Naturally, you must use a double haul and form good tight back cast loops to deliver accurate casts at these longer distances. Softer tips on these 4-weight rods almost always equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations, especially at shorter distances. The blank is that same lovely emerald Winston green we have come to know and love. 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. Casting Notes: The Echo Dry Fly Rod is a rod built specifically for delicate presentations at shorter distances with dry flies. The extra 3 inches in length also had a negative effect on the overall action. Sign up for our Newsletter, a monthly dose of new ideas and exclusive deals on great gear, sent directly to your inbox. Power: 2/10 - Low power levels reflect this rods purpose-built design. Bottom Line: A rod for the traditionalist and the dry fly angler, the Air features Winston attention-to-detail and smooth performance in a variety of trout angler scenarios. A Bonnier LLC Company. For most of my fishing with a 4-weight rod in critical conditions Im using one of our 12-foot leaders down to a 5X or 6X tippet, but in the Shootout we stick with 4X Rio Powerflex as a tippet in order to minimize breaking off the yarn indicator. A powerful, fast-action rod works well for turning over larger rigs or casting longer distances in windy conditions. Nice and smooth. (tie) R.L. 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. It was one of the worst rods in the important swing weight category, and it was near the bottom in light tippet protection too. The Sky is a rod made for distance casting, heavy nymph rigs, and streamer fishing. 5wt fly rods are (by far) the most popular rod model in contemporary fly fishing. This same Expeditor service applies to the Asquith but the fee is $275 for 2ndday air. Also, by having 8-10 rods set up, 2-3 testers can simultaneously do the casting. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used on the butt, behind the logo. Fenwick-Lifetime warranty. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. Hardy ZEPHRUS ULTRALITE 89 #4 $679.95. To get a 10, repair charges had to be $35 or less with a quick turn around time of less than two weeks. Power: 5.5/10 - This is a rod that doesnt have a ton of power but makes up for it in feedback and feel. Great rods dont make great casters, but there is no doubt that they will improve any anglers casting skills and his ability to catch fish. $199.95. 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. The reel seat is a single uplocking skeleton seat in anodized gray that has a very attractive burled wood insert. 2 Reviews. 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. Orvis Recon 5wt. The best thing I found about the Clearwater is the price. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. I was hitting the plate almost every time. Still, I felt it could be our 4-weight winner until I finished casting the Ultralite heads up with the winner, the Zephrus. Feels good in my hand, and Im able to cast well off the tip. Power: 8.2/10 - This is a highly powerful 5wt and casts smoothly and effortlessly out to 60-feet. Sage MOD 86 #4 $850.00. About as good as the Imperial, but the Recon and Shadow were noticeably better. 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. I look for rods that feel totally solid and track well. Performance at 25 feet: 18.0 points out of 20. She is resposible for many of the great photos youll see here as well as all of the video. The cutout only extends down to from the butt cap, leaving that last portion fully threaded where you would tighten down the rings. Thomas and Thomas have spent decades honing their reputation, and their long-awaited mid-price model has been eagerly received by fly fishers the world over. We actually cast two #4 line Pure rods- the 8 footer you see here and its 86 brother. The buzz around IFTD this year was heavy on the rod-talk. The craftsmanship is second to none and it earns a perfect score along with the Winston Pure and T&T Avantt. It often takes a little time for the rod to settle down from all this movement so we do this procedure 4-6 times and then take the average weight we are getting from the scale. Hardy is using their best Sintrix 440 graphite in this rod, also used in the Zephrus. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. Action: 4/10 - Refined, and somewhere between medium and medium-fast, the taper of this rod is extremely forgiving. In close, I could not cast off the tip of the Ultralite nearly as well as with the Zephrus. #28. Bottom Line: If youre a serious dry fly angler, this is one of the best fly rods on the market. Casting Notes: The Epic Graphite 5wt is one of our favorites. When Im fishing dry flies Ill use a 12-foot leader most of the time as this keeps the fly line farther away from the fish, minimizing the number of fish you spook while casting. A half wells handle is used and the quality of the cork is only fair to good compared to the best rods. 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. With the best rods, (and little wind), Im hitting the plate nearly 50% of the time. I loved the crisp, fast action of the Avantt and its light swing weight, but unfortunately the Zone is not nearly as nice. Our answer is a definite yes. The craftsmanship was very good, but not good enough to give it a perfect score like the Pure. The medium fast action seems just right and Im getting both good feel and good accuracy at the shorter distances. 2. And since it was such a soft rod, the lack of butt and mid-section power killed its score at 60 feet, especially if there was any wind. R.L. A contrasting dark composite cork ring is used at the top of the grip. It also has one of the heaviest swing weights in our Shootout. Both the Zephrus and Pure were far lighter in hand, and far better in performance at 40 feet. The quality of the cork is not too good either and it used a lot of filler. Its a great all-around rod and less technical than the 3D. Most of the rest score 9s, which was a $60-$75 fee for repair or replacement. It was very light in swing weight, and quite accurate in close, but it just didnt have much feel in close like the best rods. Tough for me to hit the longest distance, and if there was any breeze I couldnt hit within ten feet of where I need the fly to go! I love the way this rod tracks and the accuracy is good too. 9 and 10, 4-piece, $549, Designed to trim seconds off your shot time, this rod features a particularly powerful tip that increases line speed and dampens the vibrations that reduce accuracy. 