810, 1-piece or 4-piece, $525, All the R&D that gave Orviss flagship H3 its dazzlingly light swing weight and sharpshooter accuracy gets replicated in the Recon, using a more approachably-priced package of resin fibers. Its not the most powerful rod in the group and encourages a slower casting stroke but features beautiful componentry and a rod action that any dry fly enthusiast can get behind. Action: 4/10 - Similarly, Redington built this rod with a moderate-slow action. Designed to chuck heavy, three-inch articulated streamers at meaty freshwater bass and pike, this rod (particularly in the 1-piece version) gained a cult following among redfish guides who love its action for inshore flats: The stiffer tip increases feel by loading the rod lower down, where proprietary Conduit Core material replaces heavier wraps of graphite for a lighter, more responsive build. This is a rod that encourages finesse, delicacy, and accuracy at short-range when targeting picky trout in a variety of scenarios. One thing that killed its performance scores was the very heavy swing weight. Loop has built some important features into this rod to make it lightweight and snappy. This is especially important for 3 and 4-weight rods, when you are often using very light 5X, 6x and 7X tippets while fishing small dries, emergers and spinners. I also liked the 12-inch mark on the butt but I wish they had also given us one at 18 or 20 inches. This had a negative effect on its scores, trying to compete with the best 8 foot and 86 rods. Action: 6/10 - A medium-fast action rod design makes turning over heavy nymph rigs a breeze with this 5wt. Rods are replaced. At least it is sanded to a smooth finish initially. Feel is good and the rod is very light in hand. Action: 6.5/10 - The medium-fast action of the Axiom II contributes to the rods versatility and forgiving design. Douglas gives us a hook keeper and then a slick new Fuji Torzite stripping guide that angles forward to help your line shoot through the guides. Bottom Line: Choose this rod if youre in the market for a rod thats forgiving and will allow you to catch fish in a multitude of scenarios using a variety of techniques. Just not enough butt power to get the job done. The 8 foot Pure had a much heavier swing weight, and would not be as much fun to false cast all day as this 8 footer. Casting Notes: The Pure is a purpose-built dry fly rod with beautiful feedback and feel at short-range. Ive always liked the smooth lines, as they dont make so much noise running through the guides. $60 handling fee. Casting Notes: The SX is a beefy 5wt built into a series designed for saltwater fly fishing. It also sits dead last in our Fun to Fish category. $50 handing fee. The feel is perhaps not quite as good, but the accuracy is excellent. Rods are repaired, not replaced except for broken sections. This isnt a rod for beginners or anglers who are looking for a lot of feedback, feel, forgiveness. Their T&T Zone performs well in the mid-priced class. Some people might consider high priced rods status symbols. #25. More manufacturers should use light guides like this to minimize swing weight if they arent using the more expensive nickel-titanium guides. Both of these lines utilize a slightly longer rear taper that allows superior mending ability as well as enhancing the ability to make medium to longer casts. Bottom Line: If youre part of the Loop Army or just looking for a streamer stick, this is a great rod for a diverse population of anglers. I think that this can be attributed to the slower action of this rod compared to the Zephrus. Action: 6/10 - The tip/mid-flex profile of the Foundation makes it forgiving and caster-friendly. 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. We have found that the Asquith rods are terrific rods in the heavier line sizes from 6-weight right up through 12-weight. The rod features a stout butt section and a tip-flex design. The Q was not nearly as good as their new Opti K2. And if there was any wind, I couldnt make good enough back cast loops to hit the distance. Performance at 25 feet: 16.5 points out of 20. The medium fast action of the Recon is very similar to the Helios 3F and this is one reason it performs so well. Bad Ass Glass Quickshot. This is the most technical rod in this price range and offers high performance to anglers who prefer an ultra-fast action rod. Performance at 40 feet: 19.3 points out of 20. 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. Casting Notes: Orvis has paired down the original fast-action Recon and built a more caster-friendly, versatile rod thats built for a wide variety of angling scenarios. 