I am a gear whore. I can't deny it anymore. Actually, I stop denying it several years ago. I just have to remind myself every once in a while that I am. I love fly fishing gear. Why? I haven't quite figured it out yet. There is just something about all the cool stuff out there and all the new stuff that comes out almost everyday. In particular, my obsession for fly rods seems to be sticking my wife in her side. If I were able to obtain and amass houses the way I do fly rods, and then turn around and sell them to buy more houses, I would be pretty well off. I would be in a great position in life. Well, I don't deal with houses. I deal with fly rods.
Fly rods are almost like electronics. Like phones, and other devises, there seems to be new technology and updates to current rod models every few weeks. If you try to stay on top of it all, you are bound to have a bit of trouble with the partner.
There are two rods on my radar right now that will make my life complete. One is the new yet to be released Orvis Helios 2 in a 9' for 4wt., tip flex rod. I just know by casting it, it will make me happier on the water. The other rod is not a new rod, but one that has been in the current line up for a while. The thing is, I finally casted it today at the Colorado Springs Fly Fishing Show and now, I wonder why I don't have it in my quiver. It is the Scott G2 8'8" 6wt. Never mind that I have the 3-5 wt. in this series. The 6 wt. rod will also make me a happy person. I won't even get into the "other" rods that are on order right now, but let's just say they will make my life that much more enjoyable. Gosh, It sounds as if my life is centered around fly fishing and gear?
The Orvis Helios 9' 4wt. is a dreamy rod. It's light, fast and smooth as a Costco concrete floor. It is the one rod that really shines in that series. The 5wt is not bad either, but as I said today, it's not the 4wt. This rod is in control the whole time. Your mind and arm knowing what to expect throughout the entire casting stroke. Like I said, it is smooth and perfect.
The Scott G2 is a "different" rod. Being 8'8", it feels different. Picking it up, my first thought was that it was a bit heavy, but I had just put down a 2wt. so maybe that had something to do with it