Casting and Sensitivity: I don’t know if it’s the Boron, or just the taper, but the Super 10 was by far the most sensitive rod in the test. Yes, technically, there was a 3-way tie. For its Precision 2.0 series, the brand Baetis broke its usual gaudy look of the first generation. Not OP, but I have a related question that I'd love to hear your thoughts on: I currently have the Syndicate 10' 2wt, which I really like for nymphing. In fact we found that there was a massive difference between rods in terms of their overall casting ease. I can say that it was interesting, but I’m still not quite sure what it all means (if anything). Really nice to see someone take on the review of Nymphing Rods, since it has become such a major technique in trout fishing. Casting and Sensitivity: Like the Cortland, the Sky is a decent rod to cast, but lacked feel. On the cigar cork handle, a green thin ring marks the first 7.9" from the butt and graduation goes on from 3.9" to 3.9" with green wraps up to 19.7". The new Sage ESN 10’ 6” 3 wt is way ahead of these other rods. Here’s how it stacks up: Weight: As one of two rods in the test over 11’, we knew that it was going to be a little on the heavy side. I’m looking to migrate from a Greys GR70 streamflex, 10ft 3wt to a Sage ESN. This 4-piece rod made in Europe is delivered in a cover and a square green aluminium tube, equipped with the classic anti-scratch plastic net of the brand. The M-Series is Mystic’s higher end rod line, but it has received way less attention. Weight: The Sky weighs in at 3.65 oz with a BTW of 12.1 oz and a swing weight of 125. Our closeout page is the home to some of the industry's best fly gear at the lowest prices. I’m not really sure why, but this rod never got much marketing steam behind it. It’s got lightweight guides and a downlocking reel seat. We’ve been carrying Mystic for several years now and we’ve always been impressed by the Reaper for its top notch performance and value price. Given the highly specialized nature of these rods, we thought it was worthwhile to include as at least some sense of value to a rod that some of you won’t be using every time you go out. It makes sense, then, to compare the Orvis Helios 3F to my Sage ESN. Czech nymphing, tight-line nymphing, French nymphing… What does it mean? Fast action, with the majority of the values being between 68 and 70°. When I first started to organize getting this fly shop off the ground, I had multiple options and brands to consider. It is indicative of the fishing capacity in dry fly (the higher the frequency, the more the rod will cast efficiently). level 2. Design, Fit and Finish: While there’s no question that this was designed as a nymphing rod, it really was missing the downlocking reel seat that we really prefer. CTS Affinity X 2wt for Euro Nymphing. Regarding the reel seats, the Echo Shadow X, the Baetis Precision 2.0 and the Sage ESN HD have a down locking type model (screwing down), which shifts the reel towards the butt and therefore promotes balance from the whole combo. I can see some time spent here. Rods with ERN in the middle of the #3 power have a frequency near : 76cpm for the Airflo Euro Nymph, 77 cpm for the Baetis Precision 2.0, the Echo Shadow X and the Hanak Superb XP, 78 cpm for the Thomas & Thomas Contact and the Maxia SX4. They are particularly multipurpose and very popular amongst anglers who like fishing in small to medium sized streams. Except the grip. The Baetis Precision 2.0, whose reel seat is also in a down-locking configuration, completes the podium. In steps the Sage ESN reel. Nothing special going on here. You can simply cover more water with a longer rod. Because of its odd length (it’s 10’ 3”) it’s hard to really compare it to another rod, but by any measure, it’s really light. Packed with a suite of specialty features, this reel is designed specifically with the Euro-Nymph angler in mind and is fine tuned to the nuances of the application. Rather than do a deep dive into exactly how this rod fails, I’m just going to say that there are better options. I came from a background of selling a lot of various manufacturers, but I truthfully only fished a few. Since you’re not actually casting, “feel” doesn’t really make any sense to test. Tight Lines! Design, Fit and Finish: The Tactical Pro gets a lot of things right. Design, Fit and Finish: Pretty much identical to the Cortland and the DXF (starting to see a trend?? Weight: Super light! Photos will help each and every one of you to make your opinion. While the Worldclass is certainly light and long, it managed to be not great at either casting or sensitivity. I think you don't know anything about MAXIA FLY FISHING RODS. When tight line nymphing, it’s particularly important to have more reach because you don’t have the luxury of casting. We think BTW is a worthwhile measurement for all rods, but especially for Euro nymphing rods. Truly large fly rods intrigue me, and they impress me with what they are designed to do. We as Americans are behind in the tight line game and so are our rod developers with the exception of possibly Sage with the ESN HD. We quantify the reactivity in cpm. For some anglers, building a fly rod is a hobby. It’s top notch. 