With the breakthrough in new materials and resin systems that we have had in the past couple of years, a lot of great new rods have emerged, and as you’ll read here, not all of the best are in the $600-700 class. Some, like the new TFO BVK are downright cheap – less than $250, but it produced some amazing results that had us all shaking our heads. With the advent of new nano resin systems, particularly from the 3M company, several manufacturers like G.Loomis, Hardy and St. Croix have incorporated this new resin system that uses tiny nano silica particles that fill in the tiniest gaps as the adhesive cures. This allows the manufacturers to build rods that are up to 20% lighter and 20% stronger than what they had done in the past. Lighter and stronger is always better, especially in fly rods, so we were overjoyed in seeing these new offerings and testing them ourselves in fishing conditions this past year.
Since our last 8-weight shootout most manufacturers have introduced new rods and many have been outstanding. Orvis was the first to bring us super-light rods in the Helios models, and these were impressive. The Orvis process and materials used are somewhat different than the 3M nano silica resin system but as you’ll see they came up with some of the very lightest 8-weight rods we have ever tested.
The idea behind our fly rod comparisons – the various shootouts that we have done, is to come up with a system to rate all these rods, but do it in an unbiased manner. What you are going to read are our honest opinions. You may agree or disagree, but nearly all of the e-mails we’ve received in the past have been positive, and 85-90% of the people that have responded, agreed with our findings, and thanked us for our efforts.
You aren’t going to see direct rod comparisons like this in the fly-fishing magazines or any medium that depends on advertising to generate their income. We are going to give you winners, but there will also be losers and others that just don’t seem to measure up. We’ll tell you why we rated each rod and give you a close look at how they performed at different distances.
Some of the categories are objective and these are easy to determine, but many are subjective categories and these are much more difficult. Just remember that these are our opinions, nothing more.
We still retain our “swing weight” category, but now we are using the Fly Rod Moment of Inertia Calculation for each rod, which is far more accurate than our efforts in the past. We are indebted to Grunde Lovoll and Magnus Angus, from Sexy Loops.com for their efforts in providing this for everyone, and you can go to the Sexy Loops site and make these calculations for any of your own rods. You may have to make some conversions, depending on your scale or how you measure, but these are easy enough to find on line.
Our shootouts have been very popular worldwide, and of course very controversial. Some forums are already wondering what we’ll say in our new 8-weight shootout. After this one, some folks will want to string us up by our heels, while others will give us a pat on the back. I wish we could reply to everyone on these forums but of course time limits what we can do. You’ll be able to read George’s opinions on the main page but you can click on the photos on the right side to read counterpoints from James Anderson, Robert Kovich and Steve Galletta, all great anglers and casters.
If you do have some specific comments or something you need help with, please do e-mail us at: staff@yellowstoneangler.com
One thing to keep in mind when you read this 8-weight shootout, is that our perfect 8-weight rod is a strong 8 weight that will do it all- chuck big streamers sinking tip lines for big trout, be powerful enough to battle ten pound Alaska rainbows, and also double as the best rod you can find for bonefish and other saltwater species. It must cast well from distances from 35 feet all the way out to 100 feet. A lot of rods are good at one extreme or the other, but our “Perfect 8” will do it all. In looking at its capabilities as a good saltwater rod, it sure helps to have slightly larger guides, a good fighting butt and a securely locking reel seat that will hold larger, heavier saltwater fly reels.
In doing our shootouts, we try to pick the best rods we can find on the market that will meet our requirements and this often means getting rods that we do not sell in our shop and from manufacturers we don't do business with. This is not always easy and we apologize for not testing a rod you wanted to see. E-mail us and we can usually give you some answers as to how these rods perform as even if we didn't test it, we may have well cast it against these other rods in our shootout.
This year we added one more performance category – Sinking Tip Line Performance. We judged each rod at how well it would throw a big streamer using a Rio DC 250 grain, 24 foot sink tip line. The ability to carry the line easily in the air and shoot a lot of line is the primary factor here, and strong rods with better butt and mid-section power will fare better than the softer models that feel great at 35-50 feet, but start losing it at long range.
The meat of our shootouts is performance. Sure, we want to consider a lot of different categories to determine the best rod and we’ve done this in our overall findings. But this year we are also going to include a page of results based only on the performance categories. Inexpensive rods, lighter weight rods, and cheap replacement warranty costs are one thing, but if you are looking for the best performing rods, this will help narrow down your choices.
Again this year we are finding that there are more great imported rods, many made in China and Korea. With superb design, and good quality control, there is no reason why these rods should be inferior to anything on the market. But when you look at our winners, you’ll see that most are rods that are still made right here in the US.
Our 8-weight shootout this year includes only 14 rods. We tried and cast more like twenty rods, but in the end picked what we felt were the best strong 8-weight rods out there. This eliminated a lot of rods that people will wish we had tested. One example is the Winston BIIIX. It was just too soft at longer distances. We felt that the BIIMX, which is a lot stiffer, was far better. Although the Winston Passport was the best inexpensive rod in our 2011 5-weight shootout, the 8-weight passport was just way, way too soft. Casting this rod with the sinking head line was flat out dangerous unless you were wearing a motocross helmet! There were also a handful of rods we wished we could have tested, but either ran out of time or were unable to get one from reps or manufacturers. One rod we wanted to include was the new Sage “One” in an 8-weight. Our Sage reps dropped the ball by not telling us this might be available to test. People will ask why we didn’t test the Sage TCX, but we have always felt these rods were way too stiff for their line ratings plus this rod uses smaller guides not well suited to saltwater use. We also eliminated the Allen Nano ti because of its sub par performance and the fact that it is not readily available from a variety of dealers. Ditto for all the Albright rods. There are many other rods that I wish we could have tested but we had to draw the line somewhere, and we’re sorry if we couldn’t test your favorite rod – perhaps next time.
We hope you enjoy the 2011 8-weight shootout! Don’t be afraid to e-mail us with your comments. If you are in the market for a new rod, reel or other equipment, we’d appreciate your business! You can call us in Montana at (406)-222-7130, e-mail us at staff@yellowstoneangler.com or visit our on-line catalog. With your support, we can afford to spend the time and effort it takes to do more of these shootouts as well as other comparisons on tackle and equipment in the future.
Why trust our opinions?
Many of you know that George Anderson has a stellar reputation as a great caster and angler in both fresh and saltwater. His back-to-back wins at the Jackson Hole One-Fly in ’89 and ’90 helped to solidify his reputation as a nymph and dry fly fisherman. You may have even heard the rumors that George was kicked out of the One Fly since having "the predator" involved made the competition unfair (which was untrue) - but no angler since has come close to catching 78 trout in one day, on one fly - George's Brownstone. What you marge’s help in designing rods like the Sage LL 389 and 490, as well as The Loomis StreamDance GLX Presentation series of trout rods. George joined Steve Rajeff in Woodland Washington, to fine-tune all the final StreamDance GLX prototypes, both the Presentation Series and the High Line Speed Series. George also helped Tom Morgan with final prototype designs of the Tom Morgan Rodsmiths rods, and then did all the final casting and fine-tuning of the pre-production prototypes as well as approval of the finished rods.
George as well as the staff here at the Yellowstone Angler has done a lot of fly-fishing all over the world, for a variety of game fish in both fresh and saltwater. This has given us ample opportunities to test rods and other tackle in a huge variety of conditions and fishing situations. The best rods, reels and other products that have proven themselves time and time again are the ones that rise to the top and the ones we want to report on in our shootouts and other tackle comparisons. We’ll try to give you our unbiased opinions so that you can make the best buying decision for your needs.
Great Rods are not always expensive
As you’ll see in our shootout, we included some terrific rods that are very light and perform unbelievably well for less than $250.00. You are not going to find the highest tech materials, the very best components, cork handles or guides on these less expensive rods, but the gap is closing fast, and some of these rods like the TFO BVK have exceptionally good craftsmanship.
What we have seen in the past few years is that the quality of these inexpensive rods has increased dramatically. Better components are being used, the wraps and coatings have improved and more importantly rod design itself has improved by leaps and bounds.
If you want the very best and can afford it, be prepared to spend $600-800 on a rod but you won’t be disappointed if you choose one of our top picks! On the other hand, for a good back up rod or for someone just starting out in fly-fishing, one of the best inexpensive rods is a perfect choice.
Don’t believe everything you read!
Manufacturers have done their best to convince us that their rods are better than anything else on the market. I don’t blame them for trying to beef up their market share, but some of their claims are pretty far fetched and in some cases just old-fashioned BS. The more you get pounded with fancy big ads in the magazines the more you begin to believe this stuff. It’s just human nature.
