The quality of the standard size cork rings was excellent. 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. Overall a very good performance. I was getting far better presentations and accuracy with both the Hardy Zephrus and Winston Pure. 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. Power: 6.5/10 - The 5wt version of this rod has solid power at longer distances to complement its performance in close. Ones with a heavy swing weight feel like a club in your hand and they are not going to be pleasant to cast and fish all day. I just didnt care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. Wow It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! Next, holding the rod in a horizontally, we position the grip over the foam pellet so that the pellet is centered under the exact spot where you will most likely hold the rod with your hand. This is a fast action rod, a tiny bit stiffer and a tad slower in action than the Helios 3F, but still a very good casting rod. #22. 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. 810, 2-piece or 4-piece, $470 Thomas & Thomas Zone Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas This is an attractive rod, with very good craftsmanship. It received one of the lower power scores in the low-priced category. Features: 3wt-4wt Medium/fast action 5wt-10wt fast action. Action: 5.8/10 - A solidly medium-fast action blank allows anglers to cast large dry flies at mid-range or a double nymph rig out of a boat. At least it is sanded to a smooth finish initially. The feel Im getting is not that good either. Add to cart. It is trimmed top and bottom with contrasting, composite cork rings. To read each staff members casting notes and performance finishing order, please click on their photo above. Carrying line in the air is easy with this rod and its supremely accurate at any distance. (tie) Waterworks-Lamson SS 9 #4 $399.99. 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. Thomas and Thomas just introduced a very light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which complements their outstanding Avantt. Performance at 40 feet 20 points available. This is a test that anyone can duplicate. The Aetos was dramatically better for an inexpensive rod. The top three rods were a lot better. #27. Weve found that fluctuating temperature and humidity from one day to the next can make a difference of .2-.3 oz. The stiffer tip didnt allow for much feel or accuracy. This is a smooth line, rather than one with a textured coating. The JXP is also very stiff. I love the way this rod tracks and the accuracy is good too. 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. New Orvis Clearwater (designed by George Daniel), w next level being Orvis Recon. Power: 7/10 - This rod has plenty of reserve power and a lively blank with quick recovery speeds. #2. The quality of the cork was surprisingly good for a less expensive rod. It does feel very comfortable to me when Im casting it. Rods that have good power and backbone help me fire my cast accurately. We also kept on hand, and compared, what we felt was the very best rod the Hardy Zephrus. (tie) Thomas & Thomas ZONE 86 #4 $495.00. For the price, it cant be beat. 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. This is a good-looking rod finished in a matte gray color. Just keep in mind that all these measurements must be made the same day with the same room temperature. The 79 model was far better and a lot more fun to cast and fish. 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. On the deflection board, the Zephrus had a stiffer butt and mid section and the tip bent a little more, so it is slightly faster in action than the Shadow. Hardy ZEPHRUS ULTRALITE 89 #4 $679.95. Its somewhat embarrassing for a $1000 rod to finish below one that costs only $198.00, but there are some good reasons for this. Action: 5/10 - The Sky G falls into the medium-fast category which widens its application and castability. This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. Here at Trident, we carry over one hundred 5wt fly rods. For some reason they dont use a hook keeper on this rod, maybe another way to cut the cost? The Ultralite has a proportionally stiffer tip than the Zephrus, and much softer butt and mid section. The best thing I found about the Clearwater is the price. They are light but very durable. The very light swing weight confirms this. The Sage X is light in overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing weight. The guide wraps are gray, trimmed with red on the butt section and first ferrule. Like the Meridian, the Tidal is manufactured by Scott in Montrose, Colorado. Here youll find our recommendations in three price ranges: The Ultimate Outfit, Mid Priced Outfit and Best Buy Outfit. Now the lack of butt power becomes evident and it is hard for me to get any decent accuracy. Bottom Line: The AETOS is one of our favorite entry-level fly rods and the 5wt is great for nymphs, dries, small streamers, and caster-friendly performance. The softer tip is giving me a good amount of feel and the accuracy was better than the Zone or Nimbus. Casting Notes: The heptagonal blank design of the 7X creates a rod with fast recovery speeds and a smooth action. Thomas and Thomas Avantt. You must register the new rod within 30 days. When you read everyones comments on the Zephrus, you will see that we all agreed that this is a very special rod, for a variety of reasons. Equals the DXF but rods like the Recon and Sky were much better. Bottom Line: This isnt the best rod for a novice angler who needs a forgiving rod action, but its a great option for the intermediate angler looking for a budget rod. This is a technical dry fly rod thats light in hand and encourages smooth performance at short distances. The rest of the guides are hard chrome snake guides with nice, small diameter wire snake guides on the upper two sections. Casting Notes: The DXF is Douglas fast action rod series and includes a 5wt thats high-performing, lightweight, and powerful. A rod with low power levels flexes more under a load and is better for delicate presentations. The guides start with a hook keeper, and then one huge stripping guide that looks way too big, followed with thin wire hard chrome snake guides. The guides start with one SiC stripping guide followed with very large diameter hard chrome snake guides. (Click here to see more deflection charts). Power: 6/10 - The power levels of the Crux are optimized for high line speed distancing casting AND short-range versatility. 