Introduction

A customer called into the shop and was wondering about mid-priced saltwater rods. Of course I instantly defaulted to the TFO BVK, my go-to rod for the less than $500 crowd. He was interested in something stiffer for wind and big flies, and asked about the Redington Predator – so I took it out for a test drive.

Outfit

• Redington Predator 890-4 9’ 8-weight
• Hardy Ultralite DD-7000 (our default 8-weight test reel)
• Rio Gold WF8F (our default 8-weight test line)

Fit and Finish

The Redington Predator is an attractive rod. It’s equipped with a dark blue blank and a brushed aluminum double uplocking reel seat. Redington has come a long way in this department. The rods really do look like Sage’s now. Even the cork is very nice despite the worldwide shortages.

The Predator comes with a full-wells grip and larger diameter saltwater guides.

Weight

The Redington Predator 890-4 weighs in at 4.3 oz (.2 oz heavier than Redington claims), which is fairly heavy for today’s 8-weight rods. It’s also got a fairly heavy swing weight. If you’re on a flat casting all day, make sure you spend a few weeks at the gym.

Distance

The Predator is a VERY fast rod. Think TCX, Boron II-MX territory. As such, it excels in the distance category. 80-90’ is easy and reasonably accurate. What surprised me is that it didn’t really generate that extra push which takes the cast from 90 to 100+. Perhaps I would have done better with a heavier line.

Accuracy

Note: I have a fairly fast casting stroke and am able to flex this rod efficiently – your mileage may vary.

The biggest downfall of this rod (and all other really fast rods) is its ability to deliver a fly accurately, and softly, in close (30’ or less). While it’s certainly not the worst rod at these distances, it wouldn’t be my go-to bonefish rod.

The Redington Predator hits its stride at about 50 feet and is a solid contender up to 80-90.

Flex & Feel

Fast and stiff. George Anderson would probably call this rod a 9 or 10-weight. It’s got loads of power in the butt and mid sections for lifting and fighting the biggest fish.

Warranty

Unconditional Lifetime Warranty for just $25. Me like that.

Price: $249.95

Conclusion

8-weight rods are always a challenge to review. Unlike 5-weights, there aren’t any rods that truly cover every condition you would want to fish in. The G. Loomis NRX comes close.

The Redington Predator is a fantastic rod for windy days, large flies and long distance casting on a budget. It’s not for bonefish, close-in accuracy, or all-day casting. It will definitely pair well with heavy Outbound lines, sinking, and intermediate lines.  Casting them is a breeze. Casters with a fast casting stroke and anyone who enjoys the Winston Boron III-SX will like this rod.

Get it for Pike, Musky, Tarpon, and other big meat-eaters. (tweet this)

Pros

• Delivers big flies, far, accurately and easily.
• Great Redington price tag
• Upgraded looks

Cons

• Not the best all-around rod
• Heavy by today's standards

"I feel like I'm about to break an unwritten rule of fly fishing." (tweet this)

Every year we anglers wait in anticipation for the change of the seasons. As winter turns into spring, and spring into summer, you get that all too familiar itch.  The itch that says, "I need to get out on the water." Ice melts, fishing seasons open, and migrations begin. The itch soon turns into anticipation for that favorite spring fishing moment. We all have one. For some people it's the tarpon migrating north on the Gulf of Mexico. For others it's the Salmonfly hatch...

Call me a blasphemer. Call me crazy. But for me that special moment has nothing to do with trout.  It's got nothing to do with bonefish or even stripers. For me, it's when the smallmouth bass return to the shallows to spawn.

Like the swallows at Capistrano, smallies return every spring to fulfill their primal urges.  In the crystal clear lakes and ponds of Maine, this means endless sight fishing opportunities. This isn't spring creek fishing.  The smallmouth bass are incredibly aggressive.  It doesn't take much more than a woolly bugger to get them excited.

And nothing beats a 3+lb smallmouth on a 5-weight.

Introduction

Every year, fly fisherman around the globe hold off on their big new fly rod purchases for the moment when George Anderson releases his annual “5-weight Shootout”.  This year, there was a changing of the guard (again), when the G. Loomis NRX LP unseated the Hardy Zenith as the “king of all fly rods”.  Needless to say, we couldn’t wait to test them out head-to-head.  To do this right, we had to ask ourselves:

What makes a great 5-weight?

A 5-weight is the answer to most anglers’ question of: “What if I could only have one fly rod [for trout]?” For me, the owner of far too many fly rods, the 9’ 5-weight is the rod I take anywhere unfamiliar ,or if I’m fishing too far from my car to go back for my second or third rod. (tweet this)

In order to get to this “one rod quiver”, you have to think about how you fish.  Here in on the east coast, I spend about 50% of my time nymphing, 35% fishing streamers, and only about 15% of my time fishing dries.  When fishing in Montana, this might be more like 50% dry, 25% nymph, 25% streamer.  While this will be different for everyone, the 9’ 5-weight is still synonymous with versatility and a good 5-weight will excel at all forms of trout fishing.

The Outfit

For the test, both rods were armed with our favorite rod and line combination:

• Lamson Vanquish 4.5LT
• SA Sharkskin GPX

Fit and Finish

While I felt the wraps were a little neater on the Hardy Zenith, the NRX is the clear winner here.  It’s got nicer cork, a better reel seat (standby for the Z2).  Both rods have single foot Recoil guides, but the NRX also includes Recoil stripping guides.  Both rods have Reverse Half Wells grips.  +1 for the NRX being made in the USA as well.

The Zenith isn’t without its merits in this department – it’s got a rod tube bag (which having left it at home once or twice I can tell you, matters) and plugs for the empty sections when in storage.

Winner: NRX

Weight

From a casting perspective, the rods were nearly identical, swing weight wise.  I could cast both of them all day long, with no problems.

On the scale, the Zenith comes in at 3.0 oz, while the G. Loomis NRX LP weighs in at 3.25 oz.

Winner: Tie

Power and Distance

While neither rod is an “extreme” distance rod, the Zenith is definitely easier to cast, further.  At 70' both the NRX and Zenith were accurate, but I really had to try with the NRX. Want to throw the occasional 100' bomb? Go Zenith.

Winner: Zenith

Accuracy

At 25', the soft tip of the NRX made it the clear winner.  It's a joy to cast. If you're looking for a 5-weight for smaller streams, look no further.  If you've never actually measured a 25' cast, it's very close.  I for one don't fish at these distances very often (unless I'm Czech nymphing...).

At 40', the Zenith comes into its own. I was able to deliver casts accurately and w . The NRX is no slouch either. I'm going to declare this a tie, but it's a little unfair since I've been casting the Zenith for so long. If 40' were my maximum distance, the NRX would be still be a great choice.

Last but not least - 70 feet.  Both rods were accurate, but I'd give the Zenith the edge, purely because it's a lot more forgiving.

Winner: Tie

Flex & Feel

This isn't really a category that needs to be scored, but the NRX has a more moderate progressive action, compared the the fast action of the Zenith.  Both have a lot of feel.  The NRX feels like its built for a slower casting stroke (mine is fast), whereas the Zenith can go both ways.

Nymphing

BB split shot, two flies, and an indicator.  That’s what we tied on for this part the test. The key to a good nymphing rod is being able to open up your loop and throw your rig sans tangling.  Where the Zenith does this easily, the NRX is built for tighter loops.

