Call us at 406-222-7130, or e-mail us at [email protected] and we can discuss your needs and wants. I liked gripping it closer to the top, with the swell under my palm. I’ve been impressed with all the Asquith rods in various sizes, and use them much of the time for my own fishing. Since the GL8 resin is more uniform, it penetrates the graphite fibers more effectively, thus requiring less resin. Bought 3 of them. 5. A stack of thin width, very high-quality cork rings is used with a rubber/cork ring at the bottom for durability. Throws the whole line easily. Trident Fly Fishing is a full-service fly shop. This rod is an absolute steal at the low price of $189.95. A stack of very high-quality thin diameter cork rings are used like on the other best rods. You’ll quickly find that your fly line becomes very limp and overly flexible. Lastly, we included a category for beginners. Orvis Helios 3F 9' 8wt: The Helios 3F was our 'moderate action' rod of choice. Only a shade less powerful than the Asquith. Best Fly Lines 2020. If you're curious about points, data, and weights, continue down the page to see our data and results. We are looking forward to Fred’s modifications of this rod, giving it a little more power, which will boost its performance at the longer distances. We have cast all of these rods before, and we could tell by their past casting performance, including their heavier swing weights or stiffer tips, that they didn’t have what it takes to be top contenders. We used the SA Amplitude version again this year, as in the 2018 8-Weight Shootout. Another reason we decided to test fly lines is because they are arguably one of the most important pieces of fly fishing equipment. As you will see in the Final Results table and in each tester’s Performance Only chart, the two Loomis rods were head and shoulders above the other rods. With 20 lb. I’m impressed with the smoothness and the accuracy, second only to the Asquith. We spend a lot of time testing gear and writing shootouts to give you all of the tools to make your next trip a success. Taper diagrams were created by measuring the diameter of each line every 6 inches until we were well into the running line. micron backing you’ll have capacity for 170 yards, all without overloading the reel. It did suffer in the wind a bit and I couldn’t punch the power in like I could with the Asquith or NRX+. We’ve found that some of the new lines with shorter front tapers and heads are just not well suited for flats fishing where you need to combine accuracy with a delicate delivery. Everyone here anxiously anticipated seeing what Steve Rajeff would devise to replace the superb Loomis NRX rods, which have been among our favorite rods over the years. At mid-range nothing comes close to the Asquith. A fairly large 1 ½ inch extension butt is used with a rubber cork cap for durability. Hi Jay, when I said "forced" I meant that because the rod makers won't address the issue, which is really theirs, line makers have to. backing. We have been impressed with the Helios 3 rods, and there is no question that they are among the best 8-weights. Shimano, (G. Loomis’ parent) builds the Asquith blanks in Japan and then ships them to G. Loomis where they complete building the rods in their Woodland, Washington plant. 100% of our funding comes from your gear purchase, so if this shootout helps you on your next fly fishing adventure, support us by buying your next fly line (or better yet, your next rod and reel), from us. micron backing plus a WF-4-F line. This reel consumed an entire 250 yard spool of 20 lbs. Overview: Choosing the best fly line is very critical for the success of your fishing trip.In this article we have selected, tested and reviewed 10 great fly lines available online. The new Prime is a very light rod, with a nice soft, quick loading tip. In 2016, we felt that the most talked about and least understood part of fly fishing equipment was fly lines. We also enlisted our good friend, Captain Skip Zink, who has been a tester on past 8-weight Shootouts. There's also a massive amount of variation between lines. And now, they're back. I suspect it's the only line they know is unlikely to overload any of the rods. The new NRX+ Saltwater blank is dark gray with dark blue wraps, trimmed in lighter blue and silver on the butt. Since the weather in January is pretty nasty in Montana, making casting outside nearly impossible, James brought all the rods in this 8-weight Challenge with him to Florida just after Christmas. I love the light swing weight and feel of this rod in my hand, and it gave me extremely good feel and accuracy at short distance, equal to the Asquith and NRX+. This let us do all the casting outdoors at a park in Englewood on Florida’s west coast. This new Mega Modulus+ graphite fiber is slightly higher in modulus but has a much higher strain rating than what Loomis used on the previous NRX rods. A fairly wide bottomed 1 ¼ inch fighting butt is used with a gray rubber ring at the end. No wonder they can cast 100 ft with some of the rods. Tune in as Jared teaches you the steps to tie the Hollow Fleye Squid with tips, techniques, and advice for tying this Hollow Fleye-style Squid pattern. We have tried to explain the exact changes in material, technology, and manufacturing techniques in the write up for each rod. Orvis uses the very best components on the Helios rods, and the rods are finished beautifully. Yes, there are cheaper and also more expensive reels, but you won’t find one that is better. If you're having trouble reading any of these charts, find a pdf version below each chart. There are many new