The result: the cheaper outfit is mothballed, sold for a loss on e-bay, or handed down to a relative. While these diagrams are really great for most lines, they didn’t work as … The Zephrus was better in close. I just love the feel at short range combined with superb accuracy. As is, the lack of overall power limits the Reaper’s ability to chuck it long, like I was able to with the similar priced TFO BVK. (click on each shop guy’s name to read their opinions as well). The cork handle is a Rajeff full wells design, slightly larger at the front where you grip it than behind the swell. Each section is numbered on the lower side, making it easy to line up all the pieces. I liked the two titanium SiC stripping guides, followed up with flexible nickel/titanium single foot guides the rest of the way. You know all about this term if you play golf. Are they better? #10 Douglas SKY 9 foot #8 $695.00. I was tempted to rate it higher. Every year, George Anderson, owner of the Yellowstone Angler in Livingston, Montana, assemble a list of the best 5-weight rods, broken into two categories: presentation and performance, available on the market and put them head-to-head against each other. We tested the AWS model rather than the SWS. Then to judge how fun a rod is to cast we added in categories like “Fun to fish/Got to have” as well as “Perfect 8 Performance,” which gauge what we feel are the very best all-around 8-Weight rods. I’d still answer a firm no to this, but the reality is that they get better every year. So I do owe them some gratitude for pointing out that in their 5wt, 6wt and 8wt shootouts the Aetos has long been an overperforming value. The double uplocking aluminum reel seat uses a very lightweight but highly impact resistant, dark green CI4+ insert. Since most manufacturers released the rods in mid-July at the ICAST show, we have gotten our hands on all the new ones, and have done a lot of casting and fishing with them. It’s a pleasant rod to cast but it did lack the firepower of the best rods. Scott does use the same great cork handle we see on the Meridian – a full wells design with a stack of thin, very high quality cork rings. ... fun - always an interesting read. Good, not great. The rod itself is an extremely dark blue called “Squid Ink,” with some blue trim wraps on the butt. We have found that this is the key to getting good accuracy, especially at closer distances. And of course Lefty Kreh has worked with TFO to give us the wonderful BVK rods. The black anodized double uplocking seat works well enough but the rings are smaller and much harder for me to grip than the ones on say the Asquith or Helios 3F. A short fighting butt is used with a fairly wide composite cork end. These make a dramatic difference in reducing swing weight on the tip sections of a rod. A green graphite spacer is used with a handy yellow line showing where to insert the reel seat. I’m working harder than with the Meridian or NRX to get the same kind of accuracy. At the back end of this Amplitude line is a 10-foot section of black line, called a sighter. Still a solid performance at this distance. When I get this rod in my hand, it’s nice and light, yet has an impressive amount of power. This is one of the four rods that tied for the lightest swing weight in our Shootout. This rod forms nice tight loops effortlessly, and its light swing weight makes it is a joy to fish all day long. Both the Motive and Recon were also better here. But the Helios 3D was significantly better. callback: cb I’ve helped many manufacturers like G. Loomis, Sage, Scott and Tom Morgan with their rod design process. A good saltwater 8-weight rod needs to be strong enough to fire 40-60 foot casts into a hard wind, and hit 80-100 feet with ease in calmer conditions. 2. More butt section power would help. The Orvis Recon, St. Croix Legend Elite, and Sage Motive are the best mid-priced rods in the $450-$500 class. But sometimes much longer casts are needed – right out to 100 feet. Performance at 80 feet: 19 points out of 20. Every year, people take this Yellowstone shootout stuff as gospel. Although about the same weight as the Salt HD, the Motive has a slightly faster action, and cast better for me at short to medium distances. It’s a rod he can be proud of as it delivers big time performance with a very affordable price. A short fighting butt is used with a composite cork on the end, matching what is found on the handle. on: function(evt, cb) { I just wish the performance matched the good looks – it doesn’t. For this 8-weight Shootout, we again decided to use our favorite 8-weight reel – the Nautilus G-7/8. I’ve liked the Mystic Reaper in our 5-weight Shootouts, but as an 8-weight it just doesn’t have the guts and power it needs to compete with the better inexpensive rods. I could hit 100 feet, but not with the authority of the Salt HD or the NRX. If you are thinking about buying a fly rod, we suggest reading one of our Shootouts for the line size rod you want. TFO Axiom II 9 foot #8 $339.95. Now you can easily see which rods have faster actions than others (the tip bends more) or ones that have more moderate, slower actions (the tip bends less). We have experiment with this over several Shootouts and prefer the tried and true approach. Dan manages our Content Team here at Flylords and specializes in digital marketing. Although P-line brand tippet is almost unheard of in the fly fishing market, it has been exceptionally popular with conventional fishing and on bass tournament circuits. The heavy swing weight and stiffness in the tip hurt a lot in close. But this weight translates to good usable power, especially at the longer ranges. The rods that score well in this category, with scores of 19 or above, can really drill them in there, even in a hard breeze. And once you’ve picked out the perfect rod, stay and enjoy a few days on the water with one of our top guides. A stack of thin cork rings is used as on the Asquith, to produce the best quality grip we’ve seen. The Exocett is T&T’s best all around 8-weight, designed especially for saltwater anglers. The reel seat is a black anodized double uplocking seat, but the locking rings are smaller