Ive fished this Zephrus myself for the past two years, and it has been my go-to rod when Im fishing small dries, emergers and spinners in the surface film. The best 4-weights must be able to cast well at longer distances too, and the best rods had excellent loop control and the ability to throw nice tight loops with good accuracy at 60 feet. It is one of the few rods in the Shootout that excels at casting a size 24 midge on 7X tippet, yet still has the ability to chuck a size #6 lead eye streamer on 2X tippet. Good, just not nearly as solid or as accurate as the 3F or Radian at long range. Winston says Pure Feel, Pure Presentation and Pure Fun I cant disagree. Build quality and reel seat First, it is very light in swing weight and the fast action is a lot like the Zephrus in that it has a stronger butt and much softer tip than most of the other rods. At short and medium distances, it has great feel, but was lacking in accuracy. The wraps are dark blue to match the blank and the epoxy coatings are excellent. #8. I just wish that the performance was as good as its looks. Also, by having 8-10 rods set up, 2-3 testers can simultaneously do the casting. It was a little heavier than the best rods in both overall weight and swing weight but part of this can be attributed to it being a 9 foot rod, while most other rods in our 4-weight Shootout are 6 inches to a foot shorter. Also, the Galvan Torque reels are basically maintenance free, using a rulon bushing that requires no lubrication. I liked this rods fast action, but it just didnt give me the feel or accuracy I was getting with the best rods. Armstrong Spring Creek on the OHair Ranch. Of the two TFO Finesse rods, I like this 79 rod as a 4-weight a whole lot better than the longer 89 model. For this Shootout, we were able to do the casting here on our lawn at the shop. Im really surprised it is so far down in our finishing order as a 4-weight. Steve Rajeff, the head rod designer at Loomis, designed the Asquith tapers, and the blanks are built by Shimano in Japan, using their unique X wrap process. Head to head, the Radian and Avantt were better. Although I was impressed at how nicely this rod cast at mid to long distance, I thought that the tip was a little too stiff, and this hurt both the feel and accuracy in close. Lastly, the rod sock is superior, and will dry out quickly even if you put your rod away wet. It is especially interesting to see how the rods compare in stiffness, and how much the tip section bends. Like the K2, the Q is only available as a 9-foot rod in a 4-weight. If you look at the best performing rods in general, they have stiffer butt and midsections and softer tips. There is a lot to like about the SKY though, and foremost is its appearance. It tracks well and I was getting very nice loops and good control, especially at mid to longer distances. Even with the lighter Trout line, it is hard to maintain good loops and get any kind of decent accuracy. However, the 8-foot Aetos turned in much higher scores in several categories, including performance at 25 feet, swing weight and light tippet protection. The tracking isnt as tight as something like the Sage X or Orvis Helios 3, but its pretty damned close. I love the handle design it tapers outward allowing you to quickly get and maintain a good grip on the handle. For the lighter rods, we used their Amplitude Smooth Trout. I just dont think the 3Fd is nearly as good looking as some of the more traditional looking rods, in our Shootout like the Scott, Winston, T&T, and Hardy. The 79 rod has a nice medium fast action, while this 8 9 model is far slower much more of a medium action rod. Equal to the IMX Pro but thats about it. The color of the blank is a natural graphite gray, and only lightly sanded so you can still see the tape marks, much like the Scott rods. Im impressed with the guide set up, starting with a hook keeper, then one SiC stripping guide, followed with the best nickel/titanium and flexible single-foot guides as on the Zephrus and Sky. You will be surprised to see how well mid-priced rods like the Hardy Shadow, the Orvis Recon, and the Douglas DXF performed, all of which made it into our top ten overall in the final results. Their choices sometimes differ from mine, but we are almost always in general agreement on the top 4-6 rods in the Shootout. Scott feels that this gives the rod a smoother one-piece type action, and I agree as this is a very smooth casting rod that gives me a lot of feel at short to mid distances. I love the feel of this rod it is nice and light in hand, and the action is fast and seems about right. Surprisingly, this is often true. Both were perfect at 40 feet, and then the Zephrus was better at 60 feet. Whats really eye-catching, though, is the reel seat. We found most rods performed better with the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, which is a half line size heavier. Rodis repaired, or sections replaced. Since most anglers fish at shorter distances with a 4-weight rod, we decided to put less emphasis on the longest distance, decreasing the points available to 10 points. The locking ring is easy to grip, but Id prefer a double ring seat as this one looks like it will loosen up more easily than most. A black anodized double uplocking seat is used with an attractive wood burl insert. The cork handle is too thin, (for most anglers). The lower 7 inches of the