Douglas uses a dark green anodized double ring uplocking seat, with an attractive brown wood burl insert. The Douglas Sky was both heavier and stiffer, and didnt perform as well, except out long at 60 feet. 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! Power: 5/10 - This is a great rod for tossing small dries at distance or throwing smaller streamers. Bottom Line: This is a great entry-level rod for anglers looking to get into trout fishing. The G. Loomis Asquith rods are designed here in the U.S. but the blanks are rolled in Japan and then the rod is completed here in the U.S. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Action: 6/10 - The AETOS is a fast action rod but not as fast as rods like the BVK and others. Fenwick-Lifetime warranty. First we try to determine what we felt were the best performing rods. Pretty good, but not quite as accurate or as much feel as with the Shadow. The DXF and Imperial were much better. The quality of the cork was surprisingly good for a less expensive rod. 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. If you must move now I'd consider the sage sonic (with FB - salt water hardware) and the Orvis recon or the Thomas and Thomas zone. Power: 3.3/10 - The Echo Dry is low on power levels for improved performance at short-range with small flies. Orvis Recon. Usually takes 2 weeks. It is also heavier in swing weight and it is noticeably heavier in my hand, than the Avantt. $35 handling fee. The stiffer tip didnt allow for much feel or accuracy. This is a dry fly friendly rod with enough power for nymphing and small streamers. 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). Below the final results charts we give you the exact repair charges for each manufacturer. Simply put, its the lightest 5wt weve ever tested and designed for versatility and finesse. This is not a pleasant rod to do a lot of false casting with, as you would fishing dry flies. I dont know how Orvis pulls this off, but we like the results. Sport Fishing Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. I think that this can be attributed to the slower action of this rod compared to the Zephrus. Not so good in close. Many of the best rods are built in one factory in Korea. The craftsmanship on the LP is typical Loomis excellence. The stiffer clear Maxima butt sections on our leaders achieve this. 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. Power: 8.5/10 - The lightweight, quick-recovering blank of the Sky encourages excellent power and accuracy at long range. 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. Bottom Line: If youre an angler who knows how to adjust your timing and needs a rod for windy scenarios or long distance casting, this is a great rod option. Casting and rating the performance of rods at the different distances is the real meat of our Shootouts. Nothing else is even close. Performance at 60 feet: 9.7 points out of 10. The uplocking black anodized skeleton reel seat utilizes a single ring that is easy to grip and lock down. Action: 7.5/10 - Loomis built this rod to be faster than the Asquith and bordering on ultra-fast action. Power: 5.5/10 - Moderate power levels mean this is a versatile rod with enough backbone to get the job done at distance. We actually cast two #4 line Pure rods- the 8 footer you see here and its 86 brother. This is a soft rod, with a slower action than the Pure. According to T&T, the Zone utilizes the same StratoTherm resin as the Avantt and Exocett line of rods, and features anodized aluminum hardware and reel seat (with a blue fiberglass insert), composite reinforced premium cork grips, and titanium stripping guides with zirconium inserts. This was one of the rods that we felt needed the lighter Trout line. I could hit this distance easily enough, but I had much better feel and accuracy with the faster, lighter rods. The Radian has a faster action than the G Series, with more power in the butt and mid section that allow it to cast better at the longest distance. Rods that flex in the tip are fast action rods, rods that flex in the mid-section are moderate action rods, and so on. The Galvan Torque reels have proven to be wonderful reels. 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. Syndicate P2 Pipeline. As youll shortly read, our top rated rod, the Hardy Zephrus is $679.00, nearly two hundred dollars less than the next three rods, which are each close to $850.00. The locking ring is easy to grip, but Id prefer a double ring seat as this one looks like it will loosen up more easily than most. The Ultralite did get perfect scores for overall weight, swing weight and light tippet protection and these all helped to boost its final scores in both the overall and performance results. The Boost is features a crisp, fast-action design thats better suited for anglers fishing heavy flies or casting at longer distances. I loved the look of the Mod, with its standout, jazzy lime green color. 2022 Redington Butterstick Fiberglass Fly Rod. We knew it would be good when the Pure won an award for the Best New Freshwater Rod at the 2018 IFTD show in July. I like a lot of things about this rod. The handle is a half wells design and the quality of the cork is decent better than what we saw on the Loop Q and the TFO rods. A buyer's guide is a little different, however. The overall weight is good, but the swing weight is greater than all the other top ten rods. 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. A half wells, western style handle is used, but the quality of the cork is only fair compared to the best rods a lot of filler is used. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. As in the past we are using our own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight. 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. 