Winner: Hardy Zenith

Streamers

To test this one, I tied on a #8 Conehead Woolly Bugger.  As you would expect, the NRX performed a little better than the Zenith up close (<25’). At longer distances the Zenith was just plain easier to cast.  Could I get similar results with the NRX? Yes… but I really had to pay attention.  The Zenith is effortless.  I could even bomb it out to 80+ feet with ease.

Winner: Hardy Zenith

Warranty

Both rods have lifetime warranties, neither is great.  Hardy’s warranty is “No fault”, but costs $80+.  Loomis has free replacements for defects, but only one “Wildcard” for “No Faults”.  If you’re a chronic tip-breaker, go Hardy (or maybe TFO).  If you’re careful, Loomis wins it.

Winner: NRX

Price

NRX: $755

Zenith: $649

Winner: Hardy

Conclusion

So, what’s the best trout rod in 2013? Unquestionably, the Hardy Zenith and the G. Loomis NRX LP are the two best rods on the market right now.  In fact, they are likely the two best rods ever built.

Who should choose the NRX? If you’re a 50+% dry fly fisherman, if you have a slower casting stroke, you'll love it. Also, if you like to throw really tight loops, the NRX is a better option.

For me, however, the ability to throw a wider range of flies outweighs the extreme accuracy in close.

Thus, I'm declaring the Hardy Zenith, the winner, and reigning king!

Recommended Lines: I like the Sharkskin GPX, but many don't like the sound it makes through the guides. The 9' 5-weight Zenith and the GPX is a magic combination.  I wouldn't use anything else. While the NRX can definitely handle the GPX, it could also cast a standard weight line, like Rio Gold, as well.

Enjoy this review? Buy your next fly rod here.

"Is your next rod going to be red?" (tweet this)

Some of you may have heard - the IFTD (International Fly Tackle Dealer) Show and iCast (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades) have been combined. IFTD was traditionally held in the middle of August, and marked the coming out of new lines for our industry. iCast, however, is held in early July. This change has left brands scrambling to get new products ready in time for the show. Some manufacturers aren't going. Others have only limited releases.

As you would expect, Sage has risen to the occasion. They have a new lineup ready to go. We don't have any "spy shots" for you just yet, but, we do have some great information:

Sage Method

By now most of you TCX has been discontinued. Personally, I wasn't too broken-hearted. The TCX was always a little too fast for the rivers that I typically fish. Needless to say, there's no rod that is more in touch with Sage's heritage of never running out of horsepower.

So what will the new "Method" be like? F-A-S-T. And Powerful. The Method is loaded with Sage's Konnetic Technology that's made great rods like the Circa and ONE. I'd also expect it to be a little smoother and less stiff, but with a faster recovery. The price should also be going up. I'm betting on an $800+ price range. Is your next rod going to be Magenta...? .

Sage Motive

Working at a fly shop means giving lots of (hopefully good) advice to customers. One question we get asked all the time is to recommend a fly rod for a given budget. For the last several years, fly rods have largely fallen into two categories: Top-of-the-line (~$700) and Performance on a budget (~$300), with not many rods in the middle. This has been especially true for saltwater rods... until now.

The new Motive will be Sage's (and really the industry as a whole's) first foray into a "mid-priced" saltwater fly rod. Is it going to be a copy of the Xi3, in preparation for the Xi4? Maybe (It sure looks like the Xi3...). Either way, it's got oversized saltwater guides and lots of power in the butt section for fighting big fish. If it doesn't use the same blank, guessing that it will be a little less powerful then the Xi3, just like the VXP is to the ONE. It's priced reasonably at $425 and made in the USA!

Sage is also coming out with a few new reels. Check out our reel preview here.

We'll be casting these rods at iCast. Stay tuned for full reviews.

"Does it Evoke any emotion?" (tweet this)

Sage has always been known for making great rods. Recently, they released some pretty good reels too. I expect this year to be no different. Sage has three exciting releases for us this year, and certainly seems to have more new releases than anyone else in the marketplace.

Sage Evoke

The Evoke is Sage's newest weapon. It looks like Sage took aim at the Lamson Arx with this one - with a full cage design and an open bottom for palming (I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to palm a high-end drag, but it's there if you want it). It's built on the 6000 series drag, which is well sealed, but not overly powerful. The Evoke will have a large arbor for fast retrieve. It's going to be an excellent reel to pair with Sage's great selection of two-handed rods. It looks pretty cool too - a little "Loop-ish."

The Evoke comes in 2 sizes: an 8-weight, perfect for smaller switch rods and a 10-weight model ideal for steelheading. I'm sure it will soon be followed up with a larger model for higher grain weights. The 8-weight has a starting price of $575.

Sage 2200 and Sage 3200

The new Sage 2200 replaces our beloved 1800 while the 3200 series replaces the 2000. Unfortunately, they've gotten rid of the awesome drag system of the 1800 and replaced it with that of the 4200. While I don't expect that this will a great saltwater reel, it will be sealed and have the same pleasant sound as the 4200. I'm guessing the weight will be reduced (I'm betting on about 1/2 an ounce of difference between the 2200, 3200, and 4200 respectively) and machining will be better.

Based on the numbering, it looks like the spools will still be interchangable, and perhaps also interchangeable with the 4200. The 2200 will maintain entry level pricing with a very affordable $129, while the 3200 will start at just $199.

Introduction

This year was full of great new product introductions. Great new rods came out from Winston, Redington, Hardy, etc. But I’m always waiting to see what comes off the bench of Jerry Siem from Sage. This year boasted two new releases: the Method, which replaces the TCX, and the all-new Motive, a “low” cost saltwater rod.

We talked about the Method’s release in an earlier post and many asked for a review… here it is – straight from iCast 2013.

Outfit

• Sage Method 9’ 8-weight
• Sage Evoke Fly Reel
• Rio Grand 8-wt

Fit and Finish

“While it’s not going to scare any fish away, it may scare off a few anglers.” (tweet this)

Yup, it’s red. Really red. Even the rod tube is red. Sage calls it “Magma”. While it’s not going to scare any fish away, it may scare off a few anglers. Everything else is exactly what you’d expect from Sage: high grade cork, tight wraps and an immaculate finish.

The 8-weight Method comes with a full wells grip w/ fighting butt. The reel seat is black aluminum. Essentially, it’s identical to what you’ll find on the Xi3. For an $800+ rod, I would have liked to see

Weight

The 8-weight weighs in at 3.75 ounces, which is a little lighter than the Xi3, but heavier than the Sage ONE. It’s also about half-an-ounce heavier than the lightest 8-weights.  The swing weight is very light.

For the record, the 5-weight weighs in at 2.63 ounces, making it Sage’s lightest “all-water” rod.

Distance

As you would expect from Sage’s fastest rod, it’s a cannon. While I couldn’t cast it as far as Tim Rajeff did to win the IFTD casting competition, it was easy to get 80-90’ of line out.

Accuracy

Konnetic technology just keeps getting better. Unlike its predecessor, the TCX, the Sage Method brings A LOT more accuracy and feel in close. At 25’, it’s a little too stiff to really compete with the NRX in terms of accuracy, but definitely not bad, maybe even a bit better than the Xi3. The real surprise was how well the rod performs at 40’ – I was able to create nice tight loops and deliver them right on target. Finally, at 80’, it’s probably one of the best rods out there.

