Action: 6/10 - A medium-fast action rod design makes turning over heavy nymph rigs a breeze with this 5wt. Overall the craftsmanship was ok but not nearly as good as the best mid-priced rods like the DXF or the Recon. Casting Notes: Loomis new LP rod is built for delicacy and finesse. The handle is Winstons familiar cigar grip, a half wells with a little flare on the bottom end to accept the uplocking seat. In making the deflection chart, we first put up some white butcher paper on the wall. Umpqua Signature Tyer Bob Quigley designed the Film Critic to match mayflies at their most vulnerable stage of the hatch while emerging from nymph to dun. 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. 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. The X provides the angler with finesse in close and power when you need it, a nice combination of feedback and backbone. The single uplocking seat is gray anodized aluminum, and doesnt use a spacer, but does have some trick looking cutouts on each side. 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. Head to head, the Radian and Avantt were better. As long as there wasnt much wind I could easily hit 60 feet but accuracy suffered. Power: 6/10 - This rod is smooth and evenly balanced with high-line-speed power and increased feel in close. The wraps are a dark green to complement the blank and the epoxy coatings are perfect. The quality of the cork in the handles varies enormously among fly rods. T&T designed this rod to cater to the widest range of anglers and its versatility shows through in its power and action levels. Better than the Sky but cant match the Shadow. Now the lack of butt power becomes evident and it is hard for me to get any decent accuracy. A stack of thin diameter corks is used and the quality is good. For guides, there is a hook keeper, then a single SiC stripping guide, followed with hard chrome snake guides that are nice and thin on the tip sections. 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. Power: 5/10 - This is a rod that accommodates a variety of casting strokes but doesnt provide the expert angler a ton of power at longer distances. Everyone else should buy an 8-weight, simply the most versatile number in the lineup. Overall weight is certainly a factor, lighter being better, but swing weight is far more important. Im confident that we can come up with the perfect rod or outfit that best fits your needs. It also has one of the heaviest swing weights in our Shootout. The quality of cork is pretty good, but not in the same class as Avantt. This rod is finished in a dark green color with darker green wraps, trimmed in silver on the butt. Better at the longest distances, much like the stiff IMX Pro. The craftsmanship was excellent and it performed very well for me, especially at 40 feet, where I was getting beautiful tight loops and very good accuracy. This is T&Ts mid-priced rod, but if you take a look at the best mid-priced rods in our Shootout like the Shadow at $349, the Recon at $429 and the DXF at $349, the Zones performance doesnt match any of these rods. Thomas and Thomas just introduced a very light presentation rod called the Paradigm, which complements their outstanding Avantt. This made it easy to judge one rod against another. Scott uses a stack of thinner cork rings on this handle and the quality was excellent. 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. I think the stiffer tip hurt here. But there are a lot of good reasons. 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. Pick any rod here that we rated a 9.5 or better and you have a winner! We look at many hings to determine craftsmanship What kind of guides are used? Both the Zephrus and Pure were far lighter in hand, and far better in performance at 40 feet. No handling fee. A great 4-weight rod must have the ability to make delicate and accurate presentations with small flies and long leaders at short distances. Rods are repaired, not replaced unless broken. Rods are replaced. It can be tied in sizes 1/0 - 10. This is one of the best looking rods in our Shootout. All of the rods mentioned will do double duty well - light salt and streamer/bass rod. The rest of the guides are their terrific nickel/titanium single foot guides that are light and flexible but will never break. My advice has always been if you can afford it, buy the best performing rod you can find. Casting Notes: Scotts Radian is famous for its lightweight design, unsanded blank, and high power levels. Sage Lifetime warranty to original owner. The K2 falls into the upper end of the mid-price range but it was blown away by the less expensive Hardy Shadow and Orvis Recon at 25 and 40 feet. This is a classy reel seat, which is much better looking than some of the anodized aluminum insert seats. 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. 