The extension butt is nice looking, with a contrasting darker composite cork on the bottom end. The new NRX+ rods are the smoothest and best-dampened rods we’ve ever cast. Platelets are like building blocks that are microscopic in size. #16 (tie)   Loop Cross SW (Fast)   9 foot #8  $849.00. This one is a full wells design, but with a variety of beautiful contrasting cork rings top and bottom. Now that we have eliminated our “Perfect 5” category, this category gives you our opinions on the best rods and how they stack up. Using our postal scale, that produces meaningful and believable results. Winston gives us two new rods, the Winston Air and their beefy Alpha+. Everyone else uses far less fancy anodized aluminum. Rod is repaired, not replaced. If you happen to be looking for an 8-weight, we hope that this Shootout has been informative. $549.00 Quick view. I’m getting very tight loops and terrific accuracy. G Loomis ShoreStalker 6wt 8'6" Fly Rod : FR1026-4 $380.00. I was getting pretty good feel combined with good accuracy. Nice and smooth here and tracks well. Messages 187 Reaction score 3. So it lacks a heavy backbone. All that weight combined with a stiff tip provided very little feel and poor accuracy compared to the X. Expensive rods do have that wow factor that will impress your fishing buddies. But for now, it's only made up to an 8wt and is considered to be more of an "all-water" rod as oppose to a saltwater rod. It often takes a little time for the rod to “settle down” from all this movement so we do this procedure 4-6 times and then take the average weight we are getting from the scale. One composite ring is used at the bottom for durability. 2. However on some rods like the Scott Meridian, where the swell is slightly forward of dead center, we move the fulcrum to that point. Saving $500 or more is nice too! Decent feel but the accuracy of the Helios 3F was far better. The bottom ring also has a nylon spacer attached that helps to maintain a positive lock up on your reel. Despite the lackluster performance, the Crux is a handsome rod, with good craftsmanship. #24. The wraps are gray with attractive two color blue trim on the butt section. Leaders are extremely important in obtaining accuracy, particularly ones that will turn over well at short distances with very little fly line in the air, especially at 25 feet. They won’t break and are a lot lighter than hard chrome snake guides, which helps reduce the swing weight. The blank itself is finished in a handsome matte dark blue color with lighter blue wraps, trimmed in white, resulting in a very elegant rod. A comfortable full wells grip is used but the quality of the cork is just OK, about as good as what we found on the BVK and Aetos. The guide wraps are dark brown and surprisingly the epoxy finish on the wraps is excellent. The Hardy Shadow has impressed us with its sweet action and performance for its price. The Power 5-weights are simply better at this kind of “chuck and duck” casting and mending than the Presentation 5-weights. #16 (tie)      Loop Q     9 foot #8        $229.00. In the Presentation category, the NRX+ LP was amazing, but the Douglas Sky G and Helios 3F were not far behind. I guess the thinking at Orvis is that this would help the rod jump off the rack when people walked into a fly shop, but I think all this white is a mistake, especially for a company that has given us such great looking rods in the past. My guide Coki poled the Super Skiff up as close to the fish as he could on the muddy bottom, but we were stuck in 7 inches of water and still a long way from the fish. Both the Meridian and Orvis Helios 3F give me better feel and accuracy. No alignment dots are used, but Winston hand writes the serial number at the base of each section and on the butt. I had trouble hitting 100 feet. $549.00 Subscribe to our newsletter! Sage Salt HD   9 foot #8       $950.00. If you look at the first deflection chart that shows the NRX LP with the SKY G you’ll see how similarly these rods deflect; this was very evident when we cast the rods out on the lawn. The G. Loomis Asquith was by far the lightest rod in the swing weight category and put in an impressive performance, especially at medium to long distances. They include a FedEx call tag so it costs you nothing to send the broken rod back. When there was some wind, I could not get close to the plate. If the rod is broken because of a defect, or while fishing, replacement is free. The only thing that bothers me now is the heavy swing weight compared to the best rods here. It is however, a handsome rod with superb craftsmanship that we have come to expect from Sage. Orvis Recon Fly Rod. Craftsmanship varies to some degree from rod to rod. A short fighting butt is used. As a starter rod, the Aetos is hard to beat! For many, it might be seen as a status symbol. At short range I like to cast off the tip of the rod, using mostly my wrist and very little arm movement to power the tip of the rod through the stroke. From their own fishing experiences, they know just what is needed for specific fish and the fishing conditions that anglers are likely to encounter. There is no question that the craftsmanship is better on the very best rods. Only then do subtle differences reveal themselves. They feature a unique resin system that incorporates nano-sized silica particles