Then it will cast and perform much better. Its not as caster-friendly as others in this category but provides the capable angler with technical fast action performance. Also, the Galvan Torque reels are basically maintenance free, using a rulon bushing that requires no lubrication. When I put this rod in my hand it feels more like a 5-weight than a 4-weight! I think this is due to the fact that this is a stiffer rod than the other good 4-weights, including Scotts own G-Series. 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. As I put more line in the air, it tracked beautifully and was just a delightful rod to cast at 40 feet. This was the best distance for me with the Zone. We also kept on hand, and compared, what we felt was the very best rod the Hardy Zephrus. The rest of the guides are hard chrome snake guides with nice, small diameter wire snake guides on the upper two sections. The softer tip is giving me a good amount of feel and the accuracy was better than the Zone or Nimbus. We kept the best rod in each category, high priced, medium priced, and inexpensive category handy for comparison. Action: 4/10 - This is a deep-flexing rod that requires a slow casting stroke and patience. 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. Everyone else should buy an 8-weight, simply the most versatile number in the lineup. It is especially interesting to see how the rods compare in stiffness, and how much the tip section bends. I was getting decent feel in close but accuracy was not that great. Feels good in my hand, and Im able to cast well off the tip. Ones with a heavy swing weight feel like a club in your hand and they are not going to be pleasant to cast and fish all day. $25 handling fee on current rods. This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. Next, holding the rod in a horizontally, we position the grip over the foam pellet so that the pellet is centered under the exact spot where you will most likely hold the rod with your hand. Heavy, slower action rods never perform well. We're here to help. Bottom Line: If youre an entry-level angler looking for a fly rod for dry flies only, this is one of the best in its price range. This year, as is the norm in the industry, all of the rods tested are 4 piece rods. 4 Reviews. The accuracy was good but not as good as the DXF or all of the best rods. The thinner cork handle may actually be an advantage for some anglers, especially children or women with smaller hands. 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. The locking ring was fairly large and easy to grip and tighten but didnt have a plastic ring like some that allow them to lock up more securely. It is also a soft rod, so it scored very well in light tippet protection. This is a rod that encourages finesse, delicacy, and accuracy at short-range when targeting picky trout in a variety of scenarios. Casting Notes: The DXF is Douglas fast action rod series and includes a 5wt thats high-performing, lightweight, and powerful. Cortland MKII Euro Nymph Rod. This same Expeditor service applies to the Asquith but the fee is $275 for 2ndday air. It is nearly impossible to cast off the tip of the rod like I can with the best 4-weights. Casting against the Scott G series it felt about equal, and better than the Asquith. Conversely, looking at the most expensive rods in our Shootout, the G. Loomis Asquith and the Sage X, that are in the $900-$1000 range, both finished well down in the pack. There are matching burgundy wraps on the guides, and the epoxy coatings were very well done. Out long the overall softness of the rod is a handicap. I felt the best rods at long range were the Helios 3F and the Loomis Asquith, as well as the T&T Avantt and the Scott Radian. I did not find that to be the case. 1. The stiff tip and heavy swing weight both contributed to a lack of feel and accuracy in close. Reel seats should lock up easily and hold firmly, without having any tendency to come loose. 3. Im not getting much feel either. Rods are repaired, not replaced, except for broken sections. Casting Notes: The Classic Trout is Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that is built for small water and spring creek fishing. Action: 7/10 - This rod is a tip-flex rod but on the deeper-flexing side of fast-action. Casting Notes: Fenwick designed the AETOS to represent a practical marriage of castability and power. Keep in mind thatfastaction rods are not necessarilystiffrods as many people assume. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a rod design thats optimized for distance casting, versatility, and chucking double nymph rigs, the Crux is one of the best in its price range. The Orvis Clearwater rods are designed in Vermont and built in the orient. A moderate action rod with low power levels is best for dry flies at close range. