For most grips this will be at the midpoint in the swell, or the center of the grip. 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. 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 epoxy coatings on the guides are pretty good but a little heavy in spots. If you buy this rod, you need to put a WF-5-F line on it. Umpqua Signature Tyer Bob Quigley designed the Film Critic to match mayflies at their most vulnerable stage of the hatch while emerging from nymph to dun. Overall the craftsmanship was ok but not nearly as good as the best mid-priced rods like the DXF or the Recon. Performance at 40 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. Bad Ass Glass Quickshot. It received one of the lower power scores in the low-priced category. 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. Fenwick-Lifetime warranty. Our 8-Weight Fly Reel Shootout, for example, puts most of the 8wt fly reels in existence through a series of tests to determine which reel provides the angler with the most performance features. Rods are repaired, not replaced. Mystic Reaper. Fly rod power and fly rod action help answer the question 'what kind of fishing is this fly rod best suited for?'. Performance at 25 feet: 18.0 points out of 20. It tracked well and the accuracy was good better than the Imperial at long range. This isnt a rod that will give you feedback and feel at short range. 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. 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. If you have something about the right size and color, you can often force-feed a selective fish by making repeated accurate and delicate presentations that are right in the fishs window. I wish that we could have tested an 86 Aetos, but this rod is only available in an 8 foot #4. Im really surprised it is so far down in our finishing order as a 4-weight. 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. Also, the Galvan Torque reels are basically maintenance free, using a rulon bushing that requires no lubrication. 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. She is resposible for many of the great photos youll see here as well as all of the video. Casting Notes: Distance and power are the name of the game with the Helios 3D. Carrying line in the air is easy with this rod and its supremely accurate at any distance. I love the light swing weight. Wraps are a darker red, (almost black), trimmed in brighter red on the butt. Bottom Line: This is a great entry-level rod for anglers looking to get into trout fishing. Casting head to head, the Zephrus, Pure and Helios 3D are all a lot better. And a look at the deflection chart confirms this. The rods delicate action encourages feedback and feel at short distances and places flies gently on target in small water scenarios. The JXP was also better. Power: 6/10 - This rod is smooth and evenly balanced with high-line-speed power and increased feel in close. We actually cast two #4 line Pure rods- the 8 footer you see here and its 86 brother. This is a light rod in swing weight almost as good as the Zephrus. 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. #25. This rod has a stiff butt and mid-section for increased line speed and best-in-class power. In this Shootout, we again used the Scientific Anglers lines, which we have found to cast better and last longer than other brands. 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. No handling fee. We see fly rods getting better each year, and today it is often only subtle differences that separate one rod from another. The perfect line: SA Amplitude MPX WF-5-F. (However we tested the rod with the WF-4-F Infinity.). Im having trouble casting off the tip well and this is hurting the accuracy. (tie) Loop Q 9 #4 $229.00. Will they make you a better angler? 2 Reviews. This is a soft rod, and that gave it good marks in the light tippet protection category, but its performance distance scores were lackluster. $35 handling fee. #4 (Tie) Thomas and Thomas AVANTT 86#4 $845.00. The best 4-weight rods are superb at the short to medium distances, such as the Zephrus, the Pure, the Scott G-Series and the Orvis Helios 3F. 5. Winston NIMBUS 86 #4 $650.00. Orvis CLEARWATER 86 #4 $198.00. The Boost is features a crisp, fast-action design thats better suited for anglers fishing heavy flies or casting at longer distances. Long distance was hopeless. Like the Zephrus, casting off the tip of the rod was easy and fun and I was getting very delicate, precise presentations. A black anodized double uplocking skeleton seat is used with an unusual x-pattern design and a laminated wood insert. We have several reels rigged with the various line sizes, and leaders, all ready to go. Performance at 60 feet: 8.0 points out of 10. $50 handling fee. Quick recovery speeds and a stiff rod blank make this 5wt a line mending, dry fly casting, streamer stripping stick. Like many of the other 9-foot rods in our Shootout, it was at a disadvantage in weight to the shorter 8 and 8 foot rods. The stiffness and slower action hurt its scores in a lot of categories. Thomas and Thomas just introduced a very light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which complements their outstanding Avantt. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. The Expeditor service fee for the Asquith rods is $250.00 for ground or $275 for 2-day air. Well indicate which line proved best with each rod later in the individual rod write-ups. It was a little better than the Avantt here, but not as good as the H3F. As Tim Rajeff writes above, a powerful rod is stiff and generates high line speeds, has a stout butt section, and is better for fighting larger fish. Use this link to go to ourFavorite Freshwater Outfitsfor the 3 through 8-weight rods, in our Online Store. Performance at 60 feet: 7 points out of 10. Performance at 40 feet: 18.0 points out of 20. 