No handling fee. One of the reasons is that the SKY is available only as a nine footer, while the DXF is 86. Both the feel and accuracy were outstanding. I liked the medium fast action, and this was a pleasantly smooth rod to cast, especially at the longer distances. Im able to form fairly tight loops, but the accuracy is not as good as what Im getting with the Helios 3F or the Avantt. Many of the best rods are built in one factory in Korea. I love the appearance of the DXF, with the blank finished in a flat, non-glare dark green. Here it matches the NRX LP and the Recon. If you are looking for that perfect saltwater outfit, then use ourFavorite Saltwater Outfitslink. Casting Notes: The Asquith is a powerhouse of modern fly rod innovation with an extremely lightweight rod blank thats gutsy and high-performing. 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. This rod has a slower action than the fast action NRX LP, as well as a stiffer tip. Where would Blue Ribbon land on the chart? Also right up at the top are the Scott rods, like the Raidan and G series as well as the Orvis Helios 3F. This is a fast action rod. It was even a little sloppy on the tip sections. First, it is very light in swing weight and the fast action is a lot like the Zephrus in that it has a stronger butt and much softer tip than most of the other rods. Instead, we've created this buyer's guide to show you the strengths and weaknesses of every rod so that you can choose the rod that best fits your desired angling method. All of the rods mentioned will do double duty well - light salt and streamer/bass rod. Pretty good loop control but the feel and accuracy were not as good as what I was getting with the DXF or the St. Croix Imperial. The DXF was better and the Shadow was far better. Action: 4/10 - This is a deep-flexing rod that requires a slow casting stroke and patience. The locking ring was fairly large and easy to grip and tighten but didnt have a plastic ring like some that allow them to lock up more securely. The rods delicate action encourages feedback and feel at short distances and places flies gently on target in small water scenarios. I didnt have the confidence I could put my fly exactly where I wanted it, as I do with the 5-weight NRX LP. Fly rod power and fly rod action help answer the question 'what kind of fishing is this fly rod best suited for?'. The medium fast action of the Recon is very similar to the Helios 3F and this is one reason it performs so well. A flare on the bottom end of the grip accommodates the uplocking seat. 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. L. Lmad928 Active member. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used behind the logo, just above the cork handle. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used on the butt, behind the logo. The 7X is a real pleasure to cast and is expertly designed with the best of contemporary fly rod technology. Action: 5.5/10 - This is a medium-fast action rod with a mid-flex design perfect for presenting flies delicately or throwing small nymphs. I love the handle design it tapers outward allowing you to quickly get and maintain a good grip on the handle. This rod uses spigot ferrules, rather than the slipover ferrule design found on most rods including the Scott Radian. This is a good-looking rod finished in a matte gray color. Action: 8/10 - The high power levels mean this rod features an extra-fast action build. Power: 7/10 - This is a powerful rod that cuts through the wind, recovers relatively quickly, and allows anglers to present flies at longer distances. Stiff, slower action rods are NOT what you are looking for in a 4-weight, where accurate, delicate presentations are the keys to success. One thing I like is that there is a serial number on each rod section. Only the Zephrus and Pure were better at mid-distance. It depends on how much I want to spend to not catch any more fish, LOL. The best rods are not always the most expensive ones. Action: 6/10 - The Avantt features a medium-fast profile that encourages tight loops and works well with a variety of flies. Power: 6.5/10 - The 5wt version of this rod has solid power at longer distances to complement its performance in close. Of course it is six inches shorter too. Power: 8.5/10 - The lightweight, quick-recovering blank of the Sky encourages excellent power and accuracy at long range. Special Price $469.99 was $595.00. The guides are one hook keeper; a single SiC stripper and then all the rest are hard chrome snake guides that are durable but heavy. Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. The wide single ring was easy to grip and tighten. At short and medium distances, it has great feel, but was lacking in accuracy. In the 4, 5, and 6-weights, the DXF is a great casting rod. The feel was also superb, giving me confidence in the direction of my cast. 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. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. 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. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. Light Tippet Protection 20 points available. 