Flex & Feel

The Method is a much softer-feeling rod than the TCX was, but there’s no question that it’s super-fast. Since we’re talking about an 8-weight, it’s also worth mentioning that the rod doesn’t have the same stiff butt section that’s common on many saltwater rods.

The Sage Method will be ideal for anyone looking to toss big streamers or casting into a 15 mph headwind.

Warranty

Lifetime – as everyone’s come to expect in this industry.

Price: We don’t have final pricing just yet, but you can expect it to come in well over the $800 mark for single handers.

Conclusion

I was never a fan of the TCX. Here on the east coast we fish a lot of small water, and we’re often making casts less than 40’. The TCX was not a rod for in-close action. The Sage Method is a massive improvement in this department. I think the Method will open eyes for anglers looking for a rod that makes distance casting easy for that trip out west, but can still be used at your “local” stream. Konnetic Technology FTW.

The 8-weight will make a terrific saltwater rod, particularly for those fishing any situation where blind casting makes sense, and you’re not expecting an accidental giant. I would also take it bone and/or permit fishing.

You’ll definitely want to make sure you load it with a Rio Grand or some other half-size heavier line to make all that power more manageable.

Pros

• Boatloads of power
• Much softer and more forgiving than the TCX
• Great Sage finish

Cons

• Some anglers won’t love the new red blank
• Expensive, even for a Sage

When I asked David Heller, Winston’s new VP of Marketing, for an iCast preview, he was very tight lipped. However, he did let us know that there would be some new products coming out, and that means great new rods. So here’s what all you Winston fans have been waiting for:

Boron II is now a thing of the past. The last remaining Boron 2 rods (B2t and B2x two-handers) have been upgraded to Winston’s latest technology. While there hasn't been a massive change in the speys, the upgrade of the BIIt is one that

Outfit

• Winston Boron III LS 8' 6” 4-weight
• Ross CLA
• SA Trout Taper

Fit and Finish

Winston goes modern! (tweet this)

You would never expect Winston to make a splash in the Fit and Finish category – they are as traditional as rods come – yet, they've done it. The new LS comes with a VERY different (for Winston) skeletal reel seat. We’ll see if they stick to this as the only option. I can tell you that Winston purists will probably shudder at the thought of anything but box elder… but we’ll see!

The other noticeable piece is the extremely thin blank, which is more or less in line with the way dry fly rods are moving these days. Everything else on the rod is pure Winston: emerald green color, amazing finish, top-notch cork.

Weight

We don’t have a published weight on the rod, but it feels VERY light in hand. It may even be the lightest feeling 4-weight I’ve ever casted. This is probably due, at least in part, to the added weight in reel seat.

Distance

The LS, as you would expect, is not a long distance champ.

Accuracy

The LS is a light presentation rod…  and as you’d expect it’s super accurate at 25’. The rod also performs quite well at 40’. Once you start getting past 50’ the slower action and slower recovery begins to show, but that’s a longer cast than you’ll need to make when you’re fishing this rod anyway.

Flex & Feel

The B3 LS is a replacement for the BIIt (the T stands for traditional). As such, it’s a medium action and relatively full flexing rod. By comparison, it’s higher performing than the B2t was, and a tad faster, but it’s still in the same category. It’s got incredible presentation abilities and can get you closer to the big fish.

Nymphing and Streamers

While you could probably do some light nymphing, the LS is essentially a dry fly specific rod. If you’re looking for a more well-rounded Winston, check out the B3x. I wouldn’t cast any heavily weighted flies with this rod.

Warranty

Lifetime! It’s a $50 fee for broken rods.

Price: We don’t have pricing just yet, but I’d expect it to come in at about $800.

Conclusion

If you love the traditional feel that Winston has always had, you’ll like their latest creation. It’s perfect for spring creeks and smaller streams and is one of best presentation rod ever created. If you’re go-to rod is a Sage ONE, and you were hoping for a fast action dry fly rod, this isn’t it. The jury is still out on the new reel seat, but I think it’s solid.

Pair this rod with Rio Trout LT or SA Trout Tapers for the ultimate dry fly presentation combo.

Pros

• A nice increase in performance over the BIIt
• Super lightweight feel
• Near perfect presentation

Cons

• Winston purists might not love the new reel seat
• I’m still waiting for a faster, more-forgiving, Winston

What’s the one rod type you won’t find at Sage, Hardy, Loomis, or Winston? (tweet this)

A true designed-for-saltwater rod under $600... Until now.

Enter the Sage Motive. Billed as a fast action rod with a powerful taper for bigger fish, it comes in the 5 most common saltwater sizes: 9-foot, 8 through 12-weight.

We’ve had mixed opinions about price-point rods in the past. Why? It’s tough for a great rod designer to do less than their best. It’s like asking Picasso to draw a stick figure. We’re hoping the price isn’t the Motive’s biggest selling point. Read more to find out how it casts!

Fit and Finish

Finish and build quality are just what you’d expect from Sage – excellent. Tight wraps, top notch cork, anodized reel seat are all standard practice and the Motive is no exception. The light blue blank is not only attractive, but a little reminiscent of the Xi3.

The Motive is also designed for saltwater. That means you’re getting a full wells grip with a comfortable fighting butt and larger-than-freshwater guides. Oh, and it’s made in the USA.

Weight

The 890 weighs in at 4 ounces, which is a little heavy by today’s standards. But more important than its overall weight is its swing weight.  Where the Xi3 is light, the Motive feels a little heavier in hand. While it’s not enough to be a burden, it was noticeable.

Distance

The Sage Motive has a lot of power in the butt section. This translates to a fast rod that casts a mile.

Accuracy

No Konnetic technology in this rod, but it still packs a punch in the accuracy department. The Motive is fast and powerful, so as you’d expect, accuracy is not great at 25’, but not terrible either. Like its cousin the Xi3, it starts to shine at about 40’ and is plenty accurate  even at 75’.

Bottom line: If you’re spending your days stalking bonefish flats, you’ll probably want to upgrade. If most of your casting is done for pike, stripers, or other less spooky species, the Motive is more than accurate enough for the job.

Flex & Feel

The Motive is fast – maybe faster than the Xi3. Unfortunately, it’s also got a pretty stiff tip and mid-section, which means it’s just not as good in close as say, the NRX (see accuracy). But make no mistake; it’s no telephone pole. The Motive loads well and gives you a lot of feedback.

All of that power in the butt section means that the Motive is a killer fish-fighting rod.

Warranty

The Motive, like all Sage rods, comes with Sage’s lifetime warranty.

Price: $425

Conclusion

Looking for an Xi3 “light” (err…  heavy), the all new Sage Motive fly rod is a great choice. Jerry Siem designed it from the ground up to be a true saltwater rod – and it has all the trimmings – extra-large saltwater guides, strong butt section, anodized reel seat and a fighting butt. It’s not the lightest bonefish rod and it doesn’t come in billfish sizes, but it’s a solid option for anyone looking to add a line weight to their quiver without the cost. Best of all, it’s made by Sage’s master rodbuilders on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Pair this rod with any of your favorite saltwater lines – it will handle anything from a bonefish line to a heavy intermediate.

Pros/Cons

• Lots of power will get those heavy flies to where the fish are
• Great Sage finish
• Price

Cons

• Not the lightest rod out there
• Bonefisherman will want more accuracy in close.

