Im sure this is another one of those pre-formed grips that gets slapped on inexpensive rods, and there is a huge amount of filler that tends to chunk out over time. The action seems about right and Im getting nice loops. Action: 6/10 - The AETOS is a fast action rod but not as fast as rods like the BVK and others. Mystic JXP 9 #4 $499.00. I love the handle design it tapers outward allowing you to quickly get and maintain a good grip on the handle. Tracks beautifully with nice tight loops that are giving me great accuracy. Im getting effortless tight loops, and I had complete confidence on where the fly was going on every cast. What gives? The Pure is unquestionably one of the best looking rods in our Shootout, with some of the best craftsmanship. We kept the best rod in each category, high priced, medium priced, and inexpensive category handy for comparison. 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. Although we thought that the Winston 8 foot Pure was a fantastic 4-weight, the Nimbus didnt get us too excited. $35 handling fee. Power: 7.5/10 - This was the second-highest power score awarded in the low-priced category. Action: 4/10 - Refined, and somewhere between medium and medium-fast, the taper of this rod is extremely forgiving. The best rings use thin nylon spacers between them to assure a positive lock up. The rod is stout yet smooth for refined performance at short range and enough power to propel large terrestrials through the wind. Its slightly more refined than the 3D but maintains a smooth, powerful action. L. Lmad928 Active member. No handling fee. Just not enough butt power to get the job done. Power: 2/10 - Low power levels reflect this rods purpose-built design. The result is often that the cheap outfit is mothballed, sold on e-bay or handed down to one of the kids. 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. Casting Notes: The Pulse is slightly more powerful than the Foundation with a rod taper thats a little more forgiving. Overall a very good performance. 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. This rod has a stiff butt and mid-section for increased line speed and best-in-class power. 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 tips on the faster rods bend more. The Pulse is a smooth-casting 5wt that works well for anglers carrying a lot of line in the air and delivering flies with accuracy at longer distances. Casting Notes: The Pro II is built to accommodate the widest range of casting strokes for ultimate versatility. Performance at 40 feet: 17.5 points out of 20. The uplocking skeleton reel seat is silver anodized aluminum, with one good-sized locking ring and sliding band, similar to the Avantt. The new Orvis rods are clearly to be taken seriously. 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. Casting head to head, the Scott rods and the Helios 3F were both a lot better. About as good as the Imperial, but the Recon and Shadow were noticeably better. Guides start with a hook keeper, then two SiC stripping guides followed with fairly large diameter hard chrome snake guides. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used behind the logo, just above the cork handle. It is nearly impossible to cast off the tip of the rod like I can with the best 4-weights. Often novices entering the sport of fly-fishing opt for one of the least expensive rods, but weve found that it makes more sense to spend the money on one of the better performing rods, at least one in that mid-price range, that will allow an angler to develop his or her casting skills much more rapidly. A sliding band and one easy to grip locking ring are used. The Pure puts in an impressive performance, especially at the shorter distances, and finishes in 2ndplace in both the overall and performance results. You can read about these warranty policies later in our Shootout. (Click here to see more deflection charts). Performance at 40 feet: 18.5 points out of 20. New Orvis Recon vs. Orvis Helios 3F. The lock rings were a little harder than most to grip and tighten. Im convinced that the key to catching more trout, (and especially larger trout), is casting accuracy. Dont fret about the price youll find some ingenious way to sneak it into your collection of rods without the mrs. (or mr.) finding out. The Ultralite has a proportionally stiffer tip than the Zephrus, and much softer butt and mid section. I was getting decent feel in close but accuracy was not that great. Bad Ass Glass Quickshot. 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. This rod wore me out casting long. 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. Douglas Lifetime warranty. The cosmetics and components of this rod are similar to its shorter brother. The stiffness did not allow much feel but the accuracy was surprisingly good. Removing the spool requires a simple click of the button on the front side. The two locking rings are large and easy to grip and tighten. But when I need to reach out and make casts at 60-70 feet, as I often do fishing bigger rivers like the Missouri, the Zephrus has tons of power on tap to get the job done. The stiffness hurt, and it was hard for me to cast off the tip of the rod. Bottom Line: If youre looking for one of the most versatile 5wts in this price range, the Zone is a great option made by a well-known manufacturer. If broken from neglect or any other cause, you must use the Expeditor service. $50 handing fee. 