4 Reviews. Add to Cart. Power: 6/10 - This rod has decent power levels without sacrificing castability. This isnt a rod that will give you feedback and feel at short range. With the Infinity it cast better long, and I would have scored it closer to 9 at long range. Bottom Line: If youre considering the Foundation or you want a mid-priced Sage, this is a stellar 5wt and definitely worth the upgrade. For 4-weight rods, when you are fishing at shorter distances, (most of the time), it is particularly important that leaders turn over well. Performance at 60 feet: 8.5 points out of 10. Im sorry if we offend some people or manufacturers. The blank is that same lovely emerald Winston green we have come to know and love. 7 Reviews. (tie) Sage X 86 #4 $900.00. Short to mid-range seem to be the best distances for the DXF. The Sage X is light in overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing weight. (tie) Scott G SERIES 84 #4 $845.00. Better than the Sky but cant match the Shadow. We've cast almost every mid-priced saltwater fly rod on the market including the new Recon 2 Rods (check out the review of the 5wt here and the 8wt here) and many others. Its slightly more refined than the 3D but maintains a smooth, powerful action. And a look at the deflection chart confirms this. The quality of the cork was surprisingly good for a less expensive rod. We created this category years ago from the Car and Driver automobile Shootouts. The craftsmanship was very good, but not good enough to give it a perfect score like the Pure. We make a note of which was the best line with the write up on each rod. Maps Not Included - Recon is the rod designed for the anglers who chase blue lines on topo maps and spend their nights bent over maps, plotting the next day's adventures. The quality of the cork was much better too, but still not in the class of what we found on the Recon or Shadow. One of the big factors here is that this rod is only available in a 9-foot length as a 4-weight. A slightly oldie but goodie. Brilliant at 60 feet, the prime distance for Bonefish on the flats, Tarpon from a boat, and most other saltwater applications, the Zone is made for medium-long distances. Casting Notes: The Classic Trout is Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that is built for small water and spring creek fishing. Add to Cart. The reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. But there are a lot of good reasons. Only one way to find out cast and compare them all. Also, by having 8-10 rods set up, 2-3 testers can simultaneously do the casting. 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 buzz around IFTD this year was heavy on the rod-talk. Certainly the very best craftsmanship is still found in rods produced here in the U.S. We gave perfect scores to the R.L Winston Pure, the Thomas and Thomas Avantt, and the Loomis Asquith. As in the past we are using our own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight. 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. backing and fly line. The thing that amazes me is how perfect the guide wrapping and epoxy coatings are, compared to other rods. 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. Performance at 60 feet: 9.5 points out of 10. The stiffer clear Maxima butt sections on our leaders achieve this. But even with the lighter line, the accuracy was not very good. If you do a lot of nymph fishing, the extra length will help, and this rod has enough butt and mid-section power to also chuck some smaller streamers. $199.95. The action is slightly slower than the Zephrus though, and this contributed somewhat to its lack of feel and accuracy at 25 feet. This rod is nice and light in hand, and performed well in close, where I was getting pretty good feel and decent accuracy. Accuracy is good, just not great. The shorter rod is nice and light, and faster in action than its longer brother. These Shootouts take a lot of time and effort. Heads up, the Sage X and Recon were both better. A 3-weight fly rod can be great fun on windless days, but those days seem to be rare. How well are the guides wrapped and how nice are the coatings? Taylor Lifetime warranty to original owner. I wish there was a hook keeper, which I find very useful on light rods, but there is none. To read each staff members casting notes and performance finishing order, please click on their photo above. Guides start with a hook keeper, and then one SiC stripping guide, followed with black hard chrome snake guides. However at long range, it had no guts, and was one of the worst in our Shootout. We also kept on hand, and compared, what we felt was the very best rod the Hardy Zephrus. Pros The uplocking skeleton reel seat is silver anodized aluminum, with one good-sized locking ring and sliding band, similar to the Avantt. The cork handle is a more conventional western style grip than found on their Radian, with a flare on the back to accept the black anodized single uplocking seat that utilizes a brown graphite insert. 2 Reviews. These stiffer 4-weight rods require lines that are slightly heavier than a standard AFTMA 4-weight line. This is a classy reel seat, which is much better looking than some of the anodized aluminum insert seats. The color of the blank is an olive green that Orvis calls shadow green. The wraps are brown and the epoxy coatings are OK but a little heavy and not nearly as well done as on the 3F. I loved the punch and power I was getting with the Shadow and only at long range did it suffer. Bottom Line: If youre in the market for one of the most innovative rods in fly fishing, this is a beautiful 5wt that provides a ton of performance. 