That’s where we come in. At the Yellowstone Angler, we’ve always tried to give our customers well-informed, unbiased answers that help them cut through this avalanche of propaganda, and steer them to the right rods, reels, and other products that fit their needs and price considerations.
You might disagree with us on a few things, but we know, from the feedback we get from all over the world, that most experienced anglers and good casters agree with our findings.
Great anglers design the best rods
After casting, fishing and testing thousands of rods over the past thirty years, one thing has become very apparent to me – the very best rods have come from rod designers who were also great anglers. These guys that know exactly how rods need to perform for whatever type of fishing they have been designed, and the little tweaks and design changes they need to make give us rods that approach perfection. A lot of people come to mind and many I’ve known and fished with personally. Steve Rajeff at G. Loomis spent a lot of time in designing the spectacular new NRX. Other great anglers designing some of the finest rods include Tom Morgan who has given us the Tom Morgan Rodsmith line but who was formerly the owner of Winston Rods, Jerry Siem at Sage, and of course Don Green who started Sage as well as the late Jimmy Green of Fenwick (and later Sage). Lefty Kreh, now helping design rods for TFO, is renowned for his angling ability, and the new TFO BVK is a shining example of his latest work. Howard Croston, who is now the head of the design team at Hardy, who have given us the spectacular Zenith and Proaxis series of saltwater rods, is also a great angler, with whom I’ve fished with here in Montana. Many of these great anglers are also some of the world’s finest competition casters, and this has also helped them in the design process to give us such outstanding rods. What all these people have in common is that the knowledge and ability they have gained as anglers and casters has made them the best rod designers the world has ever known.
Our Testing Procedures
Keeping it Apples to Apples
In testing rods like these that often very close in performance, even small variables can skew the results. We’ve found that just taking the time to strip the line off one rod and re-string another rod is enough time to loose your feel for minute differences in flex or accuracy. So for this shootout we wanted to have at least four of the exact same brand reels and size set up with the exact same line and leader set up. This way we could switch immediately from one rod to another, even with 50 feet of line out lying on the floor or grass and be able to detect subtle differences in the way these rods performed. It also allowed us to keep a couple of the best rods loaded up as benchmarks with which we could compare the other rods. In addition to the Tibor Everglades reels with saltwater floating lines, we loaded four fresh water reels up with Rio DC 250 grain sinking head lines that would give us an accurate idea on how these 8-weight rods would perform throwing big streamers.
For reels, I picked my favorite #8 line saltwater reel, a Tibor Everglades. I’ve used these reels since their introduction by Ted Juracsik fifteen years ago. They have been superb in every way for both saltwater and freshwater use. The same Everglades I use on bonefish, I use in Alaska for big 10 lb. rainbows! I just change the line to a cold-water version and go with heavier backing. The Everglades is a mid-arbor reel but has enough capacity to hold a WF-8-F floating fly line and 200 yd. of twenty-pound Micron backing. These reels utilize three ball bearings and have perhaps the best drag ever designed on a saltwater fly reel. The drag has a wide range of adjustment, a good detent system to keep the adjustment knob from turning too easily, and enough power to stop a taxicab. To my way of thinking there is nothing that sounds as sweet as a standard Tibor at full song with a bonefish peeling off a hundred yards of backing along with your fly line. Three ball bearing detents in the cork drag plate make this sweet music. With a nominal amount of care, these reels are totally bulletproof and will provide nearly a lifetime of enjoyable service.
Since our shootout is focused primarily at rods that also make the best bonefish rods, where only a floating line is used, the standard Everglades is perfect. For an angler that is using the rod for more freshwater fishing, where both a floating line and sink tip or sink head line is needed, the Tibor Quick-Change reel or their new Signature Series 7/8 is a better choice since changing spools in the field is easier and safer, with no chance to lose any small parts.
Click here for more information on Tibor Reels
Lines: SA Bonefish WF-8F & RIO 24' 250 grain sink tip
Scientific Anglers and RIO make some of the finest saltwater fly lines I’ve used. Both use stiffer cores and coatings than their freshwater cousins, to cope with the tropical heat that is normally in the 80’s, and even hotter on the deck of a flats skiff in bright sun. The Scientific Anglers Mastery Bonefish Taper lines, with their braided monofilament cores and AST technology are better casting lines we have found for most anglers, and rarely end up in bird’s nests, so this is what I used for the on-land casting performance tests. For saltwater fishing I have not liked the rougher Sharkskin lines as they cut too easily if they touch some exposed skin when a bonefish is running hard.
For the sinking line portion of our tests, we used Rio’s Density Compensated 250 grain, 24 foot sinking head lines that have a floating running line. This is a great streamer line and the choice of most serious streamer anglers, mostly because they cast well and the running line tangles less than the other comparable brands. While no running line is 100% tangle free, when the Rio line does tangle it is much easier to untangle than the streamer express that uses a smaller diameter solid core running line. For shallower, slower running water, the 10-15 foot sink tips make more sense.
Leaders
The best casting saltwater leaders I’ve ever used are hand tied leaders. We have our own Yellowstone Angler Bonefish leaders tied with Mason’s Hard Nylon for the butt and midsections of the leader and then use Seaguar GrandMax Fluorocarbon for the tippet sections. I've designed these 12-foot leaders with stiff butt and midsections and short tapers. They will cast better into a hard wind than any 9-foot knotless leaders on the market. For the shootout, we utilized our bonefish leaders for all the performance-casting tests with the floating bonefish lines. For a practice fly, I cut down some old Enrico Puglisi 2/0 snook patterns, chopping off the bend and barb of the hooks. The weight ended up being about what you might have with a heavier bonefish fly.
For the sinking DC 250 lines, we used a short 5-foot leader tapered to 16 lb. and then a fairly heavy streamer pattern (cut off at the bend of the hook)
Limiting our shootout to 4-piece rods
For most anglers that are traveling more every day, a four-piece rod makes the most sense. These are very easy to hand carry onto airlines and I normally use one of the multi-rod cases that hold 4-6 rods in their cloth bags. For a lot of saltwater anglers who can keep a rod in their boat or use a longer car top carrier, one of the new one-piece rods offered by Hardy or Loomis can make a lot of sense. We’ll report later in this shootout on the Hardy Proaxis 8 foot 10 inch #8, one-piece rod that was so outstanding.
(Click to enlarge chart)
Categories Explained
Objective categories
Price in US $ - 10 points available
This is simple - the least expensive rods get the highest points. So the TFO BVK and the St. Croix Imperial pick up 10 points. The most expensive rod we tested, the Orvis Helios, at $795.00 gets a 6. Most of the more expensive and best performing rods were in that high $600 to mid $700 category and they scored a 7.
Try not to let price be the deciding factor in buying a rod. Today with all the lifetime warranties the manufacturers offer, even if you break a $700 rod, it may cost you only $50-60 to replace it! If you consider how much enjoyment you will get fishing one of the best rods over even a few years is may make sense to save up a little more money and go for the best. The best rods will also help you improve your casting and fishing dramatically, and help you step up to that next level more quickly. On the other hand, after looking at how the BVK finished overall a lot of anglers will be thinking that this may be a good way to save $400! But if you want the best and are an experienced angler, spend that extra $400 and you won’t regret it.
Overall Weight – 10 points available
We don’t take the manufacturer’s word for how much these rods weigh – we weigh them ourselves. This was done on a new digital scale that was calibrated down to .0001 oz. To make things easy, we rounded up to .01 oz. You will find all this information in our table on Objective Observations. Overall weight is one factor for sure, but even more important for the angler is the swing weight of the rod - how heavy it really feels in your hand when you are casting and fishing.
Swing Weight – 10 points available
You have heard this term if you are a golfer. Every pro shop has a simple scale that measures swing weight – the weight of the head of the club in relation to the shaft when you waggle the club. Since a scale like this won’t work with a fly rod, we had to come up with a better way to measure swing weight – that weight you feel out ahead of your hand when you hold the rod in a horizontal position. Rods with a low swing weight are a joy to use and fish all day. False casting while fishing dry flies all day becomes effortless. Rods with lower swing weights help protect light tippets too, as there is less inertia to overcome as the rod tip gets jerked around while you try to set the hook. Rods with a high swing weight are not nearly as pleasant to fish, and will extract their payment in arm pump and fatigue by the end of the day.
We devised a better method of determining swing weight in our 2011 5-weight shootout, and double-checked it with our old method to make sure we were still on the right track.
