The guides start with a hook keeper, and then one relatively small silver SiC stripping guide, followed with hard chrome single-foot guides. Here, any rods that rate 9.5 -10 are superb, and would be at the top of a Perfect 4 category. The Pure puts in an impressive performance, especially at the shorter distances, and finishes in 2ndplace in both the overall and performance results. The quality of the cork was much better too, but still not in the class of what we found on the Recon or Shadow. This is the most technical rod in this price range and offers high performance to anglers who prefer an ultra-fast action rod. Id like to see Howard Croston re-design this rod with a softer tip. (Click here to see more deflection charts). Power: 7/10 - The power levels on this rod are pretty great. Then we progressed to the mid-priced rods and finally the least expensive rods. This is a rod that encourages finesse, delicacy, and accuracy at short-range when targeting picky trout in a variety of scenarios. As long as there wasnt much wind I could easily hit 60 feet but accuracy suffered. Below are all the 4-weight rods in the order they finished. For most grips this will be at the midpoint in the swell, or the center of the grip. However at long range, it had no guts, and was one of the worst in our Shootout. The reel seat is an unusual, triangular shaped silver anodized seat with no spacer. The Recon was much better. Casting Notes: Sage has refined their typical super fast action rod design into a rod thats more caster-friendly and more forgiving. Power: 8.5/10 - The lightweight, quick-recovering blank of the Sky encourages excellent power and accuracy at long range. Mystic Lifetime warranty to original owner. 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 locking ring was harder for me to grip than most. The 5-weight boasts a 7-inch half-wells grip and heavy-duty black nickel hardware throughout. Simply put, its the lightest 5wt weve ever tested and designed for versatility and finesse. Click on any of the charts above to see more charts. Not much feel with all that swing weight, and the accuracy was pretty crappy too. The medium fast action of the Recon is very similar to the Helios 3F and this is one reason it performs so well. The stiffness did not allow much feel but the accuracy was surprisingly good. 2. The Clearwater is finished in a dark gray color with dark olive guide wraps. Ones with a heavy swing weight feel like a club in your hand and they are not going to be pleasant to cast and fish all day. 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. I can sure notice the heavy swing weight and this is not a very pleasant rod to cast. The Sage X is light in overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing weight. Casting Notes: Scotts Radian is famous for its lightweight design, unsanded blank, and high power levels. The rod itself is finished in a blue/gray color, Big Sky Blue but it doesnt jump out and grab you like the gorgeous Winston emerald green. If you look at the deflection chart of all the rods, it was the stiffest rod in our Shootout, being almost as stiff as the Douglas SKY6-weight! A moderate action rod with low power levels is best for dry flies at close range. #23. Performance at 60 feet: 9.3 points out of 10. 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. 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. Now were talking! Stiff, slower action rods are NOT what you are looking for in a 4-weight, where accurate, delicate presentations are the keys to success. The cork handle is what Sage calls a snub nose half-wells. Here is a recap of each manufacturers current policy, their latest fees and what we have experienced for repair time required. Rods are repaired, not replaced except for broken sections. This lightweight freshwater rod is powerful enough to throw larger flies and light enough for accurate presentations at short-range with dry flies. Line Recommendation: RIO Gold Premier Fly Line. Bottom Line: This isnt the best rod for a novice angler who needs a forgiving rod action, but its a great option for the intermediate angler looking for a budget rod. Im convinced that the key to catching more trout, (and especially larger trout), is casting accuracy. The Avantt matches the Helios 3D in swing weight and feels nice and light in hand. In general the SKY rods do cast well, and the SKY 9 foot #6 won our last 6-weight Shootout. Add to Cart. $998.00. Douglas uses a dark green anodized double ring uplocking seat, with an attractive brown wood burl insert. The lock rings were a little harder than most to grip and tighten. The 8 foot Pure had a much heavier swing weight, and would not be as much fun to false cast all day as this 8 footer. We stand by our methodology however, and by far most of the anglers that take the time to give us their feedback on these Shootouts generally agree with our results. To get a 10, repair charges had to be $35 or less with a quick turn around time of less than two weeks. There is not much swell in the middle of the grip and it tapers just slightly forward. Category changes that improve the accuracy of the results in our latest 4-weight Shootout. The Clearwater is heavy in overall weight andvery heavyin swing weight, making it a chore to cast. At least it is sanded to a smooth finish initially. Non-original owner $150 per section. Sage could improve the MODs swing weight by using the more expensive nickel/titanium guides instead. It also has a relatively stiff tip when compared to the winners. 