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 . Sage MOD. Nice and light in hand with very good feel and accuracy in close. Thomas and Thomas Contact 10'8" . Just about every major fly rod manufacturer was brandishing their newest, tech-packed stick. Now Im getting nice tight loops and I can punch it hard into the breeze. The uplocking skeleton reel seat is silver anodized aluminum, with one good-sized locking ring and sliding band, similar to the Avantt. The quality of the cork was much better too, but still not in the class of what we found on the Recon or Shadow. No handling fee. I like the action, which is medium fast. The soft, slow action produces a delivery I noted as mushy. The Reaper X is an improved model of this original rod. The Asquith tracks beautifully and is giving me nice accurate tight loops. However, if all rods are measured on the same day, the relative numbers will be consistent. The rod is stout yet smooth for refined performance at short range and enough power to propel large terrestrials through the wind. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were a little heavy, but Ive seen worse. Power: 8.5/10 - The lightweight, quick-recovering blank of the Sky encourages excellent power and accuracy at long range. They also say it's "recovery speed" is "medium-fast," it's not entirely clear what this means to me. Bottom Line: Winston has been making moderate-action dry fly rods for years and this is the culmination of years of R&D. The uplocking skeleton seat is anodized in a dark gray to complement the blank with a beautiful piece of black ash burl for the insert. The reel seat is a single uplocking skeleton seat in anodized gray that has a very attractive burled wood insert. The quality of the standard size cork rings was terrific. 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. The F Series, concentrates more on finesse, without sacrificing too much power. The epoxy coatings are fairly good, but a little heavy. 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! 9, 4-piece, $575, With a shorter length and light tip, the Prime lets anglers cast quicker and with tighter loops. Im impressed with the guide set up, starting with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripping guide, followed with the best nickel/titanium and flexible single-foot guides as on the Zephrus and Sky. Performance at 25 feet: 17.5 points out of 20. One of the things I really like is the shape of the full wells cork handle. A moderate action rod with low power levels is best for dry flies at close range. The blank is that same lovely emerald Winston green we have come to know and love. 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. Its also nice to look down at your rod and appreciate the craftsmanship as well as its performance. 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. The stiffness did not allow much feel but the accuracy was surprisingly good. $169.99. This is a good-looking rod, finished in a non-glare flat black. You will be surprised to see how well mid-priced rods like the Hardy Shadow, the Orvis Recon, and the Douglas DXF performed, all of which made it into our top ten overall in the final results. TFO FINESSE TROUT 89 #4 $229.95. 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. I now own 4 H2s and fish them all the time. Its perhaps a little heavy in swing weight, and this as well as its stiffness, hurt its score at 25 feet. Once the grip of the rod is placed precisely on the foam pellet, with the rod horizontal, we apply pressure, by pressing down with a fingernail to the very end of the reel seat, and then read (and note) the weight indicated by the scale. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. The attractive cork handle is a half wells design with a flare on the bottom end, a comfortable swell in the middle, and a nice forward taper. I love the light swing weight. Casting and rating the performance of rods at the different distances is the real meat of our Shootouts. Action: 7/10 - This rod sports a medium-fast/fast action blank thats ideal for a variety of freshwater fishing techniques. It performed better than any of the sub $300 rods, including the Orvis Clearwater. $75 on recent rods within 10 years, $125 on classic olderrods. That being said, its not a rod that will provide the angler with tons of feedback and feel. The Asquith is available in only a nine-foot model, and it is stiffer than most of the tested 4-weight rods. The rods delicate action encourages feedback and feel at short distances and places flies gently on target in small water scenarios. I dont know how Orvis pulls this off, but we like the results. Sure, the best rods are generally in the higher price bracket, and are usually worth spending the extra dough, even if you have to save up to buy the one you really want. Both the mid-price DXF and Imperial were better. $25 handling fee. Bottom Line: This isnt a mainstream rod built by a popular manufacturer but its hand-built nature and versatile action make it a great choice for expert anglers. Classic Trout. Winston PURE 8 #4 $850.00. The Tidal adds more mass in the tip for better feel, and counteracts that weight with three types of graphite fiber (compared to five types in the premium-priced Spector) placed at various angles to optimize energy transfer to the rod butt. How we compute the swing weight of a fly rodFirst, we zero out the scale with a small foam packing pellet in the center of the scale, which we will use for a fulcrum on which to rest the grip of the rod. Special Price $469.99 was $595.00. It is the relationship of the club head weight to the shaft when you wiggle the club in your hands. There is no hook keeper on this rod. Orvis HELIOS 3F 86 #4 $849.00. A gray graphite insert is used that goes well with the blank. Then we progressed to the mid-priced rods and finally the least expensive rods. Wow It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! 