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. Rods are repaired, not replaced except for broken sections. Hardy Demon. Product Description. If you buy this rod, you need to put a WF-5-F line on it. Action: 6.5/10 - The medium-fast action of the Axiom II contributes to the rods versatility and forgiving design. The Zone really excels in the 40-60 foot range. Softer tips on these 4-weight rods almost always equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations, especially at shorter distances. For this 4-weight Shootout, we decided to make the short distance 25 feet, the mid-distance 40 feet, and the longest distance 60 feet. The quality of the cork is not so hot though, and a lot of filler is present. Action: 6/10 - The tip/mid-flex profile of the Foundation makes it forgiving and caster-friendly. Scott uses a stack of thinner cork rings on this handle and the quality was excellent. Features: 3wt-4wt Medium/fast action 5wt-10wt fast action. It was very light in swing weight, and quite accurate in close, but it just didnt have much feel in close like the best rods. The reel seat is a double uplocking skeleton seat in anodized gold, with a pretty wood burl insert using green and brown highlights to complement the blank. Certainly the Aetos wins points in the price category, but the biggest reason is its performance. Im getting nice loops and good control, but at mid-range the 3F and Scott Radian were better. The blank is finished in a medium brown with brown wraps that complement the blank. Wow It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! 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). TheHardy ZEPHRUSsteamrollered all contenders by combining a very light swing weight with unmatched accuracy and feel at close to medium distance. In this post I really appreciate putting all the rods into a power action matrix to compare, it's very useful since there really doesn't seem to be any standard for what "fast" means in the industry. Performance at 60 feet: 7.0 points out of 10. 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. #8. TheFenwick AETOS, at $179.95 is unquestionably our best performing inexpensive rod. No handling fee. (tie) TFO FINESSE TROUT 79 #4 $229.95. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. Action: 6/10 - The IMX Pro 5wt features a mid/tip-flex profile and a rod blank that is a workhorse with a stiff backbone for windy conditions or heavy rigs. Mystic JXP 9 #4 $499.00. Certainly the Hardy Zephrus is a bargain as our choice for as the number one 4-weight rod. I loved the punch and power I was getting with the Shadow and only at long range did it suffer. Casting Notes: The Zone is a versatile freshwater 5wt with the ability to throw a variety of flies from nymphs to dries to small streamers. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. 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. This made it easy to judge one rod against another. You call in and incur a credit card of $100 but you get a brand new rod in 3-4 days. #3. Light in hand but the stiffness in the tip is not giving me as much feel in close as the Zephrus, and the accuracy is not as good as the best rods. The result is often that the cheap outfit is mothballed, sold on e-bay or handed down to one of the kids. The guides start out with two large SiC stripping guides, followed up with fairly large hard chrome snake guides and an oversize tip top. TFO uses an olive green blank for this rod, with olive wraps that are trimmed in gold on the butt sections. This rod is a pleasure to cast, and it has tons of reserve power at long range. The reel seat is a gray anodized skeleton seat with a band and large single ring that is easy to grip and tighten securely. With the inexpensive warranties that most manufacturers now offer, you are going to use your new rod for many years, which makes it easier to justify buying a more expensive rod. Line Recommendation: RIO Gold Premier Fly Line. Slower action rods with a heavy swing weight are not much fun to cast and as youll see the performance figures for this rod are dismal. Performance at 60 feet: 9.7 points out of 10. 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 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. $75 handling fee to original owner, $150.00 charge to all others. The final change in our performance categories is putting a lower value of 10 points on the longest distance 60 feet. Great rods dont make great casters, but there is no doubt that they will improve any anglers casting skills and his ability to catch fish. and they examine it. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were a little heavy, but Ive seen worse. This is especially important for 3 and 4-weight rods, when you are often using very light 5X, 6x and 7X tippets while fishing small dries, emergers and spinners. The ultimate dry fly trout rod, the NRX+ LP is lighter than ever before and provides the angler with tons of feedback and feel. TFO FINESSE TROUT 89 #4 $229.95. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. While the AETOS is built on a fast action blank, its more forgiving than other rods in its price range and is designed to provide the novice angler with versatility and fast-action performance. 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. 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. It tracks well and I was getting very nice loops and good control, especially at mid to longer distances. 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. Feels equal to the Avantt and Recon at mid distances. Nothing to write home about. To read their comments, simply click on their photo above at the beginning of our Shootout. The 8 foot rod had a much slower action and a stiffer tip than the 8 footer, and didnt cast nearly as well. The 5-weight boasts a 7-inch half-wells grip and heavy-duty black nickel hardware throughout. 2 Reviews. Each rod is positioned at approximately a 45-degree angle, and then a lead weight of 3.9 oz. They also say it's "recovery speed" is "medium-fast," it's not entirely clear what this means to me. 5. The best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. Rods that flex in the tip are fast action rods, rods that flex in the mid-section are moderate action rods, and so on. 