But there are a lot of good reasons. Black anodized premium aluminum reel seat. 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. Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) Lifetime warranty to original owner. We simply place each rod horizontally on the scale, read the weight and round it off to one tenth of an ounce. 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. Performance at 60 feet: 9.5 points out of 10. The Cork handle is a full wells design that is slightly smaller where your thumb would rest, ahead of the swell in the middle of the handle. Good, just not nearly as solid or as accurate as the 3F or Radian at long range. Im surprised that both Sage rods are well down the list, but their performance scores were just not good enough to rate them higher. 2022 Redington Butterstick Fiberglass Fly Rod. These are very light, and will flex but never break. Sage could improve the MODs swing weight by using the more expensive nickel/titanium guides instead. 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. One thing I like is that there is a serial number on each rod section. The perfect line: SA Amplitude Smooth Trout in WF-4-F. Matches the Zephrus in close in terms of casting accuracy and feel. Performance at 60 feet: 6.5 points out of 10. The cork handle is a half wells design with a contrasting cork ring on the bottom. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. #25. The Recon is a very pleasant rod to cast wonderfully light in hand, and responsive. 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. 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. The Q was not nearly as good as their new Opti K2. Nearly all manufacturers now have some kind of limited Lifetime warranty. Well, the Orvis unconditional guarantee is only 25 years. Rods that flex in the tip are fast action rods, rods that flex in the mid-section are moderate action rods, and so on. This rod uses the more conventional slip over ferrule design as on all but one of the other rods in our Shootout. Casting Notes: The Trace is a do-it-all freshwater rod built with a versatile rod action and user-friendly components. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. Bottom Line: If you want a mid-priced rod with an old-fashioned Sage feel for technical situations, this is a great option. Here, the softer rods, ones with softer tips and rods with lighter swing weights post the highest scores. Surprisingly, this is often true. Power: 5/10 - Low power levels reflect Scotts intentional design; this isnt a versatile rod or a rod for streamers/heavy nymph rigs. Power: 8/10 - Loomis built a ton of power into this rod so you can feel confident throwing streamers, nymph rigs, and dry flies at long distances. Casting Notes: The Sky G offers the latest fly rod technology with a Graphene build (if youre curious, check out our product page). Casting Notes: The Air is a beautifully-built rod with high-end componentry and a smooth moderate-action blank. Short to mid-range seem to be the best distances for the DXF. Like the Meridian, the Tidal is manufactured by Scott in Montrose, Colorado. The 79 TFO Finesse was far better. That might be the answer, but then it would likely be more of a 3-weight rod than a 4-weight. Use this link to go to ourFavorite Freshwater Outfitsfor the 3 through 8-weight rods, in our Online Store. For the lighter rods, we used their Amplitude Smooth Trout. Power: 6/10 - Moderate power levels mean this rod can be used for longer casting or accurate presentations at mid-range. This rod doesnt encourage high line speeds or powerful performance at long distances. G. Loomis . In our 2018, 8-weight Shootout the Q finished in the middle of the pack, but the 8-weight had a swing weight that was pretty good, while here as a 4-weight, the swing weight was one of the worst. Our advice is that if you feel one of the top rated, expensive rods works best for you, go for it. Both the newWinston PUREandOrvis HELIOS 3F put in impressive performances, securing podium finishes. The cork handle is Winstons cigar grip, like the Pure, with the center swell a little forward of the center of the grip and a flare on the bottom end. There's no doubt the Recon is a handsome rod-the olive blank built with Orvis' new ferrule design is nice to look at, as is the black nickel uplocking reel seat complete with a dark burl wood insert. The rod also has the power to slug it out with sizeable game, and the fighting butt to tuck in your gut and settle in for the fight. Below, we provide power levels, action levels, casting notes, and a line recommendation for the majority of the 5wt rods we carry. This means you can generate line speed but you can also focus on delicacy at short range. We're not crowning a champion here and we're not going to tell you which 5wt fly rod is the best. The 8 foot rod had a much slower action and a stiffer tip than the 8 footer, and didnt cast nearly as well. 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 idea here is to measure the swing weight at the middle of where your palm is likely to sit on the grip. 