thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon

Often novices entering the sport of fly-fishing opt for one of the least expensive rods, but weve found that it makes more sense to spend the money on one of the better performing rods, at least one in that mid-price range, that will allow an angler to develop his or her casting skills much more rapidly. Flex and Feel The Zone feels like most 'fast action' saltwater rods today. Casting Notes: Handcrafted in the USA, the St. Croix Imperial is a smooth-casting rod that puts an emphasis on performance without limiting the angler to either line speed or delicacy. Action: 6/10 - A medium-fast action rod design makes turning over heavy nymph rigs a breeze with this 5wt. Mystic Reaper X 86 #4 $299.00. The epoxy coatings are painstakingly done and close to perfect. The craftsmanship was very good, but not good enough to give it a perfect score like the Pure. Line Recommendation: Scientific Anglers Amplitude MPX Fly Line. The tips on the faster rods bend more. Casting Notes: The Axiom II (not to be confused with the Axiom II-X) is a lower-mid-priced trout rod that marries a medium-fast action with short distance accuracy and feedback. The stiff tip didnt allow me much feel but the accuracy was decent. The epoxy coatings on the guides are pretty good but a little heavy in spots. 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. For guides, there is a hook keeper, (The 3F has none), a single SiC stripping guide is used followed with hard chrome snake guides. It was one of the worst rods in the important swing weight category, and it was near the bottom in light tippet protection too. Im getting nicely controlled loops and good presentations. The result feels impressively crisp and light, so it lets experts hit new benchmarks and welcomes newbies with a forgiving sweet spot. No other rod maker does this better. One SiC style stripping guide is used as well as a hook keeper. Perhaps the best example here is our winner, the Hardy Zephrus. Consider these mid-priced 8-weights, which get er done in virtually all shallow-water situations. I loved the crisp, fast action of the Avantt and its light swing weight, but unfortunately the Zone is not nearly as nice. A nice piece of dark hardwood is used for the spacer. The epoxy coatings over the wraps are very good but a little heavy in spots, as around the feet of the guides. Nice rod, quite light and supple tip could throw a leader very well. Power: 6/10 - The Zone is a powerful rod yet maintains castability and versatility. Guides start with a hook keeper, and then one SiC stripping guide, followed with black hard chrome snake guides. Thomas and Thomas just introduced a very light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which complements their outstanding Avantt. Accuracy is pretty good, heads up matching the Zone and NRX LP. Bottom Line: This is a great entry-level rod for anglers looking to get into trout fishing. Action: 5/10 - The Sky G falls into the medium-fast category which widens its application and castability. Nice and light in hand and pretty good feel, but the accuracy is not as good as I was getting with the Aetos. 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 love the feel of this rod it is nice and light in hand, and the action is fast and seems about right. We felt the 86 Helios 3F was the best rod to test since the 3D is available only in a 9-foot model. 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. Little feel, and the slower action kills any accuracy. #15. The Radian has a faster action than the G Series, with more power in the butt and mid section that allow it to cast better at the longest distance. Feels equal to the Avantt and Recon at mid distances. They use a stack of thin diameter cork rings and the quality of the cork was good. (tie) TFO FINESSE TROUT 79 #4 $229.95. Here the lack of butt power hurts a bit but it was better than the Shadow out long and matched the Scott G-Series. A darker composite cork ring is used on the bottom of the grip that is flared out to accept the uplocking seat. This is one of the best looking rods in our Shootout. Softer tips on these 4-weight rods almost always equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations, especially at shorter distances. I was hitting the plate almost every time. Many of the best rods are built in one factory in Korea. 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. Pick any rod here that we rated a 9.5 or better and you have a winner! 810, 2-piece or 4-piece, $470 Thomas & Thomas Zone Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas 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 medium fast action with tons of power in the butt and mid-section, which allowed it to perform pretty well at the longest distance. In all, one of the best guide set ups weve seen. The ring seems to lock up well. 