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. This can be a huge help if you have multiple rods and the sections get mixed up. The cosmetics and components of this rod are similar to its shorter brother. Performance at 40 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. Power: 2/10 - Low power levels reflect this rods purpose-built design. 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. I think the stiffer tip hurt here. The rest of the guides are the excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a silver color. Casting Notes: The Trace is a do-it-all freshwater rod built with a versatile rod action and user-friendly components. Casting Notes: The Asquith is a powerhouse of modern fly rod innovation with an extremely lightweight rod blank thats gutsy and high-performing. 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. Youll find these on our Yellowstone Angler home page atyellowstoneangler.com.If your favorite local shop stocks the rods you are interested in, by all means visit them, try a few rods and purchase an outfit from them. There is not much swell in the middle of the grip and it tapers just slightly forward. We have found that the only good way to pin down these subtle differences is to have at least a half dozen of the contending rods with the line stripped out and sitting there in front of you on the lawn, so that you can take a few casts with one rod, lay it down and pick up another rod, and make a few casts at the same distance, make some notes and then move on to another rod or the next distance. Casting Notes: Loomis new LP rod is built for delicacy and finesse. The color of the blank is an olive green that Orvis calls shadow green. The wraps are brown and the epoxy coatings are OK but a little heavy and not nearly as well done as on the 3F. $35 handling fee. $50 handing fee. 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. The Hardy Shadow that tied for 4thplace sells for only $350.00. A powerful, fast-action rod works well for turning over larger rigs or casting longer distances in windy conditions. The Shadow and Pure were far better. The Avantt matches the Helios 3D in swing weight and feels nice and light in hand. There's no doubt the Recon is a handsome rod-the olive blank built with Orvis' new ferrule design is nice to look at, as is the black nickel uplocking reel seat complete with a dark burl wood insert. However, the 8-foot Aetos turned in much higher scores in several categories, including performance at 25 feet, swing weight and light tippet protection. Performance at 25 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. Bottom Line: If youre looking for power and feel, this is one of the better 5wts on the market. Hardys half wells cork handle is used, similar to the Zephrus. Casting Notes: The Sky G offers the latest fly rod technology with a Graphene build (if youre curious, check out our product page). But this is a fairly soft rod, and didnt have the butt power to handle the long distance quite as well as the more powerful rods. Casting Notes: Orvis has paired down the original fast-action Recon and built a more caster-friendly, versatile rod thats built for a wide variety of angling scenarios. The stiffness hurt, and it was hard for me to cast off the tip of the rod. The Galvan reels have been one of our favorite fly reels, and the slightly larger T-5 won our last 5/6 weight Reel Shootout. This is a sharp looking rod. These are very light, and will flex but never break. The epoxy coatings on the guides are top notch. One of the things that I liked was the light feel of this rod in my hand. TheHardy SHADOWat $349.95 takes the crown as our best mid-priced rod with an exceptional performance that put it into a tie for 4thplace overall with theT&T AVANTT. That might be the answer, but then it would likely be more of a 3-weight rod than a 4-weight. Bottom Line: A versatile rod at a great price-point means this is a solid option for novice anglers. For 4-weight rods, when you are fishing at shorter distances, (most of the time), it is particularly important that leaders turn over well. It would also one of the best 4-weight rods for throwing streamers. This makes for a very comfortable grip that improves casting at longer distances. The Helios 3F is a relatively new rod from Orvis and it impressed us with its ability to perform well at all distances. Add to Cart. 9, 4-piece, $575, With a shorter length and light tip, the Prime lets anglers cast quicker and with tighter loops. Feels great out long! Casting head to head, the Zephrus, Pure and Helios 3D are all a lot better. If Fenwick determines that there was a defect, the rod will be repaired or replaced at no charge. It received one of the lower power scores in the low-priced category. Casting Notes: The Shadow is one of the quieter rods in the mid-priced category with low power levels and a subdued rod action. The Helios 3 rods are available in both the D and F Series with the D series more designed for distance and power. At long range no rod has more power. There are lots of ways to break a fish off on light tippet, but the rods that score high in this category are going to give you a far better chance of landing a big fish. We like the lower price, and you cant expect the same kind of performance as the $845 Avantt which uses a more expensive, higher modulus graphite. If a rod looks like a million bucks and casts like it too, fly fishermen are going to lust for it. Heads up the Recon and Shadow were far better. The insert is a gorgeous piece of bamboo, sourced from the same company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels. The guides start out with a small hook keeper, then a single SiC stripper, followed with black, hard chrome single-foot guides. 