: 6/10 - A medium-fast action rod design makes turning over heavy nymph rigs a breeze with this 5wt. The benefit of a slightly refined rod taper is the versatility that faster rods dont necessarily have. The Zone really excels in the 40-60 foot range. The wraps are darker green and the epoxy coatings were nicely done. 810, 1-piece or 4-piece, $525, All the R&D that gave Orviss flagship H3 its dazzlingly light swing weight and sharpshooter accuracy gets replicated in the Recon, using a more approachably-priced package of resin fibers. The wraps are dark blue to match the blank and the epoxy coatings are excellent. The blank itself is a deep burgundy color, with dark gray wraps. Feel is good and the rod is very light in hand. And a look at the deflection chart confirms this. Anyway, I tried it out in a local store and I have to say it did not feel like a fast action rod, or even a medium-fast action rod. If your favorite rod breaks in the middle of the summer and you dont get it back for a month and a half, you are going to be very angry! The JXP is also very stiff. And since it was such a soft rod, the lack of butt and mid-section power killed its score at 60 feet, especially if there was any wind. Only the Zephrus and Pure were better at mid-distance. Nice tight loops and good control. Performance at 40 feet: 17.5 points out of 20. Action: 5/10 - The Sky G falls into the medium-fast category which widens its application and castability. We have experimented with the ways to measure this in past Shootouts but we still prefer our tried and true approach using the postal scale since it provides believable and meaningful results. Wow It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! But this power and the stiffer tip hurt the performance in close, where it is similar to the Avantt but not nearly as good as the Zephrus, Pure or Helios 3F. The quality of the cork is not so hot though, and a lot of filler is present. 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. The cork handle is a half wells design with a stack of thin corks as on the Helios 3F. 9 and 10, 4-piece, $549, Designed to trim seconds off your shot time, this rod features a particularly powerful tip that increases line speed and dampens the vibrations that reduce accuracy. The medium fast action seems just right and Im getting both good feel and good accuracy at the shorter distances. Thomas and Thomas $55 repair charges for the original owner, includes shipping. And what about the new Hardy Zephrus Ultralite, which is insanely light, and on paper looks like it could be the possible winner? This isnt a good rod choice for streamers or heavy nymphs. We make a note of which was the best line with the write up on each rod. Im getting nice loops but the Scott rods were better. Bottom Line: If youre an angler who appreciates fast action performance but wants a little more castability than some of the other fast action mid-priced rods on the market, this is a great choice. If you cannot find or cast the rods that interest you, we are here to help. For reels, we again decided to use one of our all-time favorites, the Galvan Torque (T-4), loaded with 100 yards of 20 lb. No handling fee. This rod has good power in the butt and mid sections and a softer tip, much like the action on some of our top rated rods. Im surprised that both Sage rods are well down the list, but their performance scores were just not good enough to rate them higher. The feel was also superb, giving me confidence in the direction of my cast. Out long the K2 seemed to hold its own with the Recon, and it was better than either the Shadow or DXF. Rods with a light swing weight are pleasant and effortless to cast. When Im fishing dry flies Ill use a 12-foot leader most of the time as this keeps the fly line farther away from the fish, minimizing the number of fish you spook while casting. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used on the butt, behind the logo. Performance at 60 feet: 7.5 points out of 10. A hook keeper is used along with a single chrome SiC stripping guide. 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. 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. When we first saw this new rod from Hardy, we all had two impressions: 1. The thing that killed this for me was the cheap looking reel seat. 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. I like a lot of things about this rod. Classic Trout. The epoxy coatings are painstakingly done and close to perfect. For guides, there is a hook keeper followed by a single SiC stripping guide, then hard chrome snake guides. I also liked the 12-inch mark on the butt but I wish they had also given us one at 18 or 20 inches. This is a smooth line, rather than one with a textured coating. 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. The swing weight of the rod is the weight you feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod horizontally. I just didnt care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. The ability of this rod to form and maintain very tight loops helped it give me slightly more accuracy than the Helios 3F or Scott G series at mid-range. Simply put, its the lightest 5wt weve ever tested and designed for versatility and finesse. $25 handling fee on current rods. Ive found that it is almost impossible to judge accuracy and presentation if you have strong gusty winds, but having a little wind tells you a lot about how the various rods perform, especially at long distances. Action: 7/10 - A fast action rod design means the Pulse does everything a high-performance 5wt should with efficiency and ease. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. 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. Now the stiffness helps, and Im getting nice loop control and decent accuracy. This 86#4, however, is just too heavy and too stiff to perform well as a 4-weight. Casting Notes: Fenwick designed the AETOS to represent a practical marriage of castability and power. I liked this rods fast action, but it just didnt give me the feel or accuracy I was getting with the best rods. Loomis designed these IMX Pro rods to be tough and very durable, and pro guides love them because they are so hard for clients to break. These single foot guides are finished in a dark color to complement the blank. The rod features a stout butt section and a tip-flex design. Keep in mind that what you will read here are only our opinions. The new Orvis rods are clearly to be taken seriously. In our important swing weight category, this rod was one of the worst. Power: 5/10 - This is a rod that accommodates a variety of casting strokes but doesnt provide the expert angler a ton of power at longer distances. Fly rod power and fly rod action help answer the question 'what kind of fishing is this fly rod best suited for?'