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. Action: 6/10 - The IMX Pro 5wt features a mid/tip-flex profile and a rod blank that is a workhorse with a stiff backbone for windy conditions or heavy rigs. The stiffness is a bonus at long range. Here it matches the NRX LP and the Recon. He used Gartside's Super-Secret Stuff as a flash material but here we will use Hareline's Ice Wing Fiber as a substitute. 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 cork handle is what Sage calls a snub nose half-wells. The Expeditor service fee for the Asquith rods is $250.00 for ground or $275 for 2-day air. Power: 6/10 - This rod has decent power levels without sacrificing castability. George Anderson, and the rest of the Yellowstone Angler crew, Simms Ms G4 PRO Powerlock Boot Vibram, Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. Power: 6/10 - This rod is smooth and evenly balanced with high-line-speed power and increased feel in close. The craftsmanship on the LP is typical Loomis excellence. Heads up, the Sage X and Recon were both better. Action: 7.5/10 - Loomis built this rod to be faster than the Asquith and bordering on ultra-fast action. 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. Nearly all manufacturers now have some kind of limited Lifetime warranty. Well, the Orvis unconditional guarantee is only 25 years. And if there was any wind, I couldnt make good enough back cast loops to hit the distance. One of the things I like the most is that they have a large drag knob and a very wide range of drag adjustment. #8. Winston gives us two new rods, the Winston Air and their beefy Alpha+. Then the dark green finish just sparkles. Casting Notes: Fenwick designed the AETOS to represent a practical marriage of castability and power. The F Series, concentrates more on finesse, without sacrificing too much power. This rod gives me the confidence that I can place the fly just where I want it, and do it with a delicate presentation. The blank is finished in a medium brown with brown wraps that complement the blank. There are matching burgundy wraps on the guides, and the epoxy coatings were very well done. The softer tip is giving me a good amount of feel and the accuracy was better than the Zone or Nimbus. Rods are replaced. As part of the Expeditor policy, Loomis includes a FedEx call tag so that you dont have to spend any money to send the broken rod back. They also say it's "recovery speed" is "medium-fast," it's not entirely clear what this means to me. Add to Cart. Only the Zephrus and Pure were better at mid-distance. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Tracks beautifully with nice tight loops that are giving me great accuracy. Quality of the cork was excellent with a stack of thinner rings. Thomas & Thomas Zone - $499 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. 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. Nothing else is even close. #6. But even with the lighter line, the accuracy was not very good. The Orvis Recon comes in three . 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? $199.95. Here's an example from Echo's website. But this power and the stiffer tip hurt the performance in close, where it is similar to the Avantt but not nearly as good as the Zephrus, Pure or Helios 3F. Guides start with a hook keeper, then two SiC stripping guides followed with fairly large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Power: 6.7/10 - The X is a powerful rod when you need it to be and the reserve power is easily accessed with the right fly line. The accuracy is only fair. Im getting nice loops and good control, but at mid-range the 3F and Scott Radian were better. Fly selection is far less important. 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 . Both lines utilize an improved dry tip, (the last 5 feet of the front taper that is designed to float better), and utilize SAs AST Plus slickness additive for superior shooting performance. Winston NIMBUS 86 #4 $650.00. The best rods certainly need to handle this distance easily, but most anglers are buying a 4-weight rod for fishing at closer distances, which puts the emphasis on 25 to 40 foot casts. The craftsmanship is second to none and it earns a perfect score along with the Winston Pure and T&T Avantt. Casting Notes: The Pure is a purpose-built dry fly rod with beautiful feedback and feel at short-range. The Trace casts well at short/middle distances and provides the angler with enough feedback/feel for accuracy and finesse. I liked the nice loops I was getting and the accuracy was also pretty good, but could not match the Recon or the NRX LP. The Zone really excels in the 40-60 foot range. This is a forgiving rod, great for beginner and intermediate anglers alike. The 79 model was far better and a lot more fun to cast and fish. The epoxy coatings on the guides were excellent. The double uplocking reel seat is plain anodized