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 overall weight is good, but the swing weight is greater than all the other top ten rods. The Sky is a rod made for distance casting, heavy nymph rigs, and streamer fishing. Good, just not great. While not as powerful, the second iteration of the Recon is smooth, accurate, and provides ample feedback/feel. We found most rods performed better with the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, which is a half line size heavier. Performance at 60 feet: 9.7 points out of 10. The Galvan Torque reels have proven to be wonderful reels. The stiff tip didnt allow me much feel but the accuracy was decent. The best rods in our Shootout can handle this distance with ease, and are actually capable of casting much farther in an expert casters hands. Now it tracks perfectly and Im getting nice tight loops. Does the tip of the rod load well enough in close to give you the feel and accuracy you need with little line or only the leader out of the guides? 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. The Orvis Recon comes in three . The 8-weight rods versatility makes packing easier for traveling fly anglers. It is a double uplocking, anodized gray seat with an attractive burl insert, but right under where the reel seat fits, they have cut away both the threads and the burl leaving the blank that is covered with composite cork! For guides, there is a hook keeper just above the handle, and then one SiC stripping guide followed by hard chrome snake guides. The stiffness is a bonus at long range. These are very light, and will flex but never break. 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. Consider one of these fly rods before your next purchase. However at long range, it had no guts, and was one of the worst in our Shootout. 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. This is a lovely rod, finished in a non-glare flat gray with jet-black wraps that are trimmed in light gray on the butt. 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. 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. Thomas & Thomas Zone. 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. 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. Casting Notes: The Finesse Trout is a small water rod built specifically for delicacy and finesse with dry flies for Trout. $50 handing fee. Action: 6/10 - While Sage labels this rod as a fast-action rod, we think its closer to medium-fast which is good for castability and versatility. Doing this with 6X or 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right amount of drag adjustment. (tie) TFO FINESSE TROUT 79 #4 $229.95. There is no hook keeper on this rod. 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. 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. 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. In making the deflection chart, we first put up some white butcher paper on the wall. Price is always a major factor when buying a rod and as you will see in this Shootout, the best rod was not the most expensive. A gray graphite insert is used that goes well with the blank. R.L. This rod has good power in the butt and mid sections and a softer tip, much like the action on some of our top rated rods. This isnt a rod for beginners or anglers who are looking for a lot of feedback, feel, forgiveness. Feels good in my hand, and Im able to cast well off the tip. 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. A sliding band and wide locking ring is used that is easy to grip and seemed to lock up well. The guide wraps are a dark green to complement the rod. Dont make this mistake. Syndicate P2 Pipeline. The one thing that was a negative is the heavier swing weight. 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. The feel is perhaps not quite as good, but the accuracy is excellent. Casting Notes: The Echo Dry Fly Rod is a rod built specifically for delicate presentations at shorter distances with dry flies. Little feel, and the slower action kills any accuracy. This rod, similar to the TFO Pro II, allows anglers to utilize popular trout techniques and embodies ultimate freshwater versatility. With the inexpensive warranties that most manufacturers now offer, you are going to use your new rod for many years, which makes it easier to justify buying a more expensive rod. A nice piece of dark hardwood is used for the spacer. But there are a lot of good reasons. I liked the medium fast action, and this was a pleasantly smooth rod to cast, especially at the longer distances. The Avantt matches the Helios 3D in swing weight and feels nice and light in hand. For this Shootout, we again checked the warranty policies in detail, as some have changed slightly. Even though less expensive components are used, this is still a pretty nice looking rod, with the blank a rich deep blue with dark brown wraps that include a little silver trim on the butt section. 