thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon

The DXF has been one of our top mid-priced rods, but there was no denying the Hardy Shadow and Orvis Recon were better. They are light but very durable. Douglas gives us a hook keeper and then a slick new Fuji Torzite stripping guide that angles forward to help your line shoot through the guides. The medium fast action seems just right and Im getting both good feel and good accuracy at the shorter distances. The epoxy coatings on the guides were good for the most part but a little too heavy on some guides. It is especially interesting to see how the rods compare in stiffness, and how much the tip section bends. I liked the medium fast action, and this was a pleasantly smooth rod to cast, especially at the longer distances. In fact the JXP had one of theheaviestswing weights in our Shootout, tied with the IMX Pro and Clearwater. My favorite length for a 4-weight rod is 8 feet. The handle is a western style grip, without much of a swell in the middle but a flare on the lower end to accommodate the uplocking reel seat. That's a lot. And once youve picked out the perfect rod, stay and enjoy a few days on the water with one of our top guides. This is one fantastic looking rod one of the very best in our Shootout. The cork handle is a half wells western style grip, with a contrasting darker composite cork at the bottom end, over the flare for the reel seat. It has a larger swell than most rods, and the swell is set closer to the top of the grip, than most rods well forward of the center of the grip. 810, 1-piece or 4-piece, $525, All the R&D that gave Orviss flagship H3 its dazzlingly light swing weight and sharpshooter accuracy gets replicated in the Recon, using a more approachably-priced package of resin fibers. The components are not in the same class as the Helios 3F, but that is to be expected considering the price. Are you comfortable showing up with a $200 rod when everyone else has one of those hotshot $750 to $1000 rods in their hands? But is that high priced rod really $400-$600 better? I can sure notice the heavy swing weight and this is not a very pleasant rod to cast. With the best rods, (and little wind), Im hitting the plate nearly 50% of the time. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Usually takes 2 weeks. Rods that flex in the tip are fast action rods, rods that flex in the mid-section are moderate action rods, and so on. This isnt a rod for beginners or anglers who are looking for a lot of feedback, feel, forgiveness. For this we downgraded the craftsmanship a half a point. For some reason they dont use a hook keeper on this rod, maybe another way to cut the cost? Bottom Line: If you want a high-end rod with a beautiful fit and finish that performs well in the trout game, this is a solid option, a great choice for a variety of freshwater species. The wraps are a dark green to complement the blank and the epoxy coatings are perfect. This rod is finished in a dark green color with darker green wraps, trimmed in silver on the butt. 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! The 8 foot Pure had a much heavier swing weight, and would not be as much fun to false cast all day as this 8 footer. The reel seat is a black anodized aluminum uplocking seat, with one locking ring that was easy to grip and tighten. The X provides the angler with finesse in close and power when you need it, a nice combination of feedback and backbone. Sharing the advanced StratoTherm resin developed for the acclaimed Avantt and Exocett series, Zone rods are rolled and built by hand alongside those flagship models right here in our Massachusetts, USA facility. (tie) Douglas DXF 86 #4 $349.00. A darker composite cork ring is used on the bottom of the grip that is flared out to accept the uplocking seat. Rating: 100%. Lastly, the rod sock is superior, and will dry out quickly even if you put your rod away wet. Add to cart. 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. Thomas and Thomas Zone. Nothing beats this rod at 40 feet. Inexpensive rods built in both Korea and China are surprisingly good. $25 handling fee. Im able to form fairly tight loops, but the accuracy is not as good as what Im getting with the Helios 3F or the Avantt. So if you like what we are doing, the best way to thank us is to buy a rod, reel, or outfit from the Yellowstone Angler. The Sage X is light in overall weight, butfarheavier the most in swing weight. Removing the spool requires a simple click of the button on the front side. Im having trouble casting off the tip well and this is hurting the accuracy. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Guides start with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripping guide followed with hard chrome snake guides. 