![]() That rigidity, along with those extra inches, is likely the most significant contributor to the power and accuracy fishermen are experiencing from the boat. The rod is incredibly light in hand yet has a noticeably stiffer feel all the way through to the tip. It isn’t hard to find glowing reviews as fishermen have sung its praises for having the power and accuracy of a 10-foot rod while still casting with the ease of a 9-footer. With its target demographic being drift boat fisherman, it has become a favorite for guides who spend long days afloat. The 9’5″ 5-weight version of the series came out with a pile of hype, and so far it has measured up. With almost a year of it being in public hands, there’s been some resounding praise of this specialized rod. Released in July 2021, the Orvis Helios 3 Blackout ($998) missed many of the “best of” lists for last year. Feel free to click the rods that interest you below, or scroll through to see the entire lineup: That being said, here are our recommendations for 2022. Obviously, there are a lot of opinions involved in what it takes to be the best, and if you visit six different sites, you’ll get six different lists. In our annual hunt to find the best fly rods on the market, we took to the water, went to the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show, asked guides, scoured the internet, and read every tech spec and review to bring you our list of the fly fishing rods we think measure up for the coming year. Without getting your hands on them, it’s a serious task to weed through the options and find the rod that best suits your needs. ![]() These are the best new rods of the year.Įvery year, there’s a new list of the best rods out there. ![]() I look forward to cast and fish with the rod on different waters this year, I am sure a great many adventures are just waiting to happen.Fly fishing rods are constantly changing with improvements in construction, fly lines, reels, and technology. With a WF7F the rod loads much faster and with this the Helios 2 becomes a comfortable casting tool with which good distances are within reach, even when there are more flies and a strike indicator connected to the leader. The first trout I hooked on the rod was a powerful 55 cm rainbow trout, but the flex in the rod gave me enough reserve to land the fish on a light 6X tippet. With a decent double haul I could present the dry fly on a long leader a good distance away. For those who like to cast switch rods, there are five models in the range as well, all 3,35 meter long, for line classes #5 through 9.Īs I wanted to present some small dry flies at distance, I first put a WF6F flyline on the rod and as expected this gave me a very fast action and I could keep a long length of line in the air. Starting with a three piece 1,83 meter long model for the line class #2 (all other freshwater rods are four piece) and extending to two 2,75 meter rods for a line class #6 (one a Tip Flex, the other a Mid Flex). Next to the salt-water versions, there are also a large number of freshwater rods in the Helios 2 range. The tip ring from which long casts can be fired. The stripping guide stands high off the dark blue blank of the Orvis Helios 2.Ī good layer of lacquer protects the windings with which the snake guides are secured to the blank against the influences of salt-water. Except for one model (which is Mid Flex), all models have a Tip Flex type of action, which means a fast action for long casts with great precision. There are five one piece (!) rods in the range as well, all 2,69 meters long for line classes #8 through 12. The salt-water versions are all four piece, in lengths from 2,60 up to 3,05 meters, for line classes #6 through 14. The salt-water versions all have this type of reel holder. The grip is made of excellent quality cork, the fillings are small and hardly noticeable. ![]() Especially the tip section has been made much stronger, while the tapers have been improved upon to give the maximum performance. The Helios 2 is apparently some twenty percent lighter than its predecessor but still also something like twenty percent stronger. The thin diameter of the blanks and the very low weight of the rods make them stand out from the other rods, add to that the fast but sensitive action and it is clear why these rods are so popular. The “Made in America” Orvis Helios 2 fly-rods have for sure received more awards than any other flyrod. The four piece 10′ #7 comes with a nice rod case with some special graphics on it. This year I have the chance to “test drive” the 10 foot salt-water version for the line class #7 when flyfishing for seatrout along the coast of Denmark and for rainbow and brown trout at reservoirs in the Netherlands. Some years ago I had the chance at the IFTD show to cast one of the first Orvis Helios 2 fly-rods at the time, a 9′ #5 which immediately became a favourite for me at the show.
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