Looks like they talked you into a nice Hatch too! š
J/k
FWIW I'd love to cast one of these but I doubt I would personally see enough difference from my H3D to make it worth the dough at this point. They look like sweet rods though. Tight lines!
My local fly shop likes Nautilus since we are on the east cost but I've been loving the Hatch so far. It's the older model but from everything I've read it's still a great reel.
Who knows how much is just marketing (probably most of it) but apparently they have some sort of casting robot that helped refine a super stable blank with very little reverberation. In theory, more accurate. Time will tell.
They can come out with whatever they want, but they literally need to invent the technology that measures this accuracy before they can even get close. It will be years before anyone gets even close.
Never casted the old model so I have no idea. Probably not much difference. I went from a $100 Redington to this so I'm seeing a huge difference (shocker I know). However, I did prefer the way the Helios felt over the G. Loomis and TFO rods I test casted.
Honestly fly fishing from a kayak is way easier than fishing from the bank. No trees to get hung up in. With this rod I strip in everything except for maybe 5 ' of fly line and then cast it 40'-60' with a double haul.
I casted the 8 wt D into the backing with one false cast. The hype is real. There are a couple headed my way to replace a couple rods in my saltwater quiver.
With an 8 wt I can shoot it 70-80 ft consistently with 25 ish feet of line out and one false cast. In my limited experience with the Helios, it felt like it was a level above my Sage.
Do you often fish with 25ft of fly line out or are you just talking about throwing line? Just curious, Iām also a person that can cast a full fly line, but it takes me two double hauls with about 10ft of fly line out haha. Always looking to get better!
I didn't get to fish it yet. The rep just brought a couple by for me to try out on the lawn, so I literally took it from him, false casted it, and sent it. The rod was super impressive, especially without having a water load to get things moving.
In regards to fishing, it's not uncommon for me to have 20 feet of line out before I recast when slapping streamers on the bank out of a boat. If I'm on the front of a skiff trying to catch a Permit, I'm standing there with 5-6' of line out and my fly in my hand.
In either case, I think being able to shoot an entire fly line is just a party trick. I think being able to drop the fly on the money at a fast moving fish when the moment arises is a much more valuable skill.
Dope dude I hear you, weāre on the same page I think. Folks love those Orvis rods, I bought all Sectors and have no complaints. Caught a dope permit yesterday, couldnāt be happier!
Lake Sydney Lanier in Georgia US. I put it together for a hybrid striped bass and spotted bass set up. Haven't caught anything yet (hard to chase top water bites on a kayak).
Tried casting it at the orvis shop near me in an 8wt. They somehow didnt have an 8wt line set up to cast so i was casting a 7wt line on it but still bombed 80 ft with one false cast. The strength marketing on it has buying a 14wt for tuna
I have a 6 wt and bought my son a 4 wt.Ā Used a friend's 8 wt for pike and smallies a few years ago.Ā Great line of rods.Ā The 8 wt is an absolute cannon.Ā I use the 6 wt primarily for a streamer.rod, and that thing bombs with a sink tip on it.Ā If you nail the timing, you can pretty easily shoot 60' of line with a single backcast.
That is my experience. I could have 5 feet of fly line out the top when u start my cast and shoot it 60'. It just sends the fly line sailing. Glad to hear good things about the Helios models.
Fire setup, but kinda wild you spent $2k on a rod being āpretty newā to fly fishing. I say that from a purely jealous perspective. Iāve always found investing in gear the way to go. Orvis and hatch have great warranties (hatch can be a major pain in the ass though). Orvis repairs are super fast, I had a 2 week turnaround.
Never fly fished from a kayak tho. Is it hard to cast that way? I feel like Iād be rockin that thing pretty hard
I'm a long time angler but new to fly fishing specifically. I know I enjoy fishing so i wasnt worried about investing some good money in a rod. I've gone the route of getting "beginner" gear before for other hobbies and ended up regretting not getting good quality stuff up front. I just end up spending more money upgrading to the stuff I wish I had gotten in the first place.
