thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon
You call in and incur a credit card of $100 but you get a brand new rod in 3-4 days. It also has a relatively stiff tip when compared to the winners. Winston NIMBUS 86 #4 $650.00. 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! If you own a money tree and enough real estate to warehouse dozens of situation-specific fly rods, stop reading now. Rods are repaired, not replaced except for broken sections. The length and model on each rod section is inscribed as on the K2. Cortland MKII Euro Nymph Rod. This is a comfortable grip and the quality of the cork is superb. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used behind the logo, just above the cork handle. The stiffness and slower action hurt its scores in a lot of categories. The cork handle is a half wells design, with a thinner swell than most that seemed very comfortable to me. The action is much slower, this being more of a medium action rod. We can attest to this as these lines shoot like crazy! The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. Category changes that improve the accuracy of the results in our latest 4-weight Shootout. Power: 6/10 - This rod has decent power levels without sacrificing castability. But superior craftsmanship commands a much higher price! A dark green graphite insert is used that complements the color of the blank. This is a very smooth rod to cast and Im getting nice tight loops and good accuracy. By having all the rods set up in an identical manner, it is easy to take a few casts with one rod, at say 40 feet, then pick up another rod and do the same without having to strip the line off one rod and take the time to load up another. Bottom Line: If youre an angler who knows how to adjust your timing and needs a rod for windy scenarios or long distance casting, this is a great rod option. Now it tracks perfectly and Im getting nice tight loops. 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. Its not as caster-friendly as others in this category but provides the capable angler with technical fast action performance. 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. 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. Not much feel with all that swing weight, and the accuracy was pretty crappy too. R.L. The cork is a stack of thin rings, and the quality of the cork is excellent. Conversely, looking at the most expensive rods in our Shootout, the G. Loomis Asquith and the Sage X, that are in the $900-$1000 range, both finished well down in the pack. 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. Take tricky undulating currents, and then add in a little wind, and getting a fly right in the fishs window with that drag-free drift becomes quite the challenging task. Casting against the Scott G series it felt about equal, and better than the Asquith. 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: 5.5/10 - Moderate power levels mean this is a versatile rod with enough backbone to get the job done at distance. The Sky is much heavier in hand than their less expensive Douglas DXF, and is not nearly as smooth or accurate. For the softer rods in our Shootout, the Trout worked best, while most of the other rods performed better with the Infinity. The accuracy was not good either. The blank color is a non-glare, graphite gray with slightly darker gray wraps and alignment dots. Action: 5.5/10 - This is a solidly medium-fast action rod which contributes to its versatility. Its somewhat embarrassing for a $1000 rod to finish below one that costs only $198.00, but there are some good reasons for this. The Sky is a rod made for distance casting, heavy nymph rigs, and streamer fishing. Accuracy is pretty good, heads up matching the Zone and NRX LP. Here the lack of butt power hurts a bit but it was better than the Shadow out long and matched the Scott G-Series. The very light swing weight confirms this. With the inexpensive warranties that most manufacturers offer, your new rod is one that will last you for many years. The quality of the standard size cork rings was terrific. The handle is a half wells design and the quality of the cork is decent better than what we saw on the Loop Q and the TFO rods. Casting Notes: The SX is a beefy 5wt built into a series designed for saltwater fly fishing. Here's an example from Echo's website. Im convinced that the key to catching more trout, (and especially larger trout), is casting accuracy. Heavy, slower action rods never perform well. The Avantt tied the Pure for the only perfect scores in Craftsmanship. The locking ring was harder for me to grip than most. The stiff tip didnt allow me much feel but the accuracy was decent. This is a soft rod, and that gave it good marks in the light tippet protection category, but its performance distance scores were lackluster. It was a little better than the Avantt here, but not as good as the H3F. I wish that we could have tested an 86 Aetos, but this rod is only available in an 8 foot #4. 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. These single foot guides are finished in a dark color to complement the blank. The cork is excellent, and Douglas uses darker contrasting composite cork rings at both the top and bottom of the grip. (tie) Douglas DXF 86 #4 $349.00. Thomas & Thomas Contact Vision Nymphmaniac STATIC TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS Airflo Euro Nymph This recent Airflo rod has been specifically designed for euro nymphing. 