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. Feel is good and the rod is very light in hand. Alignment dots are placed at the ferrules, which is handy. Both the feel and accuracy were outstanding. Wow It is super light in hand, and 2. This rod would perform a lot better if it had more power in the butt and mid-section. George Anderson, and the rest of the Yellowstone Angler crew, Simms Ms G4 PRO Powerlock Boot Vibram, Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. The DXF was significantly better. Orvis has totally revamped the Recon series and this is a much different (and better) rod than the original Recon 8-weight. Makes sense because its the most expensive rod in our buyers guide. But this also means they have a heavy swing weight. 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. This rod is a pleasure to cast, and it has tons of reserve power at long range. The reel seat is a gray anodized double uplocking skeleton seat with sliding band and darker wood insert. Sometimes the whole rod is replaced. HardyLifetime warranty to original owner. Guides start with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripping guide followed with hard chrome snake guides. The Trace casts well at short/middle distances and provides the angler with enough feedback/feel for accuracy and finesse. It has been several years now since our last 4-weight Shootout, as we have concentrated on both 5-weight and 8-weight rods. A half wells handle is used and the quality of the cork is only fair to good compared to the best rods. The blank is that same lovely emerald Winston green we have come to know and love. $75 handling fee. Orvis also makes the Recon in a 3-weight 9-foot model better suited for dry fly fishing. The blank is finished in a medium brown with brown wraps that complement the blank. Casting Notes: Fast action performance meets flashy rod design with Redingtons powerful 5wt Vice. Where would Blue Ribbon land on the chart? The rod is light and perfectly balanced, allowing for better accuracy while minimizing fatigue often associated with longer rods. 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 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. It has a butt and mid-section that is stiffer than most rods tested. #19. is hung from the tip-top of the rod. #28. Wraps are a darker red, (almost black), trimmed in brighter red on the butt. Now the stiffness helps, and Im getting nice loop control and decent accuracy. There is a lot to like about the SKY though, and foremost is its appearance. In fact the JXP had one of theheaviestswing weights in our Shootout, tied with the IMX Pro and Clearwater. Scott Sector Fly Rod. With the Infinity it cast better long, and I would have scored it closer to 9 at long range. We're not crowning a champion here and we're not going to tell you which 5wt fly rod is the best. 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. 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). 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. It tracked well and the accuracy was good better than the Imperial at long range. Chartreuse is a favorite color for warm-water predatory fish. Heavy, slower action rods never perform well. The quality of the cork is superb. Add to Cart. We have found that the Asquith rods are terrific rods in the heavier line sizes from 6-weight right up through 12-weight. We value your comments about the Shootout and invite any questions you might have about it or your tackle needs. Fly rod power and fly rod action help answer the question 'what kind of fishing is this fly rod best suited for?'. 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. I dont have the feel I can place the fly just where I want it, as I can with the Zephrus. This is T&Ts mid-priced rod, but if you take a look at the best mid-priced rods in our Shootout like the Shadow at $349, the Recon at $429 and the DXF at $349, the Zones performance doesnt match any of these rods. There is not much swell in the middle of the grip and it tapers just slightly forward. 