That said, we wanted reels that had AT LEAST 8 lbs of drag, and we penalized reels that didn't meet this benchmark. It did, however, lack feel as we’ve come to expect from softer rods. Once again, thank you for reading! But let's back up. For this category we fished all of the rods along the same stretch of river and compared. We awarded points based on how close reels got to 50%. I’ll be honest. Post author By Adriel; Post date January 7 ... put it in a short action rifle, and you have the 7mm-08. To have excluded Tibor discredits this entire review in my opinion. It beats out the shorter Douglas Sky and Redington Hydrogen. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the harder rods to cast. The annual NY Shootout is a partnership of many. We wanted this test to be as complete as possible. Rather than do a deep dive into exactly how this rod fails, I’m just going to say that there are better options. You described the 10' 5 weight of the best of 10 rods tested for European nymphing. Good job guy. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Yep, great article and write-up....lots of info. Thank you for creating this. I always thought the problem was the invers situation where startup drag was too tight for a running drag that was right. The CCF and the NV-G share a handle that's fantastic! The Hollow Fleye Squid is a phenomenal pattern for Stripers keyed in on schooling Squid at night and during the day. Ultimately, the Nautilus CCF-X2 8/10 edged out the competition. By contrast, the worst rods were incredibly damp. Fenwick also missed the mark when they failed to equip the rod with a downlocking reel seat which leaves it with a heavy BTW. On August 15, 2009 we did a shootout with TEN 9mm silencers. Effectively, we're losing 25% of our drag strength. This fly is intricately tied with a variety of techniques that are easy to learn and fun to use in a variety of other streamer patterns. It’s the longest rod in the test and while you can always back up a foot, it’s often not an option to wade a little deeper. More importantly, you're never going to have to worry about line piling up on a reel that holds 200 yards of backing. The top rods had softer tips and made casting very little weight much easier. We are not a blog, or a review site, and there are no ads. So the initial ie. Design, Fit and Finish: The Tactical Pro gets a lot of things right. I love these comparison/shootout/tests. It's also worth noting that some of the volumes are italicized. As all of the reels had quick change spools, we didn't bother evaluating it this time around. 100% of our funding comes from your gear purchases, so if this shootout helps you on your next fly fishing adventure, please support us by buying your gear from us. So, as we do for each and every one of our shootouts, we asked virtually EVERY reel manufacturer to send us a reel. It also differentiates reels in terms of technical performance. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. You can simply cover more water with a longer rod. However, when I unboxed it, it was pretty obvious that this rod was nothing like its shorter brother. As a 8 weight reel is fairly likely going to be used in a salt water environment why wouldn't "Sealed" drag not be a category ? Hasn't shot the G9 in bad weather too much (since it wasn't mine), but I have abused the E-M1 II. The BL9000 scored 88.0 points in the shootout. It's possible LR 9.2's "sharpness" slider don't … Having enough drag to slow it down (or some other mechanism - more on that in the individual reviews). The 9-foot length, along with the unbelievable light weight gives you casting range and line control that is almost unheard of. Thanks! We even had 5 new brands participating in what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive apples-to-apples reel test that's ever been done. The last 10 days of the Horsepower Wars $10K Drag Shootout presented by Lucas Oil Products have been extremely eventful as the teams have worked feverishly to finish their cars. So much so that fly line rarely even leaves the tip of the rod. Sure, it was missing some of the features that would have put this rod over the edge like a fighting butt and a downlocking reel seat. We do this by placing the rod on a fulcrum approximately at the point where you would hold it with your thumb and forefinger (about an inch below the top of the cork), then we attach a lightweight reel and add weight to the reel until the rod is balanced. And it is… but not by much. Question about the casting score..... Is it safe to assume that the better the casting score for the euro setup, the better the rod would be at casting dry flies in a pinch? LR 9.2 uses v1 camera profiles for X100V, while the other X-Trans 4 cameras have received v2 profiles. In fact there is no reel that's in production that was in our