Fly Rod Reviews

We get questions about specific rod models all the time. "How does the 3wt compare to the 4wt?" and "When should I use this rod?" and "What line works best on this rod?". In an attempt to provide better info so you can make a more informed buying decision, we decided to start a 'model-by-model' blog series. We recently had the good fortune of having every model of the G. Loomis Asquith in our shop at the same time so we thought we'd cast and review them. This article is designed to pass that info along to you. Series Overview: The Asquith has been around for a little while now and certainly received a lot of hype in the series infancy. The Asquith offers new rod blank technology, cutting edge R&D, and an overall series that's one of the lightest and most powerful on the market. Unfortunately, the Asquith is also known for a $$ high price tag $$. Is it worth the investment? Read on to find out.

We had the chance to take the Scott F Series 6' 6" 3wt out on the water the other day and thought we'd give you our opinion of the rod in a quick take format. Scott has been making fiberglass rods since the company's inception in the 1970s. These rods feature beautiful construction, state-of-the-art componentry, and rod tech that's been evolving with the times since the 70s. The newest version of the rod is a real pleasure to cast. Read on to find out what else we liked about this short 3wt fiberglass beauty.

Winston has come out with another super-fast fly rod series designed for sinking lines, large flies, and the largest fish on earth. The Alpha + Series replaces the Boron III Plus rods as Winston's big game series built to be durable, strong, and powerful. We're happy to report Winston has succeeded in creating a rod that's all three of those things. But how is the performance of this series different than the BIII Plus? Read our review to find out. Plus videos, photos, advice, and much more. Many anglers will overlook this rod because of the lack of 'buzz'... don't miss out on one of the best specialized rods on the market.

The Fenlite Salt Series comes with rods from 7wt through 12wt to cater to anglers chasing small Bonefish all the way through to Giant Trevally. In this review, we cast the 8wt version of the Fenwick Fenlite Salt at typical saltwater distances including 40-feet, 60-feet, and 80-feet. The 8wt is a hefty rod with lots of muscle. Read on to find out what else we liked about the rod and where the Fenlite Salt fell short.

Building a moderate action dry fly rod has proven difficult. Some of the most famous rod companies have tried to manufacture rods that measure up to the old NRX LP. In our opinion, they've failed. So we were hesitant when we heard Loomis was remaking such a successful series. To say the new NRX+ LP has a lot to live up to would be an understatement. Read on to find out what we liked about the new rod series from G. Loomis, what's changed, and how the 5wt fits into your arsenal.

Fenwick has built a MASSIVE new entry-level fly rod series with nearly thirty rod models in total. The Fenlite series has Saltwater rod models, freshwater rod models, nymph-specific rod models, and much more. If there's a fish you can target around the world, chances are there's a rod model in this series that'll help you catch it. The common thread used to build this series is Fenwick's Powerlux 1000 blank resin that makes these rods roughly 30% stronger than a standard carbon fly rod. This tech means the 5wt rod is insanely powerful and highly accurate at all distances. This is a great rod for the intermediate angler who prefers accuracy over finesse. Read on to find out what else we're excited about in this new rod from Fenwick.

One of the most significant changes in the new Orvis Recon 2 is Orvis' use of trickle-down technology. Since the original Recon, Orvis designed and released an extremely diverse and dynamic high-end rod series: The Orvis Helios 3 Fly Rods. The company used what they learned in the creation of those rods to remake the Recon with an action Orvis says falls somewhere between the Orvis Helios 3F and the Orvis Helios 3D. Read on to find out how the new Orvis Helios 2 stacks up against other versatile 5wts.

Hello old friend. The first iteration of the Recon was one of our favorite rods of all time. Seriously, we love the Orvis Recon. To say we were enthusiastically awaiting the release of the Recon 2 would be an understatement. We were fortunate enough to get our hands on some prototypes a bit earlier than the general public but we thought we'd wait until Orvis released the rods to give you an in-depth review. Well, that time has come and our review results may surprise you. Read on to find out what has changed in the remake of a classic and what remains the same.

The all-new Sage Maverick fits into a moderate price-point with other fly rods like the T&T Zone and the Orvis Recon 2. We've cast almost every mid-priced saltwater fly rod on the market including the new Recon 2 Rods and many others. The Maverick features a design and taper that's unique in that arena and we think it's a versatile rod for intermediate and expert saltwater anglers alike. We've put together a review with all the measurables and comparisons between other mid-priced saltwater fly rods to help you choose the rod that's best for you. Spoiler Alert: We think the Maverick may be the best on the market. Read on to find out why.

Maybe you've heard the hype, maybe you haven't. Douglas' brand new 5wt fly rod is certainly making waves in an industry that constantly rewards innovation and performance-based design. This rod has been touted as the best 5wt fly rod on the market and some people have even claimed it's the best trout rod of all time. Why are anglers making these outlandish claims? Graphene tech certainly plays a role. The blazing light swing weight and ridiculous recovery speeds also help. But is this rod really all it's cracked up to be? We wanted to see for ourselves... and we think the results from our review may surprise you. Read on to see if the Douglas Sky G lives up to all the hype.