Weve found that fluctuating temperature and humidity from one day to the next can make a difference of .2-.3 oz. Heres a mid-priced rod that put in a good performance across the board. 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). Built for versatility, this is a stand-out rod in this price range. It is also a soft rod, so it scored very well in light tippet protection. Often takes 4-6 weeks. Casting Notes: Fast action performance meets flashy rod design with Redingtons powerful 5wt Vice. I think that the vague feel I was getting hurt here. 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. We're not crowning a champion here and we're not going to tell you which 5wt fly rod is the best. Sharing the advanced StratoTherm resin developed for the acclaimed Avantt and Exocett series, Zone rods are rolled and built by hand alongside those flagship models right here . The Orvis Recon comes in three . Good butt power also helps me land fish in a minimal amount of time. Rods are repaired, not replaced, except for broken sections. Very nice feel with excellent accuracy at short distances. And, if it does, help us by purchasing your next 5wt from us. 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! For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. From 25 to the 40-foot mark, these lines were just magical, and stretching the distance out to 60 feet was easier than with a standard belly line. Here the lack of butt power hurts a bit but it was better than the Shadow out long and matched the Scott G-Series. Rods are repaired, not replaced unless broken. L. Lmad928 Active member. Get this rod out in the sunlight and it really lights up. Power: 7.5/10 - This was the second-highest power score awarded in the low-priced category. But in looking closely at the Hardy Zephrus, Ultralite, and the Douglas SKY, they are also definitely near the top end of the craftsmanship ladder. Power: 8.2/10 - This is a highly powerful 5wt and casts smoothly and effortlessly out to 60-feet. Carbon XL. Bottom Line: If youre in the market for one of the most innovative rods in fly fishing, this is a beautiful 5wt that provides a ton of performance. For broken rods that are not registered to the original owners, most companies are going to charge you $150 or more for repairs. This is a smooth-casting, lightweight rod that is well-rounded and surprisingly versatile. #19. The perfect line: SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity in WF-4-F, Performance at 25 feet: 20 points out of 20. Unlike some of the stiffer 4-weights, this rod performs well at the shorter distances too. 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! Im getting effortless tight loops, and I had complete confidence on where the fly was going on every cast. After fifty years in the fly fishing business as a guide, shop manager and shop owner, Ive learned a lot about what it takes for a fly rod to perform well. Casting Notes: The IMX Pro is a well-known rod series. Heads up the Recon and Shadow were far better. If you buy this rod, you need to put a WF-5-F line on it. The cork handle is a half wells design with a contrasting cork ring on the bottom. The fancy burl wood insert just jumps out at you with its striking color lots of red and orange mixed in very attractive. They are light but very durable. A buyer's guide is a little different, however. Casting Notes: The Asquith is a powerhouse of modern fly rod innovation with an extremely lightweight rod blank thats gutsy and high-performing. The feel Im getting is not that good either. The insert is a gorgeous piece of bamboo, sourced from the same company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels. 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've done any fly fishing reading online you've probably seen the words 'shootout', 'buyer's guide', and 'review' a lot. Head to head the Zephrus was better, and both the Avantt and Helios 3F were far better. The craftsmanship on the LP is typical Loomis excellence. As part of the Expeditor policy, Loomis includes a FedEx call tag so that you dont have to spend any money to send the broken rod back. Softer tips on these 4-weight rods almost always equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations, especially at shorter distances. The swing weight of the rod is the weight you feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod horizontally. No better at mid-range. To do this, we decided to adopt Echo's Power/Action matrix to compare these rods. Much heavier in hand than the Avantt, and the stiffer tip is not giving me as much feel or accuracy. Sage MOD 86 #4 $850.00. Scott claims that this gives their rods better strength and we cannot argue with this as we see very few Scott rods broken. $598.00. 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. The epoxy coatings are painstakingly done and close to perfect. The blank itself is unsanded natural graphite gray, much like the Scott rods, leaving the tape marks visible. To improve on the previous Zenith, which won our original 4-weight Shootout, Howard gave the Zephrus a slightly stronger butt and mid section as well as a softer tip. Lastly, the rod sock is superior, and will dry out quickly even if you put your rod away wet. In all, this is an extremely attractive rod. Howard is a great angler and knew just what he wanted for the perfect 4-weight. The new Orvis rods are clearly to be taken seriously. #4 (Tie) Thomas and Thomas AVANTT 86#4 $845.00. Its a great all-around rod and less technical than the 3D. The reel seat is a gray anodized skeleton seat with a band and large single ring that is easy to grip and tighten securely. The matte gray blank does look nice, and the guide wraps are a dark gray, trimmed in black on the butt section. Action: 3/10 - This is a moderate action fly rod with a mid-flex profile for enhanced dry fly capabilities. Guides start with a hook keeper, and then one SiC stripping guide, followed with black hard chrome snake guides. Add to Cart. Drop us an email at[emailprotected]or call us at(888) 413-5211. This is one of the worst scores at long distance in our Shootout. 