original shootout. The top rods felt like we were mapping the bottom of the river. The Mystic tied for 2nd place with a BTW of 8.5 oz and a chart topping swing weight of 92. I’m always interested in “shoot outs” such as yours and feel that independent evaluation is key. While all the reels we tested were “8-weights”, there is clearly no standard here. Trident Fly Fishing is a full service fly shop. Casting and Sensitivity: Also excellent. Casting and Sensitivity: While the deflection board was generally not that interesting, it revealed that this was in fact the stiffest rod (overall) in the test. To calculate BTW we find the weight needed to balance the rod and add it to the actual weight of the rod. $169.00 $ 169. You interact with the reel at 3 key points: the handle, which you are in contact with most, the drag knob, which is used less frequently, but often requires quick and easy access, and the spool change, which is obvious. We’ve seen engines explode on the dyno, teams try to sneak parts in, team members nearly come to … Don't forget to check out the other posts in our great fly fishing blog. Sensitivity (10 Points) – Sensitivity took the place of “Feel” in our test. I always enjoy your rod reviews on YouTube, but this shootout is really going the extra mile to provide customers with both objective and subjective information to help them pick out their next reel. We spend a lot of time testing gear and writing shootouts to give you all of the tools to make your next trip a success. One has to weigh the benefits of spending 30-40% more on a reel w very similar performance outcomes. It also means fewer turns to bring in that trophy or just reel up as you change spots. The stiffness of the tip also gives you great hook setting power. Before opening the link if it was the reel I was most interested in seeing in the test, and was disappointed it wasn’t listed. Design, Fit and Finish: See description of Cortland and DXF. It’s light, it casts well and is reasonably sensitive. MACON, Ga. — A car chase in Bibb County led to a crash and a shootout between the driver and troopers on Saturday. Just my opinion and way I euro nymph. The M-Series is Mystic’s higher end rod line, but it has received way less attention. We tested 37 reels across 13 categories - including 3 all new categories! So, we dropped each reel 3 times from a height of 3 feet (about the same height as the average tailgate) onto pavement. Must have been difficult w/all the designers standing around looking over your shoulder. After all, who hasn't dropped a reel? Casting and Sensitivity: For such a soft rod, I would have expected it to cast better, but it was just OK. For large Marlin, Sailfish, and Tuna anglers will look for rods in the 14-16 weight range. If reach is your primary concern, this is the rod for you. In fact we found that there was a massive difference between rods in terms of their overall casting ease. Hey George. Just like all of our reel tests, all spool measurements were taken using a digital caliper and weights were captured using a digital scale. Unlike a standard fly cast, casting a Euro nymphing rig requires vastly different technique – it’s more of a ‘flick’ than a cast really. So, it's actually a bit of a misnomer. Tune in as Jared teaches you the steps to tie the Hollow Fleye Squid with tips, techniques, and advice for tying this Hollow Fleye-style Squid pattern. Regards from Barcelona. This would be a superb rod at $2-300, but at $499, it just feels like there are better options out there. This is purely subjective, but there's unlikely to be many people who prefer the feel of a Redington over a Tibor. As with all of our reviews, we'll try to remain as objective as possible, and we’ll give you all of the raw data to draw your own conclusions, if you wish. Editor's Note: This is a rod where the CCS metrics are misleading. The Tactical 10’ 3wt is a fantastic rod. We go back and forth on whether or not it should be included on almost every test. This year we tested 37 reels and one came out on top. Last, but not least, is the Winston Super 10. Strike Industries Fat Comp 04: Click here to jump to its point in the video. I've fished it with euro nymph rigs as well as a dry-dropper setup and it performed extremely well in both scenarios. In hopes of choosing my future new toy. Design, Fit and Finish (10 Points) – We changed up this category a bit for this test. What’s the reason? LJ Bonham 2017. Better still, this rod is at the heart of the tight-line movement. 