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. That being said, its not a rod that will provide the angler with tons of feedback and feel. Removing the spool requires a simple click of the button on the front side. The new X has a nice medium fast action that delivers the best performance at short to medium distances. $169.99. It received one of the lower power scores in the low-priced category. 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. Keep in mind thatfastaction rods are not necessarilystiffrods as many people assume. George Anderson, and the rest of the Yellowstone Angler crew, Simms Ms G4 PRO Powerlock Boot Vibram, Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. Fly selection is far less important. 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. We deleted our Perfect 4 performance category, since it seemed redundant, given the fact that we give you our opinions for our favorite 4-weights in the Fun to Fish, got to have category. Then the dark green finish just sparkles. Our reasoning in this Shootout was to pick what we felt were theBEST4-weight rods, regardless of length, and there no question in our minds that the 8 foot Pure is Winstons best 4-weight rod. 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. Our hand tied leaders, using stiffer clear Maxima for the butt and midsections, turn over better and more accurately than any of the knotless leaders on the market. The craftsmanship on the LP is typical Loomis excellence. Better now, with more line in the air, but the G series was still a little better in both feel and accuracy. If you want a shorter, inexpensive 4-weight rod to fish at closer distances, this TFO 79 and the 8 foot Aetos are the best rods for you to consider. The blank itself is a deep burgundy color, with dark gray wraps. If you own a money tree and enough real estate to warehouse dozens of situation-specific fly rods, stop reading now. TheOrvis RECON, at $429 wasnt far behind! In this Shootout, we again used the Scientific Anglers lines, which we have found to cast better and last longer than other brands. This is not a pleasant rod to do a lot of false casting with, as you would fishing dry flies. At short and medium distances, it has great feel, but was lacking in accuracy. Unlike some of the stiffer 4-weights, this rod performs well at the shorter distances too. Heres a mid-priced rod that put in a good performance across the board. It was even a little sloppy on the tip sections. Power: 4.5/10 - Low power levels and a medium-fast action design create a rod that maximizes performance at any distance. A black anodized uplocking skeleton seat is used with one ring and sliding band. My advice has always been if you can afford it, buy the best performing rod you can find. He has been a very important and integral part of our Shootouts and tackle comparisons over the years. The wide single ring was easy to grip and tighten. Hardy uses a comfortable half wells, western style handle and the quality of the cork is superb. Performance at 25 feet: 18.5 points out of 20. In general the SKY rods do cast well, and the SKY 9 foot #6 won our last 6-weight Shootout. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. The Sage X is light in overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing weight. Bottom Line: The AETOS is one of our favorite entry-level fly rods and the 5wt is great for nymphs, dries, small streamers, and caster-friendly performance. The reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. It would be so much better with a WF-5-F. Softer tips on these 4-weight rods almost always equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations, especially at shorter distances. The brown dull coating of the blank and the red wraps provide an original look. Here youll find our recommendations in three price ranges: The Ultimate Outfit, Mid Priced Outfit and Best Buy Outfit. Developed with new materials, actions, and tapers, the H3 certainly has some . Casting Notes: Loomis new LP rod is built for delicacy and finesse. Power: 7.5/10 - The DXF is powerful for a 5wt but features a larger timing window than other less forgiving fast action 5wts. In Livingston we usually have plenty of wind, so we had to wait until we got some fairly calm days, to do the casting. Overall a very good performance. The cork handle is a western style grip with a comfortable swell in the middle and a nice taper forward. Performance at 40 feet: 18.5 points out of 20. A dark green graphite insert is used that complements the color of the blank. 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. The 8-weight Asquith won our recent 2018, 8-weight Shootout, putting in a marvelous performance. The epoxy coatings are fairly good, but a little heavy. Add into the mix the Scott Radian and G-Series, the T&T Avantt, the Sage X, as well as the G. Loomis NRX LP and Asquith, and you have a full array of the best 4-weight rods on the market. The quality of the cork in the handles varies enormously among fly rods. The cosmetics and components of this rod are similar to its shorter brother. Cortland MKII Euro Nymph Rod. 3. When you pick up this rod, youll first notice how light it is in swing weight. Bottom Line: If youre a serious dry fly angler, this is one of the best fly rods on the market. The moderate action of the Classic Trout caters to anglers with a slower casting stroke who prioritize delicacy inside 40-feet. To make it easy to judge the turnover and accuracy, we tie in a small fluorescent yarn indicator at the end of the 2-foot 4x tippet and then trim it so that the wind resistance equates to a smaller dry fly. The wraps are darker green and the epoxy coatings were nicely done. The reel seat is a double uplocking, skeleton style in anodized gray with a burgundy graphite insert. 