Swing Weight – our new calculations on MOI
We have found that swing weight is very similar to the Moment of Inertia. Moment of inertia (MOI) is resistance of an object to rotational acceleration. The greater the MOI of a fly rod the more force (torque) is needed to cast that rod. Calculating the MOI of a rod is now easy with the help of an MOI calculator that you can access here or through Google. As we said earlier, we are delighted that Europeans Grunde Lovoll and Magnus Angus wrote all this up for Sexy Loops.com in March 2008.
Warranty – 10 points available
Virtually every manufacturer has a “Lifetime Warranty” but this doesn’t mean you get another rod for free. Almost everyone charges a “handling fee”, and this differs from one manufacturer to another. We tried to simplify this as much as we could, but only a few manufacturers make this straightforward and easy.
Bottom line is that it can cost you as little as $25-30 for the best warranties, or as much as $100-$200 for others if the breakage was your fault or neglect and not a defect. Also, nearly all warranties apply only to the original owner, so if you break a rod you have bought second-hand you can be out big bucks, especially on rods that have serial numbers the manufactures can track.
Warranties
Since Warranty is one of our categories we are rating this year, we wanted to give you a relatively concise explanation so that you can see how we judged this category. Some manufacturers, like G. Loomis are making this very complicated but we’ll do our best to give you the short version.
In almost every instance, the manufacturer charges a handling fee, and you also need to know that it will cost you a minimum of $10-15 to send the rod in to the manufacturer, or have your local shop ship the rod, in addition to that handling fee. In most instances your rod will be repaired, not replaced but this varies from one manufacturer to another.
Hardy – Lifetime warranty to original owner. $25 handling fee plus 10% retail cost of rod/section. Shipping is from their US warehouse, normally about 10 days.
G. Loomis – Lifetime warranty to original owner. You send in rod and their warranty dept examines rod. If rod broke because of a defect, replacement is free. No handling fee. If from neglect, charges can be well over $100. One time Expeditor service, no questions asked - $100. Gets you a new rod in 3-5 days. NRX owners go on-line to get what is called the “Wild Card”, and this allows them to get a one-time Free replacement for any reason, in 3-5 days. After that, if NRX break is deemed a defect, replacement is free. From neglect charges will vary but over $100. Defect claims usually take 1-2 weeks. If Loomis decides that there has been no neglect, the new rod is free and there is no automatic handling fee like other manufacturers.
Orvis - 25 year warranty to original owner. $30 handling fee. Rod is repaired, not replaced. Usually takes 2-4 weeks.
Redington – Lifetime warranty to original owner, $30 handling fee. Rod is replaced with a new rod. Usually takes 2 weeks.
R.L. Winston – Lifetime warranty to original owner, $50 handling fee. Older rods not under warranty cost $120 or more. Rods are repaired, not replaced. Usually takes 2-4 weeks.
Sage – Lifetime warranty to original owner. $50 handling fee. Rods are repaired, not replaced. Usually takes 2-4 weeks.
Scott – Lifetime warranty to original owner, $45 handling fee. Rods are repaired, not replaced. Usually takes 2-4 weeks.
St. Croix – Lifetime warranty to original owner, $50 handling fee. Rods are repaired, not replaced. Usually takes 2-4 weeks.
Thomas & Thomas – Lifetime warranty to original owner, $50 handling fee. Rods are repaired, not replaced. Usually takes 2-4 weeks.
Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) - Lifetime warranty to original owner. $25 handling fee. Rods are replaced with a new rod. Usually takes 1 week.
Subjective categories
Craftsmanship - 10 points available
We look at a lot of things on a rod to determine craftsmanship. Some things are pretty obvious, like the quality of the cork handle – is it individual laid up corks that are turned down on a lathe, and how good is the quality of the cork? Is it nearly perfect with few defects or did they have to use a lot of filler? Are they using pre-shaped cork handles, which are almost always inferior to individual cork rings, and of what quality? Is the reel seat well designed for the use intended and how good does it look? Are the thread wraps tight and coated smoothly? A lot of manufacturers use a one-coat finish and often this can be applied too heavily, looking sloppy and adding weight. Or it can be too thin, exposing enough of the thread to fray over time. If you want to see something close to perfection in wraps and coatings, take a look at a Tom Morgan Rodsmiths trout rod.
Little things like beautifully made nickel silver winding checks mean a lot over plastic or rubber. The overall craftsmanship of rods has improved a lot over the past several years, especially on the least expensive rods. If you look closely, you’ll notice that we didn’t award anyone a score of 10 in this shootout. There are just no 8-weight rods here that would equal Tom Morgan’s type of craftsmanship.
Fun to Fish/Got to Have – 10 points available
This category comes straight from the Car and Driver shootouts, but you know all about this one. If the rod looks like a million bucks and casts like it too, then any normal fly fisherman will lust for this rod. For some, it might even be considered a status symbol. I keep thinking this may be why Loomis went with those blue wraps on the NRX? For others, they see how this rod performs in their guide’s hands and they know that if they get the same rod, it will take them to that next level. Surprisingly enough, often they are right. Great rods don’t make great casters, but they can sure help an average caster get a lot better in a hurry. Good anglers know the value of an exceptional rod, and price usually doesn’t slow them down one bit. After all, an angler can never have too many rods, can they?
Why double points for performance categories
We have always felt that the most important factor in determining the best overall 8-weight rod is straight out performance. Sure, craftsmanship, price and all these other categories need to enter into the final equation, but the real meat of these shootouts are the performance categories, and this is why we justify 20 points rather than 10 in these categories. This year we’ll have a separate Final Results table just for the performance categories to cut through the other BS and zero in only on performance.
“Perfect 8 Performance” – 20 points available
We felt that a separate performance category was needed to reward the best #8 line rods for their overall superiority. These are the rods that once you pick them up and make just one cast, you know that they are something special, and this special feeling gives you total confidence in putting your fly just where you want it at any distance. We’re looking for rods that can do it all, at any distance, with an 8-weight line. So that hurts rods that are only good in close or at short to medium distances, like the Scott S4s or St. Croix’s Legend Elite. Both of these rods are marvelous at short to medium distance but out long they don’t have the guts to get it done. It also puts a big hit on rods we feel are just too stiff or rods that have tips that are so stiff they just don’t flex enough to allow any feel at 35 feet. Good examples are the Hardy Proaxis and Winston’s BIIMX.
Performance at 35 feet - 20 points
Most people pick up a fly rod and gauge it’s merit on how far they can throw the line. But the best 8-Weight rods need to have good feel and excellent accuracy at closer distances too. The top point getters in this category are rods that are superbly accurate at 35 feet and effortless to cast off the tip of the rod using your wrist to power the tip through the stroke. At short distance, casting accuracy is the number one factor I used in rating these rods. Regardless of whether you are fishing in fresh or saltwater, the key to catching lots of fish and big fish is casting accuracy. When I’m wade fishing for bonefish, I’m often down on my knees, keeping the rod low and getting as close to the fish as possible. This is when accuracy really pays off. Rods that are very stiff and perform well at long range usually trade off feel and accuracy at short range. The best rods that we tested here had soft enough tips to give them excellent feel and accuracy at short range yet plenty of power to throw long. The NRX is a perfect example here. It was delightful to cast in close but would throw effortless tight loops all day at longer distances. We all felt that the St. Croix Legend Elite and the Scott S4s had an exceptionally sweet feel and terrific accuracy in close, and that’s why they also picked up 20’s in this category. But at the longest distances, they were a disappointment.
Performance at 60 feet - 20 points
Now we’re really getting into the meat of this shootout. The rods that rate highly in this category can really drill them in there at sixty feet, even in a hard breeze. This meant putting five casts out of five into a 36” hoop, time after time. Also, a good 8-Weight rod should have the power to do this without a double haul or shooting any line. You need to be able to just rip a good back cast and fire it in there on the forward stroke. Rods with a wimpy butt and mid-section need not apply. On the water this translates into putting a heavy bonefish fly on the money into a 20-knot wind or slamming a wind resistant 2/0 snook fly way back under those mangrove branches with a tight loop that will turn over a long leader. The rods in this shootout that can do all this with surprising ease are made by G. Loomis. The NRX and our previous 8-weight shootout winner the CrossCurrent GLX. Everyone else fought it out for second place.