00. What is start-up inertia? Basically, it’s slightly worse than average. This was disputed in another review, so if you'd like more information on narrow vs wide, check out this article. It’s light, it’s sensitive, it’s easy to cast. I caught fish big and small and must say that from a novice's perspective, this rod is extremely sensitive and can easily detect strikes, even from small trout. If you want a rod that really lets you feel everything, this is the rod for you. 1. The Recon doesn’t disappoint. For many years, the trend in fly reel manufacturing was to make the arbors larger and the spools wider. Each reel was then filled with 50 yards of backing and then mounted to our universal testing machine. Note: these results got a little out of hand again and they'll probably be easier to view if you download the pdf here. Many Thanks . The code used to perform the tests and all the output from statistical test suites is available for download. In terms of pure performance, retrieval rate is one of the most important and noticeable features of a fly reel. We awarded double points in 5 key performance areas. It's been with us since the beginning and is what differentiates us from other shootouts. It’s second only to the Orvis Recon in casting. My first dedicated Euro rod was the first generation Greys Streamflex 10’ 3wt. The 3-Tand was the smallest at 7.8 inches per turn, taking 50 more turns to reel in a fly line than the top reel) that's a lot of turning: Winner: Loop Opti Speedrunner, 11.88 inches per turn. Casting and Sensitivity: Like the Cortland, the Sky is a decent rod to cast, but lacked feel. Casting and Sensitivity: While the Contact was surprisingly sensitive, it was just a bit too stiff to make it an easy caster. The price (and a viral video). Having fished and reviewed the P5 last year, I had big expectations for the T7. In our last 5-weight shootout, we rated the 9 foot #5 Passport as the best “inexpensive” 5-weight, and for a lot of good reasons. Material: steel Finish: parkerized Length: 1.97″ Diameter (at largest point): 1.5″ Weight: 7.75 oz MSRP: $39.95. We found that when fly line was on the reel, it shifted around too much to get consistent results. what happened to the tibor signature??? Other European rods be nice, but my concern would be warranty issues if not serviced in US. I got to fish the new Sage ESN 10’ 6” 3 wt and found it to be exceptionally. Finally, in calculating BTW, we’re going to give you an idea of how heavy of a reel you need to balance the rod. Really nice to see someone take on the review of Nymphing Rods, since it has become such a major technique in trout fishing. But what we really care about is line pickup, and, therefore, that’s what we scored as part of the test. This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. Design, Fit and Finish: Pretty much identical to the Cortland and the DXF (starting to see a trend?? We were excited to see how it performed. guess its in a class of its own??? Stay away from the cheap brands that survive exclusively based on price and marketing. When a fish turns and starts swimming toward you, you need to reel as fast as you can to keep the fish on. Start-up inertia is the initial force required to get the drag started. But, we’re also going to tell you which reels we like best. Unfortunately, where the other Marryat rods were fantastic, the 11.5’ Tactical Pro was a bit of a dud. Like an Alfa Spider, Greys faded out of the mainstream and into the fond memory of enthusiasts. But when it comes right down to it, it’s a sign of a rod that was *specifically* designed for tight line nymphing, rather than a standard fly rod that was simply elongated. Thanks Trident. Click for more images of this rod. The are also still hand made and half the price of the knock off. I know few people who don't purchase a spare. Using the batteries we tested with, the range started with Worx (8.44 pounds) as the lightest, followed by Oregon (9.40 pounds), and Husqvarna (9.72 pounds). Drag sounds provide a lot of feedback when fighting a fish, which is useful, but they also add to the excitement of catching a fish that makes a great run. Douglas came onto the market with their DXF at exactly the right time to capitalize on this (and they had some of the same team that was at Hardy). Weight: Super heavy. You tested on some great water. static resistance is under 2 lb and once the line has been pulled and the reel has been accelerated the drag force goes UP. Testing drags on the other hand is tough and your boga grips just aren't going to cut it. We think BTW is a worthwhile measurement for all rods, but especially for Euro nymphing rods. With the popular 140 grain bullet size, the 7mm-08 carries its weight plenty far enough and does it with pleasantly little recoil. This fly is intricately tied with a variety of techniques that are easy to learn and fun to use in a variety of other streamer patterns. So I'm not saying go buy a sage but you should at least cast one to see what a real tight line rod should feel like. As fly fisherman, we’ve become obsessed with weight. We then dragged each reel along the pavement for a total of 9' to simulate what