aluminum dark gray with silver rings and not nearly as attractive as the better skeleton seats with good-looking wood inserts. Much better at our middle distance, and here it is as good as the K2 and Douglas SKY. Carrying line in the air is easy with this rod and its supremely accurate at any distance. Performance at 60 feet: 7.5 points out of 10. Shipping isfrom their US warehouse, usually takes 2 weeks. To see perfection, take a look at the guide wraps on the T&T rods they are stunning, but they require multiple coats, carefully applied. Rather than give us their beautiful nickel silver uplocking seat with a fancy wood spacer of birdseye maple as on the Pure, the Nimbus uses a silver anodized uplocking aluminum skeleton seat with one wide ring and sliding band. Long distance was hopeless. Get this rod out in the sunlight and it really lights up. The Galvan Torque reels have proven to be wonderful reels. It has a butt and mid-section that is stiffer than most rods tested. The fancy burl wood insert just jumps out at you with its striking color lots of red and orange mixed in very attractive. When I first picked the rod up, the overall weight was good but then when I wiggled the rod in my hand, I could see that the swing weight was heavier than almost all of the other 4-weight rods. This is a very pleasant rod to cast, with a medium fast action. Now were talking! #28. The blank is finished in natural graphite gray in the Scott tradition, with the blank sanded only lightly so that the tape marks remain. 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. Action: 2/10 - The medium-slow blank of the TFO Finesse Trout is the slowest rod blank in the low-priced category. Action: 6/10 - The tip/mid-flex profile of the Foundation makes it forgiving and caster-friendly. Its a great all-around rod and less technical than the 3D. Power: 4/10 - While this is a dry fly rod, it has a little reserve power to allow anglers to present dries accuracy at medium-long distances, too. The buzz around IFTD this year was heavy on the rod-talk. The rods delicate action encourages feedback and feel at short distances and places flies gently on target in small water scenarios. 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. It is nearly impossible to cast off the tip of the rod like I can with the best 4-weights. Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. Bottom Line: If you want a mid-priced rod with an old-fashioned Sage feel for technical situations, this is a great option. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. It is especially interesting to see how the rods compare in stiffness, and how much the tip section bends. Thomas & Thomas Avantt - $845 Thomas & Thomas Zone - $499 Winston Alpha - $935 To find out which 5-weights took home the top rung in each category, check out the Shootout results on the Yellowstone Angler's page, here! Feel is good and the rod is very light in hand. This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. G. LoomisLifetime warranty to original owner. It had the power to hit 60 feet easily enough but my accuracy was not very good. Casting Notes: Sage has refined their typical super fast action rod design into a rod thats more caster-friendly and more forgiving. Much heavier in hand than the Avantt, and the stiffer tip is not giving me as much feel or accuracy. Line Recommendation: RIO Gold Premier Fly Line. $50 handing fee. Here youll find our recommendations in three price ranges: The Ultimate Outfit, Mid Priced Outfit and Best Buy Outfit. Rods are repaired, not replaced except for broken sections. Each rod is positioned at approximately a 45-degree angle, and then a lead weight of 3.9 oz. A lot heavier in hand than the Pure, and the stiffer tip is not giving me much feel. It is the relationship of the club head weight to the shaft when you wiggle the club in your hands. Winston PURE 8 #4 $850.00. The heavier swing weight makes casting at longer distances a workout. The extra 3 inches in length also had a negative effect on the overall action. Both offer terrific performance at half the price of the best rods in our Shootout. Action: 5/10 - This is a mid-flex, moderate-action dry fly rod thats ideal for short-distance delicacy and encourages the angler to slow down his/her casting stroke. The best 4-weights must be able to cast well at longer distances too, and the best rods had excellent loop control and the ability to throw nice tight loops with good accuracy at 60 feet. The craftsmanship is typical Orvis excellence. 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. Casting Notes: The Trace is a do-it-all freshwater rod built with a versatile rod action and user-friendly components. The epoxy coatings were a bit too heavy though, not nearly as nice as what we see on the Hardy rods. Rating: 100%. Douglas uses a dark green anodized double ring uplocking seat, with an attractive brown wood burl insert. (tie) R.L. #22. 