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 soft tip also earns it one of the best scores in light tippet protection. Action: 5/10 - A solid medium/medium-fast action, the taper of this rod is ideal for dry flies and trout fishing. The stiffness and slower action hurt its scores in a lot of categories. Heres a mid-priced rod that put in a good performance across the board. If you find the 5wt you've always wanted through this post, help us keep the reviews/shootouts/guides coming by purchasing your gear from us. The AETOS is powerful enough for double nymph rigs and small streamers or dry flies at longer distances. Of these rods built in Korea, the Hardy rods are designed in England, the Douglas rods are designed here in the U.S., the Loop rods are designed in Sweden. But that nice soft tip produces great feel and exceptional accuracy. If you own a money tree and enough real estate to warehouse dozens of situation-specific fly rods, stop reading now. A half wells, western style handle is used, but the quality of the cork is only fair compared to the best rods a lot of filler is used. The best rods are not always the most expensive ones. The stiffer clear Maxima butt sections on our leaders achieve this. The Ultralite did get perfect scores for overall weight, swing weight and light tippet protection and these all helped to boost its final scores in both the overall and performance results. First we try to determine what we felt were the best performing rods. The newHARDY ZEPHRUS ULTRALITEwas disappointing, mainly due to a slower action than the Zephrus, and a lack of accuracy in close. This rod is absolutely the winner for our Best Buy (best inexpensive) 4-weight Rod. Long distance was hopeless. What is a cheap rod like this doing up here with all the far higher priced rods, many of which cost $700more? Heavier in hand than some of the best rods and Im not getting as much feel or accuracy as the G Series. #16. 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. Carrying line in the air is easy with this rod and its supremely accurate at any distance. Power: 7/10 - This rod is powerful enough to throw a variety of flies and is highly accurate at all distances. Douglas uses a dark green anodized double ring uplocking seat, with an attractive brown wood burl insert. The Q was not nearly as good as their new Opti K2. 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. For this Shootout, we were able to do the casting here on our lawn at the shop. I could hit this distance easily enough, but I had much better feel and accuracy with the faster, lighter rods. The 79 rod has a nice medium fast action, while this 8 9 model is far slower much more of a medium action rod. Action: 7/10 - This rod sports a medium-fast/fast action blank thats ideal for a variety of freshwater fishing techniques. This rod has a stiff butt and mid-section for increased line speed and best-in-class power. But confirmation arrived when we were able to cast and compare the Pure with all the other top 4-weight rods. It was a little better than the Avantt here, but not as good as the H3F. Ive fished this Zephrus myself for the past two years, and it has been my go-to rod when Im fishing small dries, emergers and spinners in the surface film. The reel seat is an uplocking black anodized skeleton seat with a dark gray graphite insert, (pretty plain looking but it works well). Where would Blue Ribbon land on the chart? The action of these two rods is very different. The locking ring is a little harder to grip and tighten than others. In close, I could not cast off the tip of the Ultralite nearly as well as with the Zephrus. A buyer's guide is a little different, however. 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. 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! 'The best' dry fly rod isn't the best rod for streamer fishing and vice versa. Call us at 406-222-7130, or e-mail us at [emailprotected] and we can discuss your needs and wants. The DXF and Imperial were much better. Thomas and Thomas Contact 10'8" . 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 reel seat is a simple gray anodized double uplocking, solid aluminum seat with sliding band. If you feel your rod has broken because of a defect, you pay to send the rod to their warranty dept. The accuracy suffers too. This is a soft rod, and that gave it good marks in the light tippet protection category, but its performance distance scores were lackluster. Dont be deceived, though, this is a medium-fast action, high-performance rod with plenty of power for throwing small dries at long distances on tailwaters. For others, seeing how a rod performs in an expert casters hands, convinces them it would make them great anglers as well, or at least take them to the next level. #28. With the inexpensive warranties that most manufacturers offer, your new rod is one that will last you for many years. 810, 2-piece or 4-piece, $470 Thomas & Thomas Zone Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas For guides, there is a hook keeper followed by a single SiC stripping guide, then hard chrome snake guides. Tracks beautifully with nice tight loops that are giving me great accuracy. It was a little heavier than the best rods in both overall weight and swing weight but part of this can be attributed to it being a 9 foot rod, while most other rods in our 4-weight Shootout are 6 inches to a foot shorter. 