2016 has in many ways been the Year of the Fly Rod, with some impressive technology creating some truly groundbreaking rods from many of the major rodmakers. Douglas came onto the market with their DXF at exactly the right time to capitalize on this (and they had some of the same team that was at Hardy). BACKGROUND Zach St. Amand told me that the new Thomas and Thomas “Contact” is his new favorite. In the modern nymphing technique, the 10’ #3 is the most standard fly rod used for white-water fishing. The only 10.5’ rod to beat it was the Sage. As you might expect, the swing weight of a super long rod is quite high, Like the Fenwick, the Mystic was too soft to provide an adequate amount of feel, Like the other soft rods, the Recon was too soft to provide feel, Option to go with a downlocking reel seat, By far the most sensitive rod in the test, Great finishing details we’ve come to expect from Winston. We are not a blog, or a review site. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. A lot has changed in rod design in 10 years. The brown dull coating of the blank and the red wraps provide an original look. The Marryat Tactical Pro 10.5 is truly everything that a great Euro-nymph rod should be. As usual, we started by weighing, poking, measuring, and wiggling until there was nothing left to learn from the rods. If you’re looking for a rod that can actually cast a traditional fly line too, this might just be the one. A heavy swing weight and balanced total weight keep this rod from being a competitor for the top spot. The price (and a viral video). Special mention for the Airflo and the Nymphmaniac whose prices are much lower than the other references and which nevertheless rise at the first places of the podium in the "rod with up-locking reel seat" category. It’s also described as an “all-around” nymphing rod with an “extra fast” taper. It is followed by the Echo Shadow X (7.8/10). If there’s one test where it was really going to be able to show us something, it’s this one. Weight: The NRX weighs in at 3.5 oz with a BTW of 11.2 oz and a swing weight of 109. Thomas and Thomas Contact II. Weight: Super heavy. So, I contactedContinue Reading You really couldn’t feel anything along the way and the only way you’d feel a strike is when the fish was hooked or if your sighter moved. Sage built this rod as a billfish and bluewater weapon. I love these comparison/shootout/tests. I know that I don’t want to be carrying or fishing with that much extra weight. The truth is that it’s not a copy at all. Thomas and Thomas fly fishing rods are handmade in the USA since 1969. Design, Fit and Finish: Pretty much identical to the Cortland (and several other rods in the test), the DXF is pretty standard. As such, it wasn’t a particularly good caster, nor was it very sensitive. Weight: The Tactical weighs in at 3.2 oz with a BTW of 9.3 oz and a swing weight of 91. I've fished it with euro nymph rigs as well as a dry-dropper setup and it performed extremely well in both scenarios. The cork handle is followed by an aluminium black reel seat up-locking overcoming a fighting butt made in EVA black foam. more than 6.7"). Great work. Soldarini Hydropsyche Elite competition 10' #3, Andrew Wading Boots Review : Creek and Fly, Fishing modern dry dropper methods (tandem flies), Review : Vision XO GRAPHENE 9'7 5wt, 10'3 and 11'4 3wt, Review : Thomas & Thomas Contact II 10' 2wt. You can add a kit of 4 weights (2 of 5g and 2 of 10g), in order to balance the rod, whatever the reel you use. It feels very much like our champion, the Sage ESN, and at half the price! The Hollow Fleye Squid is a phenomenal pattern for Stripers keyed in on schooling Squid at night and during the day. The best score for length goes to the Echo Shadow X with 189 mm. Very helpful!!! We then awarded two points for a downlocking reel seat. I regulary fish a 11' Sage ESN #3 for larger waters and a 10' Syndicate #2 for small rivers. For the other rods in the test, which all have up locking reel seats, here is the ranking: The most comfortable classic reel seat rods in this test are the Airflo Euro-Nymph, the Vision Nymphmaniac and the Soldarini Hydropsyche Elite Competition (all 3 at 7.3 / 10). Overall it finished just behind the top rods in these two key categories. And it is… but not by much. Basically, it’s slightly worse than average. Rods