Next, holding the rod in a horizontally, we position the grip over the foam pellet so that the pellet is centered under the exact spot where you will most likely hold the rod with your hand. 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 8 foot Pure had a much stiffer butt and mid-section and a soft tip that is much softer than what we found on the Nimbus. 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. Fenwick-Lifetime warranty. This is a smooth line, rather than one with a textured coating. One of the reasons is that the SKY is available only as a nine footer, while the DXF is 86. In general the SKY rods do cast well, and the SKY 9 foot #6 won our last 6-weight Shootout. Sage uses lime green wraps that complement the color of the rod. But is that high priced rod really $400-$600 better? The accuracy was not good either. The rod has a cork reel insert and pays homage to old-fashioned cane rods. A dark gray wood burl insert is used that matches the blank. I was hitting the plate almost every time. Mystic JXP 9 #4 $499.00. WinstonLifetime warranty to original owner. To my credit, I didnt throw a tailing loop, but my first cast wasnt exactly pretty. It was very light in swing weight, and quite accurate in close, but it just didnt have much feel in close like the best rods. Pushing off from the dock on a boat called the Capelin, Sandy Milners small team of scientists heads north, navigating through patchy fog past a behemoth cruise For years, I used to leave my waders clipped to an I-bolt in the bed of my pickup (so they wouldnt fly away). Light Tippet Protection 20 points available. 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? Nice and smooth. (tie) R.L. The new Zephrus have a softer tip than the Zeniths which is a good thing for dry fly and short distance accuracy guys. Rods that were very light in swing weight like the Zephrus, Avantt and Helios 3F blew the X away in both feel and performance. Hardy ZEPHRUS 8'6" #4 $679.00 It's the Hardy Zephrus for the win! However, nearly all manufacturers are charging a handling fee of $25-$100 to repair or replace your broken rod. The reel seat is an uplocking black anodized skeleton seat with a dark gray graphite insert, (pretty plain looking but it works well). I love the appearance of the DXF, with the blank finished in a flat, non-glare dark green. The fancy burl wood insert just jumps out at you with its striking color lots of red and orange mixed in very attractive. I love the light swing weight. Both feel and accuracy are poor. Im getting effortless tight loops, and I had complete confidence on where the fly was going on every cast. I did like the flat, non-glare black finish used on the blank. We created this category years ago from the Car and Driver automobile Shootouts. The spacer is not fancy burl or birdseye maple, but laminated wood as often seen on inexpensive rods. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used on the butt, behind the logo. We have experimented with the ways to measure this in past Shootouts but we still prefer our tried and true approach using the postal scale since it provides believable and meaningful results. Hardy has given us another magical rod that produced an absolutely stunning performance to blow away all the contenders. The Ultralite is a very attractive rod. Shop Now. 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. Rods are repaired or replaced. The guide wraps are a slightly darker gray, trimmed in orange on the butt. The Orvis RECON, at $429 wasn't far behind! LoopLifetime warranty to original owner. Standard corks are used and the quality is excellent. This can be a huge help if you have multiple rods and the sections get mixed up. Performance at 25 feet: 17.5 points out of 20. And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me, he'd grown up just like me. The epoxy coatings are excellent as is the overall craftsmanship, which we have come to expect from Scott. With 4-weight rods the emphasis is on the shorter distances, as rarely would an angler be casting a 4-weight at 60 feet or more. The double uplocking, gray anodized reel skeleton seat uses two rings that are easy to grip and lock up extremely well. The ability of this rod to track precisely combined with its ability to form beautiful tight loops allowed it to perform almost as well as the best rods at long range. I did not find that to be the case. 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. The color of this rod is an attractive olive, with the guides wrapped in dark brown. You can read about these warranty policies later in our Shootout. Hardy ZEPHRUS 8'6" #4 $679.00 George's Comments: Hardy has given us another magical rod that produced an absolutely stunning performance to blow away all the contenders. With more line in the air Im getting nice loops and good accuracy. Certainly the Hardy Zephrus is a bargain as our choice for as the number one 4-weight rod. You know it has power when the rod almost effortlessly shoots line. Take a look at the deflection board if you want a hint of the secret to Hardys success. Perfect. Not much feel with all that swing weight, and the accuracy was pretty crappy too. This rod gives me the confidence that I can place the fly just where I want it, and do it with a delicate presentation. I dont know how Orvis pulls this off, but we like the results. You must register the new rod within 30 days. At long range no rod has more power. hardy zane. Did not feel overpowered, and loaded quickly. 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. It is nearly impossible to cast off the tip of the rod like I can with the best 4-weights. The lower ring uses a thin nylon spacer that helps it lock up securely to the upper ring. Then we progressed to the mid-priced rods and finally the least expensive rods. #16. This was one of the rods that we felt needed the lighter Trout line. The double size uplocking ring was easy to grip and tighten. The reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. 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. Titanium recoil single-foot guides adorn the rod, kept in place with thread that matches the blank color. The epoxy coatings on the guides are top notch. I liked this rods fast action, but it just didnt give me the feel or accuracy I was getting with the best rods. Accuracy is good, just not great. This rod is so soft that I just dont have the power in the butt and mid sections to get good tight back cast loops, or the line speed I need to get the job done. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. The Galvan Torque reels have proven to be wonderful reels. Opens in a new window or tab. However, as youll see in the Performance Only scores, it finished much higher in 12thplace. Guides start with a hook keeper and then one SiC stripper, followed with fairly thin diameter black hard chrome snake guides. Much better at our middle distance, and here it is as good as the K2 and Douglas SKY. It would be so much better with a WF-5-F. 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. Feel is good and the rod is very light in hand. The cosmetics and components of this rod are similar to its shorter brother. Performance at 60 feet: 9.0 points out of 10. $50 handling fee. The single uplocking seat is gray anodized aluminum, and doesnt use a spacer, but does have some trick looking cutouts on each side. I liked the medium fast action, and this was a pleasantly smooth rod to cast, especially at the longer distances. But confirmation arrived when we were able to cast and compare the Pure with all the other top 4-weight rods. The uplocking skeleton seat is anodized in a dark gray to complement the blank with a beautiful piece of black ash burl for the insert. Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. If you cannot find or cast the rods that interest you, we are here to help. Rods are replaced. Wow It is super light in hand, and 2. $895.00. Swing weight is on the heavier side and this hurt the performance to some degree. As youll shortly read, our top rated rod, the Hardy Zephrus is $679.00, nearly two hundred dollars less than the next three rods, which are each close to $850.00. If you are looking for that perfect saltwater outfit, then use ourFavorite Saltwater Outfitslink. If you feel your rod has broken because of a defect, you pay to send the rod to their warranty dept. We set out three sets of paper plates as targets, with plenty of distance between each casting line so that no one was getting tangled up. 4wt (6) 5wt (7) 6wt (8) 7wt (9) 8wt (9) 9wt (4) 10wt (5) 11wt (4) 12wt (3) View More. My favorite length for a 4-weight rod is 8 feet. The Hardy Shadow that tied for 4thplace sells for only $350.00. NUMBER OF PIECES: 4. Like the K2, the Q is only available as a 9-foot rod in a 4-weight. Sage could improve the MODs swing weight by using the more expensive nickel/titanium guides instead. I wish that we could have tested an 86 Aetos, but this rod is only available in an 8 foot #4. The stiff tip didnt allow me much feel but the accuracy was decent. 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. Im having trouble casting off the tip well and this is hurting the accuracy. Craftsmanship is second to none, and is what we have now come to expect from T&T. Vintage Hardy C C de France Bamboo Fly Rod Circa 1939 2 Piece Hardy C C de France Vintage Bamboo Fly Rod Great eye appeal for this vintage rod and rod bag serial number E50405 dates the rod manufacture to circa1939 2 piece rod. A beautiful birdseye maple insert is used. Hardy Ultralite NSX DH Fly Rod. In Livingston we usually have plenty of wind, so we had to wait until we got some fairly calm days, to do the casting. The Zephrus has an even stiffer butt and midsection with a softer tip than the Zenith. #27. TFO FINESSE TROUT 89 #4 $229.95. The quality of the cork is superb. The heavy swing weight is perhaps the biggest reason the SKY didnt perform so well. Leaders are a critical element in making accurate presentations and fooling spooky trout. Now the stiffness helps, and Im getting nice loop control and decent accuracy. 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. I was tempted to give it a perfect score for craftsmanship. Review: Hardy Zephrus Ultralite fly rod | Hatch Magazine - Fly Fishing 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. Part of the light swing weight can be attributed to the use of the superb REC nickel/titanium single-foot guides. The epoxy coatings are painstakingly done and close to perfect. 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. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. The craftsmanship is second to none and it earns a perfect score along with the Winston Pure and T&T Avantt. Most of the rest score 9s, which was a $60-$75 fee for repair or replacement. 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. The finished blanks are then shipped back to G. Loomis, where the rods are assembled, wrapped and finished at the G. Loomis factory in Woodland Washington. Here is a recap of each manufacturers current policy, their latest fees and what we have experienced for repair time required. The action of the Zone is much slower than the Avantt (and also a lot slower than the Recon or Shadow). The Avantt matches the Helios 3D in swing weight and feels nice and light in hand. Hardy Ultralite Fly Rod Review - Trident Fly Fishing G. Loomis ASQUITH 9 #4 $1000.00. The overall craftsmanship is excellent. and comes complete with the original Orvis tube and bag. When I put this rod in my hand it feels more like a 5-weight than a 4-weight! 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. 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 perfect line: SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity in WF-4-F, Performance at 25 feet: 20 points out of 20. To appreciate this rod, you need to see it in the sunlight. If you look at the best performing rods in general, they have stiffer butt and midsections and softer tips. 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. Both were perfect at 40 feet, and then the Zephrus was better at 60 feet. The blank is that same lovely emerald Winston green we have come to know and love. We can attribute this to the use of one-coat finish rather than multiple coats as seen on the T&T rods. Keep in mind thatfastaction rods are not necessarilystiffrods as many people assume. Rods that have good power in the butt and mid-section help me set the hook quickly and allow me to throw a combination of flies and indicator along with a little weight. I look for rods that feel totally solid and track well. Non-original owner $150 per section. Picking up this rod, I'm immediately impressed by its light weight and responsiveness.
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