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. The Pure puts in an impressive performance, especially at the shorter distances, and finishes in 2ndplace in both the overall and performance results. The craftsmanship is typical T&T excellence, even though they are using lower quality components in the cork handle and reel seat. George Anderson, and the rest of the Yellowstone Angler crew, Simms Ms G4 PRO Powerlock Boot Vibram, Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. It comes in very close to our mid-price winner, the Hardy Shadow. The best Korean built rods now rival what is produced here in the US. 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. Casting Notes: The Sky G offers the latest fly rod technology with a Graphene build (if youre curious, check out our product page). A dark gray wood burl insert is used that matches the blank. You can certainly use this rod for larger dry flies out of a boat but its not quite as accurate/high-performing as the BVK. With comments by the Yellowstone Angler staff. 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. 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. Our deflection charts have been very popular in past Shootouts, so we are giving you more this year. Here, any rods that rate 9.5 -10 are superb, and would be at the top of a Perfect 4 category. For some reason they dont use a hook keeper on this rod, maybe another way to cut the cost? The rest of the guides start with a single wire recoil stripper like G. Loomis uses, (I dont like these much either), but at least the rest are the good flexible nickel/titanium single-foot guides, as on the Zephrus, in a black color. 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. We kept the best rod in each category, high priced, medium priced, and inexpensive category handy for comparison. In addition to being a test caster and editor, hes responsible for some of the photos and putting all of this on line. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were surprisingly good for a one-coat finish. Scott feels that this gives the rod a smoother one-piece type action, and I agree as this is a very smooth casting rod that gives me a lot of feel at short to mid distances. 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. This is a sharp looking rod. 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. The Douglas Sky was both heavier and stiffer, and didnt perform as well, except out long at 60 feet. A half wells, western style handle is used, but the quality of the cork is only fair compared to the best rods a lot of filler is used. I just wanted to leave a comment and say thanks for all the reviews you guys put out. Power: 8.5/10 - Higher power levels make this rod a great choice in wind or large water. Action: 7/10 - This rod sports a medium-fast/fast action blank thats ideal for a variety of freshwater fishing techniques. Because of the cost, we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points. Nice and light in hand with very good feel and accuracy in close. G. Loomis . The H3F rated slightly higher over all, but the Asquith had a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long casts. The action is medium fast not as fast as the Pure but still feels very nice in my hand and produced some respectable performance scores. Nice rod, quite light and supple tip could throw a leader very well. Winston says Pure Feel, Pure Presentation and Pure Fun I cant disagree. 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. TheHardy SHADOWat $349.95 takes the crown as our best mid-priced rod with an exceptional performance that put it into a tie for 4thplace overall with theT&T AVANTT. WinstonLifetime warranty to original owner. This is a rod thats pure Sage at a price-point that is tough to beat. I liked the use of alignment dots. Casting Notes: The Flex is a beautiful combination of versatility, castability, and a medium-fast action for power when you need it. I dont know how Orvis pulls this off, but we like the results. Hardy Demon. I like a lot of things about this rod. Power: 9/10 - Orvis optimized the 3D for power at longer distances. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. There are a few 8 foot and shorter rods as well as a few 9-foot rods in the mix, especially when manufacturers dont offer an 8 foot model. Performance at 25 feet 20 points available. The Aetos was dramatically better for an inexpensive rod. The reel seat is an uplocking black anodized skeleton seat with a dark gray graphite insert, (pretty plain looking but it works well). This is a great rod for the angler who needs extra power for large dry flies out of a drift boat but wants a taper thats slightly more refined than the Zone. 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. But when I need to reach out and make casts at 60-70 feet, as I often do fishing bigger rivers like the Missouri, the Zephrus has tons of power on tap to get the job done. We have fished all over the world in both fresh and saltwater for a variety of fish, and well be glad to answer all of your questions, to help you choose the perfect rod or outfit. TheOrvis RECON, at $429 wasnt far behind! $50 handling fee. To appreciate this rod, you need to see it in the sunlight. The feel was also superb, giving me confidence in the direction of my cast. 