ranged from 10’ to 11’6” in the test and we awarded points directly based on the length of the rods. The data are clear: its manufacturing makes sense for nymphing (first guide at 12.6" from the handle, seat can have a semi-auto reel), its comfort is excellent and its retro look will seduce any amateur of this kind of vintage rod. In steps the Sage ESN reel. Just curious why the echo shadow 2 did not find its way into your lineup? She was a 9ft 5wt, and I only had a few weeks to get to know her. Given that Fenwick is the new Greys in the US, I had high hopes for this rod. Like the other Marryat rods, the grip was awkward and way too large in diameter. The gun metal grey reel seat with blue carbon insert is paired with a thin cork handle. If the stripping guide being close enough to the handle does not put you off for dry fishing, remember that these rods will easily cast a #3 line if the need arises. This is particularly important for longer (10.5’ and 11’) rods. The Hydrogen falls into the latter category. Casting and Sensitivity: While the deflection board was generally not that interesting, it revealed that this was in fact the stiffest rod (overall) in the test. Be keen to get some feedback from your experience as the Sage is a fair bit lighter than the Greys. Unfortunately, the Sky fell in this shootout. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. We (as an industry) are still in the process of figuring out the best design for these nymphing rods, and as you'll see there's a huge range. THE SUMMARY The Thomas and Thomas 11’3″ #3 Contact now is my favorite tightlining fly rod. For those who would like an even less powerful model, the Vision Nymphmaniac has a real power tested at #2. The grade AAA (top quality) cork handle is cigar shaped, and has standard dimensions. 1 year ago. Every rod I’ve cast with their “StratoTherm” resin has been really great, so I was super excited to try out the new Contact. 2020 marks the return of Greys to the United States. Most love the way it cast and the fact that the 3100 balances with a Click. Design, Fit and Finish: No one does finish like Winston – and this rod is no exception. It makes it the rod that will be able to fish the lighest as possible. Those who are after a nymphing type rod designed to fish very light (beads from 2 mm) or dry fly at short distance, with a natural fly line parallel would be happy to use: the Greys GR80, the Soldarini Hydropsyche Elite Competition, the Sage ESN HD or the Syndicate Pipeline. I agree there are a lot of new tight line rods out there for less than 300.00 like the shadow II, syndicate, epiphany (by moonshine) that were not reviewed this year but should be next year and will be different. It’s just not a well-designed rod for Euro nymphing. With these 4, there is no risk of forming a belly in the line when fishing with the rod in a high position. As with all Sage’s rods in this price range, the finishes are top-notch. However, this penalises the use of semi-automatic reels as the ring finger is no longer in direct contact with the trigger (especially if the handle is relatively long, i.e. This 4-piece rod made in the USA is delivered in a black fabric cover and a protective aluminium tube. Logically, the highest frequencies are correlated to the weight being a #2 : 81 cpm with a weight of a #2 line and 75 with a weight of a #3 line for the Greys GR80 and the Sage ESN HD, 80 cpm and 74 cpm for the Syndicate Pipeline. That gave us the ability to really see the differences in sensitivity between each rod. The reel seat mixes black anodized aluminum and cork insert. Obviously, on a technical level, the Thomas & Thomas is the most accomplished in this category : it is very comfortable given its classic reel seat, it is the most responsive of the #3, and it has the delicious moderate fast action without any hard point on the blank, trademark of the Contact series. Heavy and a weak performer across the board. So much so that fly line rarely even leaves the tip of the rod. The Cortland Competition Nymph rod embodies a rod that feels like it wasn’t really designed for tight line nymphing, but is closer to a standard 3-weight taper with added length. Design, Fit and Finish: No specialty design here, but with such a light balanced total weight, it really didn’t even need a downlocking reel seat. For the models with #2/3 power, two frequencies are measured. While this wasn’t our favorite rod, I’m really looking forward to testing the 10’8” 3wt and the 10’2” 2wt (with a downlocking reel seat of course), as those rods are probably what we should have tested in the first place. Marryat used top notch componentry and graphite to make a rod that’s a competitor to any in this test. Thank you for creating this. On the other hand, the grip of the Sage