Performance at 85 to 100 feet - 20 points
Most people will say that testing rods at 100 feet is crazy, so we backed this off a little and are now calling it 85-100 feet. Any fairly accomplished caster can throw 85 feet, even into a breeze. Both Scientific Anglers and RIO make their Bonefish lines 100 feet long. Add a 12 foot bonefish leader and you are well over 100 feet. Good casters in calmer conditions can cast these kinds of distances all day long. I can hear it now. People will say you are never fishing at those distances, but I beg to differ on that. I don’t know how many times I’ve been in the situation where our guide had poled the flats skiff so far up on the mud that it wouldn’t go any farther, and those tailing bones were still just over 100 feet away. Getting out of the skiff to wade was hopeless, as you would sink up to your waist in the marl. It was either throw it 110 feet or go fishless.
It’s times like these when I appreciate the explosive reserve power of the Loomis NRX and their Cross Current GLX. Not only will these rods throw it farther than the rest of the crowd, they will do it with extremely tight loops and exceptional accuracy.
Sinking Tip Line Performance - 20 points
This year we have added a new category for sinking tip line performance. Many people are using their 8-weights in fresh water a great deal of the time, often using a sink tip line chucking big streamers. No question about it - the big browns of the Yellowstone and other blue ribbon rivers want to eat flies that are bigger than a six or seven weight can throw. Our resident streamer experts decided upon testing with their favorite streamer line, a fast sinking (6-7 ips) Rio Density Compensated 250 grain sink tip line that has a 24 foot sinking tip followed by 6 feet of larger diameter floating line, and then another 66 feet of small diameter floating running line. These 250-grain lines match most 8-weights perfectly, but some of the strongest rods will work with a 300 gr. head also. We added a short leader and a fairly big and heavy streamer, with the hook snipped off at the bend so no one got seriously hurt. We judged the ease of casting - how well the rod could pick the head out of the water, hold the head in the air while false casting and how well we could shoot the whole rig for distance. In general, the stronger rods with good butt and mid-section power placed the highest in this category, and throwing the whole 100 feet of line was pretty easy.
We judged each rod at how well it would throw a big streamer using a Rio DC 250 grain, 24 foot sink tip line. The ability to carry the line easily in the air and shoot a lot of line is the primary factor here, and strong rods with better butt and mid-section power will fare better than the softer models that feel great at 35-50 feet, but start losing it at long range.
The Final Results
(click to enlarge chart)
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Performance Only Results
The most endearing factor for this rod is its price. There had to be a rod that ended up at the bottom of our list but this Imperial is really not that bad and casts surprisingly well at short to medium distances. This rod is lighter at 4.25 oz. than the St. Croix Legend Elite (4.63 oz.) which tied for 4th place and is a really sweet rod. But less weight means less power in the butt and mid section and the Imperial also had one of the highest swing weights, meaning it just felt heavy when you flexed the rod in your hand. This rod has a much slower action than it’s more expensive cousin and that hindered it’s performance, especially at long range.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 16 points out of 20
Good feel in my hand and decent but not great accuracy in close. This rod felt heavier in my hand than a lot of other rods and this was probably due to the high the swing weight.
Performance at 60 feet: 17 points out of 20
The rod feels fairly well balanced in my hand, but a chore to cast for any length of time at this distance. Accuracy was nothing out of the ordinary, and I had expected better.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 16 points out of 20
85 feet is possible, but getting it out to 100 is going to require a good wind at your back. Casting this rod was hard work at these longer distances, and it wouldn’t be a pleasant all day experience.
Sink Tip Performance: 14 points out of 20
This rod scored the lowest of all our rods and for good reason – no guts. If you are looking for a rod for fishing sinking lines, better look elsewhere.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 15 points out of 20
Again the lowest of all the scores. For a rod that costs only $210 it is hard to be very critical but everything else sure seemed a lot better.
Click for more photos
I’ll get right to the point. None of us liked this rod very much, and maybe it was because we expected so much more. It is a lot stronger rod than the BIIIx, and this was why we picked it for the shootout rather than the BIIIx. One of the problems is that the tip is still too stiff and this led to a lack of feel or accuracy at short range. With its stiffness in the butt and mid-section, you would think that it should work a lot better at mid longer distances but it just wasn’t even close to the best rods. For Winston fans, this is definitely their best power rod, and that Winston emerald green is as gorgeous as ever.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 16 points out of 20
The tip is just too stiff to give the kind of feel and accuracy that we like at shorter distances. They should have given this rod the same flex in the tip as the BIIIx, then they would have had something. Or better yet, they could get a Scott S4s and duplicate that kind of short distance performance.
Performance at 60 feet: 17 points out of 20
At longer distances, this rod starts to feel better, but we had expected better performance than this. The rod just feels a little clunky and lacks the ability to throw those super tight loops like the NRX.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 18 points out of 20
Now the overall stiffness kicks in and it actually starts to feel pretty good at long range. Not great mind you, but far better than the BIIIx or that Scott S4s.
Sink Tip Performance: 15 points out of 20
This was a surprise as this rod has the power to pull a lot of line out of the water but once it got the line in the air it just didn’t carry the line well and was tough to control the distance and the delivery. The whole time we were just worried about the streamer whacking us in the back of the head.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 16 points out of 20
It was tough to rate this any higher when we all disliked just about everything about the way this rod cast. Not a rod you are going to brag about to many of your friends unless they are Winston fans.
Click for more photos
This is a very light rod, and when you pick it up in the store along with the Helios, these rods feel somewhat similar, both being very light, and somewhat similar in action. You might question the difference in price, which is $420.00! But after our casting sessions, there is no question that the Helios is a far better performing rod. This rod is their tip flex 9.5, but the action is closer to a medium action than a fast action. That hurts a lot when you are fishing in close and this rod just did not have the feel that any of the better rods did at any distance! Craftsmanship was good, typical of Orvis, so you are getting a pretty good value in this respect. But as you’ll see in the performance categories, it was blah across the board. Nothing to get you excited. Maybe this is why it scored a lowly six with the bottom three rods in the fun to fish category.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 17 points out of 20
Even though they call this a tip flex, the tip is way too stiff! No feel or any decent accuracy at short range. If Orvis can give this Access a more flexible tip, it would make a huge difference and turn this into something we might like.
Performance at 60 feet: 17 points out of 20
Starts to run out of gas and doing a lot of casting at 60 feet becomes work, despite the light weight. I had to work hard to get tight loops and acceptable accuracy. Ok but nothing to write home about.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 17 points out of 20
The access really does not have the guts to blast long tight casts out there. At 85 feet it’s just OK, and trying to get 100 will leave you frustrated. If you want something that will throw long, look elsewhere.
Sink Tip Performance: 15 points out of 20
The more moderate action and lack of power didn’t help chucking the sink tip head. It worked but not well. The 250 grain head might have been just too much, bogging it down. If I had this rod I’d back off to a 200 grain head and that would make a big difference. Still, this rod won’t throw long very well with any line.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 16 points out of 20
My first quote I wrote down just about sums this up: “Light in weight but short on performance.” If you are looking for that sweet feeling stick, spend the money on the Helios or any of the other rods rated higher.
After the Hardy Zenith won our 2011 5-weight shootout, we had high hopes that this new Proaxis would be another winner, or at least give the top rods a run for their money. Unfortunately, neither was the case. When we broke this rod out, our first impressions were that it felt too stiff and too heavy. It is a lot closer to a nine-weight rod than an eight. Even though the Zenith was one of the lightest 5-weights, this Proaxis is one of the heavier 8-weights! It also has a very stiff tip, which kills it’s performance at short range. As you’ll read later in our shootout, Hardy sent us one of their One-Piece 8-weight rods and it was just unbelievable in every way, but the one thing that impressed me was that it had a far softer tip than the 4-piece and it cast so much better in close (and at all ranges).
The 4-piece version was a big disappointment for a variety of reasons. These rods are made in Korea and the craftsmanship is not as good as what you’ll find from Loomis or Sage. Just looking at the wraps they are far larger and have a lot more epoxy coating on them than the clean looking wraps on the NRX. At least they do use the good flexible and unbreakable nickel/titanium snake guides. One thing I did like was the reel seat they put on these Proaxis rods. It works very well and locks up very solidly on any reel. I’m surprised that this rod didn’t score higher, but it simply did not perform nearly as well as the best rods. This may not be the best 8-weight, but it may be the strongest and toughest to break as those Andy Mill YouTube videos will attest.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 17 points out of 20
The rod feels very heavy compared to our other rods, and really needed a #9 line to perform well in close. The tip was way too stiff, not allowing much touch or feel and the accuracy was poor in comparison to the better rods.
