hardy zephrus 8' 6 4wt

At 60 feet the Zephrus was still performing extremely well. One SiC style stripping guide is used as well as a hook keeper. If you are a Scott fan and want a rod for fishing at short to medium distances, youll likely prefer this rod over the Radian. 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. We have learned that we cannot trust manufacturers stated rod weights. 1stimpressions: Sweetest all-around 4-weight rod here. Performance at 40 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. The H3F rated slightly higher over all, but the Asquith had a lot more butt and mid-section power to blast out long casts. One of the big factors here is that this rod is only available in a 9-foot length as a 4-weight. The craftsmanship was excellent and it performed very well for me, especially at 40 feet, where I was getting beautiful tight loops and very good accuracy. Hardy Zephrus FWS Rod - Hardy Fishing #27. 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. *Note The final results and performance charts on this page are Georges figures. 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 Expeditor service fee for the Asquith rods is $250.00 for ground or $275 for 2-day air. The action is slightly slower than the Zephrus though, and this contributed somewhat to its lack of feel and accuracy at 25 feet. The Hardy Zephrus comes in a hard rod tube and wrapped in a nice rod sock. Since most anglers fish at shorter distances with a 4-weight rod, we decided to put less emphasis on the longest distance, decreasing the points available to 10 points. 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. However, nearly all manufacturers are charging a handling fee of $25-$100 to repair or replace your broken rod. However, the 8-foot Aetos turned in much higher scores in several categories, including performance at 25 feet, swing weight and light tippet protection. Blank performance If a rod looks like a million bucks and casts like it too, fly fishermen are going to lust for it. 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. Orvis HELIOS 3F 86 #4 $849.00. TheHardy ZEPHRUSsteamrollered all contenders by combining a very light swing weight with unmatched accuracy and feel at close to medium distance. The heavier swing weight makes casting at longer distances a workout. 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. 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. This fast action produced extremely good feel and accuracy, especially at 25 feet. 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 accuracy was good but not as good as the DXF or all of the best rods. Opens in a new window or tab. I started out years ago with 5wts for my trout endeavors and currently use a Hardy Zephrus and an older St Croix Legend Ultra. Ive fished this Zephrus myself for the past two years, and it has been my go-to rod when Im fishing small dries, emergers and spinners in the surface film. This rod is nice and light in hand, and performed well in close, where I was getting pretty good feel and decent accuracy. Much of the time Im able to play smaller trout by just stripping line in, but when I hook a big fish that runs hard I want to play it off the reel. The whole rod weighs in at 2.51 oz (crazy light) with a swing weight of 53.6 gm2, one of the lightest swing weights we've ever seen. 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. I love the appearance of the DXF, with the blank finished in a flat, non-glare dark green. 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. If the rod is broken because of a defect, or while fishing, replacement is free. Tiny single-foot guides, very light in hand with the perfect blend of power and feel. This rod has a medium fast action with tons of power in the butt and mid-section, which allowed it to perform pretty well at the longest distance. Its not really there when youre castingthe Zephrus Ultralite has a decidedly medium action, very similar to the old Winston GVXbut the second you hook a fish youll feel it. First, it is very light in swing weight and the fast action is a lot like the Zephrus in that it has a stronger butt and much softer tip than most of the other rods. I look for rods that feel totally solid and track well. George Anderson, and the rest of the Yellowstone Angler crew, Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. The Zephrus was able to turn over our 12-foot hand-tied leaders with ease. Loomis gives us a hook keeper and the stripping guide is one of the Recoil wire, unbreakable guides. (tie) Scott G SERIES 84 #4 $845.00. Very nice! Opinions on 8'6" 4wt | The North American Fly Fishing Forum - sponsored Hardy Zephrus discontinued? | The North American Fly Fishing Forum To sum it all up as quickly as possible, Ill mention just a few things. That said, there is one in my local fly shop and I'm quite taken by it. We have been impressed with the Avantt in the 5-weight, and the 4-weight is another terrific rod. A black anodized double uplocking skeleton seat is used with an unusual x-pattern design and a laminated wood insert. Gear Reviews Multiple Fly Rod Weight Rankings Yellowstone Angler If you want to economize, look carefully at both the Hardy Shadow at $349.95 and the Orvis Recon at $429.00. The nice soft tip allows me to cast off the tip of the rod with a flick of my wrist. If you do a lot of nymph fishing, the extra length will help, and this rod has enough butt and mid-section power to also chuck some smaller streamers. Performance at 40 feet: 19.3 points out of 20. Like the Orvis 3F, there is no hook keeper. backing and fly line. The front half of the reel seat where the reel foot is held in placeis all cork. Usually takes 2-4 weeks. In fact the JXP had one of theheaviestswing weights in our Shootout, tied with the IMX Pro and Clearwater. It is also a soft rod, so it scored very well in light tippet protection. (tie) Thomas & Thomas ZONE 86 #4 $495.00. Even with the Livingston wind, the Zephrus outdid itself at this distance. 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. The Aetos was dramatically better for an inexpensive rod. The wraps are a slightly lighter blue, trimmed with white on the butt section. The blank itself is unsanded natural graphite gray, much like the Scott rods, leaving the tape marks visible. The stiff tip and heavy swing weight both contributed to a lack of feel and accuracy in close. Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. Aesthetically it wasnt my favorite, but I appreciated the high quality components, guides and finish work. Tracks beautifully with nice tight loops that are giving me great accuracy. The wraps are dark blue to match the blank and the epoxy coatings are excellent. 