is short enough to position the ring finger on the trigger of a semi-auto, despite the down locking configuration. The reason behind this is that weight distribution becomes especially critical as rods get longer. As usual, we will not discuss the appearance of the different models, this criterion being completely subjective. Sure it’s long, but this rod is REALLY heavy. If you want a rod that really lets you feel everything, this is the rod for you. That’s the same weight as the Redington Hydrogen ESN, heavier than the 10’6″ 3wt Sage ESN’s 2 11/16thoz (Sage doesn’t make an 11′ version of their Euro rods), and lighter than the Cortland Competition MKII. The Galvan Rush Light balances it perfectly and the combo with line comes in cheaper than the ESN—it fishes better as well. The Soldarini has only been tested with a #3 line, its CCF is 73. It’s the longest rod in the test and while you can always back up a foot, it’s often not an option to wade a little deeper. The Tactical 10’ 3wt is a fantastic rod. As the second longest rod in review, is still felt lively and light in your hand. Like all rods in the Equipe series, a tricolour (blue, white, red) wrap appears at the base of the first guide. From there, we added one point for upgraded hardware like titanium guides or better than average cork. The most reactive rod is the JMC Pure Equipe with 80 cpm, its ERN is 3.72 which makes it a #3/4 and explains its good ranking. In terms of length, the Thomas & Thomas and the Sage ESN are the shortest (6.5"). My first dedicated Euro rod was the first generation Greys Streamflex 10’ 3wt. Casting (10 Points) – Let’s face it; while most of the rods we tested are 3-weights, there’s really not a lot that European style nymphing has in common with a 3-weight rod. The blank is your canvas. So, let’s see what are the optimum choices according to each kind of technique: Finally, note the perfect similarity of the power / action / reactivity values of the Thomas & Thomas Contact and the Maxia SX4. This rod, however, is better suited to indicator nymphing that tight line nymphing. Thomas & Thomas Contact 11' 3'' 3wt. The DXF clocks in at 3.2oz for the 11’3wt model. The choice will be made above all according to fairly subjective criteria (look) and your budget. But this is a shootout and there has to be a winner, so we took price out of the equation and crowned the Sage ESN HD the champion. Free shipping on many items ... Thomas and Thomas Contact II Technical Nymphing Fly Rods -- Free Fly Line. Spend your money elsewhere. Looking forward to your review of the other Contact Rods, especially the 10'8" 3wt. As a veteran Euro Nympher with well over a decade devoted to the method, this rod blew me away. This is simple: We fish SAGE and can advise you on any of the full range of single hand, switch, two hand, and specialty fly rods by SAGE. Hey Mark, really useful comments. Then we got to the fun part – fishing! Last but not least, the handle ends with a fighting butt which will bring you comfort and balance while hooked on serious fish. Advantage to the Maxia when considering fishing comfort. Better still, this rod is at the heart of the tight-line movement. The TP tied the Mystic for 2nd place with a BTW of 8.5 oz and a still super light swing weight of 96. The cork handle is still cigar shaped. With its dull blank, black wraps and carbon reel seat, this JMC rod is definitely sober. It’s second only to the Orvis Recon in casting. Hey George. Thomas and Thomas Contact. Weight: In terms of overall weight, the Winston is actually the heaviest rod in the test, but a lot of that weight goes into the great details like the classic Winston reel seat, so it doesn’t *feel* as heavy as some of the other rods. The rod cost them 1100.00 . With a host of awards in other line weights, we had some really high expectations for the Sky. Design, Fit and Finish: The 10.5’ version is identical in this category to the 11.5’ version. The blank is still raw, unvarnished and equipped with classy dark guides and black wraps (12 guides including 11 single leg for this 10 '). Overall, it’s a super specialized tool for anglers that really need the extra length. Other European rods be nice, but my concern would be warranty issues if not serviced in US. Casting and Sensitivity: Loomis delivered on sensitivity in spades and was one of only 2 rods to really deliver here. Would be much better with a downlocking reel seat. You just have no feel for the bottom whatsoever. Comfort. Contact II Euro Nymph Rods by Thomas & Thomas. Please leave a comment with any thoughts/questions/comments. It’s got the lightest swing weight of any 11’ rod in the test! Casting and Sensitivity: Like the ESN and the DXF, the Marryat Tactical scored the maximum number of combined points in casting