Performance at 60 feet: 18 points out of 20
Plenty of power at longer distances, but I never had the feeling I was getting the effortless tight loops or the accuracy at 60 feet that I could with the NRX or Xi3. I just had to work far harder to get the same kind of performance I was getting with the top rods. Perhaps the weight and stiffness were the key to its downfall.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 18 points out of 20
In casting this rod straight up with the Xi3 and NRX, there was no question that both of those rods were better at long range and threw tighter loops with less effort. The Proaxis felt a lot heavier in my hand than the other rods even though on paper it was not much heavier than the NRX.
Sink Tip Performance: 17 points out of 20
Good but not great was the way I summed it up. It sure had the power to pitch the sinking tip rig a long way but just didn’t do it as smoothly or as confidently as the top rods.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 17 points out of 20
I expected better than 17 points, but after all the performance casting tests, this rod just didn’t turn us on like the Zenith or any of our better rods in the 8-weight tests. Now, that One-piece 8 foot 10 inch Hardy Proaxis could have picked up a 20 in this category, but that is a far different rod.
Anglers loved the old Sage XP, even though it was probably too stiff, and the Z-Axis has proven to be a far better rod. So Sage came up with the VXP, a light rod but one with much more of a medium action than the faster, high scoring Xi3. The VXP does not use the Generation 5 technology or graphite that the Xi3 uses and this allows them to cut the price a bit, making it a couple of hundred dollars less than the Xi3. If you want a rod that will do it all, my suggestion is to save your money and plunk it down on the Xi3! The VXP will be happier in fresh water environments than the salt and doesn’t have the backbone or power of the Xi3. It also has smaller guides than the Xi3. The first comments I put down for the VXP is that this rod has an unremarkable feel at all ranges. It was good looking, but just very ordinary in performance. Rods like the Redington CPX and TFO BVK offered remarkably better performance at far less money.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 18 points out of 20
Feels well balanced with the 8-weight line and pretty good feel and accuracy at this distance. Actually a little better accuracy than the Xi3 in close, but not in the same league as the top rods.
Performance at 60 feet: 17 points out of 20
Another ordinary performance, and nothing that got me excited. It was far more difficult to form tight loops than with the Xi3. Both the CPX and BVK threw noticeably tighter loops with better accuracy at 60 feet than the VXP.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 17 points out of 20
This rod is just too soft to really rip these long casts out there like the Xi3 or the NRX, or even the BVK for that matter. Getting 85 feet will not be a problem for most good casters, but hitting 100 is probably not going to happen unless you have a heck of a tailwind.
Sink Tip Performance: 15 points out of 20
The more moderate and softer action didn’t allow me to pick the head out of the water very easily and once I got it in the air, there wasn’t much punch or guts to throw it long. This is another rod that would benefit by dropping down to a 200 grain head. The 250 just seemed to bog it down.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 16 points out of 20
I just kept thinking about how ordinary and unremarkable this rod performed and it was certainly nothing that was turning me on, so it just didn’t deserve a higher score. Interestingly enough, the 7 weight feels like the cherry picker of the VXP line up.
I must admit, the guys at Scott are still not happy with us and our previous shootout comments, so it was no surprise when they declined to send us a rod for our test. We knew from talking to trusted sources that the S4s was a far better rod than the S3S, so we found a way to borrow a well used S4s. We are happy to tell you that it is quite a good rod! So good that it picked up a perfect score of 20 in the 35-foot performance category. But this proved to be one of those rods that was great in close, but lacked the guts needed to blast it out there long with the big dogs. But what a wonderful feel in close. At short range I felt like I could put the fly exactly where I wanted it every time. The incredibly smooth, soft tip did a lot to make this happen. Craftsmanship is good but Scott left its classic characteristic ribbed appearance intact, just like the old days. Just peel off the tape and slap on some epoxy finish. Forget all about trying to take the top score for craftsmanship but keep it light. One of the reasons this rod has a pleasant feel in your hand is that it has an exceptionally light swing weight. The only one better was the Orvis Helios.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 20 points out of 20
What a joy to cast in close- the soft tip made for great feel and accuracy and gives the angler the confidence that he can put the fly exactly where it needs to go. I loved it. If anything it felt like it might have scored 20.5 to beat the Legend Elite and the NRX.
Performance at 60 feet: 18 points out of 20
Feels a little mushy when compared to the NRX and Xi3 but gets the job done. The butt and mid-section power just isn’t great enough to allow the rod to pop those tight loops in there time after time. So accuracy suffers a little bit too. Doesn’t have the punch in the wind that the more powerful rods do and throwing larger flies is a problem.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 16 points out of 20
85 feet is realistically about tops for this rod. It just doesn’t have the power to compete with the big dogs. We had a 15 mph side wind and getting the fly within 15 feet of the target at these distances was very difficult if not impossible. Pick a stronger rod if you want to fish at these distances very much.
Sink Tip Performance: 15 points out of 20
With the softer action and less power, picking a 250 gr. head out of the water and casting it was a chore. I’d definitely go down to a 200 gr. head with this rod but it still doesn’t have the power to throw long comfortably all day.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 17 points out of 20
Great performance in close but the lack of power at longer ranges kept it from scoring higher in this category. A sweet rod if you won’t fish much over 50 -60 feet though. Then it would score an 18 or 19.
We wanted to include the Native Run GLX again this year since in our previous 8-weight shootout, this rod was runner up to our winner, the Loomis CrossCurrent GLX. The Native Run hasn’t changed one bit, and it is still a very good 8-weight rod, but one more slanted towards fresh water than salt. It has smaller one-foot guides than the CrossCurrent GLX or the NRX but this is also a much lighter rod, almost as light as the Orvis Helios. So it’s a lot of fun to fish and has terrific performance especially at short and medium distances. Like all Loomis rods, it has a softer tip but very good butt and mid-section power. I’ve fished this rod a lot in Alaska for big rainbows, and it was a hoot, especially when sight fishing egg patterns (beads) to 8-10 pound rainbows. And this rod has the power to land those big fish with ease. This rod would have placed two or three spots higher if it wasn’t for it’s higher swing weight and warranty scores. Still, if the rod breaks not because of neglect, you’ll get a new rod for free. The power of the Native Run GLX is slightly less than the CrossCurrent GLX so it isn’t as capable at throwing the heavier streamer rigs. Still, it is one of our favorite rods, either throwing streamers for big trout in Montana or fishing for those huge Alaska bows.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 19 points out of 20
The softer tip of the Native Run GLX makes short distance casting a lot of fun. The accuracy was excellent and this rod is almost as light in my hand as the Orvis Helios. My comments showed that the performance and accuracy was definitely better at 35 feet than the Orvis Helios even though it placed a couple of slots lower in score.
Performance at 60 feet: 19 points out of 20
Very good control and power, coming in just behind the NRX and Xi3. Good ability to throw nice tight loops at this range and very pleasant to cast. Lots of power in reserve if you are fishing in windy conditions
Performance at 85-100 feet: 18 points out of 20
Not quite as powerful as the CrossCurrent GLX, NRX or the Xi3 so I had to work a little harder at long distance. Good feel and very good accuracy though at long distances. This rod has enough pop and power to get the job done at anything other than the longest distances.
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Sink Tip Performance: 17 points out of 20
The CrossCurrent GLX was noticeably better, but it is a more powerful rod. Perhaps going down to the 200 grain head would have made a difference, but in all, this rod will sling those streamers very well.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 18 points out of 20
This is definitely one of the best all around 8-weight rods, especially if you are more into fresh water fishing than salt water trips. It has always been one of my favorite rods for fishing Alaska with both floating and sinking lines.
The newly re-designed CPX is a formidable 8-weight weapon at a very reasonable price. It is a fairly stiff rod and really comes into its own at mid to long distances. At 60 feet is had a simply awesome feel, and cranked out very tight loops, nearly as good as the NRX and noticeably better than the BVK. These are very tough rods, and I’ve used the 10 weight CPX rods a lot in saltwater applications and have never had one break, even fighting big tarpon! Redington is now owned by Far Bank Ent., who also owns Sage and Rio. It seems that they have kept the Redington designs quite separate from what Sage is doing, and of course the Redington rods have always been imported rods, made in China. Still, the actions are quite good and all sizes of the CPX seem to perform well. They are a little heavier than the many of the other rods, but as I’ve said, they have proven to be tough as hell. This rod has an excellent double locking uplock seat with an attractive gray graphite insert. The cosmetics are somewhat bland though with dark brown wraps against the black blank. The stripping guides look a bit odd, but seem to work well. Guides are sized well for both fresh and saltwater applications.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 18 points out of 20
The action is medium fast with a fairly stiff tip but it seems to give pretty good feel and accuracy in close. Nothing like the best scoring rods, but certainly very acceptable.
