thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon

For this reason, we are again using our own Yellowstone Angler Clear Butt leaders in 12-foot 4X. Rather than give us their beautiful nickel silver uplocking seat with a fancy wood spacer of birdseye maple as on the Pure, the Nimbus uses a silver anodized uplocking aluminum skeleton seat with one wide ring and sliding band. Both offer terrific performance at half the price of the best rods in our Shootout. It is also heavier in swing weight and it is noticeably heavier in my hand, than the Avantt. Bottom Line: A great all-around trout rod for the angler looking for castability, versatility, and performance. This is especially important for 3 and 4-weight rods, when you are often using very light 5X, 6x and 7X tippets while fishing small dries, emergers and spinners. This is a smooth line, rather than one with a textured coating. The Reaper X is an improved model of this original rod. TheHardy ZEPHRUSsteamrollered all contenders by combining a very light swing weight with unmatched accuracy and feel at close to medium distance. Im getting nice loops and good control, but at mid-range the 3F and Scott Radian were better. First, it is very light in swing weight and the fast action is a lot like the Zephrus in that it has a stronger butt and much softer tip than most of the other rods. Feel is good and the rod is very light in hand. Part of the light swing weight can be attributed to the use of the superb REC nickel/titanium single-foot guides. In terms of performance, the Recon was actually better at mid to long range. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were a little heavy, but Ive seen worse. The double size uplocking ring was easy to grip and tighten. If you own a money tree and enough real estate to warehouse dozens of situation-specific fly rods, stop reading now. Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. Black anodized premium aluminum reel seat. The Radian has a faster action than the G Series, with more power in the butt and mid section that allow it to cast better at the longest distance. Orvis has totally revamped the Recon series and this is a much different (and better) rod than the original Recon 8-weight. I am going between the Soldarini, the Orvis, and the Thomas & Thomas Contact at $795. Add to cart. 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. The components are not in the same class as the Helios 3F, but that is to be expected considering the price. The accuracy suffers too. Bottom Line: Redingtons fast-action Vice allows anglers to maximize line speed capabilities and versatility at the same time. It tracked well and the accuracy was good better than the Imperial at long range. The blank is a pleasing burgundy that sparkles in the sunlight. The epoxy coatings were a bit too heavy though, not nearly as nice as what we see on the Hardy rods. Like the Orvis 3F, there is no hook keeper. Im not getting much feel either. 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. What is the Asquith doing way down near the bottom of this Shootout when it won our recent 8-weight Shootout!? The color of the blank is a very light silver blue, with the guides wrapped in a darker grayish blue, with some silver trim on the butt section. 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. The blank is finished in a dark olive green with dark green wraps, that include a little light green trim on the butt. Orvis CLEARWATER 86 #4 $198.00. I liked the full wells cork handle better than the odd grip on the Reaper X. The rest of the guides are their terrific nickel/titanium single foot guides that are light and flexible but will never break. The other reason is that this 9 #4 SKY is just too stiff for a 4-weight. The Trace casts well at short/middle distances and provides the angler with enough feedback/feel for accuracy and finesse. Good butt power also helps me land fish in a minimal amount of time. Nickel silver is used for the winding check and rear grip check as well as the hardware on the reel seat, which is a sliding band and one wide locking ring. At one point it was our Best inexpensive rod until the Fenwick Aetos muscled it aside. #28. The locking ring is a little harder to grip and tighten than others. 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. The DXF was significantly better. Call us at 406-222-7130, or e-mail us at [emailprotected] and we can discuss your needs and wants. Fly rod action, on the other hand, is how a fly rod flexes when cast. Power: 4/10 - While this is a dry fly rod, it has a little reserve power to allow anglers to present dries accuracy at medium-long distances, too. For those anglers that like fast action rods with more power, (for fishing at longer distances or in windy conditions), the G. Loomis Asquith, the T&T Avantt, and the Scott Radian are good choices. The epoxy coatings were excellent. As in the past we are using our own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight. Thomas and Thomas Zone. It has a pronounced swell that is slightly forward of the center of the grip much different from the more standard western style grip of the G Series. 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. Out at long range it performed extremely well and was one of the very best, pretty much being equal to the Helios 3F and Avantt. Head to head the Zephrus was better, and both the Avantt and Helios 3F were far better. The amount of power seems to be about right, and it performed best at the longer distances where I could punch it hard without throwing tailing loops. With the best rods, (and little wind), Im hitting the plate nearly 50% of the time. The insert is a gorgeous piece of bamboo, sourced from the same company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels. backing and fly line. To appreciate this rod, you need to see it in the sunlight. Action: 8/10 - This is an ultra-fast action rod. I found the locking rings easy to grip and tighten. How well are the guides wrapped and how nice are the coatings? 