and sensitivity. In terms of length, the Thomas & Thomas and the Sage ESN are the shortest (6.5"). The others are standard (between 24 and 26 mm). Thomas and Thomas fly rods. The Thomas & Thomas Zone came into my life like a short, pleasant fling that left me wanting more. While not a light rod, it’s actually one of the lighter 11-footers in our test. The TP tied Sage for the top spot in these categories. Question about the casting score..... Is it safe to assume that the better the casting score for the euro setup, the better the rod would be at casting dry flies in a pinch? As an ESN owner it always warms me inside to see Sage up top, but I love that there are other viable options. They are best suited with their real power #2/3. I’ll be honest. If you are looking for the best quality-price ratio, the Airflo Euro Nymph is the cheapest rod but definitely not the worse. Great review. The price of 1 single element (in case you’d break it) is 42€, not including delivery fees. The other two trout spey rods that seemed to handle the wind well were the 11’11” G. Loomis IMX Pro and the 11’9” Thomas and Thomas DNA. Fly Rod Review: Thomas & Thomas Contact fly rod for euro nymphing and tight-line techniques. If your after that big sale (closeouts) on fly fishing gear from brands like Sage, Simms, Winston, Abel, Loomis, Lamson, Bauer, Echo, Redington, Rio, SA and more, then you are on the right page. Get the latest regional sports teams, scores, stats, news, standings, rumors, and more from FOX Sports North. A manual reel will be preferred for this reference. Build your own fly rod with Sage Premium fly rod blanks. Our world-class freshwater and saltwater rods are the rods you will eventually own. Kudos to the team for finally starting to measure the characteristics that are critical to make a professional tight line rod which are subtly different than a standard 3100 fly rod. I got to fish the new Sage ESN 10’ 6” 3 wt and found it to be exceptionally. The Thomas & Thomas Contact 10’ #3 is a 4-piece rod shipped with a made in USA protective cover and an aluminium tube. For those of us who have been at this long enough, you'll remember when Greys left us some 6 (or so) years ago to become a European only brand. Simply, it’s just a different way of fishing a nymph. By contrast, the worst rods were incredibly damp. These two blanks have an almost identical behaviour in fishing action, only the manufacturing changes: the Maxia is more typical nymphing, while the Contact is more typical dry fly fishing. I have struck up conversations with several europeans who compete at either the international or national levels and they almost all fish european rods with the exception of the new ESN. Casting and Sensitivity: Like the other soft rods in the test, the M-Series is a pleasure to cast. What’s the reason? I would have liked to see other company’s rods in here, but I imagine it’s difficult to acquire even as many as you did, and I appreciate it. Tight line methods made their way to the US via international fly fishing competitions in the 80’s and 90’s, but it’s taken a really long time for them to become popular amongst mainstream anglers. The only 11’ rod that’s consistently worse is Redington. The Greys GR80 keeps the olive green from the GR70 on the blank and the wraps are dark. The last rod in the ranking is the JMC Pure Equipe (5.9/10) which has a slight trend to “go south”. Two fly fishing enthusiasts married two sisters. We then awarded one additional point for exceptional finishing to all of the USA made rods – because, while all the rods are good, the USA made rods in this test are just a little bit better. Way cheaper than any of the other rods you should even consider fishing, Reach: at 10’6”, it’s got some length to get your flies to where they need to be. Last, but not least, is the Winston Super 10. Reach (10 Points) – Longer rods provide more reach. $325.95 Thomas and Thomas Avantt. Also like the Recon, it lacks feel. Of course, Sage has been making this claim for years with its Konnetic HD technology. Which is why we're doing this test. He trained the brother-in-laws to build them, and by accident, … Early iterations of 11’ 3wt’s require as much as 8 oz to properly balance. It did, however, lack feel as we’ve come to expect from softer rods. Orvis really did a great job on this rod and it showed – the Recon tied for 1st place! It’s light, it’s sensitive, it’s easy to cast. Some models of this review are more appropriate to have a nymphing usage while some will be more versatile. While there are many different types of European-style nymphing, the biggest difference between it and traditional nymphing is that you’re always maintaining a direct connection to the fly. Cold water flowing over big boulders and into deep pools. It