Performance at 60 feet: 19 points out of 20
Absolutely terrific at this distance, dispite its heavy weight. It was easy for me to throw tight loops with excellent accuracy. Good feel and almost as good as the very best rods at this distance. There was no question that the CPX was better at 60 feet than the BVK. It felt very solid and tracks as well as anything at this range, but if you are casting all day long this rod could wear you out!
Performance at 85-100 feet: 18 points out of 20
Feels more solid at long range than the BVK but you can tell it is a lot heavier in overall weight and also swing weight than the BVK. So it is a bit more work if you are doing a lot of casting at longer distances.
Sink Tip Performance: 18 points out of 20
The good power made casting the 250 gr. sinking head a breeze. It had plenty of power to pick up a lot of line and once it was in the air, I could form nice tight loops and shoot a lot of line. This rod tracks very well, and this helped in throwing long.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 17 points out of 20
Even though the performance was good in all categories, this overall weight of this rod makes it less desirable as the perfect 8-weight companion than the best rods. As a back up rod though, this one is tough to beat.
The Helios was introduced since our last 8-weight shootout and has made a name for itself, mainly because of its extreme light-weight, but also for its ability to perform well. I like this rod a lot but I still think that they need to soften the tip a bit to allow better feel at short distances. I love the lightness of the rod in my hand, but this has also seemed to detract from its long range performance, as it just doesn’t have the backbone or power to throw long as well as the best Loomis rods or the Sage Xi3. Craftsmanship is wonderful, as we have come to expect from Orvis over the years. This is a good looking rod with an excellent uplocking reel seat and comfortable handle. The stripping guides are huge but the snake guides seem a bit small for saltwater use. At least they give us the good unbreakable and flexible nickel/titanium snake guides. Not only is this rod very light in weight but it also has the lightest swing weight, with an MOI of 7.1, which makes it so pleasant to fish all day. This is a much different rod from the Orvis Access though, especially in swing weight. The MOI for the Access is a much heavier 10.1. Speaking of weight, Orvis states on the rod that it is 2 7/8 oz., while on our super accurate scale, we got 3.21 oz.! This is why we weigh all the rods on our own scale, which we know to be very accurate.
Orvis has certainly gotten a lot of mileage in hype about this rod, especially in their catalogs and various magazine publications. But we feel strongly after casting all these rods in our 8-weight shootout that the lightest rod in the world is not necessarily the best in terms of all around performance.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 18 points out of 20
Being so light in weight, this feels good at short range. Even though this was the tip flex version, the tip still was too stiff for good short range feel and accuracy that I had expected. The best rods are all more flexible in their tips and this made the difference. I felt the Helios was slightly better than the Xi3 in close, but not nearly as good as the Scott S4s, the NRX, or St. Croix’s Legend Elite
Performance at 60 feet: 18 points out of 20
I noticed that my cast timing was somewhat slower with the Helios than with the NRX or Xi2, that want to zing them in there. Also, the Helios did not seem to track or have that same solid feel of the best rods. Even the CPX was better. It was tougher to form extremely tight loops and in general it just seemed a little off the mark set by the best performing rods.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 17 points out of 20
At long range this rod just seems to run out of gas. It doesn’t have the power or punch to slam good hard tight loops in there at long range, and accuracy at long range suffered because of this. Then when I tried to lean on it for extra power, to get those loops to turn over, I didn’t get the explosive response I did with the NRX.
Sink Tip Performance: 17 points out of 20
A little more butt and mid-section power would have helped, especially when pulling a lot of sinking line out of the water. The 250 grain head seemed like it overloaded this rod a bit, so I’d probably shift down to the 200 gr. for better sink tip performance. When I slowed down my timing, the casts got smoother. But when I tried to punch the power in quickly, this created all kinds of problems.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 18 points out of 20
The Helios is a very good rod in many respects, and its light weight is impressive. I liked this rod a lot but the thing that separated it from the very best rods was it’s lack of ability to perform at the highest levels that we experienced with some of the other rods we tested.
In our last 8-weight shootout, the Legend Elite really surprised us and came in a solid 3rd place, right behind the Loomis rods. So this year we were really interested to see how their use of their super high modulus graphite combined with the new 3M NSi resin system and lighter weight would improve an already great rod. The answer is YES! This is another terrific 8-weight rod at a very attractive price! But the proof is in the performance. This is a very nicely balanced rod with a wonderfully softer tip that gives this rod it’s great feel, especially at shorter distances. At 35 feet it picked up a perfect score of 20 and just felt magical at this distance. At the longest ranges, this rod didn’t have the power to score with the best but if you want a nice rod for short to medium distance fishing, you can’t go wrong with this one. This is an especially good rod for beginners or anglers just starting out in saltwater fly fishing since the price won’t break the bank. This is a well designed and well thought out rod, and everything just seems to feel just right.
Performance at 35 feet: 20 points out of 20
In close, this rod is just exceptional. I could put the fly just where I wanted it almost every time. The rod just feels great and gives anyone a lot of confidence in what they can do, beginners or experts alike.
Performance at 60 feet: 18 points out of 20
Very nice controlled tight loops gave me good accuracy at 60 feet. Not quite as much punch or pop as the NRX or Xi3, but awfully close. The difference in performance between this rod and the very best is surprisingly close.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 17 points out of 20
At long range the Legend Elite just didn’t have the power to crank out those 100 foot casts very easily. I felt it was good but not great. 85 feet is no problem though and the rod certainly has the power to shoot plenty of line getting there.
Sink Tip Performance: 18 points out of 20
Picking up the 250 grain head was easy and the rod made nice smooth casts as long as I slowed down my delivery a bit. Plenty of butt power for playing big fish.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 19 points out of 20
This rod comes pretty close to the perfect 20, and only it's longer distance performance kept it from getting a perfect score. Anyone would love this rod and as a great all around 8 weight, it is pretty hard to beat, especially at the price.
This was the 8-weight rod that blew them all away in our last 8-weight shootout, and it is still one of the very best 8-weigtht rods on the market. With the coming of the new G. Loomis NRX rods, the CrossCurrent GLX has sort of taken back seat, but the performance is still there. The NRX rods have benefited greatly by the new 3M nano silica resin system, so these new NRX rods are noticeably lighter than the older CrossCurrent GLX rods and in the larger line size models this means 15-20% lighter, so for less than a hundred bucks, most anglers are moving up into the NRX models, and I doubt that the CrossCurrent GLX will be in the Loomis line-up a whole lot longer. While it is still here though, it is a real weapon as a serious 8-weight rod for both fresh and particularly salt water. This rod has such unbelievable, explosive power on tap that you have to use this rod to really experience what I’m talking about. This is one rod that never gives up, no matter how hard you try to load it. It’s still my son James' favorite big streamer rod and he goes right up to a 300 grain head to blast those streamers out there. In fact it is so good with a sinking line, we gave it a perfect 20 in sink tip performance! The only thing that holds this rod back in being our #1 contender once again is its 35-foot performance. It has just slightly too much stiffness in the tip to give me the kind of feel and ability to get the best accuracy in close that I get with the NRX. But at 60 feet all the way out to 100 and beyond, this is a killer rod. Lots of anglers worldwide bought this rod after our first 8-weight shootout and they have loved it, from all the reports we get back. The only thing that grinds me a bit is that they doubled the price of their fine expeditor program, so now if you slam this rod in your car door, it is going to cost you $100. Still, if it breaks because of no fault of your own, they will replace this rod for free, and there is no handling charge either like other manufacturers.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 18 points out of 20
Tip stiffness detracts from the overall feel. The heavier weight also makes this rod a little less pleasant than the best at short range. The relatively high swing weight MOI of 9.7 hurts too. Still as good as most rods in our shootout.
Performance at 60 feet: 20 points out of 20
Now we’re talking! This baby rips tight loops at 60 feet all day with effortless ease. Sure you feel the weight a bit, but the smoothness and the way the rod tracks will have you loving the kind of accuracy you can achieve at mid-range with this rod.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 20 points out of 20
You won’t ever feel that you are lacking for power with this rod! Hitting 85 feet is effortless, and any good caster can bang out tight loops at 100 feet time after time. The amazing thing I’ve found with this rod is that if you are looking to push it a little harder, the rod responds and never gives you that feeling that it is going to fold up and not get the job done.
Sink Tip Performance: 20 points out of 20
The only perfect score we awarded in this category, mainly because James, the streamer fanatic in the shop, has tried them all and still thinks that nothing we’ve cast can beat this rod. I tend to agree but I like the lighter weight of the NRX and Xi3.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 19 points out of 20
Here’s another rod that is very close to perfection and will make a great partner for your fishing in both fresh and saltwater. If you already have one, it will make a terrific back-up when you step up to that NRX!