If you’ve read our review of the Vapen, then you know about what I like to call “The New Redington”. If you haven’t, here are the cliff notes: the new Redington rods are fantastic. The Redington Butter Stick makes up one part of the awesome threesome.

Here’s the scoop. It’s fiberglass (the first rod made from “T-Glass”, whatever that means). It’s slow-ish. It’s cheap. Read more to find out what we think.

Outfit

• Redington Butter Stick 7’ 3wt (Yes, I know it's not the one in the picture)
• Redington Drift Fly Reel
• Rio Trout LT

Fit and Finish

The Butter Stick has a traditional yellow blank that everyone seems to be painting their fiberglass rods these days. The cork is nice and the wraps are tight. Finish is totally in line with what you’d expect from Redington. The slip fittings and traditional cork reel seat are an interesting choice. Personally, I always feel like the reel is going to fall off without a double uplock. Overall, this is a nice looking rod, but not so nice that you thought you spent $700 on it.

Weight

The 370-4 weighs in at 2.1 ounces. Sure, it’s not the lightest 3-weight out there, but at this price, what did you expect?

As with all 3-weights, it’s super light in hand.

Distance

This is NOT a distance casting rod. Realistically, we’re talking about a 40’ maximum usable range, if that. Not bad for glass, though.

Accuracy

The Butter Stick has a lot of accuracy at short distances. Because it’s made of glass, you get a massive amount of feel for those close in shots. It’s great at 20-30’. Once you get beyond 35’ it just has too much bounce in the tip and not enough power to hit targets.

Flex & Feel

Glass rods are all slow, but the Butter Stick is faster than a standard glass rod. This gives it a more modern feel than the rod you grew up casting. Yes, you’re going to have to slow down your casting stroke a little, but not *too* much. It still has a lot more flex than your standard graphite rod which gives it great feel. Not to mention that 12” brookie will feel like a whale.

Warranty

Redington lifetime warranty - $30. Excellent.

Price: $249.95

Conclusion

The Redington Butter Stick is a fantastic rod for small stream enthusiasts, fiberglass lovers, or anyone looking to try something new. It’s not the only a great rod to cast, but it's pretty to look at, and won't hurt your wallet too much. Simply put: go get one.

I didn’t get the chance to cast it next to any high-end glass rods, but I would imagine that from a performance perspective, there’s no way you’re going to get 3x your money.

Pair this rod with Rio's Trout LT fly line for the perfect small stream combo.

Pros

• T-Glass gives the rod a more modern action
• Perfect for small streams and dries
• Great price + warranty

Cons

• As you’d expect, not an all-around rod.
• Slip fittings on reel seat may not appeal to all.

The Redington Vapen Red represents the single greatest change in fly rod construction since the introduction of carbon fiber. Redington teamed up with Winn (of golf fame) to improve upon one piece of the fly rod that has remained virtually unchanged for 100 years – the grip. They've made it synthetic, and they’re the first major manufacturer to do so. But while the grip is the most noticeable part of the rod, the highlight is how it casts.

Enjoy this review? Buy it here.

The New Redington

We wouldn’t be doing the Vapen justice if we didn’t talk about how it came to be. Let’s start with a brief history lesson: Redington was founded in 1992 and joined forces with Sage in 2003. Since then, rod development has largely been in the hands of the Sage team. You might think that this was a good thing; however, we’ve learned that when great rod builders aren’t trying their hardest, you get rods like the CPX…

Enter David Visnack, Redington’s new general manager. He’s not only taken over rod design and started to build some great new products, but he’s converted “the new Redington” into a truly innovative company. And the flagship of this new brand is the all new Vapen Red, which is not only a paradigm shift in grip technology; it also casts really, really, well.

Outfit

• Redington Vapen Red 9' 8-weight
• Redington Rise 7/8
• Rio Grand

Fit and Finish

The Vapen looks fantastic, if a little non-traditional. The X-Wrap blank looks more modern than a spaceship, and the graphics will definitely make you stand out on the water. The wraps and finish are great, as are the guides. Let’s be honest, what you really want to hear about is the grip.

The all-new Winn grip is actually a natural progression. Winn grips are softer and more weather resistant than cork. The key factor that most will notice (besides the color) on the new grip is that, because it’s so soft, it’s really comfortable to cast. I didn’t get to test the rod when it was wet, but I’d imagine it’s not slippery and doesn’t take on water like cork does. Unfortunately, in golf, Winn grips are notoriously short lived, however, so I’m curious how this will hold up when fished day-in-day-out.

Weight

The 890-4 weighs 4.3 ounces, which is over 30% heavier than the Helios 2, and almost 10% heavier than the cork Vapen.

Needless to say, the Vapen Red is light and lively in hand. It would be a breeze to cast all day.

Distance

The Vapen is a powerful rod. I was easily able to get this rod out to 90+ feet.

Accuracy

The true surprise of the Vapen is how accurate it is. The rod easily rivals rods twice as expensive. Best of all, it’s great in close – especially at 30-40’ where most of the fishing happens. Because the Vapen isn’t lacking power, it’s also great at 60’ and 75’.

Flex & Feel

It’s fast, but progressive – a little reminiscent of the Sage ONE – and feels great. If you like a soft tip, progressive mid-section, and stiff butt section, the Vapen is perfect. It’s ideal for any freshwater applications, but doesn’t quite have the super-stiff butt section that you’ll want for those windy days on the flats. Needless to say, if you’re looking for an awesome bonefish rod for under $400, this is it.

Warranty

Lifetime!

Price: $349

Conclusion

Sure, we’ve always liked the Classic Trout>Tempt>Classic Trout line of rods. They were great entry level rods for the small stream and dry fly angler. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a truly high-performance rod from the company. The Redington Vapen Red is exactly that. It’s a rod for all anglers, but will likely fit faster casters best.

The 8-weight will make a fantastic bonefish rod and pairs well with Rio Bonefish, but will also be a great choice for chucking meat to those big browns with Rio Grand.

Pros

• Super accurate
• Great Styling
• Awesome Price (the trifecta?)

Cons

• For an 8-weight, it could have a stiffer butt section
• Winn grip durability hasn’t been tested

Ok. First things first, I need to clear the air. Andrew over at Deneki wrote a great review of the 7126 Method. But he got one very important thing wrong – the name. We all know that a lightsaber is an elegant weapon (as is that method), but it’s designed for close in work, not distance. So, I’ve dubbed it the “Star Destroyer” (Empire was the best movie after all) for more cinematographic accuracy.

I took the Method up to Gaspe for the last few days of the season, and was thrilled with its performance – as were the fish.

Outfit

Here’s what I was fishing:

• Sage Method Spey 7126-4
• Sage 2210 Fly Reel
• Rio Skagit Max 525gr

As with all Sage’s, the finish is great. As you’ve noticed, it’s red. The more I fish with it, the less I notice. Your friends might joke about it until you’re out casting them by 30 feet. The cork is superb and it’s equipped with a black down-locking reel seat.

Weight

It weighs in at 6.5 ounces. It’s super light and feels just as light in hand. Definitely a rod that I’d want to cast all day.

Distance

Distance on the Method was certainly limited only by the ability of the caster and the size of the river. On flat stretches of the Bonaventure, I was able to cast well over 100 feet with ease. It’s phenomenal.