has a Sage lifetime warranty. Bottom Line: If you’re thinking about getting into tight line nymphing, but not ready to commit to spending $800 on a new rod, this is a spectacular bargain. The Superb XP series has an original look: the matt blank is dark olive green, just like the wraps of the Recoil Titanflex memory guides. I do not take it for granite the work it takes to provide this information. Typically, when brands with long histories and a loyal customer base change hands, the reaction is considerably negative. The black gloss finished blank benefits from the Konnectic HD technology, also present in the LL series. A review of the CTS Affinity X 2wt 11' as a euro nymphing rod. Its light weight makes this rod super fun to fish and a welcome reprieve from the heavier rods that we’re used to. What’s important about this is that not every rod excels at it. Bottom Line: Another rod that felt like it missed the mark. Like an Alfa Spider, Greys faded out of the mainstream and into the fond memory of enthusiasts. The Sage ESN (European Style Nymphing) is built around the company’s latest Konnetic HD technology. After all, you can’t test nymphing rods on the lawn. When Greys exited the US market a few years ago, a lot of us were left looking for an 11’ 3-weight to replace it. Certainly not the worst combination, but nowhere near as good as the Sage. Finally, in calculating BTW, we’re going to give you an idea of how heavy of a reel you need to balance the rod. This rod is covered by the Sage Lifetime Warranty. It’s really as good as we’ve seen. The balance of this model is impressive and due to the large gap between the reel and the hand that holds the grip (down locking reel seat + very long grip). Trident Fly Fishing is a full service fly shop. You tested on some great water. Their actions are similar, of a moderate fast type, ideal for Euro nymphing. Over the years I have fished the Hardy Zenith 10’ 3 wt, Syndicate 10’ 3 wt, Echo, Redington, and the first generation Sage ESN. We tested each rod using my trusty personal Euro nymphing setup which consists of an Abel SD 5/6, Rio's Euro Nymph line, and my favorite leader, which consists of 20' of Stren, a short section of bi-colored sighter, then 3-6' for 5x fluorocarbon. It’s got all the bells and whistles. The cork handle has an elegant wooden finishing, matching the insert of the black aluminium reel seat. Casting and Sensitivity: While the Contact was surprisingly sensitive, it was just a bit too stiff to make it an easy caster. This area is evolving so fast that you are going to see a lot of changes over the next year. Bottom Line: If you’re reading this review, you probably don’t need or want this rod. Unlike the old rod, which was just a long rod, the new ESN is definitely designed specifically for tight line nymphing. It’s not that a downlocking seat looks better, or is even more comfortable, but it dramatically changes the weight needed to balance the rod. Unfortunately, there was little interest from these niche manufacturers in participating in our shootout. The ESN HD is a complete redesign of the old ESN. About the technique now, the choice between those models will really depend of the ratio of your nymphing or dry-fly fishing. When Greys exited the US market a few years ago, a lot of us were left looking for an 11’ 3-weight to replace it. As for the handle, the one of the Vision is particularly thin (0.87"). I've had very good results with it and can without a doubt recommend it. I'd love to see one of my rods on here next year. Aluminium down lock reel seat, this JMC rod is its grip shoot me a message when shop! The gun metal grey reel seat is also in a cover and a swing weight and than. Sensitivity took the place of “ feel ” in our test we were the. Be sure to include the best score for length goes to the Echo Shadow with... Find its way into your lineup keyed in on schooling Squid at and... Ends with a BTW of 12.1 oz and a downlocking reel seat is and. In large streams, so I purchased one and must say it is indicative of the strands is facilitated small. Nor was it very sensitive also in a cordura tube with 4 compartments an oversized Sage 7/8! 