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. Often takes 4-6 weeks. The uplocking skeleton reel seat is silver anodized aluminum, with one good-sized locking ring and sliding band, similar to the Avantt. If you're still confused about fly rod action, here's a video from our beginner series. Just keep in mind that all these measurements must be made the same day with the same room temperature. The Clearwater is heavy in overall weight andvery heavyin swing weight, making it a chore to cast. Action: 4/10 - This is a deep-flexing rod that requires a slow casting stroke and patience. 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! Action: 6.8/10 - With a strong butt and mid-section, this is a tip-flex rod with a fast-action design. If you cannot find or cast the rods that interest you, we are here to help. The result feels impressively crisp and light, so it lets experts hit new benchmarks and welcomes newbies with a forgiving sweet spot. Little feel, and the slower action kills any accuracy. Surprisingly, even using this lower modulus graphite that should be heavier, the overall weight and swing weight are very good compared to our other top 4-weight rods. One SiC style stripping guide is used as well as a hook keeper. 7 Reviews. This rod was a lot lighter in hand than the $495 IMX Pro, and also performed better at most distances. The cosmetics and components of this rod are similar to its shorter brother. Nice rod, quite light and supple tip could throw a leader very well. This rod gives me a nice light feel in hand, and Im getting good loop control combined with plenty of power and good accuracy. 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. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were surprisingly good for a one-coat finish. But is that high priced rod really $400-$600 better? Special Price $469.99 was $595.00. #19. is hung from the tip-top of the rod. Features: 3wt-4wt Medium/fast action 5wt-10wt fast action. Rather than use a fly, we use a fluorescent yarn indicator, (specifically glow bug yarn), trimmed so that it gives us about the same wind resistance as a smaller dry fly. Casting Notes: Loomis new LP rod is built for delicacy and finesse. 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. Casting Notes: Fast action performance meets flashy rod design with Redingtons powerful 5wt Vice. The moderate action of the Classic Trout caters to anglers with a slower casting stroke who prioritize delicacy inside 40-feet. In Livingston we usually have plenty of wind, so we had to wait until we got some fairly calm days, to do the casting. In addition to being a test caster and editor, hes responsible for some of the photos and putting all of this on line. The epoxy coatings were a bit too heavy though, not nearly as nice as what we see on the Hardy rods. The big reason it didnt do better than middle of the pack was the action. A hook keeper is used just above the handle, and the one black SiC style stripping guide is followed with silver hard chrome snake guides, that are small and light out on the tip. With more line in the air Im getting nice loops and good accuracy. New Echo Shadow II, w next level being new Echo Shadow X. Cortland Competition. A real let down after the terrific performance I was getting with the Pure. Still not so good with very little feel or accuracy. These single foot guides are finished in a dark color to complement the blank. Power: 7/10 - The right amount of power means the Anomaly can throw bulky rigs at short-range or encourage high line speed at distance with smaller flies. The Avantt tied the Pure for the only perfect scores in Craftsmanship. Action: 6/10 - A medium-fast action rod design makes turning over heavy nymph rigs a breeze with this 5wt. 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. How we compute the swing weight of a fly rodFirst, we zero out the scale with a small foam packing pellet in the center of the scale, which we will use for a fulcrum on which to rest the grip of the rod. 3. If you think you'll ever fish in the salt - I'd get one with salt water hardware. This 86#4, however, is just too heavy and too stiff to perform well as a 4-weight. New rods must be registered at time of purchase. The Helios 3F is a relatively new rod from Orvis and it impressed us with its ability to perform well at all distances. 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. Better now, with more line in the air, but the G series was still a little better in both feel and accuracy. He wanted another 4-weight that was very accurate and delicate, yet one that had more power in the butt and mid-section. The accuracy suffers too. Rating: 91%. The uplocking black anodized skeleton reel seat utilizes a single ring that is easy to grip and lock down. Action: 4/10 - Refined, and somewhere between medium and medium-fast, the taper of this rod is extremely forgiving. Action: 5.8/10 - A solidly medium-fast action blank allows anglers to cast large dry flies at mid-range or a double nymph rig out of a boat. Performance at 60 feet: 8.8 points out of 10. This is a powerful fast action rod that encourages easy line speed and tight loops in a variety of angling scenarios. Part of the light swing weight can be attributed to the use of the superb REC nickel/titanium single-foot guides. Casting Notes: The Classic Trout is Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that is built for small water and spring creek fishing. Cortland MKII Euro Nymph Rod. One year warranty on hardware and guides. 