Jerry Siem came up with a winner when he designed the Xi3, using Sage’s new Generation 5 technology and super high modulus graphite. This is a nice light rod that has tons of usable power but one you can cast all day long without getting fatigued. When I first pick up this rod I can instantly feel all that butt and mid-section power, that will make casting long a snap, and landing those big fish easier than with most other rods. Fishing for bones, I found this rod has the backbone to rip 60 feet of line off the water to give you that quick 2nd shot you often need to catch the fish. This rod is just about perfect in every way. The dazzling sapphire blue finish is gorgeous, the uplocking seat with its short fighting butt is one of the best and of course the full wells handle is typical Sage –high quality cork, comfortable, and perfect for almost everyone. Large and strong guides are perfect, especially for saltwater use. I’d prefer them to be the more flexible nickel/titanium versions like the ones used by Loomis, Hardy and Orvis, but that’s a minor gripe. The only thing I can really criticize is that I’d like to see the very tip of this rod a little softer and more flexible. The stiff tip hurt the short distance performance of the Xi3 dramatically as you’ll see in our chart. But once you got out to 50 feet and beyond, this rod really comes into its own and casts like a dream. At the longest ranges it is as good as anything we’ve used or seen.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 17 points out of 20
The lightness of this rod and relatively low swing weight help generate some close distance feel, but the thing that really hurt both the overall feel in my hand and the accuracy is that this rod is simply too stiff in the tip compared to the best rods in our test shootout.
Performance at 60 feet: 19 points out of 20
I liked the lightness and the way the rod performed at mid range. It was easy to throw tight loops all day but the Xi3 didn’t seem to drive the line with as much authority as the NRX. Accuracy was good but again, not quite as good as the NRX.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 20 points out of 20
At long range this rod feels just about perfect, so we didn’t hesitate to give it a perfect 20 at this range. It was as nice as the NRX at this distance but felt a little lighter in my hand. I’d even give it a tiny edge over the NRX at 100 feet, but they were both fantastic rods at long range and both deserved a 20.
Sink Tip Performance: 18 points out of 20
You had to make very deliberate and smooth casts with this rod to get good sink tip performance. The cast timing was absolutely critical. If I tried to punch it, all hell broke loose and it piled up the line rather than laid it out smoothly. It worked better if I slowed down my cast timing and concentrated on making a smooth forward stroke.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 18 points out of 20
Here is another rod that will make a wonderful companion for a lifetime of use. Only the short distance performance detracted from this rod coming close to our perfect 8 performance.
We knew that the TFO BVK was a hell of a rod, but when we computed all the scores, we were all amazed to see it in second place! As you’ll see in our additional table that combined only the performance scores, the BVK didn’t do quite as well, but still tied for 4th with the Xi3 and the Loomis Native Run GLX. So it really is quite an impressive rod. Sure, the craftsmanship is not in the league with the finest rods, but it really isn’t that bad either. They used Lefty Kreh’s initials to get the BVK, and he put a lot of work in designing this rod, so we knew that it was going to be a winner.
I have two gripes with this rod. Number one, the rings on the uplocking seat are way too small and don’t give you enough grip to tighten them effectively. This may become a problem with saltwater reels, especially if they loosen up too easily. They should copy the set up that Sage or St. Croix uses on their rods. Number two, all they give you with the rod is a cheap cloth bag – no hard case! TFO is the only manufacturer that does not give you a hard case to go with the rod and it drives us nuts! TFO does make a decent triangular cordura covered hard case for twenty bucks, so why don’t they just throw that in with the rod? It might cost them an extra $5 but no more, but it would seem to provide the case that nearly all our customers want.
This rod has a very fast action, and a lot of butt and mid-section power. They must have used some very high modulus graphite in this rod as it is extremely light at 3.21 oz. – the only thing that is lighter is the Orvis Helios. The BVK scored well in swing weight too, with a very low MOI of 7.8 again only second to the Helios.y use two unbreakable recoil stripping guides and the some oversized snake guides the rest of the way out. The wraps and coatings are good for an imported rod, and they are even better than what we see on the Hardy Proaxis. This is a far more attractive rod that we have seen from TFO in the past. The overall color is a rod olive green, with a complimentary olive green graphite insert in the uplockingseat. We have sold TFO rods for a number of years now, but this is by far the best rod we have ever seen from TFO – in any weight or model.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 18 points out of 20
The overall stiffness in the tip hurt a little, but the BVK lightness and crisp feel, allowed it to cast pretty well in close. Accuracy or feel was definitely not in the class of the Scott, NRX or the Legend Elite. In my notes I had “This does feel pretty good for a cheap rod”.
Performance at 60 feet: 19 points out of 20
This rod has lots of punch and power at mid range, and just an unusually good feel for a rod that costs so little! It was very light in my hand and had plenty of butt power to drive good tight loops. This is going to make a great boat rod for chucking streamers in the fall.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 18 points out of 20
Good power, but at this range the best rods were unquestionably better. The light weight of the rod in my hand did feel good, but I couldn’t get the consistent tight loops or accuracy that I had hoped for.
Sink Tip Performance: 18 points out of 20
This rod had tons of punch and power for chucking the streamer rig and was pretty impressive when compared to rods that cost so much more money. We all know that this is going to make a heck of a good boat rod, and one the guides will love for their clients since it is cheap and it costs only $25 to replace if someone breaks it!
“Perfect 8” Performance: 17 points out of 20
Although this rod has a lot going for it, there are a lot of other rods here that are closer to being the finest 8-weight rod in existence. If you want that Perfect 8 performance you are going to have to pay three times as much as you will for this rod!
Here’s our shootout winner! We had a feeling that the NRX would plow through the rest of the field, even though it isn’t the lightest rod in our test. This goes to show you that light weight does not translate to the highest level of performance, especially when you are looking at medium to longer distances. Where the NRX really shined was its casting performance at all distances. Steve Rajeff spent a lot of time working on the designs of these NRX rods, and it definitely paid off, especially on the heavier line size NRX rods.
In talking to Steve, he told me that the key to developing the NRX rods was a combination of using a higher modulus graphite than they have ever used before, in conjunction with a new adhesive – A nano-resin system that Loomis developed in conjunction with 3M. This new technology allows the tiny silica particles, to be spread more evenly in the adhesive so that it fills in the spaces between the graphite fibers more evenly. So now you have more surface area to create better bonding, (which allows greater strength while using less graphite), resulting in a much lighter blank, stronger blank. On average, the new NRX blanks are an unbelievable 15% lighter and 15% stronger than the older GLX blanks!
The new materials and adhesives are one thing, but the design itself is what has allowed the G. Loomis rods to perform better than other rods. Steve has found a way to design the tips of these rods so that they are softer than tips on most other rods, and have a progressive taper that allows exceptional feel and accuracy when casting at close range. But then the butt and mid-section power seems just right. At mid-range I found the NRX really delightful to cast. It would throw the most effortless, and tightest loops I’ve ever experienced. And this translated into unsurpassed accuracy, at all distances. At long distance, this rod had plenty of power to hit those 100 foot distances with ease. I never felt that I was underpowered. Like the CrossCurrent GLX, this rod has that explosive reserve power you just don’t find with the other rods. Good casters can get that extra 5-10 feet when they need it, and as I’ve found, this can mean the difference between success and failure on the bonefish flats.
The craftsmanship you’ll find on the NRX is excellent. A few people will find the blue wraps on the guides unattractive, but I’ve come to like the distinctive robin’s egg blue. The quality of the wraps and finish is excellent. The blank itself has a thin clear finish over the natural graphite. The handle is a comfortable full wells with an unusual kind of very hard cork cut in thin sections that seems to work very well. A good uplocking reel seat fits all reels well and seems to lock up easily and securely. The guides used are unbreakable recoil guides for the stripping guides and then the finest nickel/titanium unbreakable oversized stripping guides, that are finished in black like the stripping guides. With the flat black rod finish and black guides, Loomis is taking the stealth approach, and I like it. The fish are not going to see any reflections when you are sight fishing at close quarters to a big Alaska rainbow or a spooky bonefish.
For NRX owners, Loomis has come up with a special deal in the warranty department. When you purchase your new NRX, you register it on-line and then Loomis sends you this NRX “Wild Card”. If the rod breaks because of no fault of yours, you can always simply get it replaced for free by sending it back to the warranty claims at Loomis along with a copy of the original sales receipt. But if it breaks because you slammed it in the car door or by some other neglect, just use your “wild card” and you can get a new NRX for free! This is a one-time only deal though, so don’t use your wild card unless you have to!