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. But in looking closely at the Hardy Zephrus, Ultralite, and the Douglas SKY, they are also definitely near the top end of the craftsmanship ladder. I dont know how Orvis pulls this off, but we like the results. Here youll find our recommendations in three price ranges: The Ultimate Outfit, Mid Priced Outfit and Best Buy Outfit. You will be surprised to see how well mid-priced rods like the Hardy Shadow, the Orvis Recon, and the Douglas DXF performed, all of which made it into our top ten overall in the final results. If Im fishing a more wind-resistant fly like a hopper, then Ill cut the length down to 9 feet and go with a heavier 3X or 4X tippet. Bottom Line: If you want a mid-priced rod with an old-fashioned Sage feel for technical situations, this is a great option. The stiffness hurt in close but this is one of the very best performing rods at long range. A dark gray wood burl insert is used that matches the blank. And if there was any wind, I couldnt make good enough back cast loops to hit the distance. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. 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. There are matching burgundy wraps on the guides, and the epoxy coatings were very well done. Those ravings were well warranted, given that the original Contact was a superb example of what a thoughtfully designed Euro rod could be. The TFO rods, the Taylor rods, the Mystic rod, and the Waterworks rods are all designed here in the U.S. and built in Asia. Power: 5/10 - The Shadow has some reserve power that can be taken advantage of by anglers who are in tune with their timing and casting stroke. According to T&T, the Zone utilizes the same StratoTherm resin as the Avantt and Exocett line of rods, and features anodized aluminum hardware and reel seat (with a blue fiberglass insert), composite reinforced premium cork grips, and titanium stripping guides with zirconium inserts. The best thing I found about the Clearwater is the price. Some good alignment dots and lines are used. $25 handling fee on current rods. Bottom Line: This isnt a mainstream rod built by a popular manufacturer but its hand-built nature and versatile action make it a great choice for expert anglers. Below the final results charts we give you the exact repair charges for each manufacturer. In addition it will cost you $15 or more to ship your rod in for repair or have your local dealer do it for you. Well come out with you and give you some help to fine tune your casting stroke, or just help you with the basics. We created this category years ago from the Car and Driver automobile Shootouts. Rods that flex in the tip are fast action rods, rods that flex in the mid-section are moderate action rods, and so on. Dont make this mistake. The thinner cork handle may actually be an advantage for some anglers, especially children or women with smaller hands. No better at mid-range. The 4-weight Asquith was one of the stiffer rods in our Shootout and this hurt its scores at the shortest distance of 25 feet. 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. 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. We should have probably dropped this longer Finesse from our Shootout as the shorter 79 Finesse performed so much better. Ive always liked the smooth lines, as they dont make so much noise running through the guides. 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. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used on the butt, behind the logo. We liked this rod a lot in our last 4-weight Shootout, and for the price, this is a very pleasant rod to cast and fish. George Anderson, and the rest of the Yellowstone Angler crew, Simms Ms G4 PRO Powerlock Boot Vibram, Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. One of the things that I liked was the light feel of this rod in my hand. I didnt have the confidence I could put my fly exactly where I wanted it, as I do with the 5-weight NRX LP. The epoxy coatings on the wraps were excellent. Now the stiffness is becoming an advantage, and Im getting some nice tight loops. The serial number of the rod is inscribed on the ferrule of each section a nice touch. Then the dark green finish just sparkles. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. But if you look at just the three distance performance scores, it would have finished below the top dozen rods! The guides start out with a small hook keeper, then a single SiC stripper, followed with black, hard chrome single-foot guides. R.L. Hardy Demon. Rating: 100%. 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. Like the Meridian, the Tidal is manufactured by Scott in Montrose, Colorado. 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. Bottom Line: Winston has been making moderate-action dry fly rods for years and this is the culmination of years of R&D. The rest of the guides are hard chrome snake guides with nice, small diameter wire snake guides on the upper two sections. Good, just not nearly as precise but the Zephrus and Pure. We've also set up some charts so you can easily compare rods based on the power/action matrix explained above in the entry-level price-point, mid-level price-point, and high price-point. Weve found that fluctuating temperature and humidity from one day to the next can make a difference of .2-.3 oz. I think a hook keeper is very useful on trout rods. This same Expeditor service applies to the Asquith but the fee is $275 for 2ndday air. Nice rod, quite light and supple tip could throw a leader very well. Drop us an email at[emailprotected]or call us at(888) 413-5211. A sliding band and wide locking ring is used that is easy to grip and seemed to lock up well. The epoxy coatings are fairly good, but a little heavy. Im not getting much feel either. This is not a pleasant rod to do a lot of false casting with, as you would fishing dry flies. How well are the guides wrapped and how nice are the coatings? Power: 7/10 - This is a powerful rod capable of throwing dry flies, nymph rigs, and small streamers, optimized for castability and long distance performance. 