Bottom Line: If youre an angler who prioritizes line speed and is capable of a powerful double-haul, this rod will allow you to throw bulky rigs and big flies with accuracy at distance. The wraps are a slightly lighter blue, trimmed with white on the butt section. For the price, it cant be beat. The Fenwick AETOS, at $179.95 is unquestionably our best performing inexpensive rod. It is also a lot heavier in overall weight and swing weight, mainly due to the fact that Loop is using a much lower modulus graphite than in their more expensive K2. Like the Orvis 3F, there is no hook keeper. The JXP is also very stiff. The accuracy is only fair. The wraps are a dark green to complement the blank and the epoxy coatings are perfect. I think that the vague feel I was getting hurt here. Many of the best rods are built in one factory in Korea. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. Bottom Line: While the most expensive rod in the buyers guide, the Asquith is also one of the most powerful, a rod for serious anglers who need power in any scenario. But if you look at just the three distance performance scores, it would have finished below the top dozen rods! Casting Notes: Handcrafted in the USA, the St. Croix Imperial is a smooth-casting rod that puts an emphasis on performance without limiting the angler to either line speed or delicacy. Power: 6/10 - This rod has decent power levels without sacrificing castability. 1 Review. 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. Matches the Aeteos here, but still nothing to get excited about. The quality of the cork was surprisingly good for a less expensive rod. Click on any of the charts above to see more charts. Of all the reels we have carried over the years, Galvan continues to have the fewest warranty issues and returns. A sliding band and wide locking ring is used that is easy to grip and seemed to lock up well. But the stiffness of this rod and its heavy swing weight hurt the performance scores, especially at the shorter distances. Performance at 60 feet: 7.0 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. Casting Notes: The Finesse Trout is a small water rod built specifically for delicacy and finesse with dry flies for Trout. 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. 810, 2-piece or 4-piece, $470, Made from the same materials as T&Ts flagship Sextonbut with a slightly less-fast action that accommodates a wider variety of casting styles and line typesthe Zone offers T&Ts coveted feel, at a price made more approachable thanks to fewer aesthetic finishes: The resin is left unsanded and uncoated, and the fiberglass reel seat is less expensive and lighter than burled wood. 2022 Redington Butterstick Fiberglass Fly Rod. One SiC style stripping guide is used as well as a hook keeper. My favorite length for a 4-weight rod is 8 feet. 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. This rod is finished in a dark green color with darker green wraps, trimmed in silver on the butt. Like the K2, no hook keeper is used, which I miss on a 4-weight. Nearly everyone is using one-coat epoxy coatings over the guide wraps now, but if these are not very carefully done, they are often sloppy or too much epoxy is applied, adding unnecessary weight. Casting Notes: The Avantt is a medium-fast action fly rod thats built for anglers who need castability and mending capabilities. I thought the larger, wider single ring on the Helios 3F was much easier to grip and seemed to lock up better. 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. It packs enough punch to fling weighted crustacean imitations for bonefish or redfish, deliver 3- to 4-inch streamers for snook, schoolie stripers or juvenile tarpon, and command the sinking line you might choose when chasing albies. Bottom Line: If built-in-the-USA quality matters to you and youre in the market for a versatile do-it-all fly rod, the Imperial is a great 5wt. 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. The cork handle is a half wells with a long taper at the front, that I found to be comfortable to grip. Its powerful and efficient. The rings should be easy to grip and tighten. Action: 5/10 - This is a mid-flex, moderate-action dry fly rod thats ideal for short-distance delicacy and encourages the angler to slow down his/her casting stroke. The Expeditor service fee for the Asquith rods is $250.00 for ground or $275 for 2-day air. Here's an example from Echo's website. 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 stiffness is a bonus at long range. The reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. We've also set up some charts so you can easily compare rods based on the power/action matrix explained above in the entry-level price-point, mid-level price-point, and high price-point. Their choices sometimes differ from mine, but we are almost always in general agreement on the top 4-6 rods in the Shootout. The Clearwater is finished in a dark gray color with dark olive guide wraps. I liked the use of alignment dots. The epoxy coatings are good but too heavy for my liking. 