. It is also a stiff rod almost as stiff as the SKY and IMX Pro. Performance at 40 feet: 20 points out of 20. The cork handle is a half wells design and the quality of the cork is not nearly as good as the best rods and a lot of filler is used. The thinner cork handle may actually be an advantage for some anglers, especially children or women with smaller hands. Bottom Line: The Radian marries lightweight design with versatile performance and has been a best-seller for years. Tracks beautifully with nice tight loops that are giving me great accuracy. The matte gray blank does look nice, and the guide wraps are a dark gray, trimmed in black on the butt section. This is the most technical rod in this price range and offers high performance to anglers who prefer an ultra-fast action rod. The TFO rods, the Taylor rods, the Mystic rod, and the Waterworks rods are all designed here in the U.S. and built in Asia. We have found that the Asquith rods are terrific rods in the heavier line sizes from 6-weight right up through 12-weight. Bottom Line: This isnt the best rod for a novice angler who needs a forgiving rod action, but its a great option for the intermediate angler looking for a budget rod. The DXF and both Scott rods were better, while the Zephrus and Pure were in a totally different league. Bottom Line: This is a great rod choice for the novice angler who is looking for a rod that will mask mistakes and encourage learning. 9, 4-piece, $575, With a shorter length and light tip, the Prime lets anglers cast quicker and with tighter loops. The reel seat is a gray anodized skeleton seat with a band and large single ring that is easy to grip and tighten securely. Performance at 25 feet 20 points available. 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. Now the lack of butt power becomes evident and it is hard for me to get any decent accuracy. Winston gives us two new rods, the Winston Air and their beefy Alpha+. Action: 8.5/10 - The Cross SX is a tip-flex rod built for larger flies and larger rivers. At the head of the pack was the Orvis Helios 3. This is a medium action rod, and slower action rods like this SS have never performed well for us. Head to head the Zephrus was better, and both the Avantt and Helios 3F were far better. I can sure notice the heavy swing weight and this is not a very pleasant rod to cast. Action: 6/10 - The AETOS is a fast action rod but not as fast as rods like the BVK and others. #23. There is no hook keeper on this rod. $75 on recent rods within 10 years, $125 on classic olderrods. We felt the 86 Helios 3F was the best rod to test since the 3D is available only in a 9-foot model. The Ultralite is a very attractive rod. #26. Power: 5/10 - This is a great rod for tossing small dries at distance or throwing smaller streamers. They use a stack of thin diameter cork rings and the quality of the cork was good. Quality of the cork was excellent with a stack of thinner rings. 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. A great 4-weight rod must have the ability to make delicate and accurate presentations with small flies and long leaders at short distances. This is a great 5wt for heavy nymph rigs, streamers, and casting dry flies at long distances. Now it tracks perfectly and Im getting nice tight loops. Action: 5/10 - This is a mid-flex, moderate-action dry fly rod thats ideal for short-distance delicacy and encourages the angler to slow down his/her casting stroke. The cork handle is that same snub nose, half wells found on the X and feels very comfortable to me. Thomas and Thomas just introduced a very light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which complements their outstanding Avantt. *Note The final results and performance charts on this page are Georges figures. The Boost is features a crisp, fast-action design thats better suited for anglers fishing heavy flies or casting at longer distances. This rod, similar to the TFO Pro II, allows anglers to utilize popular trout techniques and embodies ultimate freshwater versatility. That it's supposed to be a tip flex rod but with less backbone to it than other fast rods? The overall weight is good, but the swing weight is greater than all the other top ten rods. Pros 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. Douglas Lifetime warranty. The Shadow and Pure were far better. The two locking rings are large and easy to grip and tighten. In all, one of the best guide set ups weve seen. Casting Notes: The heptagonal blank design of the 7X creates a rod with fast recovery speeds and a smooth action. 4 Reviews. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. 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. 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. Rods are repaired, not replaced unless broken. Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. This rod provides the angler with a ton of feedback and feel at short range and features a classic aesthetic that harkens back to trout rods of old. And once youve picked out the perfect rod, stay and enjoy a few days on the water with one of our top guides. 810, 2-piece or 4-piece, $470 Thomas & Thomas Zone Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas Very little feel or accuracy. It also sits dead last in our Fun to Fish category. This isnt a rod for beginners or anglers who are looking for a lot of feedback, feel, forgiveness. Still not so good with very little feel or accuracy. Hardy uses a comfortable half wells, western style handle and the quality of the cork is superb. We look at many hings to determine craftsmanship What kind of guides are used? 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. Scott claims that this gives their rods better strength and we cannot argue with this as we see very few Scott rods broken. Same day or next day shipping if they have the parts in stock, if not, usually takes 2 weeks. Here youll find our recommendations in three price ranges: The Ultimate Outfit, Mid Priced Outfit and Best Buy Outfit. Performance at 35 feet: 18.5 points out of 20 The craftsmanship was excellent and it performed very well for me, especially at 40 feet, where I was getting beautiful tight loops and very good accuracy. This is also a great rod for terrestrials from a boat or smaller dries at long range. The 79 rod has a nice medium fast action, while this 8 9 model is far slower much more of a medium action rod. The reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. But there are a lot of good reasons. $50 handling fee. This rod is great for dry flies at long distances or small streamers. The best Korean built rods now rival what is produced here in the US. Casting Notes: The Classic Trout is Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that is built for small water and spring creek fishing. 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Important swing weight are pleasant and effortless to cast or heavy nymphs for small...: 6/10 - the Sky and IMX Pro that are giving me confidence the. Seat is a great 5wt for heavy nymph rigs, streamers, and tip-flex! The butt but i wish they had also given us one at 18 or inches! Helps, and Im getting nice tight loops diameter cork rings and the rod is the versatility that rods! At mid-distance it is hard to believe that this gives their rods better strength we... A totally different league us one at 18 or 20 inches, behind the logo important features into this.!, $ 125 on classic olderrods glance looks black, but is a great 4-weight rod must the!
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