Fly Rod Reviews

2020 marks the return of Greys to the United States. 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. Like an Alfa Spider, Greys faded out of the mainstream and into the fond memory of enthusiasts. And now, they're back.

The Radian replacement has (finally) arrived. After an 8-year run, Scott has decided to discontinue the Radian and replace it with the all-new Scott Centric. The Centric is designed to improve upon what the Radian set out to accomplish many years ago: bringing fast AND feel to the freshwater angler. While the Radian was pretty fast in the broader scheme of things, Scott has refined the action of the Radian and created the Centric: a rod with more feel, more castability, more versatility, and the industry-leading performance we've come to expect from Scott. If you're dying to hear if the hype is real, you've come to the right place. Read on for an in-depth fly rod review of Scott's brand new series.

Winston designed these rods to be 'do-it-all' freshwater fly rods. In fact, they call them the 'Swiss Army Knife of fly rods'. To make such a versatile freshwater rod series, Winston rolled out a unique, progressive SuperSilica resin system that keeps these rods lightweight, powerful, and dynamic. That being said, Winston has also found a way to stay true to their brand by making these rods medium/medium-fast action and delicate when you need them to be. Read on for a model-by-model review of the whole series.

The Saltwater Air is a quick-recovering, high-performance saltwater fly rod series built with a few important features. Winston uses SuperSilica lightweight resin systems and their famous Boron III technology to craft incredibly light rods that are durable and solidly strong. Winston claims they built these rods with a fast mid-section (a departure from traditional Winston rods) and stiff butt sections for increased lifting power on the largest fish in saltwater. Read on for a detailed review of every rod model in the series.

Winston built the Pure series for delicate presentations and trout-focused angling. The series quickly won 'Best New Freshwater Rod' at IFTD in 2018 and its diversity of rod models and was a large reason why. From short 2wt rods through longer 5wt distance sticks, this is a series with a model for almost any dry fly angler. Built with some of the finest componentry in fly fishing, the Pure is built for anglers who prefer to fish with a light touch. Read on for detailed reviews of each and every rod model in the series.

Winston’s new Alpha+ series is designed for the largest fish on earth. The rod’s extra-fast action helps deliver big flies and fight large fish. A fast-action tip and insanely strong butt section contribute to the rod’s ability to both propel large flies through heavy wind and lift big fish from their murky lies. The Alpha+ encourages incredible line speed and easy distance casting without carrying a lot of line in the air. These rods are beastly and, as Winston says, you’re going to need a bigger net. Read on for a detailed review of every model in the series.

5wt fly rods are (by far) the most popular rod model in contemporary fly fishing. A 5wt can be used in a variety of freshwater angling scenarios but is most commonly used to target Trout. There are dozens of 5wt rods on the market at a variety of price-points and each rod offers something different to every angler. Here at Trident, we carry over one hundred 5wt fly rods. That's a lot. This buyer's guide is designed to help anglers of all skill levels with any price-constraint find, compare, analyze, and purchase the 5wt that best fits their needs.

The NRX+ Saltwater fly rods have certainly been getting some hype. After finishing first in Yellowstone Angler's abbreviated 8wt Shootout, we knew Loomis had another stellar rod series on their hands. This rod has been so popular since its release, in fact, that it took us months to get a demo. Loomis has upped their componentry game, built an all-new rod blank, and really put a lot of time and research into this rod to drive fly rod innovation forward. And they've succeeded. One of the largest stories with this rod series is its versatility. It's more caster-friendly than other saltwater fly rods on the market and caters to anglers of all skill levels and anglers targeting a variety of species. This rod is smooth, efficient, and intuitive - everything a fly rod should be. Read on to find out how the rod performed at various distances and in a few different casting categories.

The original NRX Series from G. Loomis contains some of our favorite rods we’ve ever fished. And we’re here to announce that they’ve made them even better in the NRX+ Series. The freshwater rods, specifically, are faster, more capable, and snappier than the previous iteration of the NRX freshwater rods. They're also hugely popular at the moment which is why this review has taken so long... we worked HARD for 6 months just to get a demo. Loomis put a lot of time, effort, research, and design into these rods and we think they've created a freshwater 5wt that'll appeal to serious anglers. Read on to find out how the NRX+ Freshwater 5wt performs.

The Scott Meridian was a much-loved rod series. In fact, it’ll probably go down in fly fishing lore as one of the best saltwater rod series ever. When we heard Scott was DQing the Meridian, the anticipation for their new saltwater rod series began. Well, the wait is over and we’re pretty excited about the result. Enter the Scott Sector. The Sector is a refined version of the Meridian, a rod series that prioritizes presentation, accuracy, and feel. This series is characterized by a progressive rod action, brand new rod tech, and elevated componentry like we’ve never seen before. The result is increased torsional stability thanks to Scott’s Carbon Web Tech, Ceracoil stripping guides for crush-proof performance, and a fly rod that’s lighter than its predecessor (the already-light Meridian). Read on to see what we thought about each individual rod model.