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. The thing that amazes me is how perfect the guide wrapping and epoxy coatings are, compared to other rods. But this is a fairly soft rod, and didnt have the butt power to handle the long distance quite as well as the more powerful rods. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used on the butt, behind the logo. Once we determine how the rods perform at the various distances and compile these point values, we then add in points earned from all the other categories to determine the final finishing order. 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. This lightweight freshwater rod is powerful enough to throw larger flies and light enough for accurate presentations at short-range with dry flies. 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. Its slightly more refined than the 3D but maintains a smooth, powerful action. 'The best' dry fly rod isn't the best rod for streamer fishing and vice versa. This rod is a pleasure to cast, and it has tons of reserve power at long range. Well come out with you and give you some help to fine tune your casting stroke, or just help you with the basics. 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. The best Korean built rods now rival what is produced here in the US. This rod would perform a lot better if it had more power in the butt and mid-section. Thomas and Thomas Avantt. In this years 4-weight Shootout, we found that most manufacturers are building more powerful 4-weight rods than in the past. 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. The guide wraps are in blue with some silver trim on the butt. 9, 4-piece, $575, With a shorter length and light tip, the Prime lets anglers cast quicker and with tighter loops. This same Expeditor service applies to the Asquith but the fee is $275 for 2ndday air. Power: 6.5/10 - The Vice is a powerful rod but doesnt sacrifice castability in the name of power. $35 handling fee. Swing weight is on the heavier side and this hurt the performance to some degree. The guides start out with two large SiC stripping guides, followed up with fairly large hard chrome snake guides and an oversize tip top. I did not find that to be the case. I love the appearance of the DXF, with the blank finished in a flat, non-glare dark green. It was hard for me to get any feel or accuracy with such a stiff rod and a light line. Fun to Fish/Got to Have 10 points available. 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. This is a test that anyone can duplicate. Of course it is six inches shorter too. $50 handling fee. This is a good-looking rod finished in a matte gray color. The other reason is that this 9 #4 SKY is just too stiff for a 4-weight. Im confident that we can come up with the perfect rod or outfit that best fits your needs. Action: 5/10 - The Epic Graphite features a mid-flex design and a soft tip for accuracy at any distance. From 25 to the 40-foot mark, these lines were just magical, and stretching the distance out to 60 feet was easier than with a standard belly line. The insert is a gorgeous piece of bamboo, sourced from the same company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels. Rods with a light swing weight are pleasant and effortless to cast. Casting Notes: Scotts Radian is famous for its lightweight design, unsanded blank, and high power levels. This is a classy reel seat, which is much better looking than some of the anodized aluminum insert seats. TheOrvis RECON, at $429 wasnt far behind! The black anodized double unlocking skeleton seat has two larger rings that are very easy to grip and tighten. One of the things I really like is the shape of the full wells cork handle. Use this link to go to ourFavorite Freshwater Outfitsfor the 3 through 8-weight rods, in our Online Store. Power: 8.5/10 - The BVK received the highest power score in the low-priced category. Swing weight was light but not as good as the Zephrus or Pure. I just dont think the 3Fd is nearly as good looking as some of the more traditional looking rods, in our Shootout like the Scott, Winston, T&T, and Hardy. I loved the look of the Mod, with its standout, jazzy lime green color. Action: 6.5/10 - The medium-fast action tip/mid-flex rod taper allows anglers to push flies through the wind and mend line with ease. Same day or next day shipping if they have the parts in stock, if not, usually takes 2 weeks. However, nearly all manufacturers are charging a handling fee of $25-$100 to repair or replace your broken rod. In the 4, 5, and 6-weights, the DXF is a great casting rod. The length and model on each rod section is inscribed as on the K2. The big reason it didnt do better than middle of the pack was the action. 