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. 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. 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. In our important swing weight category, this rod was one of the worst. Casting Notes: The IMX Pro is a well-known rod series. Power: 6/10 - This rod has some reserve power and can definitely carry line in the air and present flies at longer distances. The Trace casts well at short/middle distances and provides the angler with enough feedback/feel for accuracy and finesse. The blank is graphite gray and follows Scotts practice of sanding the blank only lightly and allowing the tape marks to remain. Nothing to write home about. A sliding band and one easy to grip locking ring are used. If you look at the performance scores, youll see that the Aetos finished in 11thplace here also. The action is much slower, this being more of a medium action rod. The Orvis RECON, at $429 wasn't far behind! The JXP is also very stiff. Performance at 25 feet: 17.5 points out of 20. Only you can make that decision. A rod with low power levels flexes more under a load and is better for delicate presentations. The Pure is unquestionably one of the best looking rods in our Shootout, with some of the best craftsmanship. Rods are repaired, not replaced, except for broken sections. Features: 3wt-4wt Medium/fast action 5wt-10wt fast action. Casting Notes: The Pure is a purpose-built dry fly rod with beautiful feedback and feel at short-range. Will they make you a better angler? The quality of cork is pretty good, but not in the same class as Avantt. If Fenwick determines that there was a defect, the rod will be repaired or replaced at no charge. The swell in the middle of the grip is a little more forward than most. Performance at 25 feet: 18.5 points out of 20. A powerful, fast-action rod works well for turning over larger rigs or casting longer distances in windy conditions. Like the K2, no hook keeper is used, which I miss on a 4-weight. If you cannot find or cast the rods that interest you, we are here to help. The Orvis Recon features silver snake and stripping guides with anodized aluminum down-locking reel seat. Sign up for our Newsletter, a monthly dose of new ideas and exclusive deals on great gear, sent directly to your inbox. Bottom Line: Weve been recommending the DXF 5wt in this price range for a while and think it provides the most performance for the lowest cost in the mid-priced category. Below are all the 4-weight rods in the order they finished. 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 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. Good, just not great. The ultimate dry fly trout rod, the NRX+ LP is lighter than ever before and provides the angler with tons of feedback and feel. The swing weight of the rod is the weight you feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod horizontally. The reel seat is a single uplocking skeleton seat in anodized gray that has a very attractive burled wood insert. 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. 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. Equal to the IMX Pro but thats about it. It was a little heavier than the best rods in both overall weight and swing weight but part of this can be attributed to it being a 9 foot rod, while most other rods in our 4-weight Shootout are 6 inches to a foot shorter. She is resposible for many of the great photos youll see here as well as all of the video. Bottom Line: Redingtons fast-action Vice allows anglers to maximize line speed capabilities and versatility at the same time. 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. Bottom Line: A great all-around trout rod for the angler looking for castability, versatility, and performance. Equals the DXF but rods like the Recon and Sky were much better. If you have something about the right size and color, you can often force-feed a selective fish by making repeated accurate and delicate presentations that are right in the fishs window. The best rings use thin nylon spacers between them to assure a positive lock up. If the rod is broken because of a defect, or while fishing, replacement is free. The swing weight is light but it cant match the Zephrus or Pure. Mayfly emergers are often stuck in the film for quite some time making them easy pray for hungry trout. Anyway, I tried it out in a local store and I have to say it did not feel like a fast action rod, or even a medium-fast action rod. While the AETOS is built on a fast action blank, its more forgiving than other rods in its price range and is designed to provide the novice angler with versatility and fast-action performance. The Shadow and Pure were far better. This is still a very good casting rod overall, but it just doesnt come close to matching the scores turned in by the top rods in this Shootout. That gives it a perfect score of 10 along with the Aetos. The Ultralite is a very attractive rod. The amount of power seems to be about right, and it performed best at the longer distances where I could punch it hard without throwing tailing loops. 