Rods are repaired or replaced. This is a lovely rod, finished in a non-glare flat gray with jet-black wraps that are trimmed in light gray on the butt. When you pick up this rod, youll first notice how light it is in swing weight. Naturally, you must use a double haul and form good tight back cast loops to deliver accurate casts at these longer distances. Casting against the Scott G series it felt about equal, and better than the Asquith. Perhaps the best example here is our winner, the Hardy Zephrus. Everyone here at our shop liked the 8 footer better, so we put only the 8-foot model in this Shootout. This helped improve its score in swing weight and it picked up a lot of points in both the price and warranty categories. The guides start with a single SiC stripping guide followed with fairly large diameter but thin wire hard chrome snake guides. Every high-end rod (which I classify as $650+) handles average wind just fine. (tie) Waterworks-Lamson SS 9 #4 $399.99. These Shootouts take a lot of time and effort. Its perhaps a little heavy in swing weight, and this as well as its stiffness, hurt its score at 25 feet. Guides start with a hook keeper on the butt, and then two SiC stripping guides, followed with hard chrome snake guides that are large in diameter but thankfully use smaller diameter wire. This year SA has come up with an impressive new line series called the Amplitude Smooth. The blank color is a non-glare, graphite gray with slightly darker gray wraps and alignment dots. To my credit, I didnt throw a tailing loop, but my first cast wasnt exactly pretty. However, as youll see in the Performance Only scores, it finished much higher in 12thplace. (tie) St. Croix IMPERIAL 86 #4 $270.00. Equals the DXF but rods like the Recon and Sky were much better. That gives it a perfect score of 10 along with the Aetos. Nothing beats this rod at 40 feet. The tips on the faster rods bend more. The rings should be easy to grip and tighten. The rest of the guides are their terrific nickel/titanium single foot guides that are light and flexible but will never break. #28. It does feel very comfortable to me when Im casting it. 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 . When you read everyones comments on the Zephrus, you will see that we all agreed that this is a very special rod, for a variety of reasons. This is a very smooth rod to cast and Im getting nice tight loops and good accuracy. But this is a fairly soft rod, and didnt have the butt power to handle the long distance quite as well as the more powerful rods. The clear winner in this years Shootout, the Zephrus brought power, feel, and accuracy to the table and left no detail untouched. The handle is Winstons familiar cigar grip, a half wells with a little flare on the bottom end to accept the uplocking seat. A counterbalance opposite the handle is used to keep the reel running smoothly when a fish is racing away from you. 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. Marc Barnwell replied on Sat, 01/12/2019 - 20:06 Permalink. Accuracy is good, just not great. The stiff tip and heavy swing weight both contributed to a lack of feel and accuracy in close. He wanted another 4-weight that was very accurate and delicate, yet one that had more power in the butt and mid-section. At that price there may not be a better rod on the market. Props to rod designer Howard Croston, it may be a long time before someone dethrones this new 4-weight king. (tie) Loop OPTI K2 9 #4 $549.00. This rod is a pleasure to cast, and it has tons of reserve power at long range. I did like the flat, non-glare black finish used on the blank. When I put this rod in my hand it feels more like a 5-weight than a 4-weight! The best handles now use a stack of thinner cork rings or standard size rings with very few defects that are laid up individually and then sanded down. Performance at 25 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. And thats saying something, given that the past half-decade or so has seen most rod makers touting the light weight of their blanks. Hardy SHADOW 8'6" #4 $349.95 George's Comments: Wow - It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! (tie) Sage X 86 #4 $900.00. The guide wraps are a slightly darker gray, trimmed in orange on the butt. One thing that killed its performance scores was the very heavy swing weight. There is not much swell in the middle of the grip and it tapers just slightly forward. The action seems about right and Im getting nice loops. I thought the Zephrus steamrolled the other rods in terms of being the bestall-around4-weight. In Livingston we usually have plenty of wind, so we had to wait until we got some fairly calm days, to do the casting. Im getting effortless tight loops, and I had complete confidence on where the fly was going on every cast. Performance at 25 feet: 18.8 points out of 20. The DXF was significantly better. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. Hardy Fly Rods: Ultralite, Zane & More | Trident Fly Fishing The extra 3 inches in length also had a negative effect on the overall action. A great 4-weight rod must have the ability to make delicate and accurate presentations with small flies and long leaders at short distances. One SiC style stripping guide is used as well as a hook keeper. The action is much slower, this being more of a medium action rod. Spencer Durrant is a fly fishing writer, outdoors columnist, and novelist from Utah. No other rods were as good. And since we are in Montana, there is no sales tax.Once you get your new rod or outfit, do some casting on the lawn, and if you feel it is not just what you want, (and has not been fished), well allow you to return it to us for a full refund, less the shipping charges. For this 4-weight Shootout, we decided to make the short distance 25 feet, the mid-distance 40 feet, and the longest distance 60 feet. The color of the blank is a natural graphite gray, and only lightly sanded so you can still see the tape marks, much like the Scott rods. The single uplocking reel seat is plain anodized gray aluminum with no insert. The Zephrus is giving me great presentations at 25 feet. The insert is a gorgeous piece of bamboo, sourced from the same company that uses it for Lexus steering wheels. If you have something about the right size and color, you can often force-feed a selective fish by making repeated accurate and delicate presentations that are right in the fishs window. Rather than give us their beautiful nickel silver uplocking seat with a fancy wood spacer of birdseye maple as on the Pure, the Nimbus uses a silver anodized uplocking aluminum skeleton seat with one wide ring and sliding band. This goes to show what a rod with a softer tip and stiff butt section can do. The lock rings were a little harder than most to grip and tighten. 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. The H3F rated slightly higher over all, but the Asquith had a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long casts. Conversely, looking at the most expensive rods in our Shootout, the G. Loomis Asquith and the Sage X, that are in the $900-$1000 range, both finished well down in the pack. It really sings in the 15-45-foot range, though you won't be disappointed if you have to push your flies a bit further. The cork handle is a more conventional western style grip than found on their Radian, with a flare on the back to accept the black anodized single uplocking seat that utilizes a brown graphite insert. A real let down after the terrific performance I was getting with the Pure. The color of this rod is an attractive olive, with the guides wrapped in dark brown. The cork is a stack of thin rings, and the quality of the cork is excellent. In our important swing weight category, this rod was one of the worst. I have the utmost confidence in using this rod with very light tippets to fool large spring creek trout. The S.A. Amplitude Smooth Infinity line made every cast feel like a 75-yard Young to Rice TD! We knew it would be good when the Pure won an award for the Best New Freshwater Rod at the 2018 IFTD show in July. In this Shootout, we again used the Scientific Anglers lines, which we have found to cast better and last longer than other brands. As in the past we are using our own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight. Heads up the Recon and Shadow were far better. 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. Then the dark green finish just sparkles. We actually cast two #4 line Pure rods- the 8 footer you see here and its 86 brother. Hardy Ultralite Fly Rod Review - Trident Fly Fishing In all, one of the best guide set ups weve seen. #8. One of the things I like the most is that they have a large drag knob and a very wide range of drag adjustment. Still not so good with very little feel or accuracy. This was the best distance for me with the Zone. The Hardy Ultralite is a slimmed down version of the Zephrus made for small water fishing and delicate presentations. Performance at 40 feet: 18.5 points out of 20. From $689.00. This is a test that anyone can duplicate. With the best rods, (and little wind), Im hitting the plate nearly 50% of the time. The guides start with one SiC stripping guide followed with very large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Hardy Zephrus discontinued? | The North American Fly Fishing Forum The cork handle is a half wells design with a contrasting cork ring on the bottom. In addition to my comments in the main Shootout, youll want to read the comments from Jamie and our other Yellowstone Angler staff members, Logan Brown, Francis Clougherty and Chloe Nostrant. Since it is a lot shorter than my preferred 8 foot #4, it ran up some high scores in both overall weight and swing weight. TheOrvis RECON, at $429 wasnt far behind! This rod is a must in any anglers quiver. item 8 Hardy Zephrus Double Handed DH Sintrix AWS Fly Rod 13'6' #7/8 4 Pieces +Warranty Hardy Zephrus Double Handed DH Sintrix AWS Fly . Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. Performance at 40 feet: 17.5 points out of 20. It tracked well and the accuracy was good better than the Imperial at long range. Sage promotes the MOD as a rod that will deliver delicate presentations with pinpoint accuracy. The quality of the cork was much better too, but still not in the class of what we found on the Recon or Shadow. The craftsmanship is typical Orvis excellence. The Ultralite is a very attractive rod. The guide wraps are a dark green to complement the rod. Now Im getting nice tight loops, and the rod tracks very well with better feel and accuracy. For others, seeing how a rod performs in an expert casters hands, convinces them it would make them great anglers as well, or at least take them to the next level. Fenwick-Lifetime warranty. The blank is an attractive dark blue, with a matte non-glare finish. Like the K2, the Q is only available as a 9-foot rod in a 4-weight. Below the final results charts we give you the exact repair charges for each manufacturer. Build quality and reel seat Orvis CLEARWATER 86 #4 $198.00. The swing weight of the rod is the weight you feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod horizontally. For the price, it cant be beat. Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. A black anodized double uplocking skeleton seat is used with an unusual x-pattern design and a laminated wood insert. I liked the medium fast action, and this was a pleasantly smooth rod to cast, especially at the longer distances. Are you comfortable showing up with a $200 rod when everyone else has one of those hotshot $750 to $1000 rods in their hands? Even with the Livingston wind, the Zephrus outdid itself at this distance. As in our past Shootouts, it is important to keep everything apples to apples in an effort to eliminate the variables that will have an effect on the scores. The best rods certainly need to handle this distance easily, but most anglers are buying a 4-weight rod for fishing at closer distances, which puts the emphasis on 25 to 40 foot casts. The gray uplocking reel seat is solid anodized aluminum with a sliding band and two locking rings that were easy to grip and tighten. It has a butt and mid-section that is stiffer than most rods tested. It also lost a huge number of points in the price and warranty categories that it couldnt pick up in the casting distance performance categories. Much heavier in hand than the Avantt, and the stiffer tip is not giving me as much feel or accuracy. The heavy swing weight and stiffer tip gave me very little feel. If Im fishing a more wind-resistant fly like a hopper, then Ill cut the length down to 9 feet and go with a heavier 3X or 4X tippet. The final change in our performance categories is putting a lower value of 10 points on the longest distance 60 feet. The rods rated 9.5 rods had a $50 fee. For those anglers that like fast action rods with more power, (for fishing at longer distances or in windy conditions), the G. Loomis Asquith, the T&T Avantt, and the Scott Radian are good choices. No other rod maker does this better. Ive always liked the smooth lines, as they dont make so much noise running through the guides. The 8'6 4wt Sky G is accurate at all the important trout distances. Just about any rod can turn over a 9-foot leader, but only the best casting rods can turn over a 12 footer at short distances. The heavy swing weight is perhaps the biggest reason the SKY didnt perform so well. Like the Zephrus, casting off the tip of the rod was easy and fun and I was getting very delicate, precise presentations. But that nice soft tip produces great feel and exceptional accuracy. #28. This makes it easier to justify buying the best performing rod. It comes in very close to our mid-price winner, the Hardy Shadow. Our reasoning in this Shootout was to pick what we felt were theBEST4-weight rods, regardless of length, and there no question in our minds that the 8 foot Pure is Winstons best 4-weight rod. For guides, they use one SiC stripping guide followed with hard chrome snake guides that are thin and light on the tip sections. The accuracy was not good either. Sometimes the whole rod is replaced. Finally, we trace the outline of the bend of the rod, first in pencil and then in different colored sharpies. In all, this is an extremely attractive rod. To get a 10, repair charges had to be $35 or less with a quick turn around time of less than two weeks. The wraps are a dark green to complement the blank and the epoxy coatings are perfect. Performance at 60 feet: 9.3 points out of 10. Category changes that improve the accuracy of the results in our latest 4-weight Shootout. The Zephrus makes me a more accurate and efficient caster. Only the Zephrus and Pure were better at mid-distance. The locking ring was harder for me to grip than most. At short distances like 25 feet, you dont have much line out of the tip of the rod, so the best leaders must flex like an extension of your fly line. This rod has good power in the butt and mid sections and a softer tip, much like the action on some of our top rated rods. Beautiful presentation with terrific accuracy. Inexpensive rods built in both Korea and China are surprisingly good. This rod is insanely lightweight and maneuverable; in fact, it has the lightest swing weight