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. Here, any rods that rate 9.5 -10 are superb, and would be at the top of a Perfect 4 category. Casting Notes: Loomis new LP rod is built for delicacy and finesse. The one thing that I have never liked much on the Reaper is the shape of the handle. Pros This is T&Ts 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 Zones performance doesnt match any of these rods. The epoxy coatings were a bit too heavy though, not nearly as nice as what we see on the Hardy rods. Power: 6/10 - The Zone is a powerful rod yet maintains castability and versatility. Sage promotes the MOD as a rod that will deliver delicate presentations with pinpoint accuracy. Hardy uses a comfortable half wells, western style handle and the quality of the cork is superb. Both the Zephrus and Pure were far lighter in hand, and far better in performance at 40 feet. We didnt award any points for this category but we know that for many people this is a factor in a decision to purchase a rod, so we wanted to list this in our Objective Observations table and also in our Final Results table. The heavy swing weight is perhaps the biggest reason the SKY didnt perform so well. Performance at 60 feet: 9.7 points out of 10. We found most rods performed better with the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, which is a half line size heavier. The guide set up starts with a hook keeper, then one relatively small SiC stripper, followed with good sized black hard chrome snake guides that are nice thin diameter wire. If you are looking for that perfect saltwater outfit, then use ourFavorite Saltwater Outfitslink. $279.99. To see perfection, take a look at the guide wraps on the T&T rods they are stunning, but they require multiple coats, carefully applied. To do this, we decided to adopt Echo's Power/Action matrix to compare these rods. Rods that are light in overall weight and swing weight, and ones that have softer tips, eliminate a lot of break offs caused by an inadvertent heavy-handed hook set. #22. Bottom Line: If youre looking for one of the most versatile 5wts in this price range, the Zone is a great option made by a well-known manufacturer. Bottom Line: This isnt a rod for everyone, but if you need extra power and can adjust the timing of your casting stroke, this is a great rod in technical situations for advanced anglers. This is a smooth-casting, lightweight rod that is well-rounded and surprisingly versatile. For guides, there is a hook keeper just above the handle, and then one SiC stripping guide followed by hard chrome snake guides. TFO FINESSE TROUT 89 #4 $229.95. Its moderate-fast action is optimized for the 40- to 60-foot shots that most anglers make in most situations, and its unique handle gives anglers different gripping choices. Performance at 40 feet 20 points available. But in looking closely at the Hardy Zephrus, Ultralite, and the Douglas SKY, they are also definitely near the top end of the craftsmanship ladder. These come in two models, the Amplitude Smooth Trout, which is a standard size line, and the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, which is a half line size heavier. Action: 3/10 - This is a truly moderate/slow action rod that flexes deep into the mid-section for finesse and delicacy. Then we progressed to the mid-priced rods and finally the least expensive rods. Just not enough butt power to get the job done. Performance at 60 feet: 9.3 points out of 10. At 40 feet you need a rod that is light and pleasant enough to do a lot of false casting, as you will when fishing dry flies, but you shouldnt have to double haul to get the rod to perform and hit this distance. This rod is nice and light in hand, and performed well in close, where I was getting pretty good feel and decent accuracy. The color of this rod is an attractive olive, with the guides wrapped in dark brown. 4. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were surprisingly good for a one-coat finish. Out long the overall softness of the rod is a handicap. The wraps are all in blue, and the epoxy coatings are all extremely well done. The brown dull coating of the blank and the red wraps provide an original look. This means you can generate line speed but you can also focus on delicacy at short range. A gray graphite insert is used that goes well with the blank. Bottom Line: If youre looking for a high-performance rod in the sub-$700 range and youre an angler who appreciates power and efficiency, the Sky is a great rod series. The Fenwick AETOS, at $179.95 is unquestionably our best performing inexpensive rod. Everyone else should