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. 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. I was hitting the plate almost every time. This helped improve its score in swing weight and it picked up a lot of points in both the price and warranty categories. To get a 10, repair charges had to be $35 or less with a quick turn around time of less than two weeks. Good-looking wood insert spacers that are finished well add to the attractiveness of any rod. #16. Casting Notes: The Sky G offers the latest fly rod technology with a Graphene build (if youre curious, check out our product page). This is a powerful fast action rod that encourages easy line speed and tight loops in a variety of angling scenarios. The Scott G series was definitely better. Bottom Line: If you want a mid-priced rod with an old-fashioned Sage feel for technical situations, this is a great option. It is important for any fly line to shoot well, and even clear well, when you have extra line at your feet and a fish is streaking for the horizon. When I put this rod in my hand it feels more like a 5-weight than a 4-weight! The reel seat is an unusual, triangular shaped silver anodized seat with no spacer. It also has a relatively stiff tip when compared to the winners. We set out three sets of paper plates as targets, with plenty of distance between each casting line so that no one was getting tangled up. We are continually impressed by how much rod building craftsmanship has improved over the years. Casting Notes: In some ways, the Echo Boost is complementary to the Echo Dry. Power: 7/10 - This rod is powerful enough to throw a variety of flies and is highly accurate at all distances. Thomas and Thomas Zone Fly Rod Review - T&T's Best Mid Priced Fly Rod Precision Fly and Tackle 627 views 3 months ago Trident Fly Fishing 2.3K views 1 month ago Thomas and Thomas Zone. Performance at 40 feet: 18.5 points out of 20. R.L. Go. 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. This rod uses the more conventional slip over ferrule design as on all but one of the other rods in our Shootout. The blank is finished in a medium brown with brown wraps that complement the blank. Action: 4/10 - Refined, and somewhere between medium and medium-fast, the taper of this rod is extremely forgiving. If you cannot find or cast the rods that interest you, we are here to help. Better as I get more line in the air, but still not nearly as good as the NRX LP or the DXF. Performance at 60 feet: 8.5 points out of 10. Power: 4/10 - The Classic Trout is low on power and isnt built for high line speed or distance casting. The softer tip is giving me a good amount of feel and the accuracy was better than the Zone or Nimbus. In making the deflection chart, we first put up some white butcher paper on the wall. Rods that are light in overall weight and swing weight, and ones that have softer tips, eliminate a lot of break offs caused by an inadvertent heavy-handed hook set. As long as there wasnt much wind I could easily hit 60 feet but accuracy suffered. Rods are either replaced with a new rod or the broken section is replaced. Orvis also makes the Recon in a 3-weight 9-foot model better suited for dry fly fishing. We set the casting line so that we generally had the wind at our back if possible, or at least off our left shoulder (all of us are right handed). This rod has a stiffer tip than many of the best rods, and I felt this hurt both feel and accuracy at the two shorter distances. Rods that were very light in swing weight like the Zephrus, Avantt and Helios 3F blew the X away in both feel and performance. Feels good in my hand, and Im able to cast well off the tip. Very tricky and very attractive. The quality of epoxy coatings on the guide wraps was excellent and almost the equal of the T&T rods. However, as youll see in the Performance Only scores, it finished much higher in 12thplace. Now were talking! Hardys half wells cork handle is used, similar to the Zephrus. While not as powerful, the second iteration of the Recon is smooth, accurate, and provides ample feedback/feel. This can come in handy if you have multiple T&T rods and get the sections mixed up. The best thing I found about the Clearwater is the price. The Orvis Clearwater rods are designed in Vermont and built in the orient. Fly rod action, on the other hand, is how a fly rod flexes when cast. The cork handle is a half wells design, with a thinner swell than most that seemed very comfortable to me. Even better than the Helios 3F. Rods are repaired or replaced. The buzz around IFTD this year was heavy on the rod-talk. In all, this is an extremely attractive rod. The stiffness hurt, and it was hard for me to cast off the tip of the rod. Broken sections are replaced. 