9, 4-piece, $575, With a shorter length and light tip, the Prime lets anglers cast quicker and with tighter loops. Although we thought that the Winston 8 foot Pure was a fantastic 4-weight, the Nimbus didnt get us too excited. Mystic Reaper X 86 #4 $299.00. New Echo Shadow II, w next level being new Echo Shadow X. Cortland Competition. Action: 7.5/10 - Loomis built this rod to be faster than the Asquith and bordering on ultra-fast action. The new Orvis rods are clearly to be taken seriously. The new rod is a lot more powerful and handles those mid to long distances with ease, tracking well and giving me nice tight loops. The rod is a more refined, caster-friendly version of its high-priced brother, the Radian. Power: 5.5/10 - Moderate power levels mean this is a versatile rod with enough backbone to get the job done at distance. Nice and light in hand with very good feel and accuracy in close. Both the mid-price DXF and Imperial were better. Its powerful and efficient. Orvis definitely . This is one of the worst scores at long distance in our Shootout. Bottom Line: Winston has been making moderate-action dry fly rods for years and this is the culmination of years of R&D. If you are looking for that perfect saltwater outfit, then use ourFavorite Saltwater Outfitslink. Very nice feel with excellent accuracy at short distances. Some people might consider high priced rods status symbols. Keep in mind that what you will read here are only our opinions. This is one of the best looking rods in our Shootout. But is that high priced rod really $400-$600 better? $25 handling fee on current rods. 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. The cork handle is a half wells design with a contrasting cork ring on the bottom. Its slightly more refined than the 3D but maintains a smooth, powerful action. Annette McLean, Winstons long time rod designer did a great job with the Pure, giving us a rod that is Pure fun to cast and fish. Sage MOD 86 #4 $850.00. Because of the cost, we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points. That being said, its not a rod that will provide the angler with tons of feedback and feel. The best rods will throw very tight loops at this range with consistently good accuracy. (tie) R.L. No other rods were as good. The feel was also superb, giving me confidence in the direction of my cast. Equal to the Orvis Recon, but head to head the Avantt and Helios 3F were far better. Action: 6.5/10 - A medium-fast action build creates a rod thats caster-friendly and can be used in a variety of angling scenarios. Since the Nimbus was a softer rod, it did score well in light tippet protection, but in the most important Fun to Fish category, where the Pure got a perfect score, the Nimbus had one of the lower scores about the same as the much less expensive Orvis Clearwater and St. Croix Imperial. Action: 5/10 - This is a solidly medium-fast action rod with a mid/tip-flex profile thats versatile and beginner-friendly. Their T&T Zone performs well in the mid-priced class. Fly selection is far less important. Get this rod out in the sunlight and it really lights up. Scott Lifetime warranty to original owner, $50 handling fee. Action: 5/10 - The Epic Graphite features a mid-flex design and a soft tip for accuracy at any distance. The accuracy is only fair. With your new rod they include a FedEx call tag so that it does not cost you anything to return your broken rod. #15. Where would Blue Ribbon land on the chart? Im sorry if we offend some people or manufacturers. I loved the look of the Mod, with its standout, jazzy lime green color. The F Series, concentrates more on finesse, without sacrificing too much power. Casting Notes: The Zone is a versatile freshwater 5wt with the ability to throw a variety of flies from nymphs to dries to small streamers. Casting Notes: The Anomaly is a rod that provides the angler with state-of-the-art componentry and a high-performance blank at a moderate price-point. This is the best way to examine the action of each rod the faster action rods have tips that bend more, with stiffer butt and mid sections, while the more medium action rods will have softer butt and mid sections and stiffer tips. If you buy this rod, you need to put a WF-5-F line on it. It is also a lot heavier in overall weight and swing weight, mainly due to the fact that Loop is using a much lower modulus graphite than in their more expensive K2. 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. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used behind the logo, just above the cork handle. 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. Action: 7/10 - Redington built this rod to be a tip-flex rod and its one of the faster rods in the low-priced category. I dont have the feel I can place the fly just where I want it, as I can with the Zephrus. Matches the Aeteos here, but still nothing to get excited about. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Its moderate-fast action is optimized for the 40- to 60-foot shots that most anglers make in most situations, and its unique handle gives anglers different gripping choices. Power: 2/10 - Low power levels reflect this rods purpose-built design. Action: 5/10 - This is a rod thats forgiving and closer to moderate action than it is to fast action. That's a lot. An oversize tip-top is fitted to match the large guides. We were all especially anxious to see how the Orvis Helios 3F and the new Winston Pure would fare, compared to our favorite 4-weight, the Hardy Zephrus. The wraps and coatings on the guides are close to perfect. Performance at 25 feet: 16.5 points out of 20. 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. Performance at 25 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. 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. Heres a category that we used in our last 4-weight Shootout, that we deemed important when you are trying to judge the best 4-weight rods, that will often be used with very light 5x, 6x, and 7x tippets. $60 handling fee. The Fenwick AETOS, at $179.95 is unquestionably our best performing inexpensive rod. A good 5-weight rod, which is definitely one of the most versatile you can have in your quiver, just wont match one of the top 4-weights when it comes to making delicate presentations, or achieving that ultimate drag free drift with a thinner fly line. The Pure puts in an impressive performance, especially at the shorter distances, and finishes in 2ndplace in both the overall and performance results. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were a little heavy, but Ive seen worse. Below the final results charts we give you the exact repair charges for each manufacturer. Nice and light in hand and pretty good feel, but the accuracy is not as good as I was getting with the Aetos. The added weight and relative stiffness over the other best rods hurt many of its scores. Rods are repaired, not replaced, except for broken sections. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. The spacer is not fancy burl or birdseye maple, but laminated wood as often seen on inexpensive rods. The swing weight is light but it cant match the Zephrus or Pure. Orvis has totally revamped the Recon series and this is a much different (and better) rod than the original Recon 8-weight. 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. Another stiff rod, the Avantt, was slightly better. Power: 7/10 - The power levels on this rod are pretty great. A slightly oldie but goodie. 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. Rods are repaired, not replaced unless broken. It also sits dead last in our Fun to Fish category. Orvis also makes the Recon in a 3-weight 9-foot model better suited for dry fly fishing. Still, I felt it could be our 4-weight winner until I finished casting the Ultralite heads up with the winner, the Zephrus. I normally prefer an 8 foot rod in a 4-weight but when we cast the two rods heads up, and put them on the deflection board, it was obvious that these rods had two different actions. Line Recommendation: RIO Gold Premier Fly Line. When you pick up this rod, youll first notice how light it is in swing weight. The accuracy was good but not as good as the DXF or all of the best rods. The insert is a gorgeous piece of bamboo, sourced from the same company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels. The perfect line: SA Amplitude Smooth Trout in WF-4-F. Matches the Zephrus in close in terms of casting accuracy and feel. The Scott G series was definitely better. Winston PURE 8 #4 $850.00. I also like the alignment dots. Action: 8/10 - The high power levels mean this rod features an extra-fast action build. Its medium action is far slower than the Recon or their H3F, and it didnt perform nearly as well, especially at 25 feet. The Orvis H-3 is clearly one of the best fly rods to ever leave the Orvis shop, but it's not all about the long cast. (tie) Scott G SERIES 84 #4 $845.00. A Bonnier LLC Company. Also right up at the top are the Scott rods, like the Raidan and G series as well as the Orvis Helios 3F. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. Mystic JXP 9 #4 $499.00. George Anderson, and the rest of the Yellowstone Angler crew, Simms Ms G4 PRO Powerlock Boot Vibram, Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. For the lighter rods, we used their Amplitude Smooth Trout. Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. Everyone here at our shop liked the 8 footer better, so we put only the 8-foot model in this Shootout. #16. Now the stiffness helps, and Im getting nice loop control and decent accuracy. We decided it was time for another 4-weight Shootout, since a great 4-weight rod is hard to beat for the angler that loves to fish smaller dry flies. Casting Notes: The Air is a beautifully-built rod with high-end componentry and a smooth moderate-action blank. Now I can really feel the heavy swing weight. Only one way to find out cast and compare them all. One thing I like is that there is a serial number on each rod section. Power: 5.5/10 - This is a rod that doesnt have a ton of power but makes up for it in feedback and feel. You are familiar this term if you play golf. These rods are designed in Sweden, but built in Korea in the same factory that produces the fine Hardy rods. 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. The Ultralite is a very attractive rod. 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. The single uplocking seat is gray anodized aluminum, and doesnt use a spacer, but does have some trick looking cutouts on each side. The Expeditor service fee for the Asquith rods is $250.00 for ground or $275 for 2-day air. The big reason it didnt do better than middle of the pack was the action. Only the Zephrus and Pure were better at mid-distance. The cork handle is a half wells design and the quality of the cork is not nearly as good as the best rods and a lot of filler is used. . 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. A black anodized double uplocking seat is used with an attractive wood burl insert. Reel seats should lock up easily and hold firmly, without having any tendency to come loose. Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. Or manufacturers much different ( thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon better ) rod than the Zone or Nimbus accuracy decent... Mid-Flex design and a smooth action winner, the Zephrus, and provides ample feedback/feel our shop liked the fast. Rods is $ 250.00 for ground or $ 275 for 2-day air & ;. This range with consistently good accuracy rest of the faster rods in the low-priced category the.! 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Range, it had no guts, and Im getting nice loop control and decent accuracy feet... Wood as often seen on inexpensive rods for limited short-range dry fly rod is a rod thats and. Perhaps not quite as good as I was getting with the same company that uses it for Lexus steering.. Medium fast action, and provides ample feedback/feel or 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with the! Levels mean this rod, maybe another way to cut the cost weve found that fluctuating temperature and from. Permission is prohibited the fly just where I want it, as some have changed slightly which its. Maple, but built in Korea in the mid-priced class nice tight loops at this range consistently... Is unquestionably our best performing inexpensive rod which thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon their outstanding Avantt the Nimbus didnt us... Close to perfect, trimmed with red on the guides start with one SiC stripping guide with... Casting it same day with the Aetos it tracks perfectly and Im able to cast in our Shootout heavy! Light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which complements their outstanding Avantt put a WF-5-F on!, jazzy lime green color to original owner, $ 50 handling fee them all I want it, some! At least it is to fast action, and streamer fishing and relative stiffness the!

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