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. #23. 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. When I first picked the rod up, the overall weight was good but then when I wiggled the rod in my hand, I could see that the swing weight was heavier than almost all of the other 4-weight rods. WinstonLifetime warranty to original owner. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. The cutout only extends down to from the butt cap, leaving that last portion fully threaded where you would tighten down the rings. The accuracy suffers too. Like the Zephrus, casting off the tip of the rod was easy and fun and I was getting very delicate, precise presentations. 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. My first nymph stick that is all around rock solid. To read each staff members casting notes and performance finishing order, please click on their photo above. 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. However at long range, it had no guts, and was one of the worst in our Shootout. Mystic Lifetime warranty to original owner. I wish there was a hook keeper, which I find very useful on light rods, but there is none. The finished blanks are then shipped back to G. Loomis, where the rods are assembled, wrapped and finished at the G. Loomis factory in Woodland Washington. Action: 5/10 - A solid medium/medium-fast action, the taper of this rod is ideal for dry flies and trout fishing. 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. I wish that we could have tested an 86 Aetos, but this rod is only available in an 8 foot #4. For this Shootout, we were able to do the casting here on our lawn at the shop. Action: 6.8/10 - With a strong butt and mid-section, this is a tip-flex rod with a fast-action design. 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. #24. 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. 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. The best Korean built rods now rival what is produced here in the US. Another stiff rod, the Avantt, was slightly better. Call us at 406-222-7130, or e-mail us at [emailprotected] and we can discuss your needs and wants. New Orvis Recon vs. Orvis Helios 3F. The quality of the cork in the handles varies enormously among fly rods. One of the things I like the most is that they have a large drag knob and a very wide range of drag adjustment. Bottom Line: If youre a serious dry fly angler, this is one of the best fly rods on the market. 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. Performance at 60 feet: 9.7 points out of 10. Nice and light in hand and pretty good feel, but the accuracy is not as good as I was getting with the Aetos. Howard Croston, Hardys rod design genius in England, has given us another outstanding rod that performs extremely well at all distances. A little better here but the DXF still puts it to shame. While not as powerful, the second iteration of the Recon is smooth, accurate, and provides ample feedback/feel. Craftsmanship is second to none, and is what we have now come to expect from T&T. 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. Id like to see Howard Croston re-design this rod with a softer tip. There are a few 8 foot and shorter rods as well as a few 9-foot rods in the mix, especially when manufacturers dont offer an 8 foot model. If you find yourself fishing more hoppers and larger dries, you will like this rod as it will really fire them in there with authority. This is a medium action rod, and slower action rods like this SS have never performed well for us. My favorite length for a 4-weight rod is 8 feet. 5wt fly rods are (by far) the most popular rod model in contemporary fly fishing. Thomas & Thomas Zone. The rings on the seat were fairly large and easy to tighten, giving a secure lock up. The blank is an attractive dark blue, with a matte non-glare finish. The casting scores were only fair to good, and in my notes I say that I am getting very little feel or accuracy in close compared to the best rods. It was one of the worst rods in the important swing weight category, and it was near the bottom in light tippet protection too. Little feel, and the slower action kills any accuracy. A darker composite cork ring is used on the bottom of the grip that is flared out to accept the uplocking seat. I do like the fast action, just not the heavy swing weight, which is far heavier than the Douglas DXF. Performance at 60 feet: 7.5 points out of 10. A gray graphite insert is used that goes well with the blank. Moreover, if you want to fish with a 4-weight we consider to be the optimal choice, you dont have to spend $850, $900, or $1000, but only $679 for the Hardy Zephrus. We are continually impressed by how much rod building craftsmanship has improved over the years. If you look at the performance scores, youll see that the Aetos finished in 11thplace here also. Personally I dont care much for the five inches of white just above the cork handle but this has been the Helios 3 trademark and I think that Orvis feels that it will help the rods visibility on the rod rack in fly shops or out on the stream. There is no hook keeper on this rod. This is a powerful fast action rod that encourages easy line speed and tight loops in a variety of angling scenarios. Power: 5.5/10 - This is a rod that doesnt have a ton of power but makes up for it in feedback and feel. Will they make you a better angler? The Galvan Torque reels have proven to be wonderful reels. The rest of the guides are hard chrome snake guides with nice, small diameter wire snake guides on the upper two sections. This is a soft rod, with a slower action than the Pure. If you look at the deflection chart of all the rods, it was the stiffest rod in our Shootout, being almost as stiff as the Douglas SKY6-weight! I just didnt care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. Action: 8/10 - Orvis markets this rod as medium-fast and we think it falls closer to the fast side of that range which is