![]() ![]() Each tester was given a lane with targets measured at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 feet. In the mornings and early afternoons of our test, we took over the enormous lawn at the lodge to set up our “range” for casting drills. Similar to shooting the same load through every gun in a shotgun test, we spooled every reel with the same fly line- Rio Gold WF5F. Another common thread across the test was the fly line we used. One specification they did share in common was line weight: We limited the test to 4- and 5-weights only. We arrived with 16 fly rods in a wide variety of prices (sub-$200 to $1,000-plus), actions (glass noodles to graphite broomsticks), and lengths (7 ½ feet to 10 feet). Our home base for the test was the Dream Catcher Lodge. Our five-person test crew consisted of the following members of the F&S staff:Ĭollectively, we have nearly 100 years worth of fly fishing experience and have traveled across North America on various angling adventures. We wanted to see how today’s best fly rods performed under the toughest and most technical fishing conditions possible, which the Delaware offers in spades. There are certainly easier places than the Upper D to catch trout, but easy is not what this gear test was about. McClane and, later, John Merwin served as the Fishing Editor for F&S. The Delaware has long been the unofficial home river of the Field & Stream team, going back to the days when angling legends like A.J. Best Small Stream Fly Rod: Epic Reference 476 Fastglassįor our test, we traveled to one of the most famous-and challenging-trout rivers in the country: the West Branch of the Delaware River.Both are great rods, and a worthwhile upgrade with a host of new features for very little change in price. If you’re deciding between the 3D and 3F, you can probably guess that I much preferred the 3F however, your mileage may vary in that regard. I took the H3 (which has now replaced the H2 in my lineup) out for some Albie fishing and found that it not only cast exceedingly well, it could handle a wide range of fly lines – something that’s really useful if you’re going to use it at home for stripers and for bonefish on the flats. The Helios 3 is proving to be nothing short of a spectacular lineup of rods. It provides a lot of feedback, yet still has enough strength in the butt to pick line up off the water or fight a large fish. Having fished the H2 for so long, it really felt like an old friend. Just like the 3D wins the casting competition for distance, the 3F wins it for feel (and by about the same margin). The 3F is going to give the Scott Meridian a run for its money for sure. It’s a lot more accurate at longer distances than the Helios 2 was (and it was no slouch). The 3F, in particular, is definitely in the upper echelon of 8-weights in terms of accuracy. What I can say is that it’s a nice improvement over the Helios 2 across the board, and especially at longer distances. Is the Helios 3 the most accurate fly rod ever? Well… I’m not sure. For me, I felt like it gave me about 10 extra feet. You can cast the entire line with either one, but the 3D definitely edges out the 3F and the Helios 2 at distance casting. The truth is that unless you’re casting them side-by-side, you won’t notice the difference.īoth rods have quite a bit of power. Actually at the time of writing this, the Helios 3F has the lightest swing weight we’ve tested to date (for an 8-weight). Both of the 8-weight Helios 3’s are amongst the lightest rods out there in both overall weight and swing weight. There’s no question that Orvis builds super light rods. Weight needed to balance (reel + line): 6.3 oz.Weight needed to balance (reel + line): 6.7 oz.I must commend the company for taking angler feedback and incorporating it into their design rather than ignoring it. In addition to the label, they changed up the reel seat to a made-in-the-USA reel seat (to make the rod 100% made in Vermont) and a new matte finish that won’t scare away any fish. ![]() Personally, it reminds me of a Taylormade driver… sure it stands out, but maybe in a good way once you get used to it? Unlike most rod brands which continue the same look and feel year after year, Orvis made quite a few changes to the Helios 3. Let’s just say that no one is going to be guessing which rod you’re fishing when they see you on the water. If there’s one area that is guaranteed to be controversial, it’s the white label. Orvis Helios 3F 9’ 8-weight Fly Rod and Orvis Helios 3D 9’ 8-weight Fly Rod.Today I cast the all-new Helios 3F and 3D alongside its cousin the Helios 2 in the 9’ 8-weight configuration. Needless to say, there are a lot of questions out there about how it performs. I doubt there’s any avid fly fisherman who hasn’t read/heard/seen it yet. But I can say that there’s been a significant amount of marketing behind the Helios 3. I was just entering the industry when the Helios 2 was launched. ![]()
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