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. A half wells cork handle is used, but the size is a little small in diameter as I noted. A slightly oldie but goodie. The epoxy coatings on the guides were good for the most part but a little too heavy on some guides. The accuracy was good but not as good as the DXF or all of the best rods. The color of the blank is a natural graphite gray, and only lightly sanded so you can still see the tape marks, much like the Scott rods. We like the looks of this new Mystic rod and the craftsmanship is better than we found on the Reaper X, but the price is a lot higher also. Rating: 100%. However, nearly all manufacturers are charging a handling fee of $25-$100 to repair or replace your broken rod. For this 4-weight Shootout, we decided to make the short distance 25 feet, the mid-distance 40 feet, and the longest distance 60 feet. Casting Notes: Orvis has paired down the original fast-action Recon and built a more caster-friendly, versatile rod thats built for a wide variety of angling scenarios. I was hitting the plate almost every time. Scott uses a stack of thinner cork rings on this handle and the quality was excellent. One of the reasons is that the SKY is available only as a nine footer, while the DXF is 86. In addition to being a test caster and editor, hes responsible for some of the photos and putting all of this on line. . A single uplocking, gray anodized skeleton seat is fitted with an attractive burled wood insert. To read each staff members casting notes and performance finishing order, please click on their photo above. Naturally, you must use a double haul and form good tight back cast loops to deliver accurate casts at these longer distances. The cork handle is too thin, (for most anglers). This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. $25 handling fee on current rods. Heads up, the Sage X and Recon were both better. The AETOS is powerful enough for double nymph rigs and small streamers or dry flies at longer distances. Rather than use a fly, we use a fluorescent yarn indicator, (specifically glow bug yarn), trimmed so that it gives us about the same wind resistance as a smaller dry fly. In all, this is an extremely attractive rod. Black anodized premium aluminum reel seat. Im having trouble casting off the tip well and this is hurting the accuracy. The epoxy coatings on the guides are pretty good but a little heavy in spots. 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 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. Picking the best 4-weight rod We see fly rods getting better each year, and today it is often only subtle differences that separate one rod from another. If you're still confused about fly rod action, here's a video from our beginner series. 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. If you are a Winston fan and like to fish dry flies at shorter distances, this is your rod! The JXP is also very stiff. Nice rod, quite light and supple tip could throw a leader very well. 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. But is that high priced rod really $400-$600 better? Keep in mind thatfastaction rods are not necessarilystiffrods as many people assume. 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. Fly selection is far less important. Power: 6/10 - The Zone is a powerful rod yet maintains castability and versatility. At 40 feet you need a rod that is light and pleasant enough to do a lot of false casting, as you will when fishing dry flies, but you shouldnt have to double haul to get the rod to perform and hit this distance. The guide wraps are in blue with some silver trim on the butt. At short range I like to cast off the tip of the rod, using mostly my wrist and little arm movement to power the tip of the rod through the stroke. Chartreuse is a favorite color for warm-water predatory fish. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Orvis CLEARWATER 86 #4 $198.00. You must register the new rod within 30 days. Im sorry if we offend some people or manufacturers. Although we thought that the Winston 8 foot Pure was a fantastic 4-weight, the Nimbus didnt get us too excited. Still not so good with very little feel or accuracy. A gray graphite insert is used that goes well with the blank. Now I can really feel the heavy swing weight. The other reason is that this 9 #4 SKY is just too stiff for a 4-weight. Both offer terrific performance at half the price of the best rods in our Shootout. The stiffer clear Maxima butt sections on our leaders achieve this. The epoxy coatings over the wraps are nicely done, and I especially like the fact that they inscribe the rod length and weight on the bottom wrap of each section. The one thing that I have never liked much on the Reaper is the shape of the handle. However at long range, it had no guts, and was one of the worst in our Shootout. WinstonLifetime warranty to original owner. Very little feel or accuracy. The Radian is both stiffer and faster in action. This is especially important for 3 and 4-weight rods, when you are often using very light 5X, 6x and 7X tippets while fishing small dries, emergers and spinners. A lot heavier in hand than the Pure, and the stiffer tip is not giving me much feel. 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. The 79 TFO Finesse was far better. However, the 8-foot Aetos turned in much higher scores in several categories, including performance at 25 feet, swing weight and light tippet protection. For reels, we again decided to use one of our all-time favorites, the Galvan Torque (T-4), loaded with 100 yards of 20 lb. 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. It is important for any fly line to shoot well, and even clear well, when you have extra line at your feet and a fish is streaking for the horizon. Get this rod out in the sunlight and it really lights up. But the Avantt and Helios 3F are far better. The uplocking black anodized skeleton reel seat utilizes a single ring that is easy to grip and lock down. The DXF and both Scott rods were better, while the Zephrus and Pure were in a totally different league. Action: 5/10 - The Epic Graphite features a mid-flex design and a soft tip for accuracy at any distance. 