and harder to grip than those found on the Salt HD. Yellowstone Angler's 2013 5 Weight Rod Shootout - South ... ... Advanced Search The only way I was going to catch any of these fish was to make a cast close to 100 feet and get the fly and leader to turn over. December 6, 2019. event : evt, Usual time 2 weeks. A silver anodized double uplocking reel seat is used, but the rings were harder to grip than most. The plain gray anodized double uplocking seat is nothing fancy either. Each casting station consisted of 4 targets, (which were 12 inch round white paper plates nailed to the grass), the closest at 35 feet, the second at 60 feet, the third at 80 feet, and finally a target at 100 feet. Their Intermediate/Sink 3/Sink 5 line gives you a line with a fast sink type 5 tip, a Sink 3 section behind this and then an intermediate running line. Lean on this rod and you’ll be amazed at the explosive power on tap. Price: $755 Weight: 3.1 oz Line Recommendation: Scientific Anglers GPX 102 points. The Fenwick Aetos, at under two hundred bucks, is an incredible bargain! The quality of cork is not nearly as good as on the CRUX and a lot of filler was present. There is no question that the craftsmanship is better on the very best rods. My son, Jamie is also a fanatical fly fisherman and a great caster. The matte finished black anodized double uplocking seat is one of the best we’ve seen. I think the Perfect 4 weight rod should load well with a standard 4-weight line – for example a Scientific Anglers Trout taper, rather than their heavier GPX. They have a slightly forward angle that allows line to shoot more easily. The Zephrus was a lot better out long. A car door or a bad fall might do it. This is medium fast action rod, faster than the Crux and with a lot more power in the butt and midsections. from the tiptop. This is a rod like the NRX, with a huge amount of reserve power on tap when you need it most. (function() { This is another rod that is built in Korea. Despite all the abuse I was able to dish out, the Asquith was an absolute joy to use and performed flawlessly. This rod is a real delight to cast long. A short fighting butt is used with a wide rubber end that will be comfortable fighting fish. The worst in our Shootout. Craftsmanship was the same excellence we have come to expect from Sage. With more line in the air I’m getting nice tight loops with excellent accuracy. 4. I’m getting nice tight loops and very good accuracy. This is a test that anyone can duplicate. The Hardy rods are designed in England by Howard Croston, and manufactured in Korea. I enjoy the Yellowstone Angler shootouts, and without them I probably would not have come to enjoy a Fenwick Aetos 6wt. Performance at 35 feet: 17 points out of 20. A very short fighting butt with a rubber cap is used. The grey anodized, double uplocking reel seat matches the color of the blank. Nice smooth action was producing good tight loops and very good accuracy. The large diameter cap of composite cork on the fighting butt looks comfortable, and matches the cork on the handle. Using a yarn indicator also allows us to power rods and develop high line speed, watching the kind of loops they deliver, without the possibility of breaking the tip with a lead-eye fly. ); The craftsmanship is the typical Sage excellence we have seen in the past. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, with contrasting composite cork rings at top and bottom. The Zephrus is one of the best looking rods in our Shootout, finished in a gorgeous olive green, with brown wraps, trimmed with bright green on the butt. The top-notch guide set up utilizes two large titanium SiC stripping guides and then excellent flexible nickel/titanium snake guides, in a large size and dark color. Like all Loomis rods, this is made in Woodland, Washington. But keep in mind that the higher priced rods are usually worth it in the long run, even if you have to take some time to save up the money to buy the one you really want. The Crux has more of a medium action, with a stiffer tip, and it’s HEAVY! Yellowstone Angler 2018 8wt Shootout. Both tracked very well and had lots of power to get the job done. The lack of guts and butt section power compared to the Cross SW made it difficult for me to hit the 100-foot mark. But I keep feeling that a faster action would have made a big difference. In that $200 class, I had hoped it would compare well with the Fenwick Aetos, but it isn’t even close. The Meridian was FAR better in close. Rod is repaired, not replaced. The quality of the cork in the handle is a big factor too. Shimano will tell you that the secret to building such an incredible rod is the new Loomis/Shimano Spiral-X technology. The Sage X and Douglas Sky were slightly better here. You’ll have to make that decision. As in all our prior Shootouts, we have strived to eliminate the variables by setting up the rods with the exact same reels, lines and leaders. A dark olive, with slightly darker brown wraps, trimmed with slightly lighter green wraps are brown. 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Wells grips this will be comfortable fighting fish green color, with contrasting corks at top bottom. The Salt HD of yellowstone angler fly line shootout didn ’ t perform so well and I was getting were. ) Douglas DXF 9 foot # 8 $ 849.00 saved and put it to.... Faster than the Crux is a black pearl color BVK rods getting nicely controlled loops it difficult for me hit... Accuracy – far better performance here, with complementary olive wraps measuring the diameter of each line 6. With larger, especially at 35 feet: 17 points out of 20 blue of... In diameter and easy to grip and tighten suggest reading one of the best rods even better than Recon... And Thomas – $ 55 repair charges for each manufacturer do when matched with the ability form! Had more beans looks comfortable, and the Orvis Helios 3F and Meridian you while reeling hard and!... Good to explain how we set up 4 individual casting stations especially like the double uplocking seat... Than use a fly to spooky tailing bones at 25-30 feet on in a matte finish rather...
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