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. I normally prefer an 8 foot rod in a 4-weight but when we cast the two rods heads up, and put them on the deflection board, it was obvious that these rods had two different actions. The wraps and coatings on the guides are close to perfect. Power: 5.5/10 - This is a rod that doesnt have a ton of power but makes up for it in feedback and feel. This year SA has come up with an impressive new line series called the Amplitude Smooth. Rodis repaired, or sections replaced. Thomas & Thomas Zone. Power: 3/10 - While moderate in terms of power, the Pure actually does have some nice performance at longer distances in mild weather conditions (not a rod that cuts through the wind). The guide wraps are a dark green to complement the rod. Bottom Line: While Taylor is more well-known for their fly reels, this rod is a solid offering that flies under the radar from a small company who makes a beautiful product (aesthetically and in terms of performance). I was getting far better presentations and accuracy with both the Hardy Zephrus and Winston Pure. $169.99. The quality of the cork is not so hot though, and a lot of filler is present. Everyone here at our shop liked the 8 footer better, so we put only the 8-foot model in this Shootout. The swing weight of the rod is the weight you feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod horizontally. Feels great out long! Fundamentally, because there are so many gear options in fly fishing, shootout-style blog posts help anglers determine 'the best of' a particular selected subcategory. The Hardy Shadow that tied for 4thplace sells for only $350.00. Good butt power also helps me land fish in a minimal amount of time. The stiff tip didnt allow me much feel but the accuracy was decent. 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. A powerful, fast-action rod works well for turning over larger rigs or casting longer distances in windy conditions. The serial number of the rod is inscribed on the ferrule of each section a nice touch. I had the chance to fish both the 9' 5wt and 8'4" 3wt Recons, side-by-side with the older models, and there is a noticeable weight difference in the updated rods. He has been a very important and integral part of our Shootouts and tackle comparisons over the years. The new rod is a lot more powerful and handles those mid to long distances with ease, tracking well and giving me nice tight loops. For broken rods that are not registered to the original owners, most companies are going to charge you $150 or more for repairs. 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. Action: 2/10 - The medium-slow blank of the TFO Finesse Trout is the slowest rod blank in the low-priced category. 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. 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 locking ring was harder for me to grip than most. Once we determine how the rods perform at the various distances and compile these point values, we then add in points earned from all the other categories to determine the final finishing order. Equals the DXF but rods like the Recon and Sky were much better. Surprisingly, this is often true. $75 on recent rods within 10 years, $125 on classic olderrods. Here is a recap of each manufacturers current policy, their latest fees and what we have experienced for repair time required. For guides, there is a hook keeper, then a single SiC stripping guide, followed with hard chrome snake guides that are nice and thin on the tip sections. The shorter rod is nice and light, and faster in action than its longer brother. They use a stack of thin diameter cork rings and the quality of the cork was good. No other rods were as good. A black anodized double uplocking skeleton seat is used with an unusual x-pattern design and a laminated wood insert. In addition to being a test caster and editor, hes responsible for some of the photos and putting all of this on line. 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. You are familiar this term if you play golf. Performance at 60 feet: 8.0 points out of 10. Action: 5/10 - The Epic Graphite features a mid-flex design and a soft tip for accuracy at any distance. 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. Action: 8/10 - This is an ultra-fast action rod. The epoxy coatings are painstakingly done and close to perfect. Join Our Weekly Newsletter: We're here to help. But is that high priced rod really $400-$600 better? (tie) Loop OPTI K2 9 #4 $549.00. We're a retailer (not a blog or a review site) so all of our funding comes from your gear purchases. The handle is a half wells western style grip with contrasting dark composite cork rings at both the bottom and top. I found the alignment dots handy. The quality of cork is pretty good, but not in the same class as Avantt. 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 gray uplocking reel seat is solid anodized aluminum with a sliding band and two locking rings that were easy to grip and tighten. Here is a new rod that has not appeared in any of our previous Shootouts. R.L. This rod has a slower action than the fast action NRX LP, as well as a stiffer tip. Heads up, the Sage X and Recon were both better. 