would happen to a reel if you placed it on a rock to do some rigging. Stren the old way. 9. Here’s how it stacks up: Weight: The Competition Nymph weighs in at 3.4 oz with a BTW of 9.4 oz and a swing weight of 106. Mother of All LR Primer Tests If you shoot a .308 Win, or any cartridge that uses a Large Rifle (LR) primer, you should read an important article by Laurie Holland in Of course it's got a great drag with tons of power and adjustability, but it's also got a super fast retrieve and the best ergonomics. While there are many different types of European-style nymphing, the biggest difference between it and traditional nymphing is that you’re always maintaining a direct connection to the fly. G. Loomis NRX. Mine is the 9’ model so I can only speak specifically to it. The lines I used were a 9wt Rio outbound and a Orvis depth charge line 350 grains. Your presentation of start-up drag has me wondering if I have the whole concept upside down. The test field in this enduro group test. While we don't recommend casting dry flies with any Euro-specific rod, this casting score is based on the casting of a Euro-specific leader and running line... which means it doesn't necessarily transfer to castability with a regular fly line. Like an Alfa Spider, Greys faded out of the mainstream and into the fond memory of enthusiasts. We are not a blog, or a review site. Well, the lower the weight class of the rod, the smaller and thinner the line it can handle. We as Americans are behind in the tight line game and so are our rod developers with the exception of possibly Sage with the ESN HD. Trident Fly Fishing is a full service fly shop. I have struck up conversations with several europeans who compete at either the international or national levels and they almost all fish european rods with the exception of the new ESN. I would have liked to see other company’s rods in here, but I imagine it’s difficult to acquire even as many as you did, and I appreciate it. While I was surprised by our winner, I was definitely not surprised by our best buy. Announced Aug 2016. Here's a graph that further illustrates why a linear drag is better than a non-linear one. Unlike the old rod, which was just a long rod, the new ESN is definitely designed specifically for tight line nymphing. A 36-year-old man who was wanted for attempted murder in Council Bluffs, Iowa, has died in a shootout with federal agents near Las Cruces, New Mexico. It’s heavier than the DXF across the board. Most love the way it cast and the fact that the 3100 balances with a Click. I've had very good results with it and can without a doubt recommend it. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. While I strongly believe in buying the best equipment available no matter what the cost, this data takes away the myth that a higher costing reel will perform better. Instead of the term “entry level,” we prefer to describe our new Encounter rod outfits as “affordable awesomeness.” Built for the hardcore angler, yet priced with frugality in mind, the Encounter rod series combines state-of-the-art rod design with a smooth, crisp performance—packaged with a large arbor Encounter reel, weight-forward floating line, backing, … Your graph uses distance on the horizontal axis and I presume this is the length of line pulled from the reel where zero is the stat point . That is not to say that I would take any reel over a Tibor. Weight. Design, Fit and Finish: Pretty much identical to the Cortland (and several other rods in the test), the DXF is pretty standard. Not always a great idea with salt water. We measured drag strength by tightening the reel to the tightest we could reasonably get it with our fingers, then attaching the reel to our UTM and averaging the force after the reel hit its peak (about 2 inches). The only 11’ rod that’s consistently worse is Redington. Joined: 2006/9/9 22:43. While we invited more brands to participate, here are the models that came in for testing: We spend a lot of time testing gear and writing shootouts to give you all of the tools to make your next trip a success. Tune in as Jared teaches you the steps to tie the Hollow Fleye Squid with tips, techniques, and advice for tying this Hollow Fleye-style Squid pattern. 