(click to sign up)
We were so impressed with the 8-weight NRX that we also gave it the top score in our search for the Perfect 8-weight rod.
George’s Casting notes:
Performance at 35 feet: 20 points out of 20
This rod gave me deadly accuracy in close, with a very nice feel – just what I was looking for in an 8-weight at short range. With its more flexible tip, the rod loads perfectly, and casts tight loops with very little line and a 12 foot leader! The Scott S4s was just a shade better but this NRX is still a 20 at this range.
Performance at 60 feet: 20 points out of 20
Here is where this rod really shines – it will throw the tightest loops I’ve seen and do it with ease, all day long. The line tracks extremely well and everything feels so solid and well balanced. The accuracy is superb of course. This is a delightful rod to cast and fish at mid-distances.
Performance at 85-100 feet: 20 points out of 20
Excellent power and the ability to form very tight loops at long range, make this rod a joy to cast and fish at long distance. Only the Xi3 and the CrossCurrent GLX have this kind of long distance performance, and all scored a perfect 20.
Sink Tip Performance: 19 points out of 20
Plenty of butt and mid-section power to pull a lot of sink tip line out of the water and fire it long distances. I found that I had to slow down my timing to get the best results, much like the Xi3. Only the CrossCurrent GLX did better in this category.
“Perfect 8” Performance: 20 points out of 20
Here is the only rod that scored a perfect 20, so this is our choice for the faintest 8-weight performance. It won for a variety of reasons, but primarily for it's performance. Nothing in our tests was better in all the performance categories. This is one sweet feeling and casting rod and we know you'll like it.
The ultimate 8-weight rod?
Hardy ProAxis 8'10"#8, $655.00
Our 2011 8-weight shootout was designed to give us some answers as to which are the very best four-piece 8-weigtht rods. It’s tough to hand carry two-piece rods any longer on the airlines, and since most fly fishermen are traveling around the globe in search of the best fly fishing in the world, 4-piece rods make the most sense.
But what if you are one of those guys that can get buy with only a one-piece rod, sticking it inside your car or in a long car-top rod rack, or perhaps just keep it in your boat or flats skiff? How do the best one-piece rods stack up against the 4-piece rods we have just tested?
I’ve used several one–piece rods, like the Loomis Pro 1 rods for my saltwater fly-fishing and have enjoyed them. But now Hardy has given us the new Proaxis 8 foot 10 inch One-piece rods, in line sizes from 8 all the way up to 12. The prices run from $655 for the 8-weight, up to $695 for the 12-weight. These One-piece Proaxis rods have already made quite a name for themselves in Florida, so we knew they were good. We just didn’t realize how good- these rods are going to change the game as we know it in saltwater fly-fishing!
Knowing that we were doing the 8-weight shootout, Hardy sent us one of the 8 foot 10 inch 8-weights to test. Obviously we couldn’t just throw it in with the rest of the 4-piece rods, but after casting this rod we all felt that it was simply astounding and we wanted to give you a little mini shootout, comparing the Proaxis One-Piece to our two top rated 8-weights, the G. Loomis NRX and Sage’s Xi3. Our mini-shootout would be done using the Tibor Everglades reels, a Scientific Anglers Bonefish taper WF-8-F line, and just at the three distances we tested all the 4-pc. Rods.
My first impression of the Proaxis one-piece is WOW; this thing is light in weight! I would have sworn that it was half the weight of the 4-piece Proaxis, but what has a great impact on the light weight feel of the Hardy one-piece, is this rod’s extremely light swing weight. Overall weight on our postage scale for the 4-pc. Proaxis was 4.4 oz, while the one-piece Proaxis was 3.8 oz. We couldn’t give you the swing weight in MOI since the calculations were designed for multi-piece rods. But let me tell you, the swing weight is just amazingly light, and this is what makes this rod a joy to cast.
I immediately noticed that the effort I was expending, casting the Hardy one-weight was far less than with the 4-piece rods, especially at longer distances. But the one-piece was great in close too, mainly due to the design of the rod and its very soft tip. Truly an amazing performance at all distances. Besides the fantastic performance, these rods seem to be extremely strong and more difficult to break than the 4-pc. Rods. Take a look at some of Hardy’s U-tube videos with Andy Mill and you’ll be impressed.
If you can find a way to add one or more of these Hardy Proaxis rods to your arsenal, don’t waste any time, as these are all available right now. We find that the shipping costs are not too bad either and the ones we have sent out by UPS ground, the shipping cost has been running $20-25.
Here are George’s casting notes -
Performance at 35 feet
#1 – G. Loomis NRX 4-pc. 9 foot #8 - 20.5 points out of 22
Although a lot heavier in my hand, the NRX did track better and felt a little more solid than the Proaxis. The accuracy was definitely better as I was hitting the dinner plate about 70% of the time and the other casts were off only an inch or two.
#2 - Hardy Proaxis 1-pc 9 foot #8 - 19.5 points out of 22
This rod has a very soft, fast tip, much softer than the other two rods. But the overall design allowed for very good close distance feel and accuracy. I was hitting a dinner plate 40-50% of the time with my yarn indicator fly. This rod didn’t seem to track quite as well as the NRX, but its very light weight was a delight
#3 - Sage Xi3 4-pc. 9 foot #8 - 19 points out of 22
The stiffer tip of the Xi3 held it back a bit here, and although it had pretty good feel, the accuracy was definitely not as good as the NRX or the Hardy. I was hitting the dinner plate about 30-40% of the time
Performance at 60 feet
#1 - Hardy Proaxis 1-pc 9 foot #8 - 22 points out of 22
The extremely light weight made this rod a real pleasure to cast and I had marginally better control than with either the NRX or Xi3. The big thing was the fact that I felt like I could cast this rod all day without any fatigue whatsoever. Another amazing part of the performance at 60 feet was the fact that I could cast so easily off the tip of the rod, using only my wrist and little arm motion, and no double haul whatsoever. It felt like I was casting at 25-30 feet, not 60! Accuracy was better than either of the other rods.
#2 – G. Loomis NRX 4-pc. 9 foot #8 - 20.5 points out of 22
The NRX is a formidable weapon at this range, throwing very tight and well-controlled loops with awesome accuracy. But after the Hardy, I really noticed the extra amount of work I was doing to get the same kind of results. This rod has an especially solid feel at this distance and gives me a lot of confidence in where I’m putting the fly.
#3 - Sage Xi3 4-pc. 9 foot #8 - 19.5 points out of 22
The Xi3 feels great at 60 feet, and almost as good as the top two contenders. It doesn’t seem to track quite as precisely as the Hardy or NRX though, and the accuracy suffers a tiny bit, but still a very fine performance.
Performance at 85-100 feet
#1 - Hardy Proaxis 1-pc 9 foot #8 - 21 points out of 22
Again, this rod is just so darn light that I’m doing a lot less physical work to throw these longer distances. Another factor that entered the picture was the fact that I could carry a lot more line in the air while double hauling and shooting less line to get to 85 or 100 feet. This alone improved the accuracy at long range. This rod has tons of power at long range, every bit as much and maybe more than either the NRX or Xi3.
#2 G. Loomis NRX 4-pc. 9 foot #8 - 20.5 points out of 22
The NRX was great at long distance, but just flat out heavier in the hand than the Hardy and I was working harder to throw it 100 feet. I felt like I could get a consistent 10 feet more in distance with the Hardy at extreme long range.
#2 Sage Xi3 4-pc. 9 foot #8 - 20.5 points out of 22
The Xi3 seemed to be every bit as good at long range as the NRX. If anything it might have had a slight edge in loop control. But its heavier weight handicapped it much like the NRX when compared to the one-piece Hardy.
Final Results
The Hardy One-piece takes the prize as the best 8-weight rod you can buy!
Total Performance Scores in all distances
#1 - Hardy Proaxis 8’10” 1-pc .......62.5 points out of 66
#2 - G. Loomis NRX 9' #8 4-pc ......61.5 points out of 66
#3 - Sage Xi3 9' #8, 4-p .............. 59.0 points out of 66
Howard Croston and Andy Mill testing the Hardy ProAxis rods on spinner sharks...
We hope you have enjoyed our 2011 8-weight shootout!
If you are in the market for a new rod, reel or other flies, and tackle, we would like to have your business! With your support, we can continue to give you more shootouts and comparisons on tackle and equipment in the future. Be sure to e-mail us your comments as we'd like to hear from you.
- George Anderson
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