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. Nice and light in hand and pretty good feel, but the accuracy is not as good as I was getting with the Aetos. When you pick up this rod, youll first notice how light it is in swing weight. Makes sense because its the most expensive rod in our buyers guide. Orvis Recon 5wt. 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 Recon was much better. However, if all rods are measured on the same day, the relative numbers will be consistent. Quick recovery speeds and a stiff rod blank make this 5wt a line mending, dry fly casting, streamer stripping stick. Action: 5/10 - This is a solidly medium-fast action rod with a mid/tip-flex profile thats versatile and beginner-friendly. The best rods are not always the most expensive ones. Im really surprised it is so far down in our finishing order as a 4-weight. 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. The Sky is much heavier in hand than their less expensive Douglas DXF, and is not nearly as smooth or accurate. The stiff tip didnt allow me much feel but the accuracy was decent. 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. 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. Action: 4/10 - Similarly, Redington built this rod with a moderate-slow action. The epoxy coatings on the wraps were not so good too heavy and about like what we saw on the X. This rod gives me the confidence that I can place the fly just where I want it, and do it with a delicate presentation. #2. . They are light but very durable. I really expected to see this new G Series 4-weight challenge the best rods. The buzz around IFTD this year was heavy on the rod-talk. This year, as is the norm in the industry, all of the rods tested are 4 piece rods. The uplocking skeleton reel seat is silver anodized aluminum, with one good-sized locking ring and sliding band, similar to the Avantt. Action: 5/10 - The Epic Graphite features a mid-flex design and a soft tip for accuracy at any distance. The epoxy coatings were a bit too heavy though, not nearly as nice as what we see on the Hardy rods. Just not enough butt power to get the job done. Power: 5.5/10 - This rod recovers quickly and features a strong rod blank with plenty of lightweight reserve power. Only the Zephrus and Pure were better at mid-distance. Rating: 100%. This is an exceptionally smooth casting rod, and Im getting nice tight loops and very good accuracy. I think that this can be attributed to the slower action of this rod compared to the Zephrus. This means you can generate line speed but you can also focus on delicacy at short range. If you feel your rod has broken because of a defect, you pay to send the rod to their warranty dept. Because of the cost, we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points. This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. #25. Wow It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! Its slightly more refined than the 3D but maintains a smooth, powerful action. A black anodized double uplocking skeleton seat is used with an unusual x-pattern design and a laminated wood insert. 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 . Good, just not great. Performance at 60 feet: 9.5 points out of 10. The stiffer tip didnt allow for much feel or accuracy. And since we are in Montana, there is no sales tax.Once you get your new rod or outfit, do some casting on the lawn, and if you feel it is not just what you want, (and has not been fished), well allow you to return it to us for a full refund, less the shipping charges. Equal to the IMX Pro but thats about it. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. The ability of this rod to form and maintain very tight loops helped it give me slightly more accuracy than the Helios 3F or Scott G series at mid-range. 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. #3. $75 handling fee. A black anodized uplocking skeleton seat is used with one ring and sliding band. Add to Cart. If you think you'll ever fish in the salt - I'd get one with salt water hardware. Size: 7'6" 2wt. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used behind the logo, just above the cork handle. Our advice is that if you feel one of the top rated, expensive rods works best for you, go for it. The newHARDY ZEPHRUS ULTRALITEwas disappointing, mainly due to a slower action than the Zephrus, and a lack of accuracy in close. 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. 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