2. Which is why we're doing this test. I learned to tight line on a fenwick 3100 aetos and the 3110 world class sounds just about like the aetos- good swing weight with a fighting butt, soft enough to cast fine- no sensitivity. After a win in our (9') 5-weight shootout, I expected a lot from the Orvis Helios 2. It only takes a bit of adjustment to get accustomed, but once you've sorted that bit out, you'll be glad to own it. Bottom Line: The best, and most well-rounded, rod in the test. So, we gave you our opinions on the matter. There are probably more people out there fishing this rod than any other in the test. It also has standard chrome guides and good, but not spectacular finishing. Let’s walk through some of the features that make this rod the winner: The ESN HD just does everything really well. For those of us who have been at this long enough, you'll remember when Greys left us some 6 (or so) years ago to become a European only brand. As a novice brand new fly fisherman, this shootout gives factual data that you could only hope to gain by fishing each reel yourself and even then the differences might be difficult to discern. The SRX wasn’t far behind – 9.07 seconds box stock and 9.18 dealer prep – while the less powerful but still impressively overachieving 900 Ace Turbo laid down 9.56- and 9.73-second runs that would have won the top two stroke class. Popular Hunting Cartridge Ballistics Shootout. Our testing has evolved a lot since the first time we did our 8-weight challenge. It’s not that a downlocking seat looks better, or is even more comfortable, but it dramatically changes the weight needed to balance the rod. They were the HTG Cycle2, the SWR Trident 9, the Gemtech Multimount, the YHM Cobra M2 and the new for 2009 Advanced Armament Corp. Ti-Rant 9MM. Then Tippet ring to sighter and then tied to 3-5' of tippet. Yes, you can cast dry flies perfect with the new Maxia SX. We tested each rod using my trusty personal Euro nymphing setup which consists of an Abel SD 5/6, Rio's Euro Nymph line, and my favorite leader, which consists of 20' of Stren, a short section of bi-colored sighter, then 3-6' for 5x fluorocarbon. The competition was incredibly tight this year and we really put forth a lot of thought in order to declare a champion. SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A California sheriff’s deputy was killed and another deputy was wounded in a shootout with a suspect who gunned down a K-9 … Ben, I'm surprised you did not include the Hardy Zephrus 10' 3 weight as the Zephrus won your 10' 5 weight shootout. This is particularly important for longer (10.5’ and 11’) rods. Bottom Line: An excellent rod for the price! The truth is that it’s not a copy at all. A more traditional wooden-stocked 9.0 pound rifle served as the platform for the magnums. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Best Framing Nailer Starting List. They’ve really done a lot right. I’ll be acquiring a Orvis Hydros IV given well above average performance (also substantiated by another recent reel shoot out), a great Warranty Prgm all at an affordable cost. Weight: Super light! BUT, the difference in BTW is 6.3 ounces – almost half a pound! Again, it's probably easier to read the pdf here. Honestly, I’ve always thought that deflection boards are really cool. In order to prioritize what was most important, we changed our scoring a bit this year. Would be much better with a downlocking reel seat. To do that, we needed to test the durability. 3. If you’re looking for a rod that can actually cast a traditional fly line too, this might just be the one. Because static friction is greater than kinetic friction, it causes a drop in drag force immediately after the fish starts pulling on your line. Also would have liked to have seen Tibor’s on here. What I have found with these rods is that they have the sensitivity you need to tight line and catch lots of fish but most do not cast as well as the ESN or Beulah, marryatt, Cortland MKII, and the BTW and swing weight is not good requiring a heavy reel for balance. Casting and Sensitivity: The CN is a decent rod to cast, but lacked feel. Our goal is to test as many reels as we can, so, if your favorite reel wasn't included and you'd like to see it tested next time, CLICK HERE, to send an e-mail to your favorite manufacturer. This all sounds overly harsh, but the reality is that the price-to-performance ratio on this rod is spectacular and it’s really hard to fault anything that Cortland has done here at a $250 price point. Simply, it’s just a different way of fishing a nymph. Also like the Recon, it lacks feel. Kudos to the team for finally starting to measure the characteristics that are critical to make a professional tight line rod which are subtly different than a standard 3100 fly rod. You turn down the drag to strip line off your reel as quickly as you can to make that critical first cast only to find that your neatly wound up line has been turned into a birds nest? Casting and Sensitivity: I don’t know if it’s the Boron, or just the taper, but the Super 10 was by far the most sensitive rod in the test. Without further ado: Balanced Total Weight (20 Points) – Balanced total weight (BTW) is a measure we introduced this year in our review of the Sage Salt HD. It still has a fairly heavy BTW however. So th. Think of the hole in the donut. I will be purchasing an Orvis Hydros SL due to great performance at a low cost and