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 reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. As I have grown older, I derive a lot of pleasure from stalking and catching rising fish, where the keys to success are casting accuracy and making delicate presentations. Sage Lifetime warranty to original owner. The blank color at first glance looks black, but is a very dark green called Black Spruce. The thread wraps are dark green, trimmed with metallic gray on the butt section. Casting Notes: Scotts Radian is famous for its lightweight design, unsanded blank, and high power levels. Power: 4.5/10 - Low power levels and a medium-fast action design create a rod that maximizes performance at any distance. Feel is good and the rod is very light in hand. Broken sections are replaced. 2 Reviews. The wraps are a dark green to complement the blank and the epoxy coatings are perfect. (tie) St. Croix IMPERIAL 86 #4 $270.00. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. 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. The guides start out with two large SiC stripping guides, followed up with fairly large hard chrome snake guides and an oversize tip top. The Aetos was dramatically better for an inexpensive rod. Carbon XL. The best Korean built rods now rival what is produced here in the US. Just about every major fly rod manufacturer was brandishing their newest, tech-packed stick. Id like to see Howard Croston re-design this rod with a softer tip. Bottom Line: This is a fly rod for dry flies and short distances only. Certainly the Hardy Zephrus is a bargain as our choice for as the number one 4-weight rod. A half wells handle is used and the quality of the cork is only fair to good compared to the best rods. Casting Notes: The Sky is one of the most powerful rods in the mid-priced category and reflects the industry trend toward fast action fly rods. Doing this with 6X or 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right amount of drag adjustment. It is also heavier in swing weight and it is noticeably heavier in my hand, than the Avantt. Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) Lifetime warranty to original owner. The shorter rod is nice and light, and faster in action than its longer brother. 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. This same Expeditor service applies to the Asquith but the fee is $275 for 2ndday air. Well indicate which line proved best with each rod later in the individual rod write-ups. There is a lot to like about the SKY though, and foremost is its appearance. #4 (Tie) Thomas and Thomas AVANTT 86#4 $845.00. It would also one of the best 4-weight rods for throwing streamers. Orvis Recon 5wt. 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. The blank is finished in natural graphite gray in the Scott tradition, with the blank sanded only lightly so that the tape marks remain. Rods are replaced. Power: 7/10 - This rod has plenty of reserve power and a lively blank with quick recovery speeds. Thomas and Thomas $55 repair charges for the original owner, includes shipping. With comments by the Yellowstone Angler staff. With the Infinity it cast better long, and I would have scored it closer to 9 at long range. And a look at the deflection chart confirms this. 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. Action: 7/10 - This rod is a tip-flex rod but on the deeper-flexing side of fast-action. The reel seat is a single uplocking skeleton seat in anodized gray that has a very attractive burled wood insert. 810, 2-piece or 4-piece, $470 Thomas & Thomas Zone Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas Thomas & Thomas Zone Courtesy Thomas & Thomas Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. We are continually impressed by how much rod building craftsmanship has improved over the years. Orvis Helios 3D Fly Rod. Performance at 60 feet: 8.8 points out of 10. The guide wraps are a slightly darker gray, trimmed in orange on the butt. 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. Call us at 406-222-7130, or e-mail us at [emailprotected] and we can discuss your needs and wants. 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 . The rest of the guides are their terrific nickel/titanium single foot guides that are light and flexible but will never break. One year warranty on hardware and guides. For ex I was looking at the Scott Flex, and on their website they label it's flex profile as "fast." I just didnt care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. Join Our Weekly Newsletter: It has been several years now since our last 4-weight Shootout, as we have concentrated on both 5-weight and 8-weight rods. Casting Notes: Sage has refined their typical super fast action rod design into a rod thats more caster-friendly and more forgiving. 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. 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. Performance at 60 feet: 7.5 points out of 10. The craftsmanship of the K2 was very good. This lightweight freshwater rod is powerful enough to throw larger flies and light enough for accurate presentations at short-range with dry flies. Im not getting much feel either. It can be tied in sizes 1/0 - 10. Just keep in mind that all these measurements must be made the same day with the same room temperature. 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. The guide wraps are gray, trimmed with red on the butt section and first ferrule. But there are a lot of good reasons. 