The two locking rings are large and easy to grip and tighten. There is no accounting for personal tastes, but you seem to be way, way out there like pluto man. At least it is sanded to a smooth finish initially. Below the final results charts we give you the exact repair charges for each manufacturer. For this Shootout, we were able to do the casting here on our lawn at the shop. The Sage X is light in overall weight, but far heavier the most in swing weight. It would also one of the best 4-weight rods for throwing streamers. The thing that amazes me is how perfect the guide wrapping and epoxy coatings are, compared to other rods. We have found that the only good way to pin down these subtle differences is to have at least a half dozen of the contending rods with the line stripped out and sitting there in front of you on the lawn, so that you can take a few casts with one rod, lay it down and pick up another rod, and make a few casts at the same distance, make some notes and then move on to another rod or the next distance. For this we downgraded the craftsmanship a half a point. I’ve always liked the smooth lines, as they don’t make so much noise running through the guides. Our answer is a definite yes. Check "Remember Me" to access your shopping cart on this computer even if you are not signed in. I’m convinced that the key to catching more trout, (and especially larger trout), is casting accuracy. Every rod Hardy makes may not float any one person's boat for a given style or technique, but there are many fantastic examples within the brand that appeal to a broad spectrum of anglers. Performance at 25 feet: 18.0 points out of 20. Thomas and Thomas – $55 repair charges for the original owner, includes shipping. The wraps are brown with some amber trim. #4 (Tie) Thomas and Thomas AVANTT 8’6”#4 $845.00. The blank itself is unsanded natural graphite gray, much like the Scott rods, leaving the tape marks visible. For me personally, I'd wait out a search for the 8'10" one piece 4wt Zenith. Performance at 60 feet: 9.5 points out of 10. Here’s a mid-priced rod that put in a good performance across the board. The Zephrus is giving me great presentations at 25 feet. Slower action rods with a heavy swing weight are not much fun to cast and as you’ll see the performance figures for this rod are dismal. The lower ring uses a thin nylon spacer that helps it lock up securely to the upper ring. The feel is perhaps not quite as good, but the accuracy is excellent. Both the new Winston PURE and Orvis HELIOS 3F put in impressive performances, securing podium finishes. My favorite length for a 4-weight rod is 8 ½ feet. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to collect and record information about your browsing session, to optimize site functionality, for analytical purposes, and to advertise to you through third parties. The H3F rated slightly higher over all, but the Asquith had a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long casts. There is not much swell in the middle of the grip and it tapers just slightly forward. Then the dark green finish just sparkles. The reel seat is a double uplocking skeleton seat in anodized gold, with a pretty wood burl insert using green and brown highlights to complement the blank. Only you can make that decision. Better than the Radian and Helios 3F in close. When you read everyone’s comments on the Zephrus, you will see that we all agreed that this is a very special rod, for a variety of reasons. It passes the wiggle test and I'm hoping to take it out for a test cast soon. It is especially interesting to see how the rods compare in stiffness, and how much the tip section bends. In past Shootouts we tried measuring swing weight in other ways, including calculations for the Moment of Inertia, taking the weight of all 4 sections individually and then plugging these figures into an equation. I’m sorry if we offend some people or manufacturers. The guides start with a hook keeper, and then one huge SiC stripping guide that seems way too big, followed with hard chrome snake guides. In fact, the new Zephrus Ultralite from Hardy is likely my favorite fly rod currently on the market. I’m excited, to say the least. This is one of the highest rated fly rods on the market. Now we’re talking! I would be pleased to take your Zenith & Marksman rods off your hands. Gear Reviews » Multiple Fly Rod Weight Rankings - Yellowstone Angler Orvis HELIOS 3F 8’6” #4 $849.00. Out long the overall softness of the rod is a handicap. Hardy Zephrus FWS Rod - 8'6" 4wt 4 Piece at Glen's Then we progressed to the mid-priced rods and finally the least expensive rods. Sometimes the whole rod is replaced. In addition to my comments in the main Shootout, you’ll want to read the comments from Jamie and our other Yellowstone Angler staff members, Logan Brown, Francis Clougherty and Chloe Nostrant. The epoxy coatings on the wraps were