saltwater lines on the market now, but we have yet to find one that beats our long-time favorite, The Scientific Anglers Bonefish Taper. Our 12-foot bonefish leaders, with a 30-inch tippet, will turn over far better than any of the knotless tapered leaders on the market, making them perfect for our rod testing. A note about accuracy: All of our measurements were in 6" increments so we could be as much as a foot off. This meant leaving out a lot of very good rods, like the Thomas and Thomas Exocett, the tried and true Sage X, the fabulous Hardy saltwater Zephrus, and the ultra-powerful Loop Cross 7X. In the first part of our Tropical Fly Line Shootout, we got our hands on as many tropical saltwater WF8F lines as we could and tested them in a variety of ways. The Nautilus reels also have a lower start up inertia than any of the reels we tested. We explain how we try to keep things apples to apples by eliminating variables, the set-up of our casting stations at the different distances, and exactly how we compute swing weight. We hope you have enjoyed reading the 2020 8-weight Challenge and found it helpful! For those of us who have been at this long enough, you'll remember when Greys left us some 6 (or so) years ago to become a European only brand. Definitely better than the Helios 3F, the Sector and SKY G at the longer distances. A 1 ½ inch fighting butt is used that tapers to a wide base, protected with a rubber cork ring at the bottom. Like the Tibor and Abel reels we’ve used in the past, the Nautilus reels are bulletproof and will provide a lifetime of enjoyable service. He won’t divulge their secrets so I couldn’t learn more, but these changes allow Douglas to build the new SKY G with less material, resulting in a much lighter and stronger rod than the older standard SKY. The reel seat is a solid dark gray anodized double uplocking unit, with easy to grip and tighten rings, similar to the ones used on the Asquith. However, all the top rods were noticeably better. Shooting is similar to distance but there are some lines that shoot really well but can't cast as far because they're not designed to hold a lot of line in the air. Why? Sage Xi3 vs Salt. The reasoning for this was that many new saltwater anglers have trouble double hauling and the heavier line will help them flex the rod better. The new SKY G is very quick to dampen and is very sensitive. We’ve got a wide selection of fly line for freshwater and saltwater fly fishing (sinking and floating). After that, it seemed to run out of steam, and lacked the power needed to hit the longest distances with ease. The best saltwater fly fishing reels are designed to use as few of these extra parts as possible, making them more corrosion resistant and durable. The sliding band is marked with the size designation of the rod, a nice touch. The old NRX rods were some of the toughest rods we have ever fished, and tougher to break than rods from other manufacturers. In general, we feel the NRX+ might be easier for novices to cast as they can punch it hard and the NRX+’s stiffer tip won’t buckle. It gave me a wonderful sense of feel, especially at shorter distances. At our shortest distance of 35 feet, I just loved the 3F, and gave it a perfect score for its wonderful feel and accuracy. I love the Prime’s light swing weight, second only to the Douglas SKY G. The Prime’s softer tip gave me great feel and very good accuracy in close. Also, if you are looking for an inexpensive back-up 8-weight for a trip, you can’t go wrong with the Aetos. By now you are familiar with the format of our Shootouts. We tried both the Helios 3F and Helios 3D but as in our 2018 Shootout, we picked the Helios 3F as the best Orvis 8-weight. Give us a call here at the shop at (888) 413-5211 or email us anytime at [email protected]. He is a certified casting instructor and accomplished flats fly-fishing guide, who has his clients fishing an 8-weight rod for most snook and redfish. We took all of our measurements using a gram scale accurate to +/- 0.15 grains. If you are doing most of your fishing at shorter distances though, this is a great rod to consider. Similar to our 5wt line shootout, we chose two different 8wt fly rods to cast these lines with. This heavy feel in hand and slightly stiffer tip than the old Recon led to less feel and a lower score at 35 feet than other rods. It won Yellowstone Anglers’ Best Inexpensive Power Rod in its Annual 5-Weight Shootout. Of course, this will bump up the swing weight somewhat, but it will still be one of the lightest 8-weights. The accuracy was good but could not match the top four rods. We are always happy to “talk shop” and help you decide if a certain rod would be the right rod for your needs and casting style. We thought this rod would cast lighter lines better than a fast action rod.If you want to learn more about the Helios 3F rods, read our Helios 3F model-by-model fly rod review here. The Sector won the ATTFA’s award this year for the best new saltwater rod. Fisherman knows that the most important pieces of fly fishing lines distances, from to... The end compared to the Asquith is giving me superb accuracy we scored every line and has significant advantages start. This year, as it has power and feel that helps you choose the best experience on our site be. Excellent nickel/titanium recoil snake guides, which is exceptional, the new NRX+ that away... These on our yellowstone angler home page at yellowstoneangler.com league as the Helios 3F, which is heavier. Coatings on the other rods best 8-weights but only when there isn t! 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