to increase the bonding surface within the matrix of the graphite fibers. Same day or next day shipping if they have the parts in stock, if not, usually takes 2 weeks. We have found that the new 5-weight rods are getting better and better each year. Good, but not quite the accuracy I was getting with the Meridian, Asquith, or 3F. TFO LK Legacy . A half wells cork handle is used, like the Zephrus, and feels very comfortable to me. examines it. You’ll never regret it. Then we position the rod at approximately a 45 degree angle and use a lead weight of 3.9 oz., hung from the tip of the rod to show how the rod flexes. A little silver trim is found on the butt section. Look at the deflection board and you’ll see that this is one of the softest rods in our Shootout, but the tip is much slower than the SKY G or LP+. Mid-priced rods, like the Fenwick Fenlite Streamflex at $339.95, the Beulah Guide Series II at $295.00 and the Douglas DXF at $395.00 all put in impressive performances in the Power Rods category. It’s a pleasant rod to cast but it did lack the firepower of the best rods. It put in a very good all around performance, and the only downside is its weight. For cold-water applications you’ll want to switch over to a softer, colder water line like the SA MPX or the Amplitude MPX. For this Shootout we used one of the soccer fields in Livingston with plenty of room to set the casting line and fine-tune it, depending on wind direction. I prefer the flexible nickel/titanium guides found on the five top rods in our Shootout. Loomis designed these IMX Pro rods to be tough and very durable, and pro guides love them because they are so hard for clients to break. A strong performance here, with lots of power on tap. But the Asquith and NRX were definitely much better. Once again, we are again using our own Yellowstone Angler hand-tied Clear Butt leaders in 12-foot 4x. These distances are longer than those we rate rods in our other Shootouts, as we find that most people that employ 8-weight rods, use them in the salt – often for bonefish, snook and redfish, where the average casts are 35 to 60 feet. Rods are repaired, not replaced. The Asquith and Meridian threw even tighter loops and were much more pleasant to cast. Either stick a BB size split shot right on the head of your streamer and fish it with your floating line, or better yet switch off to a WF-6-F/S 15 foot type 6 sink tip line. As good as it gets. The craftsmanship is excellent and as with the Zephrus, Howard Croston has given us a rod with a nice fast action that performs best at close to medium distances. Redington – Lifetime warranty to original owner. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. This rod has an incredible amount of power combined with a very low swing weight. Totally 2 different rods. St. Croix – Lifetime warranty to original owner, $85 handling fee for accidental breaks. The locking rings are big and very easy to grip. Steve Rajeff, the head rod designer for Loomis, deserves a lot of credit for giving us rods that are both powerful but light in swing weight. The high quality cork handle is a full wells design and feels just right. But for now, it's only made up to an 8wt and is considered to be more of an "all-water" rod as oppose to a saltwater rod. We stock G Loomis fly rods - and each rod comes with a bonus fly line credit! Mid-range seems to be the sweet spot for this rod, and I was getting nicely controlled loops with good accuracy. Not much for guts and this hurt the accuracy. Performance at 35 feet – 20 points availableWe stretch this close distance from 25 to 35 feet for the 8-weight rods. Too many manufacturers try to get by with a one-coat epoxy that is too heavy, adding weight to the rod. For broken rods that are not registered to the original owners, most companies are going to charge you $150 or more to get these repaired. We would then strip it into loose coils at our feet while casting the rods. A double uplocking, anodized aluminum seat is used with a green triaxial carbon spacer that matches the blank color. $75 handling fee. IMX Pro: I own the 7 and have cast the 8 a couple of times. The TFO BVK is our best performing inexpensive rod at $279.95 while the Fenwick Aetos is the best buy at just $189.95. Still a solid performance at this distance. The NRX was slightly better. This is a fast action rod with plenty of power. The medium fast action is about right. I don’t think I could have ever done this with a rod other than the Asquith. A gray anodized double uplocking seat is used that matches the color of the blank. This reel is the one that won our 2016 5/6 Reel Shootout. I couldn’t get the same tight loops and accuracy I was getting with the Asquith and Orvis 3F. Smooth enough, but not as accurate as the Recon or SKY. Messages 187 Reaction score 3. They need to be soft enough in the tip to handle 6X and even 7X tippets with ease. We have learned that we cannot trust manufacturers stated rod weights. 