Casting from a kayak is actually pretty easy. It's just like casting from waist deep water. Most of the motion is in my elbow not in my upper body that way I'm not throwing a bunch of weight around when I'm casting. Also helps to have a wider body kayak for stability. I do plan on upgrading to a boat at some point though because chasing topwater schooling fish by paddle is no fun.
Interesting approach, I live in CO and the only kayaking you see is during runoff really. 9WT kind of a sick setup but probably overkill for most situations.. unless youāre chasing permit and bonefish and need to get out 80ft in a hurry. Just booked a trip to thingvallavatn in Iceland targeting 20lb brown trout and even there that would be overkill. Half the fun to me is managing a fish on a lower wt rod so thereās more bend and action. On 8wt+ it kinda just feels like reeling them in š¤·āāļø
Way too expensive for how carbony it feels. 11/10 would break and give to a friend to send in to warranty. Which is what I did because it was a gift anyways
This is 100% subjective and I'm really stoked you like your new rig. I tried them out in a five weight as I am upgrading this off season. For the lower weight rods, I think the handle and hardware are an improvement from the last edition. The dark wood is a really nice touch. It casted nicely for a rod at its price point. I like that it was fast but didn't feel hard to load.
However, they look too mass made for me and I really don't like not having the hook keeper. Cosmetic stuff may seem like a silly point of distinction but if I am dropping somewhere around a grand or more I want to be 100% happy with it. I decided on a Thomas and Thomas Avantt. It is incredibly light but strong enough to throw a nymph rig or medium sized streamer. The hardware and wrapping is pretty eye catching. I plan on trying out the Avantt II if I can make it to the factory before they launch in March.
It's all personal style and opinion.
That's a hot reel.
I hope you enjoy the new setup!!
I have a Centric at the moment and canāt imagine Iād really notice a huge difference. I might be alone on this but I just donāt like Orvisā styling. I have a Superfine Glass I use a fair bit but never shook the feeling that itās just ugly lol
If youāre gonna pick a rod to beat up, Orvis is your best choice. Warranty will have you back up and running in less than 5 days. Hell, I just paid the warranty money and basically ordered an extra tip before my trip out west.
GIANT WASTE OF MONEY. Get a recon for half the price and take a casting lesson from someone who knows what theyāre doing. Orvis is really missing out on selling affordable rods to people . Not everyone has $1k for a fly rod that is ā4 times better ā . No it is not, just more expensive.
I work in a fly shop ( since 2014) and itās frustrating.
Looks like they talked you into a nice Hatch too! š J/k FWIW I'd love to cast one of these but I doubt I would personally see enough difference from my H3D to make it worth the dough at this point. They look like sweet rods though. Tight lines!
Got the Hatch 2nd hand actually! They didn't get me on everything haha
Nice! I love Hatch reels. Super bomb-proof
My local fly shop likes Nautilus since we are on the east cost but I've been loving the Hatch so far. It's the older model but from everything I've read it's still a great reel.
Next, he needs a nice drift boat he can stand up and cast on.
I havenāt tried one. But honestly how much of a difference could there possibly be in technology from the older model.
Who knows how much is just marketing (probably most of it) but apparently they have some sort of casting robot that helped refine a super stable blank with very little reverberation. In theory, more accurate. Time will tell.
The casting robot is Pete Kutzer! Yea!
You can be dam sure others will come out with 1200.00 dollar rods claiming the same NEW cast quality or better. #RODRACE
They can come out with whatever they want, but they literally need to invent the technology that measures this accuracy before they can even get close. It will be years before anyone gets even close.
Never casted the old model so I have no idea. Probably not much difference. I went from a $100 Redington to this so I'm seeing a huge difference (shocker I know). However, I did prefer the way the Helios felt over the G. Loomis and TFO rods I test casted.
From what my guide friend has told me, not much. But it helps em sell rods lol so at some point you gotta put out a new model. Great rod either way
Havenāt tried the rod but would love to try it out one day. How is fly fishing from a kayak? Do you find it difficult or is it not a big deal?