Flex & Feel

I prefer my spey rods to have a “stiff” tip (particularly for Skagit-style casts), and more flex in the mid-section, down to the grip. The Method flexes, exactly like this. The technology that makes the single-handers so fast, gives the spey and switch rods the perfect action. More importantly, Sage’s Konnetic technology gives you great feel as the rod loads.

When it comes to fighting a fish, the Method is fantastic. It easily handled 20lb beasts on the Cascapedia.

Line Match

The 525gr Skagit Max was great while I was casting a heavy sink tip, but felt a little light with a floating tip. Back home, I tested it with the 550gr Skagit Max which was perfect. For Scandi casting, I paired it with the new 510gr Rio Scandi, which was also a perfect fit.

Warranty

L-I-F-E-T-I-M-E-!

Price: $975

Conclusion

The new Sage Method is simply incredible. It’s easy to use, has massive power, and is super light. I’m sure there are people who will find faults (probably those with slower casting strokes), but I can’t find one. It’s the finest spey rod I’ve ever cast. There are no limits to this rod.

Pros

• Frankly, everything. It:
• Casts perfectly in both Skagit and Scandi
• Is super light
• Is Forgiving enough for even the novice spey caster

Cons

• Sure, it’s expensive, but sometimes it’s just plain worth it.
• Smaller rivers need not apply.

Oh, and it can handle big fish…

The Wintson Passport is Winston's (budget minded) fast action rod. It's received a lot of acclaim, not only for its casting ability, but for being out of stock. Everywhere. We've got them!

OUTFIT

• Winston Passport 9' 5wt
• Lamson Guru 2.0
• Cortland 444SL

FIT AND FINISH

From afar it looks like a standard Winston in design and finish, though up close it's pretty far from their flagship BIIIX. This is not to say its not a well made or ugly rod, but (especially in the reel seat) one can tell where budget cuts were made. Decent wraps and snake guides along the dark brown blank make for a classic Winston look. There is also a noticeable swelling in the cork. I have used sandpaper to flatten it out on mine, as even with my large hands it was uncomfortable, especially during long outings.

WEIGHT

Listed at 3 3/10oz. About the same as their VSL. The Passport suffers a little in swing weight but balances well with the Guru.

DISTANCE

Consider it's softer tip, the Passport casts well at longer distances. It's not the best in it's class as the butt power isn't as rigid as some others, but certainly not an obvious downfall as 60ft + casts are not common for most trout fishermen.

ACCURACY

Really good. At short to medium distances the Passport is right up there with some of the best and most expensive rods out there. Again the softer tip allows for added feel and accuracy and the good balance in design allows for smooth and accurate casts.

FLEX AND FEEL

Along the same lines as the "accuracy" category, the Passport feels great at short to medium distances mainly because of it's great feel and balance.

NYMPHING

If nymphing is your main game than the Passport might not be for you. Lack of stiffness would make it hard to turn over a multiple nymph rig and those larger fish in deep pools would be harder to pull out.

STREAMER

With either floating line or sinking tip, this is a lot of fun to fish with streamers. As with any rod, the heavier the streamer the harder it can get, but with anything less than a conehead the Passport's great cast-ability makes it fun.

DRY FLY

It's a Winston right? Of course it's good for dry fly fishing (haha). It's not quite in the same league as the BIIIX, but the Winston Passport might be the best dry fly rod under $300.

WARRANTY

http://www.winstonrods.com/category/resources/warranty.php

Price: $239

PROS

• Budget friendly
• Great casting rod
• Well balanced and accurate

CONS

• Some of the construction/parts aren't as good as I would like
• Suffers some while nymphing

Loomis has always made a fantastic rod, but they’ve been lambasted in the internet for their warranty. For those of you who read the Midcurrent article (http://midcurrent.com/2014/03/12/g-loomis-expands-xpeditor-service/) it was clear as mud. As was their press release. So, we’ve understandably gotten a lot of questions about this, and wanted to clarify it for our customers.

First, as many of you know, the ‘Wild Card’ is gone. It was a great program for those who lived near a shop, but for some it was a hassle and if you broke your rod after that, well you had to pay a hefty chunk of change for a new one, which no one likes. So, here’s what’s happening from now on:

1. If you break a rod, and it’s a warranty issue, you can send it in and get it fixed for free.
2. If you break it, and it’s NOT a warranty problem, (ie it met it’s match in a car door), you can use the Xpeditor service for a fixed fee (about $100, depending on the rod), and get a new rod in 3 days!
3. If you break it AGAIN, you can still use the Xpeditor (technically a one time deal). Loomis is going to be honoring this for future breaks, BUT will be checking to make sure you’re not abusing the program and just trying to get a new rod.

Long story short – Loomis still makes a great rod, and now has a better warranty to keep you fishing.

Following the success of our 8-weight reel challenge, we wanted to take on a different aspect of the industry – this time one that has had a lot written about it – fly rods. Magazines, fly shops, bloggers… virtually everyone has an opinion on what, or who, makes the best 5-weight fly rod. So, we decided to join the crowd. But, in typical Trident fashion, we’re going to take a different twist on the traditional fly rod review. As always, this shootout will be completely data driven, and we’re going to give you better and more objective results than you’ve seen anywhere else.

As always, if you found this test helpful, interesting, worthwhile, or amusing, help us continue to create great product reviews by purchasing your next fly rod here. And don't forget to ask questions and leave comments at the end of the page. And if you don't want to read any more, you can see the full results by clicking here or going to the bottom of the page.

Here’s what we did differently:

Real Anglers

The first problem with testing fly rods is that guides, fly shop owners, and other ‘professional’ casters have great opinions on what makes a great rod. And while a finely honed casting stroke makes for a great caster, they probably don’t really have much in common with you. A rod that casts beautifully for Tim Rajeff, might give you tailing loops all the time. So the first thing we did was reach out to our local community and find a group of casters that was more like… well, YOU. But the ‘best’ five-weight needs to work well for everyone, so we added some pros to make sure that we had a full range of casting abilities.  Our shootout was comprised of 17 real fisherman. Some are guides, others beginners, most have day jobs, but all love to fish. No members of the Trident Fly Fishing staff had any scores added to the results.

Blind Testing

We wanted our test to remain truly OBJECTIVE. But, everyone has an opinion on fly rods. We knew that we couldn’t hand someone a rod without getting some preconceived notions of how a rod casts. To take that away, we covered up all of the branding on every rod in the test (except the Redington Vapen Red, which was impossible to cover up). Sure, to the trained eye, rods could still be distinguished, but for most of our anglers, they were picking up ‘a fly rod’, not a Sage One.

Did it work? Sure did. One caster commented that he picked up the TFO BVK and “thought it was a Winston”, another picked up the XF2 and commented that it was “…stereotypically Loomis”.

Lines

Different rods require different lines. But sometimes what works best for one person, doesn’t work well for another. We had a lot of reels spooled up for our casters, and gave them the following instructions:

Choosing a fly line: We’ve taken a guess as to which line will work best for each given rod – but we’re not always right. After you take a few casts, feel free to switch lines – go to the GPX/Half-size up line if you aren’t feeling the rod load well, or go down to a standard weight if you find that it’s loading too much.

With that in mind, we’ve also provided you with our recommended lines for each rod.