excellent. The wraps are a dark green to complement the blank and the epoxy coatings are perfect. Heads up the Recon and Shadow were far better. So many aspects go into blank performance that it’s hard to single out one of them. The S.A. Amplitude Smooth Infinity line made every cast feel like a 75-yard Young to Rice TD! Mid-flex) Weights only 2 oz. We like the looks of this new Mystic rod and the craftsmanship is better than we found on the Reaper X, but the price is a lot higher also. There are lots of ways to break a fish off on light tippet, but the rods that score high in this category are going to give you a far better chance of landing a big fish. $75 handling fee to original owner, $150.00 charge to all others. Taylor – Lifetime warranty to original owner. I think that this can be attributed to the slower action of this rod compared to the Zephrus. The Hardy SHADOW at $349.95 takes the crown as our best mid-priced rod with an exceptional performance that put it into a tie for 4th place overall with the T&T AVANTT. Of course it is six inches shorter too. And since it was such a soft rod, the lack of butt and mid-section power killed its score at 60 feet, especially if there was any wind. The thing that killed this for me was the cheap looking reel seat. Doing this with 6X or 7X tippet demands a good smooth drag with just the right amount of drag adjustment. Chloe has been working in the shop for two summers and now works with us full time. #26. In my performance scores, it was nearly as good as the Pure at 25 feet. Rods - Hardy - Trout Underground We have been impressed with the Avantt in the 5-weight, and the 4-weight is another terrific rod. Hardy Shadow Rod - Hardy Fishing I had thought this could be my first new Orvis rod in a very long time but we found it very disappointing. I loved the look of the Mod, with its standout, jazzy lime green color. The cork handle is a Steve Rajeff design; a half wells but with the swell slightly larger towards the front of the grip, and smaller back where the heel of your hand rests. The tips on the faster rods bend more. Performance at 40 feet: 20 points out of 20. No other rod was remotely close at doing everything well – that is to say – casting accurately (and delicately) in close off the tip of the rod, having lots of feel at all distances, and having plenty of reserve power for handling windy days and playing larger trout. The medium fast action seems just right and I’m getting both good feel and good accuracy at the shorter distances. The rest of the guides are the excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a silver color. The 8'6" 4wt Zephrus FWS is a fine rod. If you are a Scott fan and want a rod for fishing at short to medium distances, you’ll likely prefer this rod over the Radian. Hardy ZEPHRUS ULTRALITE 8’9” #4 $679.95. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. Its slower action means slower line speed, but that’s relative to the “norm” in today’s industry. Tippet materials are getting stronger every year, and today we end up fishing 6x, 6.5X, and 7x fluorocarbon a lot of the time, trying to get that perfect drift to entice a big fish to sip in a fly. Armstrong Spring Creek on the O’Hair Ranch. and they examine it. One of the things I like the most is that they have a large drag knob and a very wide range of drag adjustment. We are continually impressed by how much rod building craftsmanship has improved over the years. Performance at 25 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. The cork handle is a half wells design with a stack of thin corks as on the Helios 3F. With the Infinity it cast better long, and I would have scored it closer to 9 at long range. Fenwick- Lifetime warranty. The Hardy Zephrus series of fly rods features our award winning Sintrix material - Sintrix 440.The Zephrus exhibits high recovery and enhanced in hand feel for a fast action rod, whilst generating high line speed and phenomenal line control. Hardy's Zenith rods, discontinued when the Wraith and Zephrus lines were introduced a few years ago, are among some of the most-loved sticks in recent memory. There is a lot to like about the SKY though, and foremost is its appearance. The reel seat is a simple gray anodized double uplocking, solid aluminum seat with sliding band. For lines, we had two on hand, one a standard size SA Amplitude Smooth Trout, and then their half size larger line, the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, both in WF-4-F. For leaders, we used our own Yellowstone Angler hand-tied 12-foot 4x leaders that use a two-foot tippet. I love the feel of this rod – it is nice and light in hand, and the action is fast and seems about right. This is not a pleasant rod to do a lot of false casting with, as you would fishing dry flies. As part of the Expeditor policy, Loomis includes a FedEx call tag so that you don’t have to spend any money to send the