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. Rather than use a fly, we use a fluorescent yarn indicator, (specifically glow bug yarn), trimmed so that it gives us about the same wind resistance as a smaller dry fly. The Recon has been one of our favorite rods, and this 4-weight version is terrific. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a lightweight 5wt with contemporary fly rod technology thats tough to beat, some say this is the best 5wt on the market (Yellowstone Angler 5wt Shootout). And a look at the deflection chart confirms this. Long distance was hopeless. 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. Rods are repaired, not replaced. Fundamentally, because there are so many gear options in fly fishing, shootout-style blog posts help anglers determine 'the best of' a particular selected subcategory. Pretty good, but not quite as accurate or as much feel as with the Shadow. The accuracy was not good either. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a high-performance rod in the sub-$700 range and youre an angler who appreciates power and efficiency, the Sky is a great rod series. The guide wraps are a slightly darker gray, trimmed in orange on the butt. Heads up the Recon and Shadow were far better. It was hard for me to get any feel or accuracy with such a stiff rod and a light line. A 5wt can be used in a variety of freshwater angling scenarios but is most commonly used to target Trout. The locking ring is a little harder to grip and tighten than others. It is much more of a medium-fast action rod in contrast to the fast action/soft tip Zephrus that gave me such great feel and accuracy in close. Therefore, this buyer's guide should help you determine which 5wt is best for you. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. 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. This is a great 5wt for heavy nymph rigs, streamers, and casting dry flies at long distances. Guides start with a hook keeper, and then one SiC stripping guide, followed with black hard chrome snake guides. Many of the best rods are built in one factory in Korea. The blank itself is unsanded natural graphite gray, much like the Scott rods, leaving the tape marks visible. I wish that we could have tested an 86 Aetos, but this rod is only available in an 8 foot #4. The cork handle is a half wells with a long taper at the front, that I found to be comfortable to grip. The heavy swing weight and stiffness made it impossible for the JXP to compete with the best mid-priced rods like the Orvis Recon, or Hardy Shadow. This is a very pleasant rod to cast, and I was especially impressed at what nice tight loops I was getting at long range, where it proved to be better than any other rod tested, even the powerful Asquith. It can be tied in sizes 10 - 20. 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. These come in two models, the Amplitude Smooth Trout, which is a standard size line, and the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, which is a half line size heavier. This rod is absolutely the winner for our Best Buy (best inexpensive) 4-weight Rod. The result feels impressively crisp and light, so it lets experts hit new benchmarks and welcomes newbies with a forgiving sweet spot. If you are getting one of the Ultimate 4-weight outfits, well throw in the SA Amplitude Smooth Trout or Smooth Infinity $99.95 line for free, and also ship it to you for free! The guides start with a hook keeper, and then one huge SiC stripping guide that seems way too big, followed with hard chrome snake guides. Bottom Line: This is a rod for the dry fly angler and works well for entry-level anglers targeting trout on small/medium-sized streams and rivers. Add to Cart. Nice and light in hand and the softer tip is giving me pretty good feel and accuracy, about as good as the DXF. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. No better at mid-range. A Bonnier LLC Company. I do like the 8 foot rods over the 9 footers as they are lighter and the shorter length allows me to strike more quickly, and they often provide better light tippet protection than the longer rods. The Pulse is a smooth-casting 5wt that works well for anglers carrying a lot of line in the air and delivering flies with accuracy at longer distances. The 8 foot Pure had a much stiffer butt and mid-section and a soft tip that is much softer than what we found on the Nimbus. The color of this rod is an attractive olive, with the guides wrapped in dark brown. 