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. The X provides the angler with finesse in close and power when you need it, a nice combination of feedback and backbone. For this Shootout, we were able to do the casting here on our lawn at the shop. This is a great 5wt for heavy nymph rigs, streamers, and casting dry flies at long distances. Now the stiffness is becoming an advantage, and Im getting some nice tight loops. (tie) Waterworks-Lamson SS 9 #4 $399.99. Fun to Fish/Got to Have 10 points available. The best handles now use a stack of thinner cork rings or standard size rings with very few defects that are laid up individually and then sanded down. This one is simple The least expensive rods get the highest points. Carbon XL. 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. It has a butt and mid-section that is stiffer than most rods tested. Join Our Weekly Newsletter: We are just trying to call it like we see it, in an unbiased manner. There's no other place online that has as many or as comprehensive reviews as you guys, and it really helps. Unlike some of the stiffer 4-weights, this rod performs well at the shorter distances too. Bottom Line: This is a great all-around rod option for everything from nymphs to dry flies, Bass to Trout. Here Im getting nice loops and decent accuracy, but Im working a lot harder than with the Avantt or the Helios 3F. But is that high priced rod really $400-$600 better? With 4-weight rods, performing well at the two shorter distances is the key to determining the best rods. Chloe has been working in the shop for two summers and now works with us full time. This was one of the rods that we felt needed the lighter Trout line. More manufacturers should use light guides like this to minimize swing weight if they arent using the more expensive nickel-titanium guides. Scott Tidal. The quality of the cork in the handles varies enormously among fly rods. Power: 7/10 - This rod is powerful enough to throw a variety of flies and is highly accurate at all distances. Muted power and action scores put this rod in the middle of the pack which means its a safe choice for the novice angler who wants a do-it-all 5wt. I was getting decent feel in close but accuracy was not that great. 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. The Helios 3 rods are available in both the D and F Series with the D series more designed for distance and power. The cork handle is that same snub nose, half wells found on the X and feels very comfortable to me. However, as youll see in the Performance Only scores, it finished much higher in 12thplace. The heavy swing weight is perhaps the biggest reason the SKY didnt perform so well. Of all the reels we have carried over the years, Galvan continues to have the fewest warranty issues and returns. 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. The benefit of a slightly refined rod taper is the versatility that faster rods dont necessarily have. If broken from neglect or any other cause, you must use the Expeditor service. At one point it was our Best inexpensive rod until the Fenwick Aetos muscled it aside. Bottom Line: If youre looking for one of the most versatile 5wts in this price range, the Zone is a great option made by a well-known manufacturer. Since it is a lot shorter than my preferred 8 foot #4, it ran up some high scores in both overall weight and swing weight. Part of the light swing weight can be attributed to the use of the superb REC nickel/titanium single-foot guides. 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. The Recon was much better. Power: 5.5/10 - This is a rod that doesnt have a ton of power but makes up for it in feedback and feel. And for a rod that is half the cost of the Helios 3F, the overall weight and swing weight are actuallylower! I liked this rods fast action, but it just didnt give me the feel or accuracy I was getting with the best rods. My first nymph stick that is all around rock solid. The quality of the standard size cork rings was very good. Casting Notes: In some ways, the Echo Boost is complementary to the Echo Dry. Fly selection is far less important. Nice and light in hand and pretty good feel, but the accuracy is not as good as I was getting with the Aetos. The single uplocking seat is gray anodized aluminum, and doesnt use a spacer, but does have some trick looking cutouts on each side. The spacer is not fancy burl or birdseye maple, but laminated wood as often seen on inexpensive rods. Action: 8.2/10 - The Sonic is a tip-flex rod bordering on extra-fast action. 1 Review. 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. Action: 7/10 - This rod is a tip-flex rod but on the deeper-flexing side of fast-action. Action: 5/10 - The Epic Graphite features a mid-flex design and a soft tip for accuracy at any distance. A lot of this can be attributed to the nice action good butt and mid section power combined with a lighter, softer tip, much like the Zephrus. Casting against the Scott G series it felt about equal, and better than the Asquith. (Click here to see more deflection charts). 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