broken rod back. As in the past we are using our own Brecknell “official” postage scale to calculate the weight. This rod is absolutely the winner for our “Best Buy” (best inexpensive) 4-weight Rod. A half wells cork handle is used, but the size is a little small in diameter as I noted. Rods are repaired or replaced. When creek fishing, there’s typically less of a need for analytical thinking and technically-perfect drifts. Out of that same Korean rod shop, the long discontinued Albright EXS in this size was very good and modest in price below its performance. Sage MOD 8’6” #4 $850.00. Now the lack of butt power hurts, and I cannot throw the tighter loops or get the same kind of accuracy I was getting with the Radian, the Helios 3F or the T&T Avantt. Aidan replied on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 06:10 Permalink, I'd have no problem paying out for a Hardy, I have a 10ft Zenith Sintrix, that is an amazing rod is every aspect, i have a sage one that i hate its like a stiff pole, my greys G-Tec is probably my second choice after the hardy and i have a G-Loomis GR1206 that just isn't worth talking about. The new Zephrus have a softer tip than the Zeniths which is a good thing for dry fly and short distance accuracy guys. Props to rod designer Howard Croston, it may be a long time before someone dethrones this new 4-weight king. Here I’m getting nice loops and decent accuracy, but I’m working a lot harder than with the Avantt or the Helios 3F. Finally, we'll wrap things up with a conclusion that summarizes everything we've covered. in this size, a killer rod if a bit fragile but one of the best casters in this category. Performance at 60 feet: 8.0 points out of 10. From $349.95 Description Hardy Shadow brings a new level of technology and value into the Hardy Brand, Sintrix 220 is the stepping stone into the industry leading Sintrix Technology platform. This new series, the Hardy Zephrus, is — like the Zenith — built on Hardy's SINTRIX 440 technology. The light swing weight made casting effortless, and I’m getting excellent accuracy combined with delicate presentations. Momentum grows for new thinking about river restoration, Florida guides, anglers block made-for-TV tarpon tournament, Yet Another Blow to Pebble Mine: Rio Tinto Pulls Out, 2 Important Tips for Casting in the W-I-N-D, New Montana-based fly fishing apparel brand Skwala launches, Inslee and Murray would support Snake River dam removal. You can read about these warranty policies later in our Shootout. Nice and smooth. The blank is finished in a dark olive green with dark green wraps, that include a little light green trim on the butt. It was even a little sloppy on the tip sections. There are matching burgundy wraps on the guides, and the epoxy coatings were very well done. It is trimmed top and bottom with contrasting, composite cork rings. 1. Performance at 60 feet: 9.3 points out of 10. One of the reasons is that the SKY is available only as a nine footer, while the DXF is 8’6”. When we first saw this new rod from Hardy, we all had two impressions: 1. Forums Tackle Talk Fly Rods Hardy Zephrus discontinued? The action is much slower, this being more of a medium action rod. It's a fairly fast rod, Accuracy Like its predecessor, the Hardy Zephrus shines in the accuracy department. Guides start with a hook keeper, then two SiC stripping guides followed with fairly large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Having said that, I recently snagged a new-in-tube 3wt 8'8" Hardy Zephrus and have been casting with it and comparing it to my Winston BIII ls 3wt 8', Sage Circa 3wt 7'6" and 4wt 8'6" Zephrus FWS with a selection of different lines. They inscribe the sliding band with the line size, which is a nice touch. Performance at 40 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. It is also a stiff rod – almost as stiff as the SKY and IMX Pro. . The soft tip also earns it one of the best scores in light tippet protection. The Zephrus Ultralite has a gorgeous dark green finish that glistens in the sunlight, along with some really intricate cross-wraps from the winding check up to the end of the rod inscriptions. In our important swing weight category, this rod was one of the worst. I did like the flat, non-glare black finish used on the blank. We shall see. Starting to share my enthusiasm for the Ultralite? In all the rods of any manufacture we’ve sold with these guides, we have yet to see one break! You know it has power when the rod almost effortlessly shoots line. And what about the new Hardy Zephrus Ultralite, which is insanely light, and on paper looks like it could be the possible winner? The components are not in the same class as the Helios 3F, but that is to be expected considering the price. This hurt somewhat in its scores for swing weight and light tippet protection. The handle is a half wells design and the quality of the cork is decent – better than what we saw on the Loop Q and the TFO rods. 802flyfish Discussion Starter . The DXF was better and the Shadow was far better. Not only is the rod VERY accurate at 30 feet, an important 4 wt distance, but the accuracy doesn’t fade as distance increases as is typical in other 4 wt rods. (tie) Sage X 8’6” #4 $900.00. The Expeditor service fee for the Asquith rods is $250.00 for ground or $275 for 2-day air. The wraps are all in blue, and the epoxy coatings are all extremely well done. H2 in this size was no where near as good as the Helios though. I really expected to see this new G Series 4-weight challenge the best rods. An absolute dream to cast. I look for rods that feel totally solid and track well. The Hardy Zephrus series of fly rods features our award winning Sintrix . It is comfortable to cast all day and versatile enough to throw anything from small dries to heavier nymphs or small streamers. For guides, there is a hook keeper, (The 3F has none), a single SiC stripping guide is used followed with hard chrome snake guides. Mystic JXP 9’ #4 $499.00. Accuracy and feel In terms of performance, the Recon was actually better at mid to long range. The swing weight was fairly light, but not quite as good as either the Hardy rods or the Orvis rods. I wish there was a hook keeper, which I find very useful on light rods, but there is none. This and the Pure were the only two rods I scored a perfect 20 out of 20 at 45 feet. The Douglas Sky was both heavier and stiffer, and didn’t perform as well, except out long at 60 feet. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. However, if all rods are measured on the same day, the relative numbers will be consistent. Whether you're new to trout spey fly fishing or looking to refine your technique, this video is a must-watch for anyone looking to improve their fishing game. Swing weight was light but not as good as the Zephrus or Pure. Sage uses lime green wraps that complement the color of the rod. Still very doable – excellent in fact! For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. My current favorite is Loomis's NRX#4 but Orvis H2 tip-flex, Scott Radian, Hardy Zephrus, quick Sage ONE or mid-flex MOD are just . A great 4-weight rod must have the ability to make delicate and accurate presentations with small flies and long leaders at short distances. This is a fast action rod. The best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. Hardy Ultralite 9ft 4wt Fly Rod (490-4) Reversed Half-Wells: 9ft: 4: Green: Medium-Fast: 2.8 oz. This one is simple – The least expensive rods get the highest points. #23. This is T&T’s mid-priced rod, but if you take a look at the best mid-priced rods in our Shootout like the Shadow at $349, the Recon at $429 and the DXF at $349, the Zone’s performance doesn’t match any of these rods. The guides start out with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripper followed with hard chrome snake guides that are nice and light on the tip sections. I’m amazed that I can cast off the tip nearly as well as the Zephrus. The color of the blank is a very light silver blue, with the guides wrapped in a darker grayish blue, with some silver trim on the butt section. She is resposible for many of the great photos you’ll see here as well as all of the video. Good, just not nearly as precise but the Zephrus and Pure. One of the things I really like is the shape of the full wells cork handle. The perfect line: SA Amplitude MPX WF-5-F. (However we tested the rod with the WF-4-F Infinity.). Both the feel and accuracy were outstanding. This is an attractive rod, with very good craftsmanship. The stiffer tip didn’t allow for much feel or accuracy. Here the lack of butt power hurts a bit but it was better than the Shadow out long and matched the Scott G-Series. I just didn’t care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. I know highly skilled anglers that prefer the 8'0" and 8'6" 4wt Jet over the higher priced Zephrus due to the slightly slower action and more of a mid-flex feel. Style Canteen Cover - Woodland Camo, Berkley Steelon Wire-Wound Leaders - 9" - 30LB Test, Rothco Adjustable Boonie Hat With Mosquito Head Netting - Olive Drab, G Loomis IMX Pro Swimbait 863C SWBR 7' 2" Medium Heavy Extra-Fast Casting Rod - 1 Piece, Kershaw Filter Blackwash Folding Pocket Knife, Intex Explorer 300 3-Person Inflatable Boat Set with French Oars and High Output Air Pump. A chemical reaction surging through our cerebral cortex? The quality of the cork was much better too, but still not in the class of what we found on the Recon or Shadow. For an 8’6’’ rod, the Zephrus packs a punch and can deliver casts out to 60 feet as easily as it can at 25 or 40. The tracking isn’t as tight as something like the Sage X or Orvis Helios 3, but it’s pretty damned close. The guides start with a hook keeper on the butt, then a single SiC stripping guide, followed with hard