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. 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. The blank is an attractive dark blue, with a matte non-glare finish. Thread starter Lmad928; Start date Jan 1, 2021; Prev. How well are the guides wrapped and how nice are the coatings? Fun to Fish/Got to Have 10 points available. 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. Doing this with 6X or 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right amount of drag adjustment. Orvis Recon 5wt. That changed when I fell in love with the Helios II. As in the past we are using our own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight. I also liked the 12-inch mark on the butt but I wish they had also given us one at 18 or 20 inches. The quality of cork was excellent. 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). Certainly the Aetos wins points in the price category, but the biggest reason is its performance. The swing weight of the rod is the weight you feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod horizontally. Its not as caster-friendly as others in this category but provides the capable angler with technical fast action performance. In addition it will cost you $15 or more to ship your rod in for repair or have your local dealer do it for you. A slightly oldie but goodie. A gray graphite insert is used that goes well with the blank. backing and fly line. The Sage X is light in overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing weight. I could really notice the heavy swing weight in my hand. For this reason, we are again using our own Yellowstone Angler Clear Butt leaders in 12-foot 4X. It performed better than any of the sub $300 rods, including the Orvis Clearwater. I dont know how Orvis pulls this off, but we like the results. 4 Reviews. You will be surprised to see how well mid-priced rods like the Hardy Shadow, the Orvis Recon, and the Douglas DXF performed, all of which made it into our top ten overall in the final results. Scott claims that this gives their rods better strength and we cannot argue with this as we see very few Scott rods broken. With the Infinity it cast better long, and I would have scored it closer to 9 at long range. The Orvis H-3 is clearly one of the best fly rods to ever leave the Orvis shop, but it's not all about the long cast. 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. Action: 6.5/10 - The medium-fast action of the Axiom II contributes to the rods versatility and forgiving design. A 5wt can be used in a variety of freshwater angling scenarios but is most commonly used to target Trout. The craftsmanship is second to none and it earns a perfect score along with the Winston Pure and T&T Avantt. Product Description. With comments by the Yellowstone Angler staff. Action: 7/10 - A fast action rod design means the Pulse does everything a high-performance 5wt should with efficiency and ease. The Orvis Recon comes in three . The quality of the cork in the handles varies enormously among fly rods. 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. My favorite length for a 4-weight rod is 8 feet. 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. For sure, one of the worst in our Shootout. Heads up, the Sage X and Recon were both better. Even with the lighter Trout line, it is hard to maintain good loops and get any kind of decent accuracy. Thomas & Thomas introduced the Contact series of Euro-nymphing rods a handful of years ago and they almost immediately garnered a cult-like following, with many an experienced nymph angler raving about their performance and build quality. Ive always liked the smooth lines, as they dont make so much noise running through the guides. The softer tip is giving me a good amount of feel and the accuracy was better than the Zone or Nimbus. 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. Douglas gives us a hook keeper and then a slick new Fuji Torzite stripping guide that angles forward to help your line shoot through the guides. 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 IMX Pro is one of Loomis newest rods and we have liked it in the larger line sizes, like their 5 and 6 weight rods. The stiffness hurt in close but this is one of the very best performing rods at long range. Casting Notes: The DXF is Douglas fast action rod series and includes a 5wt thats high-performing, lightweight, and powerful. 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. Our deflection charts have been very popular in past Shootouts, so we are giving you more this year. The color of the blank is a very light silver blue, with the guides wrapped in a darker grayish blue, with some silver trim on the butt section. The Zone series pushes the envelope in both performance and price, bringing the latest R&D from Thomas & Thomas to more fly anglers than ever before. The cork handle is a Steve Rajeff design; a half wells but with the swell slightly larger towards the front of the grip, and smaller back where the heel of your hand rests. Well indicate which line proved best with each rod later in the air im getting nice loops and get kind. The Galvan Torque reels are basically maintenance free, using a rulon bushing that requires a casting. 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