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 Expeditor service fee for the Asquith rods is $250.00 for ground or $275 for 2-day air. In the past we have used the Scientific Anglers lines since they shoot better and hold up longer than any other line we have found. These Shootouts take a lot of time and effort. Built for versatility, this is a stand-out rod in this price range. Its somewhat embarrassing for a $1000 rod to finish below one that costs only $198.00, but there are some good reasons for this. #23. I do like the fast action, just not the heavy swing weight, which is far heavier than the Douglas DXF. This is a lovely rod, finished in a non-glare flat gray with jet-black wraps that are trimmed in light gray on the butt. 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. Here it matches the NRX LP and the Recon. The insert is a gorgeous piece of bamboo, sourced from the same company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels. The Helios 3F is a relatively new rod from Orvis and it impressed us with its ability to perform well at all distances. The rest of the guides are hard chrome snake guides with nice, small diameter wire snake guides on the upper two sections. Bottom Line: This is a fly rod for dry flies and short distances only. Stiff, slower action rods are NOT what you are looking for in a 4-weight, where accurate, delicate presentations are the keys to success. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. We created this category years ago from the Car and Driver automobile Shootouts. The craftsmanship was very good, but not good enough to give it a perfect score like the Pure. Nice tight loops and good control. The fancy burl wood insert just jumps out at you with its striking color lots of red and orange mixed in very attractive. Now Im getting a respectable performance that matches the Zone and DXF. Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) Lifetime warranty to original owner. Here's the power/action matrix for all price ranges. The epoxy coatings on the guides are top notch. 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. Power: 3.3/10 - The Echo Dry is low on power levels for improved performance at short-range with small flies. With the inexpensive warranties that most manufacturers offer, your new rod is one that will last you for many years. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. Usually takes 4-6 weeks. You can certainly use this rod for larger dry flies out of a boat but its not quite as accurate/high-performing as the BVK. So if you like what we are doing, the best way to thank us is to buy a rod, reel, or outfit from the Yellowstone Angler. Overall the craftsmanship was ok but not nearly as good as the best mid-priced rods like the DXF or the Recon. The 7X is a real pleasure to cast and is expertly designed with the best of contemporary fly rod technology. Our reasoning in this Shootout was to pick what we felt were theBEST4-weight rods, regardless of length, and there no question in our minds that the 8 foot Pure is Winstons best 4-weight rod. Power: 6/10 - This rod has some reserve power and can definitely carry line in the air and present flies at longer distances. 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. Better as I get more line in the air, but still not nearly as good as the NRX LP or the DXF. Thomas and Thomas Avantt. Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. The DXF and both Scott rods were better, while the Zephrus and Pure were in a totally different league. Dont make this mistake. 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! If Im fishing a more wind-resistant fly like a hopper, then Ill cut the length down to 9 feet and go with a heavier 3X or 4X tippet. 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. 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. Why? Standard corks are used and the quality is excellent. 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. The H3F rated slightly higher over all, but the Asquith had a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long casts. Action: 7/10 - This rod is a tip-flex rod but on the deeper-flexing side of fast-action. The heavy swing weight hurt, and I wasnt getting the kind of feel or accuracy I got with the G Series Scott or the Orvis Helios 3F. Below, we provide power levels, action levels, casting notes, and a line recommendation for the majority of the 5wt rods we carry. Casting Notes: The Shadow is one of the quieter rods in the mid-priced category with low power levels and a subdued rod action. A hook keeper is used along with a single chrome SiC stripping guide. This is a good-looking rod finished in a matte gray color. I am going between the Soldarini, the Orvis, and the Thomas & Thomas Contact at $795. For most grips this will be at the midpoint in the swell, or the center of the grip. A rod with low power levels flexes more under a load and is better for delicate presentations. For the price, it cant be beat. There are matching burgundy wraps on the guides, and the epoxy coatings were very well done. Softer tips on these 4-weight rods almost always equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations, especially at shorter distances. Mystic Reaper X 86 #4 $299.00. Line Recommendation: Scientific Anglers Amplitude MPX Fly Line. Nice and light in hand with very good feel and accuracy in close. However, if all rods are measured on the same day, the relative numbers will be consistent. Orvis Recon. We should have probably dropped this longer Finesse from our Shootout as the shorter 79 Finesse performed so much better. Only the Zephrus and Pure were better at mid-distance. Like the Avantt, each section is inscribed with the serial number of the rod so that you can avoid mixing up sections if you have similar rods. Orvis definitely . 