So, on the important stuff:

What Makes a Great 5-weight Fly Rod?

The 5-weight has become America’s go-to trout rod. It’s the tool you take to the river when you only want to bring one rod, or when you’re just not sure what you’ll be throwing that day. It’s got to work on both big rivers and small. It’s not a dry fly specialist, since a lot of your fishing will be with nymphs and a bobber. It’s got to be soft enough for a short cast, yet powerful enough to hit 70+ feet.

We designed our test to challenge not just the accuracy of a dry fly, but the full range of versatility required to be ‘the best trout rod’.

The Categories

Accuracy

Casting accuracy was tested by casting yarn (for easy visibility) at an archery target.

25’ (10 points) – We included this distance to pay homage to other tests out there. When you’re casting a 9’ rod with a 9’ leader (18’ if you’re adding), you only have 7’ of fly line out of the rod tip, which is barely past the front taper of the fly line. It’s more of a tenkara cast than a fly cast. Sure, you’re going to make these casts when a trout sneaks up on you, but when you’re casting to a rising fish, you’re going to give him a lot more room. So, we gave it a mere 10 points. Take out your tape measure and make a few casts on your own to see what we’re talking about.

40’ (30 points) – This is the bread and butter of what makes a great trout rod. Everyone makes this cast every time they step into a river. It’s well into the belly of the fly line, yet not so far that you have trouble reaching. If we only tested one distance, this would be it.

70’ (20 points) – Sure, 70’ is longer than most of us cast for trout, but a great five weight must combine power and grace. Our 70’ target wasn’t just about distance. It’s about whether or not the rod had enough oomph to cut through the wind that you’ll face on the river, or make that reach cast when fish are rising just out of wading range.

Other performance categories

Nymphing – Let’s face it, unless you live in Bozeman and are fishing spring creeks and tailwaters, dry flies only make up half the battle (or less). They say trout eat 90% of their diet underwater, and that’s where most of us are trying to catch them. Nymphing requires a different type of rod than does dry fly fishing. You still need superb accuracy, but you also need to be able to cast flies with weight and open up your loop so that your indicator doesn’t get tangled. To test this, we had each caster add an indicator and split shot to their rod and report the results.

Streamers – We didn’t stop at nymphing. We know you want to throw the occasional conehead bugger or slump buster on your 5-weight. We added even more weight to each caster’s rod and tested how each rod casted heavier flies. We were looking for rods that could cast accurately and handle the extra weight without any ‘bounce’.

Subjective Categories

Performance is important, but there are other reasons we buy fly rods. Winston is well known for beautiful green blanks and burled wood reel seats.  Sage makes rods that are insanely lightweight and easy to cast all day long. Finally, some rods just feel great even if they don’t give you the best accuracy.

Fit and Finish – We asked each angler to inspect each rod and determine not only the build quality of each rod, but also how it looked and felt. There weren’t any rod builders in the group, so I doubt most casters could truly evaluate the quality of the wraps, but when you see a well-built rod, you know it.

Swing Weight – It’s no fun to feel like you’re casting a bowling ball. But there are light rods that feel heavy, and heavy rods that feel light, so we asked casters to tell us which rods felt great and which rods would be tough to cast all day.

Feel - This one is hard to describe, but some rods just feel better than others when you cast them. Whether it’s greater casting feedback, more flex, I’m not sure. But I can say that there’s never been a fly caster who hasn’t been able to talk about the feel of a rod, and it’s one of the most important characteristics when buying a rod.

What about price?

There’s been a lot of discussion in the past about whether or not price should be part of shootouts. We removed price as a category from this shootout for two key reasons: first, it didn’t really matter. Two of our gold medal rods were less than half the price of our winner. Second, everyone has a different sense of value, and what might seem excessive for one angler is totally worth it to another.

Warranty

Every rod in our test included a ‘lifetime’ warranty to the original owner. Yes, some cost more than others, but it’s more or less in proportion to the price of the rod. We would have loved to break each rod and see how long it took to get back and what the options were, but we weren’t able to test that, so we realized this is the same as the price of the rod. It’s up to you to determine how much the warranty is worth to you.

Orvis Helios 2, Tip Flex

The new Sage SALT Fly Rod is, of course, Sage’s latest and greatest. It replaces the still-good-in-its-own-right, Xi3. It’s always a tall order to replace a rod that people like. Luckily, Jerry Siem had something to fall back on – Konnetic Technology. What is it? Probably some new resin, but I’m no material scientist. What I do know is that it’s produced some pretty great rods so far.

Calling a fly rod “Salt” is bold. Read on to see if it lives up to it. The guys at IFTD sure thought so because they voted it Best New Saltwater Rod for 2014.

Outfit

• Sage SALT 9’ 8-weight 890-4 Fly Rod
• Hatch Finatic 7-Plus Fly Reel
• SA Sharkwave Saltwater

Fit and Finish

Fit and finish is top notch on the Salt, just as you’d expect from Sage. It’s got a great full wells grip made from top of the line cork. The reel seat has gotten a nice upgrade from the Xi3 as well, with a laser etched line weight (just in case you forget which rod you’re casting) and a more heavy duty feel. If I could change one thing on the Salt, it would be the guides. Yes, they are wide enough for saltwater use, but they are also heavy and chrome. In today’s day and age, I’d like to see Recoil guides which are lighter and more durable. And of course no alignment dots…

Weight

4 oz. It feels a little on the heavy side, even though it’s in line with other 8-weight rods. Oddly, it’s also a little heavier than the Xi3 was. Perhaps Sage is trying to make it more durable? Casting it side-by-side with a Hardy Proaxis One-Piece made the Hardy feel like a trout rod by comparison.

Distance

The Salt is not a long distance champ, but it’s no slouch either. It’s no problem laying out 80’-90’-100’ feet of line.

Accuracy

What really surprised me about the Salt is how accurate it was. When you’re bonefishing, 30-50’ casts are the most important. The closer you can cast to the target, the more fish you catch – it’s that simple. The Xi3 wasn’t really all that accurate. It had power, but no finesse.

The new Salt fly rod is just the opposite. Jerry Siem dialed in the Konnetic technology and got it just right. I compared it head to head with the NRX and couldn’t see a lot of difference.

30 feet: The Salt produces tight loops at 30 feet and is really accurate. I thought this distance was the biggest upgrade over the Xi3, which wouldn’t load at 30 feet. If you’re a bonefisherman, this is an important consideration, as you’ll have lots of shots at this distance. One thing I found odd, though, was that despite its accuracy, the Salt seemed to leave something to be desired in terms of presentation. The fly almost always hit the water hard.

50 feet: As you’d expect, 50’ is probably the best distance for the Salt. It’s very tight.

70 feet: The more moderate action of the Salt means you have to work a little harder at 70’ than a really fast rod. Because of that, the accuracy suffers a bit at this distance.

Flex & Feel

Sage has dubbed it “salt-action”, or medium-fast. I’d say it’s a pretty fast rod, but not super-fast. It’s got a (relatively) softer tip, combined with a stiff mid- and butt-section. This accounts for the Salt’s ability to make better casts at various distances. That stiff butt section also allows you to quickly pick up, change direction, and shoot line – another key flats skill.