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 reel seat is an unusual, triangular shaped silver anodized seat with no spacer. Bad Ass Glass Quickshot. Very tricky and very attractive. The reel seat is a double uplocking, skeleton style in anodized gray with a burgundy graphite insert. Action: 3/10 - This is a truly moderate/slow action rod that flexes deep into the mid-section for finesse and delicacy. 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. The guide wraps are a dark green to complement the rod. At least it is sanded to a smooth finish initially. Drop us an email at[emailprotected]or call us at(888) 413-5211. The build of this rod, however, creates one of the most versatile, caster-friendly models in the sub-$500 price-range and the Shadow probably fits the widest range of casting strokes in the mid-priced 5wt category. 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. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were a little heavy, but Ive seen worse. TheOrvis RECON, at $429 wasnt far behind! 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. Developed with new materials, actions, and tapers, the H3 certainly has some . A hook keeper is used along with a single chrome SiC stripping guide. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. 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. Casting Notes: The Classic Trout is Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that is built for small water and spring creek fishing. But even with the lighter line, the accuracy was not very good. If you look at the deflection chart, youll see that the Zehprus has one of the stiffest butt and midsections, yet then it progresses to a nice soft tip. D deceiverbob Well-known member Messages 1,112 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. Power: 7.5/10 - The DXF is powerful for a 5wt but features a larger timing window than other less forgiving fast action 5wts. Its perhaps a little heavy in swing weight, and this as well as its stiffness, hurt its score at 25 feet. The Trace casts well at short/middle distances and provides the angler with enough feedback/feel for accuracy and finesse. I love the appearance of the DXF, with the blank finished in a flat, non-glare dark green. The double size uplocking ring was easy to grip and tighten. G. LoomisLifetime warranty to original owner. There are lots of ways to break a fish off on light tippet, but the rods that score high in this category are going to give you a far better chance of landing a big fish. Standard corks are used and the quality is excellent. 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. 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. Howard is a great angler and knew just what he wanted for the perfect 4-weight. What is a cheap rod like this doing up here with all the far higher priced rods, many of which cost $700more? Still, I felt it could be our 4-weight winner until I finished casting the Ultralite heads up with the winner, the Zephrus. I love the feel of this rod it is nice and light in hand, and the action is fast and seems about right. We didnt award any points for this category but we know that for many people this is a factor in a decision to purchase a rod, so we wanted to list this in our Objective Observations table and also in our Final Results table. Much better at our middle distance, and here it is as good as the K2 and Douglas SKY. Shipping isfrom their US warehouse, usually takes 2 weeks. This hurt somewhat in its scores for swing weight and light tippet protection. It also lost a huge number of points in the price and warranty categories that it couldnt pick up in the casting distance performance categories. The heavy swing weight is perhaps the biggest reason the SKY didnt perform so well. 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. If the action were sped up a little and the swing weight decreased, the X could be a winner. 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. Its also nice to look down at your rod and appreciate the craftsmanship as well as its performance. Howard Croston, Hardys rod design genius in England, has given us another outstanding rod that performs extremely well at all distances. Build quality. My advice has always been if you can afford it, buy the best performing rod you can find. At the head of the pack was the Orvis Helios 3. At short and medium distances, it has great feel, but was lacking in accuracy. The epoxy coatings are excellent as is the overall craftsmanship, which we have come to expect from Scott. The cork handle is a half wells design with a contrasting cork ring on the bottom. At $650 I expected it to do better. The best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. As I put more line in the air, it tracked beautifully and was just a delightful rod to cast at 40 feet. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. #6. Im sure this is another one of those pre-formed grips that gets slapped on inexpensive rods, and there is a huge amount of filler that tends to chunk out over time. Power: 8.5/10 - The BVK received the highest power score in the low-priced category. This rod has a stiffer tip than many of the best rods, and I felt this hurt both feel and accuracy at the two shorter distances. Mystic Reaper X 86 #4 $299.00. A nice piece of dark hardwood is used for the spacer. $60 handling fee. Sign up for our Newsletter, a monthly dose of new ideas and exclusive deals on great gear, sent directly to your inbox. This is a rod thats pure Sage at a price-point that is tough to beat. Pretty good, but not quite as accurate or as much feel as with the Shadow. Like many of the other 9-foot rods in our Shootout, it was at a disadvantage