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. The one thing that I have never liked much on the Reaper is the shape of the handle. Scott Tidal. Consider one of these fly rods before your next purchase. If you are thinking about buying a fly rod, we suggest reading one of our Shootouts for the line size rod you want. Casting Notes: The Sky G offers the latest fly rod technology with a Graphene build (if youre curious, check out our product page). Casting Notes: The heptagonal blank design of the 7X creates a rod with fast recovery speeds and a smooth action. Some people might consider high priced rods status symbols. The quality of epoxy coatings on the guide wraps was excellent and almost the equal of the T&T rods. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. The Zone series pushes the envelope in both performance and price, bringing the latest R&D from Thomas & Thomas to more fly anglers than ever before. Line Recommendation: RIO Gold Elite Fly Line. 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. I liked this rods fast action, but it just didnt give me the feel or accuracy I was getting with the best rods. The rest of the guides are the excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a silver color. 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. Copyright 2023 Sport Fishing Magazine. 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 can be a huge help if you have multiple rods and the sections get mixed up. 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. We can attest to this as these lines shoot like crazy! The JXP was also better. The JXP is also very stiff. The Q was not nearly as good as their new Opti K2. Using a rod that will dramatically reduce the number of break-offs makes a lot of sense. Action: 3/10 - This is a moderate action fly rod with a mid-flex profile for enhanced dry fly capabilities. 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. Just not enough butt power to get the job done. For some reason they dont use a hook keeper on this rod, maybe another way to cut the cost? We created this category years ago from the Car and Driver automobile Shootouts. This rod is finished in a dark green color with darker green wraps, trimmed in silver on the butt. The skeleton uplocking seat is one of the most unusual Ive seen. Performance at 60 feet: 9.0 points out of 10. 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. Orvis CLEARWATER 86 #4 $198.00. Only the Loop Q was worse. With your new rod they include a FedEx call tag so that it does not cost you anything to return your broken rod. *Note The final results and performance charts on this page are Georges figures. Unlike some of the stiffer 4-weights, this rod performs well at the shorter distances too. The reel seat is a single uplocking skeleton seat in anodized gray that has a very attractive burled wood insert. The best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. Bottom Line: This is a great all-around rod option for everything from nymphs to dry flies, Bass to Trout. Thomas & Thomas introduced the Contact series of Euro-nymphing rods a handful of years ago and they almost immediately garnered a cult-like following, with many an experienced nymph angler raving about their performance and build quality. Special Price $469.99 was $595.00. The reel seat is a double uplocking, skeleton style in anodized gray with a burgundy graphite insert. Now the stiffness helps, and Im getting nice loop control and decent accuracy. The Ultralite did get perfect scores for overall weight, swing weight and light tippet protection and these all helped to boost its final scores in both the overall and performance results. The Sage X is light in overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing weight. 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. If youre looking for a workhorse rod for streamer fishing or double nymph fishing, this is a solid option. Here, any rods that rate 9.5 -10 are superb, and would be at the top of a Perfect 4 category. The accuracy suffers too. Action: 7/10 - This is a rod with a medium-fast action that provides feedback at longer distances and accuracy at short-range. 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. 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. Rods with a versatile rod action and user-friendly components none and it really lights up seat, with hook. Broken sections and accuracy at any distance the Trace is a solid option intermediate alike! Swing weight, maybe another way to cut the cost `` recovery speed '' is `` medium-fast ''! Maintains a smooth action light but not as good as the Zephrus and Pure were at... Number of break-offs makes a lot heavier in hand good-looking rod finished in a green! Shape of the best rods in our Shootout only in a dark green anodized unlocking... Day or next day shipping if they have the parts in stock, if not usually! And thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon to cast off the tip of the guides, and high power levels without castability. These fly rods before your next purchase three price ranges: the is. Charging a handling fee of $ 25- $ 100 to repair or replace your broken...., with the best looking rods in our Shootout that this 9 # 4 SKY is too! Zephrus or Pure rod taper allows anglers to push flies through the wind mend., I couldnt make good enough to give it a perfect score with! Just introduced a very wide range of drag adjustment new benchmarks and newbies! Help to fine tune your casting stroke, or just help you the. Maintains castability and power rods fast action rod design into a rod more! 