If anything was lacking in terms of flex and feel, I’d say that I wanted a little more feedback from the rod. It performed well, but sometimes in a surprising “that actually went where I wanted it to go,” type of way, rather than a deliberate confidence-building, “I knew it was a great cast,” way.

Warranty

Lifetime.

Price: $850

Conclusion

The Salt is the first saltwater rod from Sage that really caters to the sight fishing angler. It’s going to win a lot of people over with its flats fishing abilities. It loads well at all distances. It’s got plenty of strength in the butt section for those bigger fish you might catch. If I was a pike angler, blind casting all day, I’d probably go with a lighter, more powerful rod, like the Sage Method. Bottom line, if you’re a flats angler who liked the Xi3, but wanted a little more accuracy in close, you’re going to love the new Salt.

Pair the new Sage Salt with your favorite tropical saltwater line, like Rio Bonefish and it will perform beautifully.

Pros

• Great accuracy across key distances
• Nice upgrade to reel seat and fighting butt

Cons

• Heavier than we’d like
• Guides haven’t been upgraded from the Xi3

One of the most intriguing new rods for 2015 is the Winston Nexus. Winston discontinued all of their overseas-made rods this year, which included the very popular Passport and VSL, and replaced them with a made-in-the-USA rod at a very attractive price.

We got a chance to cast the 9’ 5-weight Nexus this year at iCast. Read on to see how it stacks up.

Help us write more reviews by buying yours here.

Fit and Finish

It only takes a glance to realize that the Nexus is packed with the same kind of quality that you’ve come to expect from Winston. It’s got a beautiful black blank (to distinguish it from the top of the line Boron rods) and a great wooden reel seat. It’s adorned with the usual chrome snake and stripping guides.

The grip was a cigar, but felt a bit larger than usual (just like the Passport). It’s very comfortable, particularly if you’ve got larger hands.

Weight

We weren’t able to measure the rod’s weight at iCast, but I would guess that it weights in right around 3 ounces. Regardless, it felt nice and light when I was casting it.

Distance

It’s no Sage Method, but it’s got plenty of power to get it out there. 80’ casts are no problem with the Nexus.

Accuracy

The Nexus is right up there with the best rods in terms of accuracy. In close, its soft tip is classically Winston and delivers top notch accuracy. The Nexus performs best, however, at about 40’ and that’s what makes it an excellent all-around trout rod. But the performance doesn’t stop there. It’s also a great rod at 60+’ and has excellent power and tracking.

Flex & Feel

The Nexus is a ‘fast’ rod, but not overly fast. It’s got a soft tip that loads well in close and protects those delicate tippets. It’s also got plenty of power in the butt and mid sections to get it out there when the wind comes up and fight that 24” brown.

Nymphing

I didn’t get to test this rod with a nymph rig, but it’s got the right blend of characteristics to be an awesome nymph stick. It’s got the power to throw a heavier rig into the wind and the user-friendliness to make it easy to open up your loop to avoid tangles.

Warranty

The Nexus comes with the same lifetime warranty you get on all Winston rods.

Price: $475

Conclusion

Is the new Winston Nexus a re-packaged Passport? The guys at Winston assured me that it’s not, but I really liked the Passport, and I wouldn’t be upset if it actually was the same rod. Particularly, since they upgraded it in all the right places. So if you missed out on the Passport before it was discontinued, fret not, this rod is pretty similar, and sure to be a hit.

But, whether or not it’s a re-packaged Passport, is really irrelevant. The Nexus is a premium rod, with premium performance at a less than premium price. I’m glad that we’re beginning to see some quality US-made rods at more affordable prices.

Line Recommendation: This rod is just soft enough to cast with either a standard or half-size heavier line, like SA GPX.

Pros

• Great all-around performance
• Top notch Winston quality
• Made in the USA

Cons

• Winston purists won’t like the black blank color
• It didn’t feel like much of a performance upgrade over the Passport

Sage’s 2^nd most popular rod introduction for 2015 is the all new Accel. The Accel replaces the VXP in Sage’s lineup and is built with Gen 5 technology, just like the old, but still popular, Z-Axis. It’s also green, like the Z-Axis. Since this is the year of re-packaged rods (check out our review on the Winston Nexus),  is the Accel a re-packaged Z-Axis?

We got to try the 590-4 Sage Accel at iCast and decide for ourselves.

Keep the reviews coming – buy your Accel here.

Fit and Finish

Fit and finish was one of the most noticeable upgrades over the VXP. The new Accel has an all new snub-nosed half-wells grip (think a thinner, more comfy version of a full wells grip) that fits right in with the rest of Sage’s lineup. You’ll see the same green blank that you loved on the VXP (maybe a shade lighter) and all of the same great components and made in the USA finishing that you’ve come to expect from Sage. It’s also got a thinner shaft than the previous model, which makes it cut through the wind better and looks great!

Weight

The 9’ 5-weight Accel weighs in at 2.9 ounces which is a little lighter than the VXP was. It’s a very light rod that’s a pleasure to cast.

Distance

Like the VXP, the Accel is not a long distance champ. It’s really where the Accel starts to diverge from the Z-Axis. The Z-axis was a fast rod; the Accel is more of a medium action. It’s got enough backbone to hit 70’, but if you’re making that cast all day long, you’re going to want something faster.

Accuracy

The Accel had great accuracy at all of the key distances, but it work particularly well in the 30-50’ range. I can’t wait to get this rod into our product testing lab to see how the Accel performs compared to other rods in its class.

Flex & Feel

To answer the question originally posed at the beginning of this post (and on various forums) one only needs to make one cast. The Z-axis was a fast, stiff rod, similar to the Sage ONE. The Accel is more moderate, I’d call it definitively medium action. It’s got a soft tip that works well in close and progresses nicely though the mid-section, with solid power in the butt section. In the Sage family, it sits somewhere between the ONE and the Circa in terms of flex, but without the super-fast recovery that you see on the Konnetic rods.

Warranty

Lifetime and still just $50, like all Sage rods.

Price: $595

Conclusion

I really enjoyed casting the Sage Accel. It’s a solid upgrade to the VXP, but more importantly it’s not a dumbed down version of the ONE, or even a re-packaged Z-Axis. My guess is that it’s going to be the new favorite Sage for a lot of casters out there. Namely, anyone who thinks the ONE is too fast and wants a little more versatility than the Circa. As we found out in our 5-weight Shootout, most anglers prefer the added feel that comes with a more moderate rod.

Line Recommendation: Some anglers will like this rod with a GPX line, but I would recommend a standard weight line, like Rio Gold which will work well with the moderate action.

Pros

• A Sage that will work well for the average angler.
• Nice cosmetic upgrades over the VXP

Cons

• Is $600 really a price point rod now?

Hatch. One of the finest reel makers in the business. We know this, not because their made in the USA, not because we've spent hours with them on the flats, and not because we're Hatch fans (well, we kind of are), but because the 7-Plus won our 8-weight Reel Shootout. But, as we've said repeatedly, trout is a different game with different rules. We're eager to find out hot the 4 Plus measures up to its big brother.

5-Weight Challenge Full Results

WEIGHT

5.5 ounces. Heavier than we'd like to see.

DRAG

One of our favorite things about the 7-Plus, was its awesome drag. It's smooth and strong - just what we were looking for. This time around, drag was still a critical part of our test and the 4-Plus didn't do quite as well. 2.2lbs of drag is certainly enough for a trout reel, but in a test where the best reels top out at 7+ lbs, it's a little light to be a winning reel. We are happy to report, however that it was still very smooth, exhibiting a mere .19 lbs of startup inertia, which is about as much as the click mechanism.

