Greys Kite Fly Rod Review

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Greys had a big 2022-23 season. They tore down the entire rod lineup and replaced long-running favorites like the GR60 and GR80 with three new families: the Lance, the Kite, and the Wing. We've already put the Lance and the Wing through their paces; today it's the 9' 5wt Kite, which sits right in the middle of the range.

Here's what makes the Kite interesting. It costs about $50 more than the Lance, and the Lance is genuinely excellent. Normally a new rod in a lineup begs the question, "can they make it better for less?" The Kite flips that around - it has to justify a higher price than a rod we already love. So can they make it better while charging more? Let's get into it.

Where the Kite Fits in the Greys Lineup

The Kite slots between the budget-friendly Lance and the more specialized Wing, which now comes in a wide spread of sizes, including Streamflex and Salt versions. If you want the full picture of the new range, our Lance review and Wing review cover the other two families in detail.

Fit & Finish

Pick the Kite up and most of it feels familiar if you've handled the Lance - the two are nearly identical in the hand. The differences live at the reel seat. You get a hearty double-uplocking seat, and Greys carried over the clever asymmetrical seat design we first liked on the Ultralite NSX SR series. It doesn't look asymmetrical at a glance, but it does a great job keeping the reel from working loose over a long day. The Kite also steps up to a wood insert over the Lance, which is the most obvious cosmetic difference between the two. Guides are standard up the blank - nothing exotic, but they get the job done.

Casting: Flex & Feel

I cast the Kite right after the Lance, and I'll be honest: it was a bit of a conundrum. It has a more moderate action, but with a lot of quick recovery deep in the blank. I paired it with a Scientific Anglers MPX and then a Rio InTouch Gold, and the story was the same with both - not perfect, but not bad either. It never quite snapped into a "this is the line" moment, yet it never cast poorly with either.

What that adds up to is a rod that does a lot of the work for you. You don't need to double-haul it or pour line speed into the stroke; load it and it recovers and delivers the fly without much help from the caster.

Who It's For

That self-sufficiency makes the Kite a good fit for beginning-to-intermediate anglers who aren't generating much line speed yet. If your casting stroke is still coming together, the rod smooths things over and keeps fishing easy and fun.

The flip side: if you're actively trying to learn and sharpen your cast, the Kite can mask what your hands are doing and hold you back a little. Anglers who want crisp feedback and the ability to push line speed will likely prefer a faster, more demanding rod.

Verdict

The 9' 5wt Kite is a likeable, forgiving rod - but it sits in a tricky spot, costing more than the Lance, which is a superb rod that will suit most anglers better. My honest recommendation: cast the Kite before you buy it, and put the Lance in your other hand while you're at it. For a lot of anglers the Lance will be the better buy, but if you specifically want a moderate, do-the-work-for-you 5-weight, the Kite earns its place. For more options in this class, see our roundup of the best 5-weight fly rods.

Pros

• Forgiving, moderate action that loads easily without a double haul
• Quick recovery deep in the blank
• Clever asymmetrical reel seat, plus a wood insert upgrade over the Lance
• A great fit for beginner-to-intermediate casters

Cons

• Costs about $50 more than the excellent Lance
• No single fly line felt like a perfect match in our testing
• Can hold back anglers who are trying to develop more line speed

Changelog

• 5/29/26: Full review written from our on-the-water testing of the 9' 5wt.