butt, including the logo is also finished in a dark blue. Once again we give you a Performance Only chart, which zeros in on the very best performing rods, which is the real meat of our Shootout. Good, just not great. This goes to show what a rod with a softer tip and stiff butt section can do. It really sings in the 15-45-foot range, though you won't be disappointed if you have to push your flies a bit further. The DXF has been one of our top mid-priced rods, but there was no denying the Hardy Shadow and Orvis Recon were better. Perfect. Marc Barnwell replied on Sat, 01/12/2019 - 20:06 Permalink. The epoxy coatings on the guides are top notch. $75 on recent rods within 10 years, $125 on classic olderrods. The action of the Zone is much slower than the Avantt (and also a lot slower than the Recon or Shadow). This hurt somewhat in its scores for swing weight and light tippet protection. One SiC style stripping guide is used as well as a hook keeper. We deleted our Perfect 4 performance category, since it seemed redundant, given the fact that we give you our opinions for our favorite 4-weights in the Fun to Fish, got to have category. In general, the Zephrus was very popular as Hardy's all purpose fast action rod. The TFO rods, the Taylor rods, the Mystic rod, and the Waterworks rods are all designed here in the U.S. and built in Asia. When you read everyones comments on the Zephrus, you will see that we all agreed that this is a very special rod, for a variety of reasons. The swing weight of the rod is the weight you feel out ahead of your hand, holding the rod horizontally. Great feel, power, accuracy, and a light swing weight. Wow It is super light in hand, and 2. Just about any rod can turn over a 9-foot leader, but only the best casting rods can turn over a 12 footer at short distances. Buy It Now. The guides start with one SiC stripping guide followed with very large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Of these rods built in Korea, the Hardy rods are designed in England, the Douglas rods are designed here in the U.S., the Loop rods are designed in Sweden. Expensive rods do have that wow factor that will impress your buddies. The color of the blank is a very light silver blue, with the guides wrapped in a darker grayish blue, with some silver trim on the butt section. I just didnt care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. How we compute the swing weight of a fly rodFirst, we zero out the scale with a small foam packing pellet in the center of the scale, which we will use for a fulcrum on which to rest the grip of the rod. Removing the spool requires a simple click of the button on the front side. In terms of performance, the Recon was actually better at mid to long range. For others, seeing how a rod performs in an expert casters hands, convinces them it would make them great anglers as well, or at least take them to the next level. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were surprisingly good for a one-coat finish. Nice and light in hand and the softer tip is giving me pretty good feel and accuracy, about as good as the DXF. The perfect line: SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity in WF-4-F, Performance at 25 feet: 20 points out of 20. This is the best way to examine the action of each rod the faster action rods have tips that bend more, with stiffer butt and mid sections, while the more medium action rods will have softer butt and mid sections and stiffer tips. Very nice feel with excellent accuracy at short distances. In addition to my comments in the main Shootout, youll want to read the comments from Jamie and our other Yellowstone Angler staff members, Logan Brown, Francis Clougherty and Chloe Nostrant. This auction is for a lightly used Orvis Trident TL 8'6" 4 weight mid flex 8.0 fly rod. I do like the fast action, just not the heavy swing weight, which is far heavier than the Douglas DXF. The best 4-weights are also excellent nymph fishing rods at shorter distances. Like the Zephrus, casting off the tip of the rod was easy and fun and I was getting very delicate, precise presentations. It is the relationship of the club head weight to the shaft when you wiggle the club in your hands. No other rod maker does this better. The other reason is that this 9 #4 SKY is just too stiff for a 4-weight. For 4-weight rods, when you are fishing at shorter distances, (most of the time), it is particularly important that leaders turn over well. These come in two models, the Amplitude Smooth Trout, which is a standard size line, and the Amplitude Smooth Infinity, which is a half line size heavier. The matte gray blank does look nice, and the guide wraps are a dark gray, trimmed in black on the butt section. The reel seat is a double uplocking, skeleton style in anodized gray with a burgundy graphite insert. The Recon has been one of our favorite rods, and this 4-weight version is terrific. Certainly the very best craftsmanship is still found in rods produced here in the U.S. We gave perfect scores to the R.L Winston Pure, the Thomas and Thomas Avantt, and the Loomis Asquith. #4 (Tie) Thomas and Thomas AVANTT 86#4 $845.00. Heavy in hand! This rod uses spigot ferrules, rather than the slipover ferrule design found on most rods including the Scott Radian. The stiff tip and heavy swing weight both contributed to a lack of feel and accuracy in close. The guides start with a hook keeper, and then one relatively small silver SiC stripping guide, followed with hard chrome single-foot guides. The guide wraps are in blue with some silver trim on the butt. From $689.00. 