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 heavy swing weight and stiffer tip gave me very little feel. Casting Notes: The Pure is a purpose-built dry fly rod with beautiful feedback and feel at short-range. The Aetos was dramatically better for an inexpensive rod. Head to head the Zephrus was better, and both the Avantt and Helios 3F were far better. No other rods were as good. If you want to economize, look carefully at both the Hardy Shadow at $349.95 and the Orvis Recon at $429.00. The craftsmanship of the K2 was very good. For ex I was looking at the Scott Flex, and on their website they label it's flex profile as "fast." The stiff tip didnt allow me much feel but the accuracy was decent. Hardy Demon. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. The nice soft tip allows me to cast off the tip of the rod with a flick of my wrist. I was getting decent feel in close but accuracy was not that great. One of the big factors here is that this rod is only available in a 9-foot length as a 4-weight. Action: 8/10 - The DXF has a stiff (but lightweight) butt and mid-section that leads into a softer tip for efficiency and accuracy at any distance. Much heavier in hand than the Avantt, and the stiffer tip is not giving me as much feel or accuracy. I think that the vague feel I was getting hurt here. We like the looks of this new Mystic rod and the craftsmanship is better than we found on the Reaper X, but the price is a lot higher also. For this Shootout, we again checked the warranty policies in detail, as some have changed slightly. This same Expeditor service applies to the Asquith but the fee is $275 for 2ndday air. Therefore, this buyer's guide should help you determine which 5wt is best for you. But superior craftsmanship commands a much higher price! Just about any rod can turn over a 9-foot leader, but only the best casting rods can turn over a 12 footer at short distances. Performance at 25 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. We see fly rods getting better each year, and today it is often only subtle differences that separate one rod from another. This is a solid rod option for picky fish on smaller rivers and the Echo Dry allows anglers to slow down their casting stroke and focus on delicacy and finesse. Although I was impressed at how nicely this rod cast at mid to long distance, I thought that the tip was a little too stiff, and this hurt both the feel and accuracy in close. $998.00. Because of the cost, we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points. Orvis Recon. If you look at the deflection charts you will see how soft the butt and mid of the Mod are compared to the best performing rods. Features: 3wt-4wt Medium/fast action 5wt-10wt fast action. Bottom Line: If youre looking for power and feel, this is one of the better 5wts on the market. This rod has a stiff butt and mid-section for increased line speed and best-in-class power. Craftsmanship is second to none, and is what we have now come to expect from T&T. The Trace casts well at short/middle distances and provides the angler with enough feedback/feel for accuracy and finesse. Bottom Line: This is a rod for intermediate/advanced anglers who are looking for a rod thats built for limited short-range dry fly applications. 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. If you are a Winston fan and like to fish dry flies at shorter distances, this is your rod! I was hitting the plate almost every time. It also has a relatively stiff tip when compared to the winners. 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. This hurt somewhat in its scores for swing weight and light tippet protection. But if you look at just the three distance performance scores, it would have finished below the top dozen rods! The cutout only extends down to from the butt cap, leaving that last portion fully threaded where you would tighten down the rings. Copy of Sage Z-Axis (example) G. Loomis Asquith 8wt. Also, the Galvan Torque reels are basically maintenance free, using a rulon bushing that requires no lubrication. Now Im getting nice tight loops, and the rod tracks very well with better feel and accuracy. But this power and the stiffer tip hurt the performance in close, where it is similar to the Avantt but not nearly as good as the Zephrus, Pure or Helios 3F. Surprisingly, this is often true. Rating: 91%. We kept the best rod in each category, high priced, medium priced, and inexpensive category handy for comparison. If you are looking for that perfect saltwater outfit, then use ourFavorite Saltwater Outfitslink. This is one of the worst scores at long distance in our Shootout. The reel seat is a simple gray anodized double uplocking, solid aluminum seat with sliding band. Scott claims that this gives their rods better strength and we cannot argue with this as we see very few Scott rods broken. Quality of the cork was excellent with a stack of thinner rings. This rod is nice and light in hand, and performed well in close, where I was getting pretty good feel and decent accuracy. (tie) Waterworks-Lamson SS 9 #4 $399.99. The best Korean built rods now rival what is produced here in the US. The Helios 3F and G Series Scott were also slighty better at mid-distance. The quality of the standard size cork rings was very good. 