chrome single foot guides that seem sturdy enough, but are not nearly as good (or as light) as the nickel/titanium single foot guides used on the NRX LP. The butt and mid-section are among the stiffest in the test, yet the tip is one of the fastest, (softest) tips. Inexpensive rods built in both Korea and China are surprisingly good. This rod has a stiffer tip than many of the best rods, and I felt this hurt both feel and accuracy at the two shorter distances. Incredibly accurate and capable of delivering the fly exactly where it needs to go, even when dealing with a moderate breeze. Howard is a great angler and knew just what he wanted for the perfect 4-weight. The epoxy coatings were a bit too heavy though, not nearly as nice as what we see on the Hardy rods. The 7’9” TFO Finesse was far better. I love the light swing weight. In close, I could not cast off the tip of the Ultralite nearly as well as with the Zephrus. The Reaper X is an improved model of this original rod. We can attest to this as these lines shoot like crazy! In the performance distance categories it was better at 60 feet than at the closer distances, but the overall weight and swing weight made it a workout to cast. The Hardy Zephrus series of fly rods features our award winning Sintrix material - Sintrix 440.The Zephrus exhibits high recovery and enhanced in hand feel for a fast action rod, whilst generating high line speed and phenomenal line control. Thoughts on the Hardy Zephrus Ultralite? (with review) I’d gladly pay another few dollars to have one. We should have probably dropped this longer Finesse from our Shootout as the shorter 7’9” Finesse performed so much better. For guides, they use one SiC stripping guide followed with hard chrome snake guides that are thin and light on the tip sections. Honestly in my opinion Greys had it right, Hardy had it right and now that both companies have merged they really have top end rods on the market, Granted they come with a price, then again its like a car some can afford a Renault, Some can afford a BMW, you pay for what you get! In fishing to wary trout, I often set my false casts up short and to the side of the fish, and then shoot a little line in on that last cast. This was one of the rods that we felt needed the lighter Trout line. Here, any rods that rate 9.5 -10 are superb, and would be at the top of a Perfect 4 category. The black anodized double unlocking skeleton seat has two larger rings that are very easy to grip and tighten. 8' 6" 4 wt. Question - The North American Fly Fishing Forum The Pure puts in an impressive performance, especially at the shorter distances, and finishes in 2nd place in both the overall and performance results. A friend who also fancies rod this size and I test cast the Helios 8 1/2'/#4 and liked it...not quite loved it though. The Pure is a brand new rod from Winston. It also has a relatively stiff tip when compared to the winners. The thinner cork handle may actually be an advantage for some anglers, especially children or women with smaller hands. As you have seen, the best rods in this 4-weight Shootout are medium fast or fast action rods with softer tips. A flare on the bottom end of the grip accommodates the uplocking seat. Now it tracks perfectly and I’m getting nice tight loops. Certainly the Aetos wins points in the price category, but the biggest reason is its performance. But the Avantt and Helios 3F are far better. Performance at 60 feet: 7 points out of 10. Good, just not nearly as solid or as accurate as the 3F or Radian at long range. Leaders are a critical element in making accurate presentations and fooling spooky trout. Part of the light swing weight can be attributed to the use of the superb REC nickel/titanium single-foot guides. Now I can really feel the heavy swing weight. The reality of getting a rod tube that long to where you're fishing didn't turn out to be as hard as I thought, and when you cast it . 2 Cloth bags and the outside one is beat up. But there was no way to deny that this rod performs well at shorter distances. I've never kept one for more than half a day before I sold it. Overall, the craftsmanship was decent for a rod that is manufactured in Asia, but not nearly as good as what we see in the Recon and H3F that are built in Vermont. The epoxy coatings were excellent. Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. A little wiggle helps you to feel this. I’m impressed with the guide set up, starting with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripping guide, followed with the best nickel/titanium and flexible single-foot guides as on the Zephrus and Sky. Standard corks are used and the quality is excellent. There is a Zenith 8' 6" 4 wt auction ending tomorrow over at the Big Auction Site, if anyone's interested. One thing I like is that there is a serial number on each rod section.
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