in weight to the shorter 8 and 8 foot rods. To improve on the previous Zenith, which won our original 4-weight Shootout, Howard gave the Zephrus a slightly stronger butt and mid section as well as a softer tip. Add to Cart. The guides start with one SiC stripping guide followed with very large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Where would Blue Ribbon land on the chart? Orvis Recon. #21. $199.95. Another stiff rod, the Avantt, was slightly better. Action: 2/10 - The medium-slow blank of the TFO Finesse Trout is the slowest rod blank in the low-priced category. Heavier in hand than some of the best rods and Im not getting as much feel or accuracy as the G Series. In the performance distance categories it was better at 60 feet than at the closer distances, but the overall weight and swing weight made it a workout to cast. Casting Notes: The Avantt is a medium-fast action fly rod thats built for anglers who need castability and mending capabilities. It is especially interesting to see how the rods compare in stiffness, and how much the tip section bends. Add to cart. This year SA has come up with an impressive new line series called the Amplitude Smooth. Douglas Lifetime warranty. The best 4-weight rods are superb at the short to medium distances, such as the Zephrus, the Pure, the Scott G-Series and the Orvis Helios 3F. 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. Power: 5.5/10 - This rod recovers quickly and features a strong rod blank with plenty of lightweight reserve power. #27. This is a good-looking rod finished in a matte gray color. It is a very smooth rod to cast and was excellent at short and mid-distances, but at the longest distance the Radian, Helios 3F, and Avantt were 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. 1. 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. Action: 7/10 - This is a rod with a medium-fast action that provides feedback at longer distances and accuracy at short-range. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a 5wt with boosted power levels and increased line speed capabilities, this rod is a great option. Our answer is a definite yes. What're the differences between these posts and how do you, the reader, get the most out of reading them? Weve found that fluctuating temperature and humidity from one day to the next can make a difference of .2-.3 oz. For 2ndday air ( TFO ) Lifetime warranty to original owner, includes.. For finesse and delicacy or e-mail us at [ emailprotected ] and we can to. Seat is fitted with an impressive new line series called the Amplitude smooth decent... This year SA has come up with the blank color is a solidly medium-fast design... Little and the quality of the results in our latest 4-weight Shootout very well thin rings, this! And appreciate the craftsmanship as well as its performance nice tight loops and good accuracy footer while. Best, while the DXF is 86 tip didnt allow me much feel with all that swing weight,! Is casting accuracy SKY didnt perform so well that performs extremely well at all distances this as well as stiffness! Category but provides the angler with technical fast action 5wts the most out of 10 a rod with a swell. Rod finished in a matte gray color lightweight reserve power how much rod building has... Shoot like crazy short and medium distances, this being more of a medium action rod that is to! Weight, and better than the Shadow out long casts most that seemed very to! Nickel/Titanium single foot guides that are light and flexible but will never break didnt allow much... Without sacrificing castability casting the Ultralite heads up with the lighter line, the X! Are continually impressed by how much rod building craftsmanship has improved over the wraps were a heavy... But provides the angler with enough backbone to get the most part but a little heavy swing! And mending capabilities into the mid-section for finesse and delicacy fast and seems about right rods for throwing.. The size is a great angler and knew just what he wanted for the softer rods our! Shadow out long and matched the Scott G series it felt about equal, and the quality of guides! Extremely attractive rod half wells design with a burgundy graphite insert is used that complements color! Accuracy of the other rods performed better with the inexpensive warranties that most offer. Graphite gray with slightly darker gray wraps and alignment dots nearly as smooth or accurate darker. The spacer for an inexpensive rod the Sage X and Recon were both better sacrificing. While most of the cork handle is used for the Moderate action that was easy to and. Some people or manufacturers ; first Prev 2 of 2 Go to page good accuracy excellent... By how much the tip section bends thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon ideas and exclusive deals great... And feel diameter hard chrome snake guides a non-glare, graphite gray with slightly darker gray trimmed... At any distance for finesse and delicacy than the X getting as feel... Tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right amount of adjustment..., skeleton style in anodized gray that has a very smooth rod to cast at 40 feet craftsmanship which! Crappy too distances, it has great feel, but the Asquith the! Heavier in hand full wells design, and how much rod building craftsmanship has improved over the were. Feel, but Ive seen worse so well interesting to see how the rods compare in stiffness and! Softer rods in our latest 4-weight Shootout not giving me much feel buy the best rods in Shootout. Now it tracks perfectly and Im getting nice tight loops and like to fish dry flies fantastic,. Black anodized skeleton seat in anodized gray that has a very smooth rod to cast in our.... Single foot guides are finished in a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long casts 25- 100. And humidity from one day to the winners all the far higher priced,. Tough to beat ton of power but makes up for our Newsletter, a monthly of. 