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. That's a lot. It is also heavier in swing weight and it is noticeably heavier in my hand, than the Avantt. When you pick up this rod, youll first notice how light it is in swing weight. Only the Loop Q was worse. Bottom Line: If built-in-the-USA quality matters to you and youre in the market for a versatile do-it-all fly rod, the Imperial is a great 5wt. A little better here but the DXF still puts it to shame. We are just trying to call it like we see it, in an unbiased manner. Loop Cross SW. Scott Meridian 9wt. My favorite length for a 4-weight rod is 8 feet. It was a little better than the Avantt here, but not as good as the H3F. Better than the Radian and Helios 3F in close. Special Price $469.99 was $595.00. 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. 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. I was getting decent feel in close but accuracy was not that great. I love the appearance of the DXF, with the blank finished in a flat, non-glare dark green. We can attribute this to the use of one-coat finish rather than multiple coats as seen on the T&T rods. It was hard for me to get any feel or accuracy with such a stiff rod and a light line. 9, 4-piece, $575, With a shorter length and light tip, the Prime lets anglers cast quicker and with tighter loops. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. For sure, one of the worst in our Shootout. This is a good-looking rod, finished in a non-glare flat black. 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. It has a larger swell than most rods, and the swell is set closer to the top of the grip, than most rods well forward of the center of the grip. The heavy swing weight hurt, and I wasnt getting the kind of feel or accuracy I got with the G Series Scott or the Orvis Helios 3F. 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. 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). The idea here is to measure the swing weight at the middle of where your palm is likely to sit on the grip. It packs enough punch to fling weighted crustacean imitations for bonefish or redfish, deliver 3- to 4-inch streamers for snook, schoolie stripers or juvenile tarpon, and command the sinking line you might choose when chasing albies. 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. There is no question that the Shadow is our best Mid Priced 4-weight rod. The skeleton reel seat is a gray anodized double uplocking with a dark gray laminated wood insert. The epoxy coatings are fairly good, but a little heavy. 9, 4-piece, $495. We're not crowning a champion here and we're not going to tell you which 5wt fly rod is the best. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a 5wt with boosted power levels and increased line speed capabilities, this rod is a great option. This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. The action of the Zone is much slower than the Avantt (and also a lot slower than the Recon or Shadow). Learn more. This rod is great for dry flies at long distances or small streamers. If your favorite rod breaks in the middle of the summer and you dont get it back for a month and a half, you are going to be very angry! Standard corks are used and the quality is excellent. Power: 7.5/10 - The DXF is powerful for a 5wt but features a larger timing window than other less forgiving fast action 5wts. The best rods in this category are almost always the lightest in swing weight, especially if you are doing a lot of false casting when fishing dry flies. Action: 5/10 - The Epic Graphite features a mid-flex design and a soft tip for accuracy at any distance. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were a little heavy, but Ive seen worse. To read each staff members casting notes and performance finishing order, please click on their photo above. The rings should be easy to grip and tighten. 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. If youre looking for a workhorse rod for streamer fishing or double nymph fishing, this is a solid option. 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. One of the big factors here is that this rod is only available in a 9-foot length as a 4-weight. 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 store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. 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. Each chart gives you a good look at how the tip section, (approximately the top half of the rod) bends and compares to other rods. Rods are repaired, not replaced unless broken. And, if it does, help us by purchasing your next 5wt from us. We have learned that we cannot trust manufacturers stated rod weights. Much heavier in hand than the Avantt, and the stiffer tip is not giving me as much feel or accuracy. The Recon has been one of our favorite rods, and this 4-weight version is terrific. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. First we try to determine what we felt were the best performing rods. 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. #4 (Tie) Thomas and Thomas AVANTT 86#4 $845.00. Bottom Line: The Radian marries lightweight design with versatile performance and has been a best-seller for years. $25 handling fee. The stiffness hurt in close but this is one of the very best performing rods at long range. That being said, its not a rod that will provide the angler with tons of feedback and feel. 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. 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. If you find the 5wt you've always wanted through this post, help us keep the reviews/shootouts/guides coming by purchasing your gear from us. #8. 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. But that was about all I liked, other than the very light overall weight that earned it a perfect score. Nice and smooth but noticeably heavier in swing weight than the Recon and Shadow and not nearly as accurate. It depends on how much I want to spend to not catch any more fish, LOL. All, but the Asquith to 7 points not going to tell you which fly... Lovely emerald Winston green we have come to know and love weight and it earns a score. Just right and Im getting both good feel and good accuracy at distance... 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