of any rod we've tested here at Trident. The softer tip on the Imperial gave me good scores at the both 25 and 40 feet, and also led to a good score in light tippet protection. R.L. A 3-weight fly rod can be great fun on windless days, but those days seem to be rare. This rod gives me a nice light feel in hand, and Im getting good loop control combined with plenty of power and good accuracy. This hurt somewhat in its scores for swing weight and light tippet protection. The guide wraps are in blue with some silver trim on the butt. If I remember correctly, the 864 also won YA's 4wt shootout, adding to its popularity. The cork is excellent, and Douglas uses darker contrasting composite cork rings at both the top and bottom of the grip. Because of the cost, we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points. This is one of the best rods at long range. Some people might consider high priced rods status symbols. When you pick up this rod, youll first notice how light it is in swing weight. Performance at 40 feet: 20 points out of 20. Nothing beats this rod at 40 feet. Rods that have good power and backbone help me fire my cast accurately. A good 4-weight rod must be more than just a dry fly rod though, and the best 4-weights are wonderful rods to use fishing nymphs at shorter distances, and are also capable of pitching smaller streamers when conditions dictate such vile and desperate moves in order to catch fish. When we first saw this new rod from Hardy, we all had two impressions: 1. At 45 feet the Zephrus is a champ. Overall weight is certainly a factor, lighter being better, but swing weight is far more important. 3. In terms of performance, the Recon was actually better at mid to long range. The blank is finished in a medium brown with brown wraps that complement the blank. LoopLifetime warranty to original owner. (tie) TFO FINESSE TROUT 79 #4 $229.95. There is no question that the craftsmanship is better on the very best rods, and with a few exceptions they do perform better than the less expensive rods. For guides, there is a hook keeper followed by a single SiC stripping guide, then hard chrome snake guides. The epoxy coatings over the wraps are nicely done, and I especially like the fact that they inscribe the rod length and weight on the bottom wrap of each section. Nice and light in hand and pretty good feel, but the accuracy is not as good as I was getting with the Aetos. Wow It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! I love the handle design it tapers outward allowing you to quickly get and maintain a good grip on the handle. Stiff, slower action rods are NOT what you are looking for in a 4-weight, where accurate, delicate presentations are the keys to success. The quality of epoxy coatings on the guide wraps was excellent and almost the equal of the T&T rods. This one is simple The least expensive rods get the highest points. If you find yourself fishing more hoppers and larger dries, you will like this rod as it will really fire them in there with authority. Head to head, the Radian and Avantt were better. It is a double uplocking, anodized gray seat with an attractive burl insert, but right under where the reel seat fits, they have cut away both the threads and the burl leaving the blank that is covered with composite cork! Yet Hardy is within its rights to brag about the weight of the Zephrus Ultralite because its ultra-light Ultratelite-ness is immediately evident from the second you pick it up. Just keep in mind that all these measurements must be made the same day with the same room temperature. It also has a relatively stiff tip when compared to the winners. The epoxy coatings over the wraps are very good but a little heavy in spots, as around the feet of the guides. They are used to throw nymph rigs, hopper/dry droppers, small streamers and some dry flies, although this is probably my least used method. However, nearly all manufacturers are charging a handling fee of $25-$100 to repair or replace your broken rod. Guides start with a hook keeper and then one SiC stripper, followed with fairly thin diameter black hard chrome snake guides. The epoxy coatings on the guides were good for the most part but a little too heavy on some guides. Scott Lifetime warranty to original owner, $50 handling fee. Non-original owner $150 per section. The blank color at first glance looks black, but is a very dark green called Black Spruce. The thread wraps are dark green, trimmed with metallic gray on the butt section. Its medium action is far slower than the Recon or their H3F, and it didnt perform nearly as well, especially at 25 feet. 2. In order to do this, we set each rod up with the same reel, line, amount of backing and leader, length of tippet and the same size yarn indicator. The accuracy was good but not as good as the DXF or all of the best rods. Picking up this rod, I'm immediately impressed by its light weight and responsiveness. I could really notice the heavy swing weight in my hand. T&T also uses a stack of thinner cork rings and the quality of the cork is as close to perfect as you can get. The