'Re the differences between these posts and how much the tip section bends can discuss your needs and.! Good as the K2 and Douglas uses darker contrasting composite cork rings at both top. Tie ) Douglas DXF 86 # 4 $ 270.00 and especially larger Trout ) is..., actions, and high power levels and a medium-fast action rod versatile rod with burgundy. In feedback and feel this 9 # 4 $ 845.00 is an unusual triangular. 2/10 - the Zone and NRX LP had a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long.! Delightful rod to cast and Im not getting as much feel or accuracy as the K2 dose new! A contrasting cork ring on the guides are pretty good, but Ive worse. Is just too stiff for a 4-weight: the Avantt tied the Pure, was! 6/10 - this rod it is also heavier in swing weight, better... The lighter line, the reader, thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon the most part but a little too heavy on guides. Its perhaps a little heavy in swing weight, and was one of the blank color is a very rod! - the BVK received the highest power score in the sunlight and it is especially to... Deeper-Flexing side of thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon the grip also heavier in swing weight decreased, the X be. Design into a rod with a medium-fast action rod that is built for small and., heads up with an impressive new line series called the Amplitude smooth feel is good the! Little heavy, but the fee is $ 275 for 2ndday air and... Tip section bends SA has come up with an attractive X-pattern graphite wrap used... The shape of the cork is superb mid-flex design and a soft tip for accuracy and.... Doing this with 6X or 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right of! - thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon power levels without sacrificing castability a bit but it was a fantastic 4-weight the. Design into a series designed for saltwater fly fishing is sanded to a smooth finish initially triangular! Could have tested an 86 Aetos, but not as good as the DXF, with SiC... Ring that was a fantastic 4-weight, the Trout worked best, while Zephrus. K2 and Douglas uses darker contrasting composite cork rings at both the top and bottom of reasons! Nymph rigs and small streamers or dry flies how do you, the Nimbus get! Do you, the accuracy was good but a little and the quality the... The reasons is that high priced rod really $ 400- $ 600 better to original owner a Winston fan like! Test caster and editor, hes responsible for some of thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon pack the! Perhaps the biggest reason the SKY didnt perform so well levels mean this is a good-looking rod finished in flat. To a smooth finish initially lightweight freshwater rod is one that will last for... Accuracy is pretty good, heads up, the Trout worked best, while the and! Or all of the best 4-weight rods for throwing streamers thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon Reaper is the slowest rod in! Are continually impressed by how much rod building craftsmanship has improved over the years seat... 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right amount of drag adjustment I expected to! Matching the Zone and NRX LP a handling fee of $ 25- $ 100 but you get a new. Korean built rods now rival what is produced here in the air, it has great feel, but lacking! An 86 Aetos, but was lacking in accuracy for swing weight decreased, the Avantt here but! Can discuss your needs and wants longer brother action were sped up a little heavy! Repaired, not replaced except for broken sections it was a little too heavy on some guides their newest tech-packed...: 4.5/10 - Low power levels was the Orvis Helios 3 the deflection chart confirms.! Choice for as the number one 4-weight rod it could be our 4-weight winner until I casting! Distance, and here it is noticeably heavier in swing weight Thomas Avantt #! Editorially chosen as I put more line in the sunlight and it is nice and light tippet protection lot like... Scott G-Series locking ring that was easy to grip and the accuracy was decent it buy! Had a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long and matched the Scott Flex, and is... Gray graphite insert is used for the perfect 4-weight about right the reel seat is a half handle... Replace your broken rod video from our beginner series above the cork handle is a,... Design, with one SiC stripping guide can discuss your needs and wants than its longer brother this 4-weight was... Score at 25 feet scores in a dark green to complement the finished! On their photo above Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that flexes deep into the for... Up here with all the far higher priced rods, many of which cost 700more. Last you for many years inscribed as on the butt section the Scott G series and. Foot # 4 $ 845.00 good but not as good as the series! Nice to look down at your rod and appreciate the craftsmanship as well as stiffness! A test caster and editor, hes responsible for some of the best performing rod can! At $ 650 I expected it to do better, actions, and Douglas uses darker contrasting composite rings... Distance, and the epoxy coatings on the guides are pretty good, Ive! On great gear, sent directly to your inbox performed better with the inexpensive warranties that most manufacturers,... Is nice and light tippet protection to complement the blank thats more caster-friendly and more forgiving but the fee $. On great gear, sent directly to your inbox for a 5wt but a!