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. Size: 7'6" 2wt. Performance at 60 feet: 9.7 points out of 10. But these methods and calculations were disconnected from what we were actually experiencing in our hand so, for our last 4 Shootouts, we have gone back to our original method of calculation, explained above. It is also a stiff rod almost as stiff as the SKY and IMX Pro. We like the lower price, and you cant expect the same kind of performance as the $845 Avantt which uses a more expensive, higher modulus graphite. Head to head the Zephrus was better, and both the Avantt and Helios 3F were far better. 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. #8. The reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. Performance at 25 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. The cork is a stack of thin rings, and the quality of the cork is excellent. Take tricky undulating currents, and then add in a little wind, and getting a fly right in the fishs window with that drag-free drift becomes quite the challenging task. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. This rod wore me out casting long. Performance at 60 feet: 7.5 points out of 10. This was one of the rods that we felt needed the lighter Trout line. Bottom Line: This isnt a rod for everyone, but if you need extra power and can adjust the timing of your casting stroke, this is a great rod in technical situations for advanced anglers. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. It is refreshing to see such a nice rod, at such a low price that is made here in the US, in Park Falls, Wisconsin. This is a classy reel seat, which is much better looking than some of the anodized aluminum insert seats. The quality of the standard size cork rings was very good. 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. I wish they would had used the lighter, flexible nickel/titanium snake guides found on the Helios 3F, or even better, the nickel titanium single-foot guides found on the Hardy Zephrus, which would have improved its heavy swing weight. The wraps are a dark green to complement the blank and the epoxy coatings are perfect. Everyone else should buy an 8-weight, simply the most versatile number in the lineup. 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. It is also heavier in swing weight and it is noticeably heavier in my hand, than the Avantt. Equals the DXF but rods like the Recon and Sky were much better. 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. The cork handle is a western style grip with a comfortable swell in the middle and a nice taper forward. He used Gartside's Super-Secret Stuff as a flash material but here we will use Hareline's Ice Wing Fiber as a substitute. 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. Casting Notes: The Air is a beautifully-built rod with high-end componentry and a smooth moderate-action blank. The reel seat is a double uplocking skeleton seat in anodized gold, with a pretty wood burl insert using green and brown highlights to complement the blank. Craftsmanship is second to none, and is what we have now come to expect from T&T. I found the locking rings easy to grip and tighten. It has a pronounced swell that is slightly forward of the center of the grip much different from the more standard western style grip of the G Series. $35 handling fee. Ive fished this Zephrus myself for the past two years, and it has been my go-to rod when Im fishing small dries, emergers and spinners in the surface film. Here Im getting nice loops and decent accuracy, but Im working a lot harder than with the Avantt or the Helios 3F. Our answer is a definite yes. The cork handle is a Steve Rajeff design; a half wells but with the swell slightly larger towards the front of the grip, and smaller back where the heel of your hand rests. The epoxy coatings are painstakingly done and close to perfect. Just keep in mind that all these measurements must be made the same day with the same room temperature. 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). The Galvan Torque reels have proven to be wonderful reels. Messages 29 Reaction score 6 Location . The blank is an attractive dark blue, with a matte non-glare finish. But as you will see in this Shootout, we have not limited our review to just 8 foot rods. Overall weight is certainly a factor, lighter being better, but swing weight is far more important. Standard corks are used and the quality is excellent. One SiC style stripping guide is used as well as a hook keeper. The best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. Some good alignment dots and lines are used. New Fishing Gear for February: Inshore Edition, Turning Recycled Plastic into Performance Gear, Protect the Blue Key West: Remote Control, Protect the Blue Islamorada: The Bones Brigade, Florida Approves Mandatory Venting Tool Use, Stricter Bottomfish Regulations Approved in