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. Line Recommendation: RIO Gold Elite Fly Line. Dont fret about the price youll find some ingenious way to sneak it into your collection of rods without the mrs. (or mr.) finding out. But there are a lot of good reasons. 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. The cutout only extends down to from the butt cap, leaving that last portion fully threaded where you would tighten down the rings. Casting Notes: The Trace is a do-it-all freshwater rod built with a versatile rod action and user-friendly components. In order to do this, we set each rod up with the same reel, line, amount of backing and leader, length of tippet and the same size yarn indicator. The Radian placed 2ndin our last 5-weight Shootout and I was surprised to see that it was this far down the list in a 4-weight. And once youve picked out the perfect rod, stay and enjoy a few days on the water with one of our top guides. Usually takes 2 weeks. What is a cheap rod like this doing up here with all the far higher priced rods, many of which cost $700more? Size: 7'6" 2wt. Winston gives us two new rods, the Winston Air and their beefy Alpha+. The wraps are also black, nicely trimmed in light gray on the butt sections. It was a little better than the Avantt here, but not as good as the H3F. Slower action rods with a heavy swing weight are not much fun to cast and as youll see the performance figures for this rod are dismal. The blank is finished in natural graphite gray in the Scott tradition, with the blank sanded only lightly so that the tape marks remain. 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. Overall a very good performance. This is a variation of a fly tied by Jim Misiura. If you cannot find or cast the rods that interest you, we are here to help. For this Shootout, we were able to do the casting here on our lawn at the shop. 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. But superior craftsmanship commands a much higher price! This makes it easier to justify buying the best performing rod. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a high-performance rod in the sub-$700 range and youre an angler who appreciates power and efficiency, the Sky is a great rod series. What is the Asquith doing way down near the bottom of this Shootout when it won our recent 8-weight Shootout!? For guides, they use one SiC stripping guide followed with hard chrome snake guides that are thin and light on the tip sections. Wouldn't it be a better general 5# rod choice than Pro3 with MF action ? The uplocking black anodized skeleton reel seat utilizes a single ring that is easy to grip and lock down. $50 handing fee. However, if all rods are measured on the same day, the relative numbers will be consistent. The single uplocking reel seat is plain anodized gray aluminum with no insert. . 5wt fly rods are (by far) the most popular rod model in contemporary fly fishing. 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. The black anodized double unlocking skeleton seat has two larger rings that are very easy to grip and tighten. Performance at 60 feet: 9.5 points out of 10. The Asquith is available in only a nine-foot model, and it is stiffer than most of the tested 4-weight rods. Power: 3/10 - While moderate in terms of power, the Pure actually does have some nice performance at longer distances in mild weather conditions (not a rod that cuts through the wind). The new X has a nice medium fast action that delivers the best performance at short to medium distances. If you are a Winston fan and like to fish dry flies at shorter distances, this is your rod! Usually takes 2-4 weeks. Sage X. Winston Air 4wt. It also sits dead last in our Fun to Fish category. 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. This is a fast action rod. The Orvis Clearwater rods are designed in Vermont and built in the orient. A Bonnier LLC Company. If you must move now I'd consider the sage sonic (with FB - salt water hardware) and the Orvis recon or the Thomas and Thomas zone. Much heavier in hand than the Avantt, and the stiffer tip is not giving me as much feel or accuracy. Bottom Line: If youre looking for power and feel, this is one of the better 5wts on the market. Heres a mid-priced rod that put in a good performance across the board. The feel Im getting is not that good either. A half wells cork handle is used, but the size is a little small in diameter as I noted. That gives it a perfect score of 10 along with the Aetos. A buyer's guide is a little different, however. The best rods are not always the most expensive ones. Action: 5/10 - This is a rod thats forgiving and closer to moderate action than it is to fast action. The rod is stout yet smooth for refined performance at short range and enough power to propel large terrestrials through the wind. Sport Fishing Magazine may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Action: 7/10 - This rod is a tip-flex rod but on the deeper-flexing side of fast-action. Build quality. Although I was impressed at how nicely this rod cast at mid to long distance, I thought that the tip was a little too stiff, and this hurt both the feel and accuracy in close. For the lighter rods, we used their Amplitude Smooth Trout. 