Mystic Reaper X Fly Rod Review

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Familiar with the Mystic Reaper? Well, it's been replaced by the Reaper X, a lighter, improved, and slightly faster version of Mystic's do-it-all freshwater Reaper. The Mystic Reaper X is yet another solid mid-priced rod option and continues the Mystic tradition of value-packed fly rods. Halloween is right around the corner, after all, and while the Reaper X may not win a prize for best costume, it may be one of the best at its price-point at tricking and treating your freshwater prey. Read more to find out why.

Outfit

• Mystic Reaper X 9' 5wt Fly Rod

• Lamson Litespeed Fly Reel
• Scientific Anglers Mastery MPX Fly Line

Fit and Finish

If you're familiar with the Reaper, a bit has changed aesthetically on the Reaper X. The Reaper X sports a double uplocking anodized aluminum reel seat, carbon spacer (rather than the wood insert on the Reaper), half-wells grip, and a deep maroon-colored blank. In true Mystic fashion, a high-quality stripping guide and hard chrome snake guides give the rod a nice fit and finish. The fit and finish on the Reaper X aren't as stylish as other mid-priced rods out there (the T&T Zone for example), but these shortcomings are expected at a slightly lower-than-mid price point.

Weight

The Reaper X is lighter than the old Mystic Reaper which is not incredibly surprising. Lighter, faster, stronger seems to describe a handful of rod trends these days, and Mystic follows suit with the Reaper X. The rod weighs 3.22 ounces with a swing weight of 64 gm2, not incredibly heavy but not super light.

Distance

Long casts are not the Reaper X's forte. In fact, if you foresee having to make distance casts on a regular basis, this rod may not be the best option. Mystic has designed the Reaper X for a very specific distance and a very specific purpose (think typical trout distances) and the performance of the rod declines outside of these distances.

Accuracy

Consistent accuracy is attainable with the Reaper X at close distances although the rod excels in the mid-distance range. The Reaper X is faster than the Reaper which makes casting accurately at short distances not easy but not impossible (see Flex and Feel). I encountered some tip bounce when casting the rod at longer distances. While this is not a huge deal, and likely barely noticeable to many anglers out there, it did affect the feel of the rod, at least for me.

Tip bounce affected the stability of the loop and, thus, the accuracy at longer distances.

Flex and Feel

Mystic created the Reaper X to be stiffer and faster than the old Reaper and the rod's stiffness shows at 30 feet. The upper-mid tip flex does mean, however, that the Reaper X performs well at distances beyond 30 feet.

Line Choice

We prefer Scientific Anglers Mastery MPX on most of our trout setups and the Reaper X is no different.

Warranty

Mystic Fishing Rod Lifetime Warranty.

Price

$299

Conclusion

The Reaper X makes a great value fly rod. We have consistently seen Mystic produce rods that reflect their "value-packed fly rods at unbeatable prices" mission, and the Reaper X is no different. The Reaper X is very different in feel and in action than the Reaper which leaves me wishing Mystic had kept both rods instead of discontinuing the Reaper. In any event, the all-new X makes some improvements where the original Reaper fell short and maintains Mystic quality at an unbeatable price.

Pros

• Price-point (one of the cheapest out there)

• Stiffer, faster, higher performing than the original Reaper.

Cons

• More tip bounce than we'd like