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. Epoxy coatings on the wraps were a bit too heavy, adding unnecessary weight. However, nearly all manufacturers are charging a handling fee of $25-$100 to repair or replace your broken rod. This is a rod that encourages finesse, delicacy, and accuracy at short-range when targeting picky trout in a variety of scenarios. The stiffer tip didnt allow for much feel or accuracy. There is no question that the craftsmanship is better on the very best rods, and with a few exceptions they do perform better than the less expensive rods. It is nearly impossible to cast off the tip of the rod like I can with the best 4-weights. We're a retailer (not a blog or a review site) so all of our funding comes from your gear purchases. Sage promotes the MOD as a rod that will deliver delicate presentations with pinpoint accuracy. Both the feel and accuracy were outstanding. The blank itself is a deep burgundy color, with dark gray wraps. Of the two TFO Finesse rods, I like this 79 rod as a 4-weight a whole lot better than the longer 89 model. Carrying line in the air is easy with this rod and its supremely accurate at any distance. Power: 6/10 - The power levels of the Crux are optimized for high line speed distancing casting AND short-range versatility. If you own a money tree and enough real estate to warehouse dozens of situation-specific fly rods, stop reading now. Rather than give us their beautiful nickel silver uplocking seat with a fancy wood spacer of birdseye maple as on the Pure, the Nimbus uses a silver anodized uplocking aluminum skeleton seat with one wide ring and sliding band. If you buy this rod, you need to put a WF-5-F line on it. The new Orvis rods are clearly to be taken seriously. 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. The F Series, concentrates more on finesse, without sacrificing too much power. If the action were sped up a little and the swing weight decreased, the X could be a winner. Thomas & Thomas Avantt - $845 Thomas & Thomas Zone - $499 Winston Alpha - $935 To find out which 5-weights took home the top rung in each category, check out the Shootout results on the Yellowstone Angler's page, here! Action: 5.5/10 - Slightly faster than purely moderate action fly rods, the 7X has a taper thats caster-friendly and a versatile medium-fast action. However at long range, it had no guts, and was one of the worst in our Shootout. Guides start with a hook keeper, then two SiC stripping guides followed with fairly large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Steve Rajeff, the head rod designer at Loomis, designed the Asquith tapers, and the blanks are built by Shimano in Japan, using their unique X wrap process. Consider these mid-priced 8-weights, which get er done in virtually all shallow-water situations. The blank is finished in a dark olive green with dark green wraps, that include a little light green trim on the butt. 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. T&T also uses a stack of thinner cork rings and the quality of the cork is as close to perfect as you can get. The softer tip on this rod gave me good feel and decent accuracy at close range and the amount of butt and mid-section power seems about right for a 4-weight rod. 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. Why? The medium fast action seems just right and Im getting both good feel and good accuracy at the shorter distances. So if you like what we are doing, the best way to thank us is to buy a rod, reel, or outfit from the Yellowstone Angler. Thomas & Thomas Contact Vision Nymphmaniac STATIC TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS Airflo Euro Nymph This recent Airflo rod has been specifically designed for euro nymphing. Only out long did I feel at a disadvantage to the best rods and I think part of this was due to the lighter Trout line. If you are thinking about buying a fly rod, we suggest reading one of our Shootouts for the line size rod you want. The epoxy coatings were excellent. Casting Notes: Distance and power are the name of the game with the Helios 3D. 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. Performance at 60 feet: 7.5 points out of 10. Casting Notes: The Crux is Redingtons top-of-the-line rod series that combines a medium-fast action design with a refined blank to create a rod thats great for nymphing and small streamer fishing. Winston says Pure Feel, Pure Presentation and Pure Fun I cant disagree. The quality of the cork is not so hot though, and a lot of filler is present. Thomas and Thomas Avantt. 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. Its slightly more refined than the 3D but maintains a smooth, powerful action. The epoxy coatings over the wraps are nicely done, and I especially like the fact that they inscribe the rod length and weight on the bottom wrap of each section. 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). Dont fret about the price youll find some ingenious way to sneak it into your collection of rods without the mrs. (or mr.) finding out. 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. Here it feels as good as the Scott rods and the Helios 3F.Performance at 60 feet: 9.0 points out of 10. Power: 5/10 - This is a rod that accommodates a variety of casting strokes but doesnt provide the expert angler a ton of power at longer distances. You are familiar this term if you play golf. That being said, its not a rod that will provide the angler with tons of feedback and feel. 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. The brown dull coating of the blank and the red wraps provide an original look. About as good as the Imperial, but the Recon and Shadow were noticeably better. 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 best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. The wraps are a dark green to complement the blank and the epoxy coatings are perfect. The Pure puts in an impressive performance, especially at the shorter distances, and finishes in 2ndplace in both the overall and performance results. 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. A stack of thin diameter corks is used and the quality is good. Hardy uses a comfortable half wells, western style handle and the quality of the cork is superb. 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. The cork handle is a half wells western style grip, with a contrasting darker composite cork at the bottom end, over the flare for the reel seat. The guide wraps are gray, trimmed with red on the butt section and first ferrule. Sure, most of these 4-weight rods will turn over a 9-foot leader, but having to turn over a 12-foot leader requires a rod to perform at a higher level. 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