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. Orvis also makes the Recon in a 3-weight 9-foot model better suited for dry fly fishing. Quantity: Preorder you will promptly be contacted with available date. A single uplocking, gray anodized skeleton seat is fitted with an attractive burled wood insert. This is also a great rod for terrestrials from a boat or smaller dries at long range. Its not as caster-friendly as others in this category but provides the capable angler with technical fast action performance. #19. #16. The matte gray blank does look nice, and the guide wraps are a dark gray, trimmed in black on the butt section. 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). Not very good at long range either. Head to head, the Radian and Avantt were better. Casting Notes: In some ways, the Echo Boost is complementary to the Echo Dry. The blank is an attractive dark blue, with a matte non-glare finish. The guide wraps are gray, trimmed with red on the butt section and first ferrule. 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. Natural finish carbon appearance. Here it feels as good as the Scott rods and the Helios 3F.Performance at 60 feet: 9.0 points out of 10. Although we thought that the Winston 8 foot Pure was a fantastic 4-weight, the Nimbus didnt get us too excited. Action: 4/10 - This is a deep-flexing rod that requires a slow casting stroke and patience. A little better here but the DXF still puts it to shame. Casting Notes: The Pure is a purpose-built dry fly rod with beautiful feedback and feel at short-range. It is trimmed top and bottom with contrasting, composite cork rings. The wraps are dark blue to match the blank and the epoxy coatings are excellent. I just didnt care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. They inscribe the sliding band with the line size, which is a nice touch. How well are the guides wrapped and how nice are the coatings? The stiff tip and heavy swing weight both contributed to a lack of feel and accuracy in close. This hurt somewhat in its scores for swing weight and light tippet protection. The craftsmanship is second to none and it earns a perfect score along with the Winston Pure and T&T Avantt. Now Im getting nice tight loops and I can punch it hard into the breeze. 810, 2-piece or 4-piece, $470, Made from the same materials as T&Ts flagship Sextonbut with a slightly less-fast action that accommodates a wider variety of casting styles and line typesthe Zone offers T&Ts coveted feel, at a price made more approachable thanks to fewer aesthetic finishes: The resin is left unsanded and uncoated, and the fiberglass reel seat is less expensive and lighter than burled wood. Light in hand but the stiffness in the tip is not giving me as much feel in close as the Zephrus, and the accuracy is not as good as the best rods. We value your comments about the Shootout and invite any questions you might have about it or your tackle needs. The best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. Bottom Line: Weve been recommending the DXF 5wt in this price range for a while and think it provides the most performance for the lowest cost in the mid-priced category. You are familiar this term if you play golf. The swell in the middle of the grip is a little more forward than most. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used on the butt, behind the logo. Its medium action is far slower than the Recon or their H3F, and it didnt perform nearly as well, especially at 25 feet. Performance at 60 feet: 7.0 points out of 10. 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. Guides start with a hook keeper, then a single titanium SiC stripping guide, followed with our favorite nickel/titanium snake guides that are flexible but unbreakable. Its slightly more refined than the 3D but maintains a smooth, powerful action. Orvis Recon 2 Fly Rod. Action: 7.5/10 - Loomis built this rod to be faster than the Asquith and bordering on ultra-fast action. The heavy swing weight is perhaps the biggest reason the SKY didnt perform so well. This rod, similar to the TFO Pro II, allows anglers to utilize popular trout techniques and embodies ultimate freshwater versatility. The ring seems to lock up well. Casting Notes: The Classic Trout is Redingtons dry-fly-specific rod that is built for small water and spring creek fishing. Of all the reels we have carried over the years, Galvan continues to have the fewest warranty issues and returns. Winston PURE 8 #4 $850.00. 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. A real let down after the terrific performance I was getting with the Pure. Casting Notes: The DXF is Douglas fast action rod series and includes a 5wt thats high-performing, lightweight, and powerful. Action: 6.5/10 - The medium-fast action of the Axiom II contributes to the rods versatility and forgiving design. 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 added weight and relative stiffness over the other best rods hurt many of its scores. Expensive rods do have that wow factor that will impress your buddies. Where would Blue Ribbon land on the chart? Use this link to go to ourFavorite Freshwater Outfitsfor the 3 through 8-weight rods, in our Online Store. This is a very pleasant rod to cast, with a medium fast action. I did like the flat, non-glare black finish used on the blank. Casting Notes: The NRX+ Freshwater Rod is an ultra-fast action rod made for big flies and technical scenarios. 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. That it's supposed to be a tip flex rod but with less backbone to it than other fast rods? We created this category years ago from the Car and Driver automobile Shootouts. 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 blank color is a non-glare, graphite gray with slightly darker gray wraps and alignment dots. 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. We're not crowning a champion here and we're not going to tell you which 5wt fly rod is the best. Like the Orvis 3F, there is no hook keeper. If Fenwick determines that there was a defect, the rod will be repaired or replaced at no charge. 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