Sealed?

The Hatch is sealed.

DRAG TEST GRAPH

SOUND

When we spoke to Andrew at Hatch about sound, he immediately told us how long they'd spent perfecting it. And we have to agree that it sounds pretty great.

SPOOL & RETRIEVAL RATE

The 4-Plus was in the middle of the pack in terms of spool design - not super narrow nor super fast. It retrieved line at 7.49 inches per turn and holds an estimated 98 yards of backing. The mid-arbor held roughly 180 yards of backing and retrieves line at 6.56 inches per turn.

LOOK & FEEL

One undeniable aspect of the Hatch is how great it looks. It's definitely the second best looking reel in the test after the Abel SD. It's bold and oozes made-in-the-USA quality. We also like the fully machined reel seat

Ergonimics

Handle: One thing that Hatch does differently is the handle - it's also fully machined. It's got a very solid feel, but is just a hair too short to beat out the top handles.

Drag Knob: Easy to grab and easy to adjust.

Spool Change: Quick change spool is very easy to use

The Drop

Above Average. The natural aluminum finish of the Hatch makes it virtually impervious to scratching. On the otherhand, it did divot. Minor bend in the spool - did not affect reel.

WARRANTY

Lifetime to the original owner + NO FEE!

Price: $450

CONCLUSION

Don't get me wrong, we still love Hatch reels. The 4 Plus is a great trout reel and there's a lot to love about it: It's beautifully machined, it's made in the US by a company that really stands behind their products, and it's got a really smooth drag. A couple of minor modifications to the drag and the spool would make this a top contender.

Help us review more gear! Buy it here.

PROS

• The best warranty in the biz
• Top notch looks

CONS

• Heavy

When Steve Abel started building fly reels, they were some of the finest fly reels ever built. They were well machined and had some of the best drags in the business. This was proven by the countless world records that can be attributed to Abel reels. Fast forward to today. The world of reels has changed. The best reels are the market are made by the likes of Nautilus and Hatch and cork is no longer the best drag material.

Enter the Abel SD fly reel. It's the first departure from tradition in over 20 years. This innovative reel has been tested and re-tested. Finally in July 2014, Abel unveiled to the world an entirely new, sealed drag fly reel. Needless to say, we were excited to get our hands on it and test it.

5-Weight Reel Shootout Full Results

WEIGHT

5.5 ounces.  A little heavy for a trout reel.

DRAG

The SD's drag tested at 2.2 lbs, which, while not best in class, is above our 2lb threshold for how much drag we'd like to see. What we really liked about the SD's drag is that it had very little startup inertia - .16lbs. An Abel with a smooth drag? We like that.

DRAG TEST GRAPH

SOUND

Perfect. It reminds me of a cross between a Ross and a Tibor.

SPOOL & RETRIEVAL RATE

If there's one real complaint we had with the SD is that they built a modern reel, but put a mid-arbor spool on it (it only pulls in line at 6.3 inches per turn). When I switched back to my Lamson Vanquish after fishing with this reel, the retrieval rate was noticeably better. The reel does feature a quick change spool, which is also somewhat of a shift for Abel.

LOOK & FEEL

There were few clear category winners in this test. The Galvan Torque's drag was fantastic, but not sealed. In the look and feel category, there was one unequivocal winner: the Abel SD. It's incredibly well machined and the anodizing was gorgeous. Of course you've got all the custom options that Abel is known for, like a brown trout drag knob. It's got a comfortable, machined, handle as well.

The Drop

Above Average. The finish on the Abel is first rate. It resists scratching especially well. Unfortunately, it divoted a litte more than we'd like. No Damage.

WARRANTY

$20 plus shipping and handling.

Price: $550

CONCLUSION

The SD finished in the middle of the pack, a fact that really saddens us. There's no reel that we loved as much as the Abel SD. Sure, it's expensive, practically a mid-arbor, and has 1/4 of the drag of the Galvan Torque, but it's very easy to overlook these shortcomings when you're fishing with it. In virtually every subjective category, the SD is perfect. This is one reel that's worth checking out before you decide on your next trout reel.

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PROS

• Best looking reel in the test
• One of the sounding reels in the test
• Lots of options

CONS

• Heavier than we'd like
• Expensive
• Slow-ish retrieve

Based in Montrose, Colorado, Ross is one of the world's leading fly reel manufacturers. Over the years, Ross Reels have become a virtual household name in fly fishing.  We really liked the Ross F1 fly reel the last time we tested it, and we were particularly excited to see how it would fare in a freshwater-oriented test.

5-Wt Challenge Full Results

WEIGHT

5.65 ounces. A little on the heavy side for a 9' rod.

DRAG

If you read our 8-weight Reel Shootout, you know that we raved about the drag on the Ross F1. Fortunately, the drag on the 5-weight is just as good. In fact, we're pretty sure that it's exactly the same drag as is used in the 8-weight model (a quick torque calculation shows that it's the same), as opposed to a scaled down version which would reduce weight. The drag is very adjustable, taking 4 full turns to go from minimum to maximum drag. Of course, we still like the "constant pressure" drag adjustment knob, which is a fantastic feature and all of the testers commented on its ease of use.  Better still, the Ross F1 #2 has more drag than the #4 - 4.4 lbs - which puts it in the top 10.

SEALED?

To our surprise, the F1, turned out to be perfectly sealed despite it's design.

DRAG TEST GRAPH

SOUND

While we didn't care for its sound on the flats, the F1 actually sounds pretty good for a trout reel. It's got great feedback in both directions, and sounds a little like an old fashioned click-pawl on the way out.

SPOOL & RETRIEVAL RATE

The F1 was in the middle of the pack in terms of spool design - a little wider (1.09 in) and with a smaller arbor than we'd like. It retrieved line at 7.42 inches per turn and holds an estimated 109 yards of backing.

LOOK & FEEL

While the drag-adjustment side of the F1 seems a little over-machined, it's less noticeable in the smaller sizes. Overall, the F1 is a good looking reel that gives you a definite feeling of quality when you pick it up. It's also got a machined one-piece reel seat, just like Hatch. Testers also liked the 'open arbor' design which helps the backing dry if you drop your reel in the water.

Ergonimics

Handle: The handle is flat and features a carbon fiber accent - it's pretty comfortable, but not the best we've tested. It's a little too thick too be in the top of its class.

Drag Knob: Not as easy to grab as some of the top drag knobs, out there, but the constant torque is a nice feature.

Spool Change: Quick change spool with a one button release.

The Drop

Above Average. The F1 did fairly well in the scratch test (though it's much harder to see damage on a silver reel), but had some significant divots. No damage.

WARRANTY

Lifetime to the original owner + $30 fee.

Price: $530

CONCLUSION

The F1 has one of the most amazing drags we've ever tested. Unfortunately, it suffered in the scoring, largely due to its weight, which was almost 2 ounces heavier than the Lamson Litespeed. If you're looking for a reel to go on your Czech nymphing rod, this should be on the short list.

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PROS

• Amazingly smooth, powerful, sealed drag
• Great made-in-the-USA quality

CONS

• Too heavy for the lightest 9' 5wt rods.