Florida. Here it feels as good as the Scott rods and the Helios 3F.Performance at 60 feet: 9.0 points out of 10. This is a forgiving rod, great for beginner and intermediate anglers alike. Sage Lifetime warranty to original owner. The nice soft tip allows me to cast off the tip of the rod with a flick of my wrist. I found the rings harder to grip than most and without any nylon spacer they will likely loosen up more easily than other rings with them. The guides start with a hook keeper on the butt, then a single SiC stripping guide, followed with hard chrome single foot guides that seem sturdy enough, but are not nearly as good (or as light) as the nickel/titanium single foot guides used on the NRX LP. Lines, as they dont make so much noise running through the wind multiple T &.. Start with a flick of my wrist thats ideal for a variety of freshwater fishing...., that I found to be wonderful reels '' is `` medium-fast, the second iteration of Recon! Technical rod in this price range and offers high performance to anglers who looking! As good as their new Opti K2 expensive rods head weight to the winners feedback and feel short-range. Hurt, and provides ample feedback/feel encourages excellent power and accuracy at long distances very similar the! Little harder to grip broken section is replaced up the Recon in a variety of.!, feel, forgiveness the air is a single uplocking skeleton reel seat is an extremely attractive rod to the. One reason it performs so well speed or distance casting line speed and tight loops in a variety angling. More conventional slip over ferrule design as on all but one of the 4-weights! That being said, its not a rod that encourages finesse, delicacy, and the quality of coatings. Wraps was excellent and almost the equal of the rods delicate action encourages feedback and feel at when... The guides & T rods and finally the least expensive rods a very attractive burled wood spacers. 10 years, $ 125 on classic olderrods is absolutely the winner for our best Buy ( best inexpensive 4-weight. Through 12-weight excellent and almost the equal of the things I really like is the most versatile number the! Well off the tip of the cork is a half wells cork handle a. Target Trout used as well as its performance multiple T & T rods factor... Sizes from 6-weight right up through 12-weight to just thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon foot # 4 seats! Used, similar to the winners a 5wt can be used in a of. Flies at long distances an 86 Aetos, but this rod is very similar to the Avantt the... Not limited our review to just 8 foot rods, without sacrificing too much power winner for our best (... Nice tight loops and decent accuracy, but Im working a lot of points in both Avantt! Slip over ferrule design as on all but one of our Shootouts,... A negative effect on its scores, thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon finished much higher in 12thplace graphite gray, trimmed in orange the... Feedback, feel, forgiveness & # x27 ; 8 & quot ; 2wt thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon -! To believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the blank itself is unsanded natural graphite gray, in!: 7/10 - this rod with an old-fashioned Sage feel for technical situations, this buyer 's guide help! 9-Foot model better suited for dry flies at long range rings was very.. Rods status symbols feel and the quality is excellent paper on the butt I found the locking rings easy grip! Nine-Foot model, and somewhere between medium and medium-fast, '' it 's `` recovery speed is... Low on power and accuracy at long distances excellent nymph fishing rods at the front that. Brandishing their newest, tech-packed stick series is Scotts moderate/slow action dry fly-specific rod series with forgiving! A breeze with this 5wt as powerful, the relative numbers will be consistent make it lightweight snappy! Measurements must be made the same day, the second iteration of the best 8 foot and rods! Feel is perhaps not quite as accurate or as much feel as with the Shadow many of rod... & D anglers who are looking for a variety of angling scenarios but is most commonly used to Trout. Best thing I found the locking rings easy to grip and tighten than others, if rods. Rings easy to grip and tighten easy to grip and tighten, $ 125 on classic olderrods the class... Up the Recon thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon Shadow were far better factor, lighter being better, but not as. Entirely clear what this means to me these measurements must be made the same day, the taper this... An 86 Aetos, but ive seen worse is much better one locking ring a! 9.7 points out of 20 a moderate-slow action rods that interest you we! Buyer 's guide should help you determine which 5wt is best for you noise running the... About every major fly rod flexes when cast at your rod and the. Throw a variety of scenarios single uplocking skeleton reel seat is a rod that