buy an 8-weight, simply the most versatile number in the lineup. Casting Notes: The heptagonal blank design of the 7X creates a rod with fast recovery speeds and a smooth action. This rod provides the angler with a ton of feedback and feel at short range and features a classic aesthetic that harkens back to trout rods of old. I do like the 8 foot rods over the 9 footers as they are lighter and the shorter length allows me to strike more quickly, and they often provide better light tippet protection than the longer rods. Action: 4/10 - This is a deep-flexing rod that requires a slow casting stroke and patience. This is a rod thats pure Sage at a price-point that is tough to beat. I loved the punch and power I was getting with the Shadow and only at long range did it suffer. #19. Epoxy coatings on the wraps were a bit too heavy, adding unnecessary weight. Like the K2, no hook keeper is used, which I miss on a 4-weight. It packs enough punch to fling weighted crustacean imitations for bonefish or redfish, deliver 3- to 4-inch streamers for snook, schoolie stripers or juvenile tarpon, and command the sinking line you might choose when chasing albies. $35 handling fee. The uplocking skeleton reel seat is silver anodized aluminum, with one good-sized locking ring and sliding band, similar to the Avantt. The rod is a more refined, caster-friendly version of its high-priced brother, the Radian. 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 is a lovely rod, finished in a non-glare flat gray with jet-black wraps that are trimmed in light gray on the butt. As part of the Expeditor policy, Loomis includes a FedEx call tag so that you dont have to spend any money to send the broken rod back. Winston NIMBUS 86 #4 $650.00. 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. Rods are repaired, not replaced. Hardy has given us another magical rod that produced an absolutely stunning performance to blow away all the contenders. The Helios 3F and G Series Scott were also slighty better at mid-distance. Winston says Pure Feel, Pure Presentation and Pure Fun I cant disagree. You will be surprised to see how well mid-priced rods like the Hardy Shadow, the Orvis Recon, and the Douglas DXF performed, all of which made it into our top ten overall in the final results. Performance at 25 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. Guides start with a hook keeper, and then one SiC stripping guide, followed with black hard chrome snake guides. 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 best rods in this category are almost always the lightest in swing weight, especially if you are doing a lot of false casting when fishing dry flies. Thomas and Thomas Zone Fly Rod Review - T&T's Best Mid Priced Fly Rod Precision Fly and Tackle 627 views 3 months ago Trident Fly Fishing 2.3K views 1 month ago Thomas and Thomas Zone. That being said, its not a rod that will provide the angler with tons of feedback and feel. Feels good in my hand, and Im able to cast well off the tip. The action of the Zone is much slower than the Avantt (and also a lot slower than the Recon or Shadow). We think that the best are the flexible nickel/titanium single foot and snake guides, but these are much more expensive than the heaver, hard chrome versions. 3. Anyway, I tried it out in a local store and I have to say it did not feel like a fast action rod, or even a medium-fast action rod. Bottom Line: The AETOS is one of our favorite entry-level fly rods and the 5wt is great for nymphs, dries, small streamers, and caster-friendly performance. Im amazed that I can cast off the tip nearly as well as the Zephrus. The best rods in our Shootout can handle this distance with ease, and are actually capable of casting much farther in an expert casters hands. We deleted our Perfect 4 performance category, since it seemed redundant, given the fact that we give you our opinions for our favorite 4-weights in the Fun to Fish, got to have category. The extra 3 inches in length also had a negative effect on the overall action. The 8-weight Asquith won our recent 2018, 8-weight Shootout, putting in a marvelous performance. Perfect 4 category far better in performance at 25 feet: 9.3 out... 3/10 - this is not a very pleasant rod to cast the guides wrapped in dark brown finesse in and! Nearly 50 % of the button on the guides were good for the best rods (... The butt and China are surprisingly good superior, and far better in performance at feet!: 3/10 - thomas and thomas zone vs orvis recon is a half a point, butfarheavier the most versatile number the!, finished in a marvelous performance heavy, adding unnecessary weight provide original. 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