a large reason for its high power and versatility scores. Expensive rods do have that wow factor that will impress your buddies. But the Avantt and Helios 3F are far better. It has a butt and mid-section that is stiffer than most rods tested. Heres a category that we used in our last 4-weight Shootout, that we deemed important when you are trying to judge the best 4-weight rods, that will often be used with very light 5x, 6x, and 7x tippets. The heavy swing weight and stiffer tip gave me very little feel. In terms of performance, the Recon was actually better at mid to long range. Power: 6.7/10 - The X is a powerful rod when you need it to be and the reserve power is easily accessed with the right fly line. The handle is a western style grip, without much of a swell in the middle but a flare on the lower end to accommodate the uplocking reel seat. Its medium action is far slower than the Recon or their H3F, and it didnt perform nearly as well, especially at 25 feet. Tracks beautifully with nice tight loops that are giving me great accuracy. These stiffer 4-weight rods require lines that are slightly heavier than a standard AFTMA 4-weight line. The 8-weight rods versatility makes packing easier for traveling fly anglers. $25 handling fee. Power: 7.5/10 - This is a powerful rod with the ability to carry line in the air, mend line efficiently, and punch through the wind. The best rods in our Shootout can handle this distance with ease, and are actually capable of casting much farther in an expert casters hands. Rating: 100%. They inscribe the sliding band with the line size, which is a nice touch. Certainly the Aetos wins points in the price category, but the biggest reason is its performance. The Douglas Sky was both heavier and stiffer, and didnt perform as well, except out long at 60 feet. Thomas and Thomas $55 repair charges for the original owner, includes shipping. When Im fishing the spring creeks here near Livingston, the Railroad Ranch on the Henrys Fork of the Snake, as well as the flat water on the Bighorn or Missouri rivers, I reach for my favorite rod for this kind of technical fishing, an 8 foot #4. A dark gray wood burl insert is used that matches the blank. Both the newWinston PUREandOrvis HELIOS 3F put in impressive performances, securing podium finishes. For guides, there is a hook keeper just above the handle, and then one SiC stripping guide followed by hard chrome snake guides. The cork handle is what Sage calls a snub nose half-wells. This rod gave me better control and accuracy at long range than any other rod in our Shootout. Pick any rod here that we rated a 9.5 or better and you have a winner! Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. It received one of the lower power scores in the low-priced category. You can read about these warranty policies later in our Shootout. The guides start out with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripper followed with hard chrome snake guides that are nice and light on the tip sections. The action of the Zone is much slower than the Avantt (and also a lot slower than the Recon or Shadow). A little wiggle helps you to feel this. In this Shootout, we again used the Scientific Anglers lines, which we have found to cast better and last longer than other brands. 2 Reviews. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. Thomas & Thomas Zone - $499 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. The result is often that the cheap outfit is mothballed, sold on e-bay or handed down to one of the kids. I loved the crisp, fast action of the Avantt and its light swing weight, but unfortunately the Zone is not nearly as nice. 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. Orvis 25 year warranty to original owner. Now the stiffness is becoming an advantage, and Im getting some nice tight loops. The 8-weight Asquith won our recent 2018, 8-weight Shootout, putting in a marvelous performance. TFO uses an olive green blank for this rod, with olive wraps that are trimmed in gold on the butt sections. Performance at 25 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. . This rod uses spigot ferrules, rather than the slipover ferrule design found on most rods including the Scott Radian. Many of the best rods are built in one factory in Korea. I really expected to see this new G Series 4-weight challenge the best rods. There are dozens of 5wt rods on the market at a variety of price-points and each rod offers something different to every angler. It was even a little sloppy on the tip sections. A black anodized uplocking skeleton seat is used with one ring and sliding band. The handle is a half wells style, and is comfortable enough, but the quality of the cork is poor. 'The best' dry fly rod isn't the best rod for streamer fishing and vice versa. Now it tracks perfectly and Im getting nice tight loops. . Messages 29 Reaction score 6 Location . Long distance was hopeless. I liked the full wells cork handle better than the odd grip on the Reaper X. Power: 8.5/10 - The lightweight, quick-recovering blank of the Sky encourages excellent power and accuracy at long range. $35 handling fee. The wide single ring was easy to grip and tighten. The Sage X is light in overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing weight. 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. The skeleton uplocking seat is one of the most unusual Ive seen. Casting Notes: Loomis new LP rod is built for delicacy and finesse. Casting Notes: The Epic Graphite 5wt is one of our favorites. The best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. The action is slightly slower than the Zephrus though, and this contributed somewhat to its lack of feel and accuracy at 25 feet. Of course it is six inches shorter too. 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. Now Im getting nice tight loops and I can punch it hard into the breeze. Well come out with you and give you some help to fine tune your casting stroke, or just help you with the basics.

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