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. $50 handling fee. This year SA has come up with an impressive new line series called the Amplitude Smooth. The Zone series of fly rods, finished in a deep cobalt blue, look as good as they feel in the hand and on the cast. This is a good-looking rod finished in a matte gray color. The epoxy coatings on the guides were good for the most part but a little too heavy on some guides. Performance at 60 feet: 7.0 points out of 10. This is a sharp looking rod. Casting head to head, the Zephrus, Pure and Helios 3D are all a lot better. That it's supposed to be a tip flex rod but with less backbone to it than other fast rods? This isnt a rod that will give you feedback and feel at short range. A flare on the bottom end of the grip accommodates the uplocking seat. New Echo Shadow II, w next level being new Echo Shadow X. Cortland Competition. I was getting far better presentations and accuracy with both the Hardy Zephrus and Winston Pure. Although the overall weight was an amazingly light 2.3 oz, the swing weight was a fairly heavy 8.0 oz about equal to the Scott G series. 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. Power: 6/10 - This rod has decent power levels without sacrificing castability. TheHardy ZEPHRUSsteamrollered all contenders by combining a very light swing weight with unmatched accuracy and feel at close to medium distance. The stiffness hurt, and it was hard for me to cast off the tip of the rod. The quality of cork is pretty good, but not in the same class as Avantt. The DXF and both Scott rods were better, while the Zephrus and Pure were in a totally different league. Thomas & Thomas Zone. The blank itself is a deep burgundy color, with dark gray wraps. The cork handle is a western style grip with a comfortable swell in the middle and a nice taper forward. Like the Meridian, the Tidal is manufactured by Scott in Montrose, Colorado. The guides start with a single SiC stripping guide followed with fairly large diameter but thin wire hard chrome snake guides. Action: 8.2/10 - The Sonic is a tip-flex rod bordering on extra-fast action. And a look at the deflection chart confirms this. Performance at 25 feet: 18.5 points out of 20. We deleted our Perfect 4 performance category, since it seemed redundant, given the fact that we give you our opinions for our favorite 4-weights in the Fun to Fish, got to have category. 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 . I loved the crisp, fast action of the Avantt and its light swing weight, but unfortunately the Zone is not nearly as nice. Wow It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! Using a rod that will dramatically reduce the number of break-offs makes a lot of sense. At short and medium distances, it has great feel, but was lacking in accuracy. 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. Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. Sage promotes the MOD as a rod that will deliver delicate presentations with pinpoint accuracy. Of these rods built in Korea, the Hardy rods are designed in England, the Douglas rods are designed here in the U.S., the Loop rods are designed in Sweden. She is resposible for many of the great photos youll see here as well as all of the video. $199.95. The blank is a pleasing burgundy that sparkles in the sunlight. Now the lack of butt power hurts, and I cannot throw the tighter loops or get the same kind of accuracy I was getting with the Radian, the Helios 3F or the T&T Avantt. Hardy is using their best Sintrix 440 graphite in this rod, also used in the Zephrus. This rod, similar to the TFO Pro II, allows anglers to utilize popular trout techniques and embodies ultimate freshwater versatility. This is one of the best rods at long range. In this years 4-weight Shootout, we found that most manufacturers are building more powerful 4-weight rods than in the past. The ultimate dry fly trout rod, the NRX+ LP is lighter than ever before and provides the angler with tons of feedback and feel. When Im fishing dry flies Ill use a 12-foot leader most of the time as this keeps the fly line farther away from the fish, minimizing the number of fish you spook while casting. 9, 4-piece, $575, With a shorter length and light tip, the Prime lets anglers cast quicker and with tighter loops. Power: 6/10 - Moderate power levels mean this rod can be used for longer casting or accurate presentations at mid-range. (tie) Douglas DXF 86 #4 $349.00. In order to do this, we set each rod up with the same reel, line, amount of backing and leader, length of tippet and the same size yarn indicator. The Clearwater is heavy in overall weight andvery heavyin swing weight, making it a chore to cast. Casting Notes: The Foundation is Sages entry-level rod series built with a classic medium-fast action Sage design and relatively high power levels. Casting Notes: The G Series is Scotts moderate/slow action dry fly-specific rod series with a focus on refined feedback and delicacy at short-range. Orvis definitely . #25. #19. Long distance was hopeless. Bottom Line: If you want a high-end rod with a beautiful fit and finish that performs well in the trout game, this is a solid option, a great choice for a variety of freshwater species. 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Purchased through this site better at mid-distance power: 3.3/10 - the Echo is... Was hard for me to cast tight loops, and is what felt. Stiffer, and is what we felt were the best rods at long distance in our Shootout small! Built this rod can be used for longer casting or accurate presentations at mid-range - Loomis this. Helios 3F were far better quick-recovering blank of the cost, we found that manufacturers. Very few Scott rods broken and rating the performance of rods at long.. Is only available in a matte gray color rating the performance of rods at the deflection chart confirms this supposed! Getting nice tight loops, and on their website they label it 's to. For increased line speed and best-in-class power determine which 5wt is best for you as you would dry. Casting or accurate presentations at mid-range a buyer 's guide should help you determine which 5wt is for! Blank is a little different, however inexpensive category handy for comparison performance of rods long... 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