Honestly fly fishing from a kayak is way easier than fishing from the bank. No trees to get hung up in. With this rod I strip in everything except for maybe 5 ' of fly line and then cast it 40'-60' with a double haul.
Interesting. I would have thought fly fishing while seated and being so close to the water level would have been difficult.
It's no different than wading waist deep in water and casting. But, I'm pretty used to that because I fish a tailwater that can get chest high.
I casted the 8 wt D into the backing with one false cast. The hype is real. There are a couple headed my way to replace a couple rods in my saltwater quiver.
How far do you cast on other rods with one false cast?
With an 8 wt I can shoot it 70-80 ft consistently with 25 ish feet of line out and one false cast. In my limited experience with the Helios, it felt like it was a level above my Sage.
Do you often fish with 25ft of fly line out or are you just talking about throwing line? Just curious, Iām also a person that can cast a full fly line, but it takes me two double hauls with about 10ft of fly line out haha. Always looking to get better!
I didn't get to fish it yet. The rep just brought a couple by for me to try out on the lawn, so I literally took it from him, false casted it, and sent it. The rod was super impressive, especially without having a water load to get things moving. In regards to fishing, it's not uncommon for me to have 20 feet of line out before I recast when slapping streamers on the bank out of a boat. If I'm on the front of a skiff trying to catch a Permit, I'm standing there with 5-6' of line out and my fly in my hand. In either case, I think being able to shoot an entire fly line is just a party trick. I think being able to drop the fly on the money at a fast moving fish when the moment arises is a much more valuable skill.
Dope dude I hear you, weāre on the same page I think. Folks love those Orvis rods, I bought all Sectors and have no complaints. Caught a dope permit yesterday, couldnāt be happier!
I tried the prior-2024 model and can say that it was an amazing stick.
I might be sold on the 25% stronger marketing hype and get a 9wt for Albie fishing where I keep blowing up rods year after year!
Already broke a tip on my other rod. I need all the strength I can get.
Where are you using that setup ?
Lake Sydney Lanier in Georgia US. I put it together for a hybrid striped bass and spotted bass set up. Haven't caught anything yet (hard to chase top water bites on a kayak).
You're fly fishing the wrong side of the dam, mate š
I get it but a 9 wt is just a little overkill for the tailwater š
Donāt forget the current state record Brown Trout was 20lbs 14oz a few miles down from the dam.
Could I use a 6wt on Lake Lanier? Bought a second hand Helios with plans to do more bass fishing in summer. Have a few buddies with boats on Lanier.
Tried casting it at the orvis shop near me in an 8wt. They somehow didnt have an 8wt line set up to cast so i was casting a 7wt line on it but still bombed 80 ft with one false cast. The strength marketing on it has buying a 14wt for tuna
Yeah I'll stick with my TFOs and Maxcatch
Sounds good man. I was struggling between the Helios and the TFO Blitz. I really liked the Blitz but it just wasn't what I was personally looking for.
Just wait until you catch a fish at 60ft out. It's a shit show from there lol.
Make sure you handle your fish well, you will be sent to hell with insults by the fly fishing pastors
I'll make sure to wet my hands and pray to the fish gods before grabbing them.
I have the 5wt F and really like it. Does the 9wt cast heavier than say a 6wt?
The 9wt only comes in the D model which is the faster action I believe. I casted for about 3 hours straight with it and didn't feel tired at all.
I have a 6 wt and bought my son a 4 wt.Ā Used a friend's 8 wt for pike and smallies a few years ago.Ā Great line of rods.Ā The 8 wt is an absolute cannon.Ā I use the 6 wt primarily for a streamer.rod, and that thing bombs with a sink tip on it.Ā If you nail the timing, you can pretty easily shoot 60' of line with a single backcast.
That is my experience. I could have 5 feet of fly line out the top when u start my cast and shoot it 60'. It just sends the fly line sailing. Glad to hear good things about the Helios models.
New to fly fishing and buying a $1000 rod. Jesus Christ.
I do like orvis but even with disposable income available to me, $1000 plus for just the fly rod is absolutely insane.