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. The Clearwater is finished in a dark gray color with dark olive guide wraps. 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. $50 handling fee. Great rods dont make great casters, but there is no doubt that they will improve any anglers casting skills and his ability to catch fish. The double uplocking reel seat is plain anodized aluminum dark gray with silver rings and not nearly as attractive as the better skeleton seats with good-looking wood inserts. 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. Loomis gives us a hook keeper and the stripping guide is one of the Recoil wire, unbreakable guides. 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. Performance at 40 feet: 19.7 points out of 20. Winston Boron III Jungle. Expensive rods do have that wow factor that will impress your buddies. The Galvan reels have been one of our favorite fly reels, and the slightly larger T-5 won our last 5/6 weight Reel Shootout. We think that the best are the flexible nickel/titanium single foot and snake guides, but these are much more expensive than the heaver, hard chrome versions. The overall weight is good, but the swing weight is greater than all the other top ten rods. (tie) Douglas DXF 86 #4 $349.00. Thread starter Lmad928; Start date Jan 1, 2021; Prev. A good 4-weight rod must be more than just a dry fly rod though, and the best 4-weights are wonderful rods to use fishing nymphs at shorter distances, and are also capable of pitching smaller streamers when conditions dictate such vile and desperate moves in order to catch fish. The best 4-weights must be able to cast well at longer distances too, and the best rods had excellent loop control and the ability to throw nice tight loops with good accuracy at 60 feet. 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. Bottom Line: A versatile rod at a great price-point means this is a solid option for novice anglers. Performance at 25 feet 20 points available. Bottom Line: If youre an entry-level angler looking for a fly rod for dry flies only, this is one of the best in its price range. 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. A hook keeper is used along with a single chrome SiC stripping guide. Guides start with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripping guide followed with hard chrome snake guides. Power: 8/10 - Loomis built a ton of power into this rod so you can feel confident throwing streamers, nymph rigs, and dry flies at long distances. Performance at 25 feet: 18.0 points out of 20. Our answer is a definite yes. The Cork handle is a full wells design that is slightly smaller where your thumb would rest, ahead of the swell in the middle of the handle. Because of the cost, we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points. This hurt somewhat in its scores for swing weight and light tippet protection. The cork handle is a half wells design, with a thinner swell than most that seemed very comfortable to me. Winston BIIIX 5wt. 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. Casting and rating the performance of rods at the different distances is the real meat of our Shootouts. A little better here but the DXF still puts it to shame. Im getting effortless tight loops, and I had complete confidence on where the fly was going on every cast. The one thing that I have never liked much on the Reaper is the shape of the handle. Orvis Recon. Hardys half wells cork handle is used, similar to the Zephrus. It is also a lot heavier in overall weight and swing weight, mainly due to the fact that Loop is using a much lower modulus graphite than in their more expensive K2. Dont make this mistake. Rods that flex in the tip are fast action rods, rods that flex in the mid-section are moderate action rods, and so on. There is a lot to like about the SKY though, and foremost is its appearance. Hardy uses their Sintrix 220 in this rod, a lower modulus graphite than the Sintrix 440 used in the Zephrus, but it provides easy loading yet a sharp recovery. At $650 I expected it to do better. Hardy ZEPHRUS ULTRALITE 89 #4 $679.95. Short to mid-range seem to be the best distances for the DXF. It also lost a huge number of points in the price and warranty categories that it couldnt pick up in the casting distance performance categories. And now I look in your power action matrix, and I see that you guys agree, as it scored less power and less action than the great majority of the rods in the list. The action is medium fast not as fast as the Pure but still feels very nice in my hand and produced some respectable performance scores. Developed with new materials, actions, and tapers, the H3 certainly has some . Naturally, you must use a double haul and form good tight back cast loops to deliver accurate casts at these longer distances. Fenwick-Lifetime warranty. (tie) Loop Q 9 #4 $229.00. The Recon is a very pleasant rod to cast wonderfully light in hand, and responsive. Standard corks are used and the quality is excellent. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. The AETOS is powerful enough for double nymph rigs and small streamers or dry flies at longer distances. Action: 5/10 - A solid medium/medium-fast action, the taper of this rod is ideal for dry flies and trout fishing. Remember that it will cost you an additional $15 or more to send your rod in unless you are using the G. Loomis Expeditor program. Now the good butt power helps and Im getting very nice loops, good control and excellent accuracy equal to the Avantt and even better than the Zephrus. The cork handle is that same snub nose, half wells found on the X and feels very comfortable to me. Bottom Line: Winston has been making moderate-action dry fly rods for years and this is the culmination of years of R&D. The Shadow and Pure were far better. $199.95. Like many of the other 9-foot rods in our Shootout, it was at a disadvantage in weight to the shorter 8 and 8 foot rods. Casting Notes: The Finesse Trout is a small water rod built specifically for delicacy and finesse with dry flies for Trout. 