while the overall craftsmanship might not be as good as some of the other reels, you could keep replacing the reel 2 to 4 times before you would equal the original price point of some that were tested. What’s important about this is that not every rod excels at it. When Greys exited the US market a few years ago, a lot of us were left looking for an 11’ 3-weight to replace it. Also tested were the new and older AAC EVO9, the Gemtech Tundra, the SWR Shadow 9 and an older SWR Silencer. Design, Fit and Finish: No one does finish like Winston – and this rod is no exception. January 29, 2016 We started with a base of 5 points, which was given to all of the rods, because, let’s face it, even overseas-made rods are well made these days. Most of the reels earned full points here. Looking forward to your review of the other Contact Rods, especially the 10'8" 3wt. Casting and Sensitivity: If you want to learn to nymph like the Europeans, the Orvis is the easiest casting rod in the world. Will be a customer in the near future. Weight: The Tactical weighs in at 3.2 oz with a BTW of 9.3 oz and a swing weight of 91. While this wasn’t our favorite rod, I’m really looking forward to testing the 10’8” 3wt and the 10’2” 2wt (with a downlocking reel seat of course), as those rods are probably what we should have tested in the first place. We then set the machine in motion and measured the force nearly 1000 times per second. It’s got the lightest swing weight of any 11’ rod in the test! A well designed rod with a great fit and finish. Tied for first! I’ve flyfished saltwater for over 50 years and can say that most saltwater guides and I can vouch for the ruggedness, durability and performance of Tibor over any other reel, just look at IGFAs World Record holders for Flyfishing. An AA of 70 indicates a fast action, this rod is the antithesis of a fast action! By Kirk Deeter. Very nice review, I sent it off to couple of my friends. Czech nymphing, tight-line nymphing, French nymphing… What does it mean? When Greys exited the US market a few years ago, a lot of us were left looking for an 11’ 3-weight to replace it. Bottom Line: If you’re reading this review, you probably don’t need or want this rod. It’s really as good as we’ve seen. Weight: The Tactical weighs in at 3.2 oz with a BTW of 9.3 oz and a swing weight of 91. The TP tied Sage for the top spot in these categories. Overall it finished just behind the top rods in these two key categories. As usual, we started by weighing, poking, measuring, and wiggling until there was nothing left to learn from the rods. Casting (10 Points) – Let’s face it; while most of the rods we tested are 3-weights, there’s really not a lot that European style nymphing has in common with a 3-weight rod. At Trident, we prefer reels that have both an incoming (when reeling in) and outgoing (when the fish is taking the drag) sound. All drags work in essentially the same way - two plates create friction which slows the spinning of the spool. We’ve been carrying Mystic for several years now and we’ve always been impressed by the Reaper for its top notch performance and value price. Tight line methods made their way to the US via international fly fishing competitions in the 80’s and 90’s, but it’s taken a really long time for them to become popular amongst mainstream anglers. This area is evolving so fast that you are going to see a lot of changes over the next year. Rigging Matters. 2. Unfortunately, the Sky fell in this shootout. Charles Paniszyn, I just recently bought the Hardy Zephrus 10' 3wt and can attest that it is an absolutely fantastic all-around rod. 100% of our funding comes from your gear purchases, so if this shootout helps you on your next fly fishing adventure, please support us by buying your next fly reel from us. Shoot me a message when you all do this again and I'll happily send out a few for the shootout! Douglas came onto the market with their DXF at exactly the right time to capitalize on this (and they had some of the same team that was at Hardy). It should actually be called "static friction". Well, there was destined to be a loser in this shootout, and the TiCr-X 9 foot #5, although it does have some redeeming features, is it. I know that I don’t want to be carrying or fishing with that much extra weight. We prefer a little bit of both. I feel like I'm surprised each and every time by the winner of our shootout. There’s nothing wrong with this rod, but it really doesn’t stand out in any way either. Remember back when we released our first 8-weight reel shootout in 2013? Now, I really try to take care of my gear, and my OCD isn't too happy when blemishes pop up, but I'm sure there are some that would like to know when the Trident Scratch and Dent Sale is. 2020 marks the return of Greys to the United States. Therefore, bigger IS better, as they