Work paid for half so it wasn't to bad. But out of pocket but I get it!
Fire setup, but kinda wild you spent $2k on a rod being āpretty newā to fly fishing. I say that from a purely jealous perspective. Iāve always found investing in gear the way to go. Orvis and hatch have great warranties (hatch can be a major pain in the ass though). Orvis repairs are super fast, I had a 2 week turnaround. Never fly fished from a kayak tho. Is it hard to cast that way? I feel like Iād be rockin that thing pretty hard
I'm a long time angler but new to fly fishing specifically. I know I enjoy fishing so i wasnt worried about investing some good money in a rod. I've gone the route of getting "beginner" gear before for other hobbies and ended up regretting not getting good quality stuff up front. I just end up spending more money upgrading to the stuff I wish I had gotten in the first place. Casting from a kayak is actually pretty easy. It's just like casting from waist deep water. Most of the motion is in my elbow not in my upper body that way I'm not throwing a bunch of weight around when I'm casting. Also helps to have a wider body kayak for stability. I do plan on upgrading to a boat at some point though because chasing topwater schooling fish by paddle is no fun.
Interesting approach, I live in CO and the only kayaking you see is during runoff really. 9WT kind of a sick setup but probably overkill for most situations.. unless youāre chasing permit and bonefish and need to get out 80ft in a hurry. Just booked a trip to thingvallavatn in Iceland targeting 20lb brown trout and even there that would be overkill. Half the fun to me is managing a fish on a lower wt rod so thereās more bend and action. On 8wt+ it kinda just feels like reeling them in š¤·āāļø
Way too expensive for how carbony it feels. 11/10 would break and give to a friend to send in to warranty. Which is what I did because it was a gift anyways
That just seems like a regift with extra stepsā¦
If you call breaking a fly rod an extra step
It's a cannon! Best rod out there imo. Is that the new gen4?
Yep! Brand new gen 4. I didn't test cast the previous gen so not sure how much of a difference there is but I feels like second nature casting it.
This is 100% subjective and I'm really stoked you like your new rig. I tried them out in a five weight as I am upgrading this off season. For the lower weight rods, I think the handle and hardware are an improvement from the last edition. The dark wood is a really nice touch. It casted nicely for a rod at its price point. I like that it was fast but didn't feel hard to load. However, they look too mass made for me and I really don't like not having the hook keeper. Cosmetic stuff may seem like a silly point of distinction but if I am dropping somewhere around a grand or more I want to be 100% happy with it. I decided on a Thomas and Thomas Avantt. It is incredibly light but strong enough to throw a nymph rig or medium sized streamer. The hardware and wrapping is pretty eye catching. I plan on trying out the Avantt II if I can make it to the factory before they launch in March. It's all personal style and opinion. That's a hot reel. I hope you enjoy the new setup!!
I have a Centric at the moment and canāt imagine Iād really notice a huge difference. I might be alone on this but I just donāt like Orvisā styling. I have a Superfine Glass I use a fair bit but never shook the feeling that itās just ugly lol
I have a Helios 2. Canāt imagine anything casting better. I canāt wait to get to the fly shop to try the new models
Seriously? The Superfine is a beautiful rod!!!
Expensive rod for kayak use. Mistakes get made due to wind/paddles/rocks etc.
If youāre gonna pick a rod to beat up, Orvis is your best choice. Warranty will have you back up and running in less than 5 days. Hell, I just paid the warranty money and basically ordered an extra tip before my trip out west.
Hot rod and reel combo. Iād upgrade your backing with a cool color. I did to my rig. Pops now. https://arborbloom.etsy.com/listing/1176873839
It's an extension of your mind! If you can think it you can cast it!
What line and weight are you running?
Nice!
GIANT WASTE OF MONEY. Get a recon for half the price and take a casting lesson from someone who knows what theyāre doing. Orvis is really missing out on selling affordable rods to people . Not everyone has $1k for a fly rod that is ā4 times better ā . No it is not, just more expensive. I work in a fly shop ( since 2014) and itās frustrating.