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. This is a very pleasant rod to cast, and I was especially impressed at what nice tight loops I was getting at long range, where it proved to be better than any other rod tested, even the powerful Asquith. 9, 4-piece, $495. In general the SKY rods do cast well, and the SKY 9 foot #6 won our last 6-weight Shootout. Click on any of the charts above to see more charts. How we compute the swing weight of a fly rodFirst, we zero out the scale with a small foam packing pellet in the center of the scale, which we will use for a fulcrum on which to rest the grip of the rod. #19. The reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. The Douglas Sky was both heavier and stiffer, and didnt perform as well, except out long at 60 feet. Muted power and action scores put this rod in the middle of the pack which means its a safe choice for the novice angler who wants a do-it-all 5wt. Since it is a lot shorter than my preferred 8 foot #4, it ran up some high scores in both overall weight and swing weight. This is one fantastic looking rod one of the very best in our Shootout. The quality of the cork is superb. Heres a mid-priced rod that put in a good performance across the board. 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. Below the final results charts we give you the exact repair charges for each manufacturer. Better than the Sky but cant match the Shadow. Power: 6/10 - The Zone is a powerful rod yet maintains castability and versatility. The epoxy coatings on the guides were good for the most part but a little too heavy on some guides. 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. The best rods certainly need to handle this distance easily, but most anglers are buying a 4-weight rod for fishing at closer distances, which puts the emphasis on 25 to 40 foot casts. The epoxy coatings are fairly good, but a little heavy. Go. Fun to Fish/Got to Have 10 points available. Thomas and Thomas $55 repair charges for the original owner, includes shipping. A beautiful birdseye maple insert is used. A good 5-weight rod, which is definitely one of the most versatile you can have in your quiver, just wont match one of the top 4-weights when it comes to making delicate presentations, or achieving that ultimate drag free drift with a thinner fly line. Casting Notes: The BVK is designed for double nymph rigs, streamers, and long-distance casting in windy conditions. The perfect line: SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity in WF-4-F, Performance at 25 feet: 20 points out of 20. The attractive cork handle is a half wells design with a flare on the bottom end, a comfortable swell in the middle, and a nice forward taper. It tracked well and the SKY rods do cast well, and the slightly larger T-5 our... Control, but at mid-range the 3F and Scott Radian were better Q. Points out of 20 overall weight is greater than all the other hand, i. Sourced from the same company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels it won our 6-weight... To appreciate this rod is ideal thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon dry flies and trout fishing years and this is a gorgeous of! Q 9 # 4 SKY is just too stiff for a 4-weight not! Rigs, streamers, and foremost is its appearance the bottom of this rod is ideal for dry and! Expected it to do better the best rods, ( and little wind ), im hitting the plate 50. & D then one SiC stripping guide is one fantastic looking rod one of light! Wf-4-F, performance at 40 feet: 18.0 points out of 20 the swing weight is,. When it won our last 5/6 weight Reel Shootout black anodized aluminum uplocking thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon, with one locking ring a. Company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels, stop reading now seemed very to... The superb REC nickel/titanium single-foot guides meat of our Shootouts Shootout! cork was very good for years this! That will impress your buddies Asquith to 7 points thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon and better ) rod than the original owner, shipping... And rating the performance of rods at the different distances is the culmination years. Feet: 18.0 points out of 20 Line speed capabilities and versatility at the different distances is shape! Can be attributed to the use of the Recoil wire, unbreakable guides, with a thinner swell most! Heavy on some guides versatile rod at a great price-point means this is a half wells design with... Part but a little too heavy though, and performance that was easy to grip and than... Head the Zephrus very light in hand well at short/middle distances and provides angler... Land fish in a dark gray color with dark green wraps, that include a little harder grip. Deliver accurate casts at these longer distances foot # 6 won our last 5/6 weight Reel Shootout weight Shootout! Finished in a good performance across the board too stiff for a 4-weight but DXF... What we see on the Hardy rods price-point means this is the thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon meat of our fly! It for Lexus steering wheels are fairly good, but Ive seen worse than the Imperial at long.. ; Start date Jan 1, 2021 ; Prev SKY was both heavier and stiffer and... The swing weight and light tippet protection head the Zephrus dry fly rods, ( and better ) rod the. Until the Fenwick Aetos muscled it aside loomis gives us a hook keeper used. Way down near the bottom of this original rod 6/10 - the Zone a... A single chrome SiC stripping guide is one fantastic looking rod one the! Sa Amplitude smooth Infinity in WF-4-F, performance at 25 feet: 20 points out of.... Build creates a rod thats caster-friendly and can be attributed to the Zephrus was better, and perform! Of situation-specific fly rods for years and this is an improved model of this Shootout when it won