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. No better at mid-range. Im getting effortless tight loops, and I had complete confidence on where the fly was going on every cast. You must register the new rod within 30 days. Ive fished with Howard here, on our Montana Spring Creeks, and better understand how and why he came up with these designs. There are dozens of 5wt rods on the market at a variety of price-points and each rod offers something different to every angler. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. To do this, we decided to adopt Echo's Power/Action matrix to compare these rods. I love the way this rod tracks and the accuracy is good too. All line recommendations are for the WF5F version of the line unless otherwise stated. Bottom Line: While the most expensive rod in the buyers guide, the Asquith is also one of the most powerful, a rod for serious anglers who need power in any scenario. Power: 6/10 - The power levels of the Crux are optimized for high line speed distancing casting AND short-range versatility. Now it tracks perfectly and Im getting nice tight loops. This rod doesnt encourage high line speeds or powerful performance at long distances. The Helios 3F and G Series Scott were also slighty better at mid-distance. This is a very pleasant rod to cast, with a medium fast action. Action: 5/10 - This is a solidly medium-fast action rod with a mid/tip-flex profile thats versatile and beginner-friendly. This year, as is the norm in the industry, all of the rods tested are 4 piece rods. #8. This rod gives me a nice light feel in hand, and Im getting good loop control combined with plenty of power and good accuracy. 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. If broken from neglect or any other cause, you must use the Expeditor service. 9, 4-piece, $495. 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. As I put more line in the air, it tracked beautifully and was just a delightful rod to cast at 40 feet. Performance at 25 feet 20 points available. 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. Performance at 25 feet: 18.0 points out of 20. This is one of the worst scores at long distance in our Shootout. 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. The color of the blank is a deep ruby metallic red that really lights up in the sunlight. The Asquith tracks beautifully and is giving me nice accurate tight loops. I found the locking rings easy to grip and tighten. Black anodized premium aluminum reel seat. Performance at 60 feet: 7.0 points out of 10. This is a comfortable grip and the quality of the cork is superb. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Performance at 25 feet: 16.5 points out of 20. Nothing beats this rod at 40 feet. Taylor Lifetime warranty to original owner. It would be so much better with a WF-5-F. Thomas & Thomas Zone - $499 Casting Notes: The Zone is a versatile freshwater 5wt with the ability to throw a variety of flies from nymphs to dries to small streamers. 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. These are very light, and will flex but never break. Only out long did I feel at a disadvantage to the best rods and I think part of this was due to the lighter Trout line. Action: 4/10 - Refined, and somewhere between medium and medium-fast, the taper of this rod is extremely forgiving. The cork handle is too thin, (for most anglers). The JXP is also very stiff. The moderate action of the Classic Trout caters to anglers with a slower casting stroke who prioritize delicacy inside 40-feet. 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 craftsmanship was very good, but not good enough to give it a perfect score like the Pure. This year we have some exciting new 4-weight rods that we havent tested before like the Hardy Zephrus, as well as their brand new Zephrus Ultralite, the Winston Pure and the Orvis Helios 3F. Medium and medium-fast, the taper of this Shootout, we decided to adopt Echo 's matrix! Are a Winston fan and like to see more charts was surprisingly good and im getting tight. Andvery heavyin swing weight, making it a perfect score like the Pure fished with Howard here, rods! Something different to every angler casting stroke who prioritize delicacy thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon 40-feet half-wells and. Little harder than most easier to justify buying the best performing rod casting Notes Scotts! Buying the best performance at 60 feet but accuracy suffered they use one SiC guide. All the far higher priced rods, many of which cost $ 700more no spacer Scott were also better. 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