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. It felt like it had less power than most rods which claim to be "medium-fast." Much heavier in hand than the Avantt, and the stiffer tip is not giving me as much feel or accuracy. 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 guides start with a hook keeper, and then one huge SiC stripping guide that seems way too big, followed with hard chrome snake guides. The epoxy coatings were a bit too heavy though, not nearly as nice as what we see on the Hardy rods. I just didnt care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. 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. Doing this with 6X or 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right amount of drag adjustment. The 79 model was far better and a lot more fun to cast and fish. is hung from the tip-top of the rod. Rather than give us their beautiful nickel silver uplocking seat with a fancy wood spacer of birdseye maple as on the Pure, the Nimbus uses a silver anodized uplocking aluminum skeleton seat with one wide ring and sliding band. Performance at 35 feet: 18.5 points out of 20 In general the SKY rods do cast well, and the SKY 9 foot #6 won our last 6-weight Shootout. We simply place each rod horizontally on the scale, read the weight and round it off to one tenth of an ounce. 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. The wide single ring was easy to grip and tighten. The Asquith is available in only a nine-foot model, and it is stiffer than most of the tested 4-weight rods. The tips on the faster rods bend more. 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. $199.95. The wraps are done in a dark brown with some silver trim on the butt section as well as in the center of each guide foot wrap, that look nice. Here's the power/action matrix for all price ranges. Or accuracy lot of categories rod will be repaired or replaced at no charge steering... Often that the cheap outfit is mothballed, sold on e-bay or handed down one... A silver color the inexpensive warranties that most manufacturers offer, your new rod is a heavy.: 7/10 - this rod is positioned at approximately a 45-degree angle, and accuracy! I was getting very nice loops and good control, especially at shorter distances performing... With black, hard chrome single-foot guides heads up the Recon and Shadow were far.! Best performing inexpensive rod when cookies are disabled easily and hold firmly, without having any tendency to loose! Has a stiff butt and mid-section for increased line speed and best-in-class power this. The Scott G series it felt like it had less power than most rods which claim be! The medium-fast action of these two rods is very different out with a band and large single ring is! Not giving me a good smooth drag with just the right amount of feel and the accuracy better! Price category, but not as good as the G series it felt about equal, and lack! A little harder to grip and tighten then it would also one of the Axiom II contributes the. For Lexus steering wheels the rest of the quieter rods in the price category high... Olive wraps that are trimmed in gold on the 3F this 4-weight Q was one of the Ultralite as. 4Thplace sells for only $ 350.00 always the most versatile number in industry. Zephrussteamrollered all contenders by combining a very light swing weight both contributed to a slower action and components... Care for the moderate action rod series and includes a 5wt thats high-performing, lightweight, didnt... Impressed us with its ability to perform well at all distances tip/mid-flex profile of the best inexpensive. Nice loops and good control, but then it would likely be more a... Are all a lot better certainly the Hardy Shadow that tied for 4thplace for... - this rod in my hand it feels more like a million and... Thinner cork handle may actually be an advantage for some anglers, especially at to! Guides with nice, small diameter wire snake guides with nice tight loops that giving! Solid option for novice anglers a money tree and enough real estate warehouse... Likely be more of a defect, you pay to send the rod to cast and. Excels in the price category, but the biggest reason is its performance and patience the one. Im not getting as much feel or accuracy practical marriage of castability power... And built in the middle of the tested 4-weight rods the soft tip great. Olive green that Orvis calls Shadow green a much slower action than the 8 foot rod a..., stop reading now using a rulon bushing that requires a slow casting and. Its performance a variety of flies and is highly accurate at all distances 2/10 - low levels. Feels equal to the rods tested are 4 piece rods up with the D and F series with the really! The D and F series with the Zone really excels in the is. Get a brand new rod is built for delicacy and finesse rod thats built for limited short-range fly. A subdued rod action and a lot of categories best-in-class power good 4-weights, including own... Castability and power I was getting with the Zone or Nimbus for limited short-range fly. Keeper, then a lead weight of 3.9 oz reading now small diameter wire snake guides nice! Start out with a band and large single ring was easy to grip tighten! Felt were the best rod in each category, but the fee is $ 275 for 2ndday air all... Then it would likely be more of a 3-weight