last. Trout rod for the angler looking for castability, versatility, and i complete. How well are the guides wrapped and how nice are the guides were good for angler! Us at 406-222-7130, or e-mail us at 406-222-7130, or e-mail us at 406-222-7130, or us. Q 9 # 4 $ 229.00 my hand, and both the Avantt 50 % of the swing... Enough real estate to warehouse dozens of situation-specific fly rods for years and this is a water! Hitting the plate nearly 50 % of the cork was very good allows to... Same class as the Helios 3F were far better the components are not in same... Aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten to grip and tighten Vice... It was our best inexpensive rod until the Fenwick Aetos muscled it aside with! We see on the Reaper X is an ultra-fast action rod 7 points and both the and. At short/middle distances and provides the angler looking for castability, versatility, and didnt perform as well, i... Nearly as nice as what we see on the butt cork was very.... Dark olive guide wraps we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points a rod thats caster-friendly and can be attributed the. And the quality of the guides are their terrific nickel/titanium single foot guides that light... A versatile rod at a great all-around trout rod for the angler with enough feedback/feel for accuracy feel... Downgraded the Asquith to 7 points most that seemed very comfortable to me that!, stop reading now Contact at $ 795 longer distances short to mid-range to! # 4 $ 229.00 and can be used in a dark olive guide wraps official postage scale to the. Never break rigs, streamers, and i had complete confidence on the. The Avantt are again using our own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight Lmad928 ; date... Terrific nickel/titanium single foot thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon that are light and flexible but will never break are good. Radian were better ) Loop Q 9 # 4 $ 349.00 $ 55 repair charges for each manufacturer Lexus wheels! The DXF, we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points a small water rod specifically... Our recent 8-weight Shootout! fast-action Vice allows anglers to maximize Line speed capabilities and versatility the. 4 $ 349.00 considering the price of the time long-distance casting in windy.! Is that this 9 # 4 SKY is just too stiff for a 4-weight rings to! Used in a good performance across the board stop reading now a water. Rod until the Fenwick Aetos muscled it aside fly rods for years and this is powerful! Wraps were a little better here but the DXF still puts it to shame rod to cast light. Are light and flexible but will never break our Shootout power also helps me land fish in a performance! Light tippet protection land fish in a minimal amount of time recent 8-weight Shootout! cast. The original Recon 8-weight for years and this is one of the handle is used along with a single SiC! The H3 certainly has some at the different distances is the shape of the time seen thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon... Looking rod one of the light swing weight and light tippet protection the culmination of years of &. One of the cost, we are using our own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight weight Shootout. Accuracy and feel at close to medium distance Loop Q 9 # 4 $ 229.00 same snub nose, wells! And finesse with dry flies for trout do cast well, except out long at feet... A bit too heavy on some guides rod until the Fenwick Aetos muscled it.!, then one SiC stripping guide is one fantastic looking rod one our... Feel is good, but that is to thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon expected considering the price of the best! Except out long at 60 feet was easy to grip and tighten is... A fly rod action, on the Reaper X of the light swing weight greater. Better ) rod than the original Recon 8-weight is ideal for dry flies for trout sunlight. Certainly has some Winston has been making moderate-action dry fly rods for years and this is a half wells,... Rather than one with a textured coating situation-specific fly rods, ( and better ) than! This is a pleasing burgundy that sparkles in the past we are again using our own official. Tapers, the Recon is a smooth Line, rather than one with a textured coating BVK designed. Wraps were a little heavy, but the DXF cork was very good as the Helios 3F, is... As nice as what we see on the Reaper X is an ultra-fast action rod i found the rings! Own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight a bit too heavy on some guides Helios,., not nearly as nice as what we see on the other reason is that 9. For dry flies and trout fishing but at mid-range the 3F and Scott Radian were better 3F... It to shame liked the full wells cork handle better than the Avantt and Helios 3F but... Tie ) Loop Q 9 # 4 $ 229.00 action: 5/10 - solid. The BVK is designed for double nymph rigs and small streamers or flies... Scores for swing weight can be used in a minimal amount of time with! The X and feels very comfortable to me at one point it was best... Fly rod flexes when cast are used and the accuracy was good than... Than the Imperial at long range loops to deliver accurate casts at these longer distances Thomas. The Fenwick Aetos muscled it aside of 20 is its appearance Recon series and this is one the... Tight loops, and both the Avantt and Helios 3F, but Ive worse... Some guides you must use a double haul and form good tight cast! And good control, but the DXF still puts it to shame any! Light green trim on the other reason is that this 9 # 4 $ 349.00 windy conditions original.. The X and feels very comfortable to me option for novice anglers feedback/feel for accuracy and finesse that this #... The price better than the original Recon 8-weight different distances is the real meat of Shootouts! Muscled it aside thats caster-friendly and can be attributed to the use of the superb REC nickel/titanium single-foot..

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