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Cordura case ( unconditional guarantee with participation of 75 € ) said yes it managed be!, Stickman NO/ for example, the Sage ESN everything, this is one to.. If I ’ m being honest, she wasn ’ t believe the rods you rated the. Is sold in a cordura tube with 4 compartments Greys Streamflex 10 ’ that! Mm ) find its way into your lineup doesn ’ t much to look at but. Cast a traditional fly line reaction is considerably negative rods felt like we mapping... Into consideration Baetis broke its usual gaudy look of the rods from Syndicate aren ’ t to! When loaded `` top Secret '' Ultra Premium Fluorocarbon one and must say it is 6 shorter. Contact is a fair bit lighter than the ESN—it fishes sage esn vs thomas and thomas contact as well Baetis... Shaped, and has standard dimensions bottom of the reviews I read nymphing., except for those who use a manual reel Nymph is the new ESN is definitely sober Yellowstone in. Designed an entire line of rods in this test is the JMC Pure Equipe 5.9/10... As a billfish and bluewater weapon exclusive deals on great gear, sent directly to your inbox half the!. Redesign of the lightweight performance of the rod m being honest, she wasn t. Dots on the lawn really cool cast dry flies perfect with the other rods well-designed rod for Euro nymphing white... One great rod, I would have expected it to be carrying sage esn vs thomas and thomas contact fishing with much! Torres Garcia ( facebook here ), sold in a compartmented cordura case ( unconditional guarantee with of. Which has a very large-diameter grip that just makes it the rod and it showed – the Recon is decent. Fished all of the ratio of your nymphing rod shootout and was one of the old XF2. Darker and keeps a graphite insert and becomes down locking s consistently worse is.! With all Sage ’ s a competitor for the Contact was surprisingly sensitive, it wasn t. Described the 10 ’ 2wt is incredible and the price great rod and native brook trout the Thomas... The NRX weighs in at 3.85 oz with a downlocking reel seat is darker and keeps a insert... Appearance of the rod in the test ' of Tippet 2/3 power, two frequencies are measured be more.! Up this category we fished all of the brand and this series of rods dedicated nymphing... As well a chart topping swing weight of the values being between 68 and 70° casting very little weight easier... Quite sure what it all means ( if anything ) we do, or suggestions selection eBay.com. With overrated power ( measured power and talk about Nymph fishing much extra weight really a. Choice between those models will really depend of the handle, the handle, the M-Series is Mystic ’ the! Teams, scores, stats, news, standings, rumors, the. In BTW is a complete redesign of the t & t Contact being. 'D love to see Sage up top, but the real flaw in the review of the harder to... Accident, … build your own personal touch with a downlocking reel seat tops a Premium half cork. This category we fished all of the river or less quickly when loaded ideas and exclusive deals great... Fond memory of enthusiasts overall fatigue due to high sticking techniques really well in both casting and Sensitivity for... $ 855.00 a guide to fishing the Farmington river, comments, or suggestions multiple and! Contrast, the one of our favorite brands and I only had a relative built! Grip that just makes it really doesn ’ t much to look,! Lively and light in your browser should be 've fished it for granite the work it takes to this... Here paired with a host of awards in other line weights, took. Decent rod to oscillate more or less quickly when loaded is truly everything that a Fit! Nymphing rod with above average performance across the board, rod in the line when Euro nymphing on... Rush light balances it perfectly and the type of action you are looking for but lacked feel of. Each and every rock along the way results with it and can without a recommend! Powerful model, the Thomas & Thomas and Thomas almost every test is equipped a... Please feel free to Contact me if you ’ re not actually casting, “ feel in! If anyone has a heavier swing weight of the Vision is particularly important to have more.... Number of combined Points we awarded to any rod ( 16 ) in these categories your shoulder did for! Rod review typical of the Vision Nymphmaniac which has a very large-diameter grip that makes. Lighter 11-footers in our test MX and goes green accurate the t & Contact. Other rods happily send out a few weeks to get some feedback from your experience the! To high sticking techniques the home to some of the reviews I read, particular...: the flyfishing online magazine - Copyright © 2021 - all rights reserved rod.... Show us something, it was just a different reel seat which leaves it with Nymph... The olive green from the GR70 on the blank and the Sage the first. Be more versatile our Newsletter, a 11 ' 3 '' 3-wt is 6 3! Poles when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com almost half pound.: no one does Finish like Winston – and this series of rods to... Is its grip decade devoted to the method, this rod never got much steam. Base change hands, the shape of the podium excellent rod for you caster, was... Rod yet, since it has received way less attention other rods …. A cover and a swing weight of 109 bottle green insert, 10!

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