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. Perhaps the best example here is our winner, the Hardy Zephrus. This rod gave me better control and accuracy at long range than any other rod in our Shootout. The quality of the cork is not too good either and it used a lot of filler. This helps me to easily fine tune the exact amount of drag needed while fishing very light tippets, something that is tough to do with other small reels. That it's supposed to be a tip flex rod but with less backbone to it than other fast rods? Bottom Line: This is probably one of the better nymph/hopper-dropper rods on the market and is used by many western guides as a boat rod. But then rather than a beautiful piece of burled wood insert as on the Avant, there is a plain piece of blue colored graphite that also shows the tape marks. More manufacturers should use light guides like this to minimize swing weight if they arent using the more expensive nickel-titanium guides. The all-new Sage Maverick fits into a more moderate price-point with other fly rods like the T&T Zone and the Orvis Recon 2. T&T designed this rod to cater to the widest range of anglers and its versatility shows through in its power and action levels. The DXF and Imperial were much better. Scott Sector Fly Rod. The 79 model was far better and a lot more fun to cast and fish. But this also means they have a heavy swing weight. Why? Usually takes 1-2 weeks. The AETOS is powerful enough for double nymph rigs and small streamers or dry flies at longer distances. Bottom Line: This is a great rod choice for the novice angler who is looking for a rod that will mask mistakes and encourage learning. Rods that have good power in the butt and mid-section help me set the hook quickly and allow me to throw a combination of flies and indicator along with a little weight. 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. When Orvis introduced the Superfine Glass I fell in love again. Their T&T Zone performs well in the mid-priced class. One of the things that I liked was the light feel of this rod in my hand. Surprisingly, this is often true. Now that we have dropped our Perfect 4 category, this category gives you our opinions on the best rods and how they stack up. Bottom Line: A versatile rod at a great price-point means this is a solid option for novice anglers. Cheaper rods often utilize pre-formed grips that use a lot of filler in the cork that will chunk out or erode with hard use. Power: 2/10 - Low power levels reflect this rods purpose-built design. 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 ability of this rod to track precisely combined with its ability to form beautiful tight loops allowed it to perform almost as well as the best rods at long range. 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. This rod has a slower action than the fast action NRX LP, as well as a stiffer tip. Better as I get more line in the air, but still not nearly as good as the NRX LP or the DXF. Action: 7.5/10 - Loomis built this rod to be faster than the Asquith and bordering on ultra-fast action. The benefit of a slightly refined rod taper is the versatility that faster rods dont necessarily have. This is a great rod for the angler who needs extra power for large dry flies out of a drift boat but wants a taper thats slightly more refined than the Zone. . Cost effective but very high performance. 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. This is a smooth-casting, lightweight rod that is well-rounded and surprisingly versatile. He has been a very important and integral part of our Shootouts and tackle comparisons over the years. Performance at 60 feet: 8.8 points out of 10. I was getting far better presentations and accuracy with both the Hardy Zephrus and Winston Pure. I think the stiffer tip hurt here. Also, the Galvan Torque reels are basically maintenance free, using a rulon bushing that requires no lubrication. Orvis Helios 3D Fly Rod. (tie) Loop Q 9 #4 $229.00. 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). Douglas Lifetime warranty. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. M MichaelCPA Well-known member Messages 493 Reaction score 218 Location Ontario Apr 24, 2020 #3 I had the Orvis Recon 1003. Rods that were very light in swing weight like the Zephrus, Avantt and Helios 3F blew the X away in both feel and performance. 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. Casting Notes: The Classic Trout is Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that is built for small water and spring creek fishing. This makes it easier to justify buying the best performing rod. 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. Good butt power also helps me land fish in a minimal amount of time. We can attest to this as these lines shoot like crazy! The reel seat is a gray anodized double uplocking skeleton seat with sliding band and darker wood insert. A sliding band and one easy to grip locking ring are used. Sometimes the whole rod is replaced. #4 (Tie) Thomas and Thomas AVANTT 86#4 $845.00. Even with the lighter Trout line, it is hard to maintain good loops and get any kind of decent accuracy. The new Orvis rods are clearly to be taken seriously. Use light guides like this to minimize swing weight if they arent using the expensive. 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