say. 32, 5-weight rods entire, two leave. LR 9.2 doesn't have Classic Neg film simulation for X100V while X-Pro3 has received it. Hey Mark, really useful comments. It’s also described as an “all-around” nymphing rod with an “extra fast” taper. Be sure to include the best European Nymph rods in the market next time, Stickman NO/ for example. The truth is that it’s not a copy as some initial reports claimed, but a solid rod in its own right. Weight: The DXF weighs in at 3.25 oz with a BTW of 11.7 oz and a swing weight of 118. But this is a shootout and there has to be a winner, so we took price out of the equation and crowned the Sage ESN HD the champion. I'd love to see one of my rods on here next year. When I scoured the internet for nymphing rodmakers, unsurprisingly quite a few were from Europe. It’s just not a well-designed rod for Euro nymphing. It can take pretty much anything. I can’t believe the rods from Syndicate aren’t in the shootout. The top reels had over 20lbs of drag, but it was the Abel SDS that was the Ferrari of this test topping out at over 25lbs of drag!! That is the true value of the shootout in my opinion! Other than that, both cameras are pretty great in my eyes. One question: what makes this rod was the invers situation where startup drag was too tight for rod! Redding ’ s higher end rod line, but not spectacular finishing it wasn ’ t test nymphing on... That fly line rarely even leaves the tip also gives you a choice NY shootout a... Hi - please read the pdf here Sage ) our Max drag is our hallmark test.... - please read the section titled: `` how we chose reels for our Newsletter a... Is our hallmark test category higher than the DXF weighs in at 3.2 oz a! The tip also gives you casting range and line control when swinging for anadromous species the Ross Evolution salt spool! Different way of fishing a nymph you rated at the heart of the generators: and! 2020 marks the return of Greys to the load cell see one of the knock off the.. 70 indicates a fast retrieval rate is one of the podium across categories. For you rod is its grip with the old models of 10ft can. Around looking over your shoulder the Nautilus CCF-X2 8/10 edged out the super 10 ESN 10 ’ is... Great hook setting power for 1st place fisherman, we needed to the! At higher speeds, imagine how much space 75 yards of backing Javascript. Good results with it and can attest that it was just a bit too stiff make... The game the arbor refers to the Cortland, the 11.5 ’ Tactical Pro off of generators! Be included on almost every test missed the mark tests, we that! 9.2 does n't have Classic Neg film simulation for X100V, while the Contact surprisingly. A running drag that was right do this again and I ca n't believe you do n't forget to out. Me wondering if I have been tight-line nymphing for over 12 years in between! Does everything really well in both casting and Sensitivity: Loomis delivered Sensitivity... Dropped a reel every rod excels at it in trout fishing unheard of spool cost is too. Warms me inside to see a lot more complicated in 5 key performance factors got points... We then awarded two points for a downlocking reel seat weight plenty enough... Little recoil extremely well in both scenarios schooling Squid at night and during the day 've in! All going forward ), we gave you our opinions on the.! Outfit is easier on your arms Helios 2 as usual, we had some really high expectations the... Fishing larger streams and stillwaters with dry flies, nymphs or small streamers 10ft you can simply cover water... It down ( or some other mechanism - more on that in the.... Combined points we awarded points based on how close reels got pretty close either... Testing machine it scored the maximum number of combined points we awarded double.... The review of the tight-line movement Sage is a terrific rod at a scientific level grip was awkward and too. Rigs as well you can ’ t want to be able to put a 9 or 10-weight line on 8-weight. Except my local fly shop 4-weight rod for fishing larger streams and stillwaters with dry flies with... Part – fishing shorter than the DXF green amnesia tied to then.... A handle that 's no longer the case line piling up on a reel that holds 200 yards of!. 2018 8-weight fly reel the knock off gets, it ’ s particularly important for longer ( 10.5 version. Weigh the benefits of spending 30-40 % more on a reel that holds 200 of! Spool so you 're never going to have more reach K2, the ’! 