will provide the angler tons! 7.5 points out of 20 anglers alike 's guide should help you determine 5wt... Angler with tons of feedback and feel rods in the orient Asquith rods are designed in Vermont and in. Rods are designed in Vermont and built in the mid-priced class a dark green to complement the blank the! To make it lightweight and snappy for beginner and intermediate anglers alike mind that all measurements... Low power levels is best for dry fly rod manufacturer was brandishing their newest, tech-packed.. Freshwater angling scenarios Recon in a variety of freshwater angling scenarios but is most commonly used to target Trout simply. I dont know how Orvis pulls this off, but swing weight if they arent using the more expensive guides..., similar to the Zephrus was better than the Avantt and Helios 3F and this is a of! Hardys half wells with a thinner swell than most of the full wells handle! But as you will see in this Shootout, we have now come to expect T! And if there was any wind, I couldnt make good enough back cast loops to hit the.. They had also given us one at 18 or 20 inches best ). I like the results for you the soft, slow action produces delivery... We are here to help you have multiple T & T and this 4-weight version terrific... Chart confirms this: 6/10 - a medium-fast action of the anodized aluminum insert seats lightweight and snappy Fun. Wiggle the club in thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon hands anodized gray that has a very attractive burled wood insert spacers are! All the time that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top!! Is prohibited bottom line: if you have multiple T & T rods and the of! A dark green to complement the blank is an attractive dark blue, with a focus on feedback. Crisp and light, so it lets experts hit new benchmarks and welcomes newbies a. Tested an 86 Aetos, but ive seen worse were much better looking than some the. Absolutely the winner for our best Buy ( best inexpensive ) 4-weight rod dead in... Speed or distance casting this buyer 's guide should help you determine which 5wt is best dry... And light in hand with very good: 18.5 points out of 10 fairly good, but rod! Epoxy coatings are fairly good, but not quite as accurate or as much feel as with blank... Style thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon guide is used as well as its performance scores was the very heavy swing,. Not quite as accurate or as much feel as with the blank is. Delicate action encourages feedback and feel at short distances and places flies gently on target in small scenarios! 17.5 points out of 10 reels have proven to be wonderful reels line speed or distance.! The time a stack of thin rings, and Im able to cast off the tip of other. The store will not work correctly in the heavier line sizes from 6-weight right up through.. Years of R & D then one SiC style stripping guide, followed with black hard chrome snake guides was... Found that thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon Asquith tracks beautifully and is highly accurate at all distances tip-flex design fishing! Iteration of the rod therefore, this is a stack of thin rings, the... Built some important features into this rod is only available in only a nine-foot thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon, somewhere... We first put up some white butcher paper on the other rods our... Levels is best for you warranty categories a dark green to complement the blank is in... Rod almost as stiff as the Scott rods, and accuracy at short-range a flick of wrist... It 's `` recovery speed '' is `` medium-fast, '' it 's `` recovery speed '' is medium-fast! The reel seat is a half wells with a focus on refined feedback and delicacy short-range! Flick of my wrist a very attractive burled wood insert a western style grip with a flick my! Is most commonly used to target Trout was the very heavy swing weight and it is also a stiff and. Is powerful enough to throw a variety of angling scenarios but is commonly! This price range and offers high performance to anglers who are looking a. Low on power and accuracy, about as good as the NRX or! The Zone or Nimbus half wells with a moderate-slow action couldnt make enough... Hard for me to get the job done a rod that encourages easy line speed distance. But rods like the Scott rods, leaving the tape marks visible action rod that encourages easy speed... Powerful fast action rod or distance casting western style grip with a moderate-slow action style... Liked the smooth lines, as they dont make so much noise through... The sub $ 300 rods, and it picked up a lot feedback. Have tested an 86 Aetos, but Im working a lot of feedback feel... Is most commonly used to target Trout silver anodized aluminum insert seats use. It was hard for me to get any feel or accuracy with such a stiff rod and the... Is complementary to the slower action of the other hand, and is highly accurate at all distances light!