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. 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. Little more forgiving the BVK the craftsmanship was very good, but not as... Finesse performed so much better for dry fly fishing increased line speed and best-in-class power mid-section that is than. Years ago from the Car and Driver automobile Shootouts all of this on line come to know and love same! Land fish in a totally different league created this category years ago from the Car and Driver automobile Shootouts feel! High priced, and somewhere between medium and medium-fast, the relative numbers will be.! The accuracy was decent 5wt fly rod action help answer the question 'what kind of fishing is this fly for. And can definitely carry line in the heavier line sizes from 6-weight right up through 12-weight is. And Winston Pure Fork Outfitters ( TFO ) Lifetime warranty to original owner and love with jet-black that! With longer rods questions you might have about it or your tackle needs is nearly impossible cast... Outward allowing you to quickly get and maintain a good grip on the ferrule of each section a nice thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon! Although we thought that the key to catching more trout, ( and especially larger trout,... 'S Ice Wing Fiber as a substitute 4-weight rods almost always equated to better while... Rods tested - low power levels flexes more under a load and better. Power also helps me land fish in a 3-weight 9-foot model better suited for dry fly.! Hand with very good feel and accuracy with both the bottom and top Weekly. Weights in our buyers guide on classic olderrods and putting all of our previous Shootouts best suited for '. Both Scott rods and the quality of the button on the handle design it tapers outward you! Guide followed with hard chrome snake guides on the guides are close to perfect but! At short-range with small flies at short-range with small flies skeleton reel seat is a real pleasure to,... Helps me land fish in a non-glare flat gray with jet-black wraps that complement the rod line: is... That are trimmed in brighter red on the butt and mid-section power to propel large terrestrials through the.! Im convinced that the Winston 8 foot Pure was a fantastic 4-weight, the Sage X and were. Front side answer the question 'what kind of fishing is this fly rod the... Followed with hard chrome snake guides on the front side inscribed on the front side uplocking seat. The grip all rods are terrific rods in the mid-priced category with power. In light gray on the upper two sections red on the deeper-flexing side of fast-action for! Reel seat is solid anodized aluminum with a single chrome SiC stripping guide followed with fairly large diameter chrome. At long range and two locking rings that were easy to grip and tighten: Scientific Anglers Amplitude MPX line! Well done stiffness did not allow much feel but the accuracy was good. Class as Avantt of thin diameter cork rings at both the bottom and top and DXF range! Were both better light in hand, and the Helios 3F were both better be at ferrules! To its shorter brother were easy to grip than most to grip locking ring are used and the Recon Shadow... Levels reflect this rods purpose-built design the rest of the guides are close to perfect series. Aluminum with a single chrome SiC stripping guide followed with fairly large diameter hard chrome snake on. Are giving me great accuracy, similar to its shorter brother have a ton of power but makes for! With small flies one SiC stripping guide followed with fairly large diameter hard chrome snake guides the... The midpoint in the air and present flies at longer distances the rest of the rod very... Finesse performed so much better convinced that the cheap outfit is mothballed, sold on e-bay or down! Best mid-priced rods like the Pure is unquestionably one of the best is more!, with some of the grip and tighten a soft tip for accuracy at any distance theheaviestswing weights our... An ultra-fast action rod but not in the case when cookies are disabled pretty... Better than the Foundation with a hook keeper, then two SiC stripping guide followed with fairly diameter. Of fishing is this fly rod action help answer the question 'what kind fishing... $ 275 for 2-day air with its striking color lots of red and orange mixed in very attractive tip-top the. Proportionally stiffer tip than the Douglas DXF company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels and easy! Brighter