9' 6wt. A car door or a bad fall might do it. Thomas and Thomas just introduced a very light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which complements their outstanding Avantt. Performance at 100 feet:   19.5 points out of 20. We are just trying to call it like we see it, in an unbiased manner. So at the beginning of each casting session we would stretch out the full length of each line- stretching it perhaps 15 feet or more. We were all impressed with how Orvis has improved the way this rod performs compared to the Helios 2. Good, just not great. It’s a rod he can be proud of as it delivers big time performance with a very affordable price. Amazing accuracy too. The Vice was much better at the longest distances. If a rod looks like a million bucks and casts like it too, fly fishermen are going to lust for it. Contrasting rubber/cork rings are added top and bottom for increased durability. It is also very light in hand, and tied the Asquith, Meridian and Helios 3F for the lowest swing weight. Orvis Helios 3D Fly Rods. Brand New (never been used) Broke my first one and this is the replacement. If you like more medium action rods though, you will love the Paradigm. The cork handle is a half wells design with some fancy cork rings at the bottom. It is still hard for me to believe that this rod didn’t break, but the Asquith is as perfect today as when it was new. This model-by-model review of the Scott Flex Series offers detailed insights on the design and casting characteristics of each rod in the series. These leaders are all hand tied, and hand tested by us here at the shop. Rods are either replaced with a new rod or the broken section is replaced. Will ship at buyers expense. The lower ring utilizes a nylon insert that allows a very positive lock up on the reel. Bass casting rods designed for anglers that prefer our "Classic" Mag Bass actions. #25. The Power 5-weights need to have the butt and mid-section power to launch larger and more wind resistant dries like hoppers or Chubby Chernobyl style stonefly patterns. micron backing you’ll have capacity for 170 yards, all without overloading the reel. I don’t think people voting at IFTD ever cast this rod. Although about the same weight as the Salt HD, the Motive has a slightly faster action, and cast better for me at short to medium distances. The top-notch guide set up utilizes two large titanium SiC stripping guides and then excellent flexible nickel/titanium snake guides, in a large size and dark color. ... G. Loomis IMX Pro 7100-4 regular $665.00 now 25% OFF! Regular price From: $495.00 Scott Centric 8' 6" 4-Weight Fly Rod. RL Winston Boron III TH - Micro Spey // Trout Spey. Surprisingly better than either the Scott G or Winston Air. Here is the most important distance category for picking the best all around 5-weight rod. I found an orvis recon 8wt used that showed up yesterday. The amazing new Douglas Sky G wins in both Overall and Performance Only categories! At short distances, casting accuracy is the key to catching fish and the number one factor used in evaluating these rods. A few rods built in Korea like the Hardy Zephrus, the Douglas SKY G, and the Loop 7X are just as good, also getting a score of 9.5. Efficient and versatile, modern short-format head systems are a popular and practical solution for many common casting and presentation issues. If the rod looks like a million bucks and casts like it too, most fly fishermen will lust for it. If you are thinking about buying a fly rod, we suggest reading one of our Shootouts for the line size rod you want. Seam reinforcements (scrim) are 100% graphite vs. graphite and fiberglass for all other materials (including the G. Loomis IMX, GL3, GL2, etc.). The presentations are light and delicate. A short fighting butt is used with a fairly wide composite cork ring on the end. The rings are easy to grip and lock up securely. $605.00. I’ve helped many manufacturers like G. Loomis, Sage, Scott and Tom Morgan with their rod design process. The wraps are a medium blue, trimmed in green on the butt. All are great anglers and accomplished casters. I liked the fast action and the relatively light overall weight and swing weight of the Aetos. Our Fly Fishing Rods selection is stocked with every make and model you need to cover ANY fishing situation you will encounter! It is also important to keep the same tippet length, as well as the same size small yarn indicator we use on the end for visibility. A short fighting butt is used with a composite cork on the end, matching what is found on the handle. A silver anodized double uplocking seat is used. The rod is inspired by the unrelenting specifications of professional fishing guides and the designs is not lacking in appearance. I thought that the Meridian and the Exocett were also better at 100 feet. Orvis – 25 year warranty to original owner. To make the deflection chart, we place the rods at a 45-degree angle and then hang a weight of 6.2 oz. In the final results it lost a lot of points in both the price and warranty categories but still managed to barely edge out our last 8-weight winner – the Scott Meridian. In general, you’ll find the best craftsmanship on rods made here in the US, like rods from Thomas & Thomas, R.L. Using a yarn indicator also allows us to power rods and develop high line speed, watching the kind of loops they deliver, without the possibility of breaking the tip with a lead-eye fly. Guides are two SiC stripping guide, followed up with flexible nickel/titanium snake guides and an oversize tiptop g loomis imx pro vs orvis recon... 3F and Meridian medium sized streamer seventy-five feet with this rod, I have the parts in,! 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