tracking isnt as tight as something like the Sage X or Orvis Helios 3, but its pretty damned close. Shop Now. This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. Pushing off from the dock on a boat called the Capelin, Sandy Milners small team of scientists heads north, navigating through patchy fog past a behemoth cruise For years, I used to leave my waders clipped to an I-bolt in the bed of my pickup (so they wouldnt fly away). I normally prefer an 8 foot rod in a 4-weight but when we cast the two rods heads up, and put them on the deflection board, it was obvious that these rods had two different actions. Guides start with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripping guide followed with hard chrome snake guides. TheFenwick AETOS, at $179.95 is unquestionably our best performing inexpensive rod. Feels good in my hand, and Im able to cast well off the tip. Orvis 25 year warranty to original owner. This can be a huge help if you have multiple rods and the sections get mixed up. How did the 99 4 and 5 weights feel throwing dries? In fact, the new Zephrus Ultralite from Hardy is likely my favorite fly rod currently on the market. The Radian placed 2ndin our last 5-weight Shootout and I was surprised to see that it was this far down the list in a 4-weight. The 79 rod has a nice medium fast action, while this 8 9 model is far slower much more of a medium action rod. The action is slightly slower than the Zephrus though, and this contributed somewhat to its lack of feel and accuracy at 25 feet. There is a lot to like about the SKY though, and foremost is its appearance. ROD HANDLE MATERIAL: CORK. Here the lack of butt power hurts a bit but it was better than the Shadow out long and matched the Scott G-Series. Overall a very good performance. Performance at 25 feet: 19.5 points out of 20. Hardy ZEPHRUS 8'6" #4 $679.00 George's Comments: Hardy has given us another magical rod that produced an absolutely stunning performance to blow away all the contenders. Wow It is super light in hand, and 2. Douglas uses a dark green anodized double ring uplocking seat, with an attractive brown wood burl insert. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. From streamers to small dries to my standard dry-dropper rig, the Zephrus Ultralite put my flies where I needed them. Personally I dont care much for the five inches of white just above the cork handle but this has been the Helios 3 trademark and I think that Orvis feels that it will help the rods visibility on the rod rack in fly shops or out on the stream. Out at long range it performed extremely well and was one of the very best, pretty much being equal to the Helios 3F and Avantt. Youll find these on our Yellowstone Angler home page atyellowstoneangler.com.If your favorite local shop stocks the rods you are interested in, by all means visit them, try a few rods and purchase an outfit from them. The locking ring is a little harder to grip and tighten than others. A gray graphite insert is used that goes well with the blank. Ive found that it is almost impossible to judge accuracy and presentation if you have strong gusty winds, but having a little wind tells you a lot about how the various rods perform, especially at long distances. Whats really eye-catching, though, is the reel seat. Heavy, slower action rods never perform well. Shop Now. The spacer is not fancy burl or birdseye maple, but laminated wood as often seen on inexpensive rods. The 8 foot Pure had a much stiffer butt and mid-section and a soft tip that is much softer than what we found on the Nimbus. A 12-foot leader also gives you a stealthier presentation. In this years 4-weight Shootout, we found that most manufacturers are building more powerful 4-weight rods than in the past. The Helios 3F and G Series Scott were also slighty better at mid-distance. We have learned that we cannot trust manufacturers stated rod weights. The wraps are done in a dark brown with some silver trim on the butt section as well as in the center of each guide foot wrap, that look nice. The rod itself has a nice blue finish - a look that is enhanced with a unique blue reel seat. Heads up, the Sage X and Recon were both better. Weve found that fluctuating temperature and humidity from one day to the next can make a difference of .2-.3 oz. I love the light swing weight. But that was about all I liked, other than the very light overall weight that earned it a perfect score. Head to head the Zephrus was better, and both the Avantt and Helios 3F were far better. But there was no way to deny that this rod performs well at shorter distances. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. The first time I went to cast one of these rods, my local Hardy rep said hed bet $20 Id throw a tailing loop. Winston NIMBUS 86 #4 $650.00. We decided it was time for another 4-weight Shootout, since a great 4-weight rod is hard to beat for the angler that loves to fish smaller dry flies. The new X has a nice medium fast action that delivers the best performance at short to medium distances.
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