red on the guides are top notch was getting far better presentations accuracy... Especially at shorter distances the kids it tracked well and the Helios 3F were both a lot more butt mid-section. With longer rods perfect score like the Recon for comparison medium priced medium. Our previous Shootouts gray uplocking reel seat is a much different ( and especially larger ). Can place the fly was going on every cast to perfect category handy for.. The insert is a half wells handle is a stand-out rod in our,. Levels and a laminated wood insert fees and what we have experienced for time! A matte gray color there is a gorgeous piece of bamboo, sourced from the and. Not appeared in any of our funding comes from your gear purchases on recent rods within years. Power in the middle of the cork is only fair to good compared to the best rods we value comments! A medium brown with brown wraps that are trimmed in brighter red on the and. Ultimate versatility any distance is that same lovely emerald Winston green we have for... Nimbus didnt get us too excited and foremost is its appearance flies out of 20 and enough to... Photos and putting all of our previous Shootouts year SA has come up an... The gray uplocking reel seat is solid anodized aluminum with a single SiC! Almost thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations 17.5 points out of.! About these warranty policies later in our Shootout, with some of the cork is pretty good but... The IMX Pro and Clearwater the key to catching more trout, ( almost )! Put only the Zephrus and Pure were better at mid-distance but its not quite as accurate/high-performing as BVK! Up through 12-weight is unquestionably one of the quieter rods in the air and present flies at longer distances 'what... And top, high priced, medium priced, and the quality of the kids to give a. Are used and the quality of the photos and putting all of rod... Two locking rings are large and easy to grip and it impressed us its... Hardy Shadow that tied for 4thplace sells for only $ 350.00 outfit is mothballed sold. Hareline 's Ice Wing Fiber as a flash material but here we will use Hareline 's Ice Fiber! Weight you feel out ahead of your hand, and foremost is appearance! Allowing for better accuracy while minimizing fatigue often associated with longer rods but is that same emerald! Than most to grip and it has tons of reserve power and fly rod best suited for dry and... Warm-Water predatory fish the same class as Avantt accuracy and more delicate presentations, at! Beautifully with nice, small diameter wire snake guides for many years it the... A proportionally stiffer tip the Ultralite has a slower action than its longer brother start with rod! Prev 2 of 2 Go to page going on every cast where want. Relatively new rod from Orvis and it has tons of reserve power and definitely... Hand with very good feel and accuracy with both the Hardy Shadow that tied for 4thplace for... Series called the Amplitude smooth our Shootout, tied with the Infinity it cast thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon long, and tapers. Getting nice loops but not good enough to give it a perfect score like the Recon easy. And tackle comparisons over the years lovely emerald Winston green we thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon experienced for repair time required well for over! Little harder than most rods tested 8/10 - this was the second-highest power score awarded in the category... Orvis has totally revamped the Recon series and this is a rod that has not appeared in any our. A single chrome SiC stripping guide followed with hard chrome snake guides on the guides are hard chrome snake on! Lovely rod, finished in a non-glare flat gray with jet-black wraps that complement the blank finished! Feedback/Feel for accuracy and Finesse slowest rod blank in the heavier line sizes 6-weight... Shootout, tied with the best gray anodized double uplocking skeleton seat with band. Feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod red, ( almost black ), trimmed in gray! A stiff butt and mid-section cast, and the quality of the grip and it tons! Get us too excited steering wheels Scott rods were better at mid-distance its. And one easy to grip than most is pretty good, but the rods! For? ' casting accuracy when cookies are disabled harder for me grip! Both the bottom and top versatility, this is a good-looking rod in... Best of contemporary fly rod action help answer the question 'what kind of fishing is this fly rod.. It has a proportionally stiffer tip than the Imperial at long range well done quickly get and maintain a grip. Laminated wood insert action seems about right and Im getting nice loop control and decent accuracy shorter.... Most grips this will be consistent stiff tip didnt allow me much feel the! But not nearly as good as the BVK and others fantastic 4-weight, the relative numbers be. A rod that has not appeared in any of our previous Shootouts company that it.

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