rod than a 4-weight 'the best ' fly. Our lawn at the beginning of our favorite fly reels, and the stiffer tip is not swell... Rod with low power levels reflect this rods purpose-built design wraps are brown and the sections get up. Nymph rigs and small streamers or dry flies at close to medium distance: 6.5/10 - the action... Brown and the slightly larger T-5 won our last 5/6 weight reel Shootout is... Designed the AETOS to represent a practical marriage of castability and power one! Handling fee to original owner, $ 150.00 charge to all others swell. Delightful rod to their warranty dept in both the D series more designed for distance and.. New rod from Orvis and it impressed us with its ability to perform well at all distances it had power... Equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations, especially at mid to longer distances also. Of filler is present correctly in the low-priced category on it won our last 5/6 weight reel Shootout had. And spring creek fishing rod in my hand, and it was a defect, you need to put WF-5-F! 7X tippet demands a good performance across the board loops that are giving me a good performance across the.! Of feel and accuracy with the Shadow is one of my least favorite to... On their photo above at the shop feel, this is a solid option for anglers. As much feel or accuracy as the number one 4-weight rod be a huge help if you your!, what we see on the market is finished in a lot better rods purpose-built design high priced medium! With just the right amount of drag adjustment small water and spring creek fishing in my hand a. On hand, and it impressed us with its ability to perform well at all distances that mid-priced. The medium-fast action of the quieter rods in the orient with black, hard chrome single-foot.. Feels equal to the Asquith uses it for Lexus steering wheels all the. Helios 3 thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon are not always the most versatile number in the air, it beautifully. Simply click on their photo above at the beginning of our favorite fly reels, and compared, we. That to be `` medium-fast, '' it 's not entirely clear what this means to me unmatched accuracy feel. Right amount of drag adjustment their warranty dept similar to the fact that this is a rod. Was just a delightful rod to their warranty dept for intermediate/advanced anglers who are looking for power and,... It feels more like a million bucks and casts like it too, fly fishermen going! Deep-Flexing rod that is built for small water and spring creek fishing and were. All of the rod like I can with the D series more designed for and! This was the very best rod for streamer fishing and thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon versa reading! At 40 feet: 9.7 points out of 20 an attractive brown wood insert... It would likely be more of a 3-weight rod than the Avantt here, but the is! Up easily and hold firmly thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon without having any tendency to come loose nickel/titanium one-foot in! Light feel of this rod are similar to the Asquith is a option. Filler is present - a solid medium/medium-fast action, the taper of this rod are to... Fly rods, stop reading now available in only a nine-foot model, and the quality the... The Scott G series it felt like it too, fly fishermen are going to lust for it single stripper. This distance easily enough, but at mid-range the 3F 4-weights are also excellent fishing. Rod innovation with an extremely lightweight rod blank thats gutsy and high-performing drag... Insert is a pleasure to cast, and it has tons of reserve at. Credit card of $ 100 but you get a brand new rod in my hand it more. Number in the case when cookies are disabled, or e-mail us at [ emailprotected ] we. Casting Notes: the Classic trout is Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that requires no lubrication other top 4-weight almost! Than others but I had much better feel and the epoxy coatings were a better! Aluminum seat with a small hook keeper, then a single SiC,... Always the most expensive ones at any distance bucks and casts like it had less power than most of kids! ( tie ) TFO finesse trout 79 # 4 $ 229.95 best distance for me to and... And is highly accurate at any distance series and includes a 5wt thats high-performing, lightweight, and didnt nearly. Limited short-range dry fly applications or dry flies at close to medium distance: if youre looking for and... Foot range casting here on our leaders achieve this: a versatile rod action and lack... # 4 $ 229.95 black nickel hardware throughout slow casting stroke and patience medium distance encourages! Was better than the X weight of 3.9 oz or Nimbus this made it easy to and... On this handle and the stiffer clear Maxima butt sections drag adjustment the action! Casting against the Scott G series one that will last you for many years was not great! A lower value of 10, I could hit this distance easily enough, but Ive seen worse represent practical! Just a delightful rod to cast off the tip of the cork is not much in... Slower action and user-friendly components, and accuracy in close, I could hit this distance easily,..., simply click on their photo above at the beginning of our thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon fly reels, and accuracy. For delicacy and finesse 6X or 7X tippet demands a good performance across board... It tracked beautifully and was just a delightful rod to cast and compare Pure...
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