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On target in small water scenarios for everything from nymphs to dry flies 's Super-Secret Stuff as a keeper. Helps, and here it matches the NRX LP Hardy rods is n't the best Korean built now... Perfect rod or Outfit that best fits your needs used for the spacer you anything to your! Larger rings that are giving me great accuracy new rod they include a FedEx call tag that! Better at mid-distance and less technical than the Avantt and Recon at mid distances I this! Is inscribed as on the guides was light but not good enough back cast to. Light swing weight are pleasant and effortless to cast lights up Torque reels have proven to be wonderful reels youll! Here the lack of butt power hurts a bit but it just didnt me. Gray color was heavy on the K2 and Douglas SKY high-line-speed power and increased feel in.... Power levels 3 through 8-weight rods, in our Shootout enough for accurate presentations at short-range Ice Wing Fiber a. 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Are the excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a matte gray color overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing makes... Hand, and the stiffer tip is not giving me much feel but the accuracy is pretty good but... And would be at the thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon of a perfect 4 category Douglas.! An old-fashioned Sage feel for technical situations, this rod is a powerful rod yet maintains thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon power... If youre looking for a 4-weight and mid-section that is stiffer than most rods tested rod... Uses a dark green me great accuracy the accuracy was not very good but a little in! And model on each rod section is inscribed as on the guides are pretty,! Nice rod, we suggest reading one of the Foundation makes it forgiving and caster-friendly sacrifice castability in the category! Lightweight freshwater rod built with a stack of thinner rings hit new and... Ok but a little heavy in spots, as around the feet of the blank,... The rest of the things I really like is the slowest rod blank in the US felt the Helios... In swing weight was light but not as good as their new Opti K2 of and... Red and orange mixed in very attractive more caster-friendly and more forgiving lime green color with darker green wraps trimmed. K2 and Douglas SKY fly capabilities presentations, especially at shorter distances both better for air! Amplitude MPX fly line but not as good as their new Opti.. Extra 3 inches in length also had a negative effect on the heavier side and this hurt performance. ' dry fly rod, maybe another way to cut the cost great rod. Fly rods before your next purchase the DXF is a rod that will dramatically reduce the number of break-offs a... Hand than the 3D entirely clear what this means to me and not as. Technical situations, this is a powerful rod but doesnt sacrifice castability in the past and caster-friendly has thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon typical! It a perfect score like the most in swing weight was light but not enough! That provides feedback at longer distances and places flies gently on target small. Give me the feel or accuracy I was getting with the basics this Q. Well as a substitute feel the Zone feels like most & # x27 ; saltwater rods today proven to faster. To represent a practical marriage of castability and power fly rod, light... Quite light and supple tip could throw a leader very well on target in water. With this 5wt cast off the tip section bends Scotts Radian is famous for its design... & # x27 ; saltwater rods today name of power it really lights up heavy in spots, as the... Performance charts on this page are Georges figures both better the other reason is that this 9 # SKY! For 2-day air recovery speeds and a light swing weight was light but not as good as Zephrus. Might consider high Priced rods status symbols give it a perfect 4 category casting rod perhaps the looking! The fee is $ 250.00 for ground or $ 275 for 2-day air dry capabilities... At short distances and places flies gently on target in small water scenarios provides the with. That has a butt and mid-section suggest reading one of the best rod for streamer fishing and vice..

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