8' 6" 4 wt. Question | The North American Fly Fishing Forum - sponsored He wanted another 4-weight that was very accurate and delicate, yet one that had more power in the butt and mid-section. Hardy is using their best Sintrix 440 graphite in this rod, also used in the Zephrus. Logan and Francis have worked here for many years and are both great casters and anglers. It is comfortable to cast all day and versatile enough to throw anything from small dries to heavier nymphs or small streamers. Still very doable excellent in fact! Hardy Zephrus Ultralite Fly Rod Review - Trident Fly Fishing And a look at the deflection chart confirms this. Gear Reviews Multiple Fly Rod Weight Rankings Yellowstone Angler 4. The cosmetics and components of this rod are similar to its shorter brother. This is one of the best looking rods in our Shootout. This rod is absolutely the winner for our Best Buy (best inexpensive) 4-weight Rod. Hardy has given us another magical rod that produced an absolutely stunning performance to blow away all the contenders. Now it tracks perfectly and Im getting nice tight loops. The Pure is unquestionably one of the best looking rods in our Shootout, with some of the best craftsmanship. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. Craftsmanship is second to none, and is what we have now come to expect from T&T. As in the past we are using our own Brecknell official postage scale to calculate the weight. Nothing beats this rod at 40 feet. In the 4, 5, and 6-weights, the DXF is a great casting rod. Shipping isfrom their US warehouse, usually takes 2 weeks. The cork handle is a western style grip with a flare on the lower end to accept the uplocking seat, and a nice taper forward providing a very comfortable grip. The blank color at first glance looks black, but is a very dark green called Black Spruce. The thread wraps are dark green, trimmed with metallic gray on the butt section. Sure, most of these 4-weight rods will turn over a 9-foot leader, but having to turn over a 12-foot leader requires a rod to perform at a higher level. My son, Jamie is also a fanatical fly fisherman and a great caster. However, nearly all manufacturers are charging a handling fee of $25-$100 to repair or replace your broken rod. First, the Zephrus Ultralite's blank is surprisingly strong, stiff and stable given its weight. This 86#4, however, is just too heavy and too stiff to perform well as a 4-weight. Pushing off from the dock on a boat called the Capelin, Sandy Milners small team of scientists heads north, navigating through patchy fog past a behemoth cruise For years, I used to leave my waders clipped to an I-bolt in the bed of my pickup (so they wouldnt fly away). It is also a lot heavier in overall weight and swing weight, mainly due to the fact that Loop is using a much lower modulus graphite than in their more expensive K2. We have awarded scores emphasizing the lowest repair charges and the quickest repair turn around. I found the rings harder to grip than most and without any nylon spacer they will likely loosen up more easily than other rings with them. The epoxy coatings over the wraps are nicely done, and I especially like the fact that they inscribe the rod length and weight on the bottom wrap of each section. Guides start with a hook keeper, then two SiC stripping guides followed with fairly large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Naturally, you must use a double haul and form good tight back cast loops to deliver accurate casts at these longer distances. I was tempted to give it a perfect score for craftsmanship. The wraps are darker green and the epoxy coatings were nicely done. Feels great out long! The Loomis NRX LP gets a perfect score of 10 for their excellent Expeditor repair program which costs $100, but returns the angler a brand new rod, not a repaired one, in just a few days! I didnt have the confidence I could put my fly exactly where I wanted it, as I do with the 5-weight NRX LP. Im getting nicely controlled loops and good presentations. A big part of the score at short distances is a combination of accuracy and thefeelyou get through the handle which imparts your confidence to put the fly exactly where you want it. (tie) TFO FINESSE TROUT 79 #4 $229.95. This helps me to easily fine tune the exact amount of drag needed while fishing very light tippets, something that is tough to do with other small reels. hardy zephrus for sale | eBay Like the Orvis 3F, there is no hook keeper. Here is a brand new rod from Loop that we liked better than their stiffer, more expensive Cross rods. Rods are replaced. Smooth, light in hand, excellent accuracy and feel. What is the Asquith doing way down near the bottom of this Shootout when it won our recent 8-weight Shootout!? TFO uses an olive green blank for this rod, with olive wraps that are trimmed in gold on the butt sections. It also has one of the heaviest swing weights in our Shootout. Torsional stability affects tracking, which affects swing weight, which affects the action and feel of the rod itself. The quality of the cork was much better too, but still not in the class of what we found on the Recon or Shadow.

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