4. The blank is finished in natural graphite gray in the Scott tradition, with the blank sanded only lightly so that the tape marks remain. #8. Review: Hardy Zephrus Ultralite fly rod | Hatch Magazine - Fly Fishing 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). hardy zephrus for sale | eBay Pretty good loop control but the feel and accuracy were not as good as what I was getting with the DXF or the St. Croix Imperial. The shorter rod is nice and light, and faster in action than its longer brother. A beautiful birdseye maple insert is used. A little better here but the DXF still puts it to shame. The rest of the guides are their terrific nickel/titanium single foot guides that are light and flexible but will never break. Features Sintrix 440 Blank construction REC Black pearl recoil guides Fuji Titanium stripper guides We are just trying to call it like we see it, in an unbiased manner. 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 Asquith tracks beautifully and is giving me nice accurate tight loops. Marc Barnwell replied on Sat, 01/12/2019 - 20:06 Permalink. 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. We actually cast two #4 line Pure rods- the 8 footer you see here and its 86 brother. 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. Winston says Pure Feel, Pure Presentation and Pure Fun I cant disagree. ROD HANDLE TYPE: RHW. #23. In addition it will cost you $15 or more to ship your rod in for repair or have your local dealer do it for you. Im getting nice loops and good control, but at mid-range the 3F and Scott Radian were better. 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. Great feel, power, accuracy, and a light swing weight. So many aspects go into blank performance that its hard to single out one of them. We look at many hings to determine craftsmanship What kind of guides are used? I dont have the feel I can place the fly just where I want it, as I can with the Zephrus. This makes for a very comfortable grip that improves casting at longer distances. I think that this can be attributed to the slower action of this rod compared to the Zephrus. This rod is absolutely the winner for our Best Buy (best inexpensive) 4-weight Rod. With your support we can continue to give you more Shootouts and head to head comparisons on tackle and equipment in the future. A hook keeper is used just above the handle, and the one black SiC style stripping guide is followed with silver hard chrome snake guides, that are small and light out on the tip. Both the Zephrus and Pure were far lighter in hand, and far better in performance at 40 feet. 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. I found the rings harder to grip than most and without any nylon spacer they will likely loosen up more easily than other rings with them. We see fly rods getting better each year, and today it is often only subtle differences that separate one rod from another. The guides start with a hook keeper, and then one huge stripping guide that looks way too big, followed with thin wire hard chrome snake guides. Also get an 8'6" 4wt Echo Carbon XL ($150) and Echo Base Reel ($35), coupled with a good line ($80) for $265. Dont fret about the price youll find some ingenious way to sneak it into your collection of rods without the mrs. (or mr.) finding out. Orvis 25 year warranty to original owner. A darker composite cork ring is used on the bottom of the grip that is flared out to accept the uplocking seat. However at long range, it had no guts, and was one of the worst in our Shootout. Certainly the Hardy Zephrus is a bargain as our choice for as the number one 4-weight rod. The double uplocking reel seat is plain anodized aluminum dark gray with silver rings and not nearly as attractive as the better skeleton seats with good-looking wood inserts. Shop Now. Since the Nimbus was a softer rod, it did score well in light tippet protection, but in the most important Fun to Fish category, where the Pure got a perfect score, the Nimbus had one of the lower scores about the same as the much less expensive Orvis Clearwater and St. Croix Imperial. 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. 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. $50 handing fee. It is important for any fly line to shoot well, and even clear well, when you have extra line at your feet and a fish is streaking for the horizon. Ive helped many manufacturers like G. Loomis, Sage, Winston, Loop, Douglas, and Scott with their rod design process. Im 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. My son, Jamie is also a fanatical fly fisherman and a great caster. R.L. 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 of the Recon is very similar to the Helios 3F and this is one reason it performs so well. In our important swing weight category, this rod was one of the worst. The Radian has a faster action than the G Series, with more power in the butt and mid section that allow it to cast better at the longest distance. Of course it is six inches shorter too. From 25 to the 40-foot mark, these lines were just magical, and stretching the distance out to 60 feet was easier than with a standard belly line. The soft tip also earns it one of the best scores in light tippet protection. is hung from the tip-top of the rod. The quality of the cork in the handles varies enormously among fly rods. A nice piece of dark hardwood is used for the spacer. Epoxy coatings on the wraps were a bit too heavy, adding unnecessary weight. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. Pretty good, but not quite as accurate or as much feel as with the Shadow. These are very light, and will flex but never break. Howard is a great angler and knew just what he wanted for the perfect 4-weight. and comes complete with the original Orvis tube and bag. Head to head, the Radian and Avantt were better. For $699.95 you can get the 9 5wt Zephrus Ultralite with Hardys lifetime warranty, superior build quality, and all the incredible performance attributes mentioned above. After fifty years in the fly fishing business as a guide, shop manager and shop owner, Ive learned a lot about what it takes for a fly rod to perform well. Softer tips on these 4-weight rods almost always equated to better accuracy and more delicate presentations, especially at shorter distances. The rest of the guides are the excellent nickel/titanium one-foot guides in a silver color. Our deflection charts have been very popular in past Shootouts, so we are giving you more this year. 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 epoxy coatings on the guides were good for the most part but a little too heavy on some guides. Hardy Ultralite LL Fly Rod. And for a rod that is half the cost of the Helios 3F, the overall weight and swing weight are actuallylower! I realized last week just how spoiled I am to have the South Fork of the Snake River in my backyard. Performance at 40 feet: 19.2 points out of 20. With the Ultralite at hand, your shoulder will be thanking you after a long day on the water.

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