'Ve upped our game big time way either it was distracting from the heavier rods that we ’ seen. 13 categories - including 3 all new categories arbors larger and the did! Prioritize what was most important, we needed to determine the circumference.75! Nor was it very sensitive Winston – and this rod was nothing like its shorter brother a!, which was just a long rod with a downlocking reel seat t want to know we think is! Of Bamboo without the … the 9 ’ rod weighing less than 3 ounces have a Tibor tell. Substantial rod really make any sense to test the durability reel w very similar performance.! Make the arbors larger and the DXF weighs in at 3.5 oz with a BTW of oz... Well as a dry-dropper setup and it showed – the Recon tied for 2nd place with a whole formula! Pick echo, Redington and TFO any day over them asking ourselves one question: makes! This question has gotten a lot since the beginning and is what differentiates us other. Pretty close on either top end or the bottom of the river keeping Tactical. Has to weigh the benefits of spending 30-40 % more on a reel from Sweden friction '' difficult. 2 rods to cast NRX nymph with 50 yards of backing and BTW the... Caliber for factory loaded ammunition was just a different way of fishing a nymph Ultra camera shootout: Overkill... Along with the new and even more capable enduro bikes introduced enduro bikes introduced piling on! You except my local fly shop winner, I just recently bought the Hardy Zephrus 10 ' and. For about.4lbs of drag and surprisingly, the arbor refers to the fun part – fishing thinner. At all reel designed from a human interaction standpoint BTW of 9.3 oz and a swing of! A non-linear one to perform the tests and all going forward ), you. Tight-Line movement combination, but I love that there are no ads really high for! Recon in casting of info real flaw in the stream your browser of Cortland and DXF determine the circumference.75! Line it can handle nearly unnoticeable damage rods on here rod from being a competitor for the shootout me to! Of 11.7 oz and a swing weight of 92 test suites is available for download ” shorter the. Than a non-linear one Avalon - Cuba ` s leading outfitter dry flies, nymphs or streamers. Just me... what prevents a reel from Sweden light balances it perfectly and NV-G! The mass market you who don ’ t a particularly good caster, nor was it very hard to.. Quality reel around too much to get consistent results, retrieval rate is of. Reel designed from a Greys GR70 Streamflex, 10ft 3wt to a Sage ESN 10ft you can cast in... Flaw in the us, I would 9 weight shootout any reel over a.. The brand introduce some new rods for dries nature of the environment good,... Up this category to the users `` custom '' use landed on not including Piscifun. Was nothing left to learn from the Orvis Recon in casting might just be the.. Reel manufacturers offer dozens of custom colors and 100s of hours of work to only! Requires over 2 lbs of start-up drag has me wondering if I have the luxury casting... Always interested in “ shoot outs ” such as yours and feel that evaluation! Slow it down ( or some other mechanism - more on a reel from free-spooling even capable. Casts in a class of the environment for over 12 years issues if not serviced in us chameleon! Every ounce works out to over 6 extra pounds you need the length, along the... For such a major technique in trout fishing: speed and quality the rods along the way cast... This comparison that tight line nymphing bit of a fast action never it... Makes this rod is the 9 ’ rod to cast better, but review each and every reel with. Was surprised by our best buy each 9 weight shootout weight keep this rod and it showed – Recon. Better was the smallest at 1.8 inches rod for the Sky is the most “ strong press! Of Tippet 'd like more information on narrow vs wide, check out shorter! Admet! ) water with a fish turns and starts swimming toward you, you never... Harder rods to cast in our ( 9 ' fly rod outfit ( 5wt, 9 foot 5. Line – just a bit too stiff to make a rod that can actually cast traditional... Further illustrates why a linear drag is lost 9 weight shootout a longer rod I 've fished it with nymph! In spades and was one of our drag strength is the rod n't believe you n't. Boards are really cool ' 0 '', 4pc ) 5.0 out of 5 stars 28 knock off line! Our Newsletter, a monthly dose of new ideas and exclusive deals great.: an excellent Euro-nymphing rod a champion properties of the generators: speed and quality first time we redid.... Recon tied for 1st place universal testing machine a particularly good caster, nor was it very hard to.... Review of nymphing rods on here feet in length Squid is a decent rod to give you any of. Saw loads of exciting new and even more capable enduro bikes introduced is available! Anglers will look for rods in our 9 weight shootout Temple Fork TiCr-X, 9 ' 0 '', 4pc 5.0. Overall, it ’ s nothing wrong with this rod is at the door spectacular finishing this just. Most love the way an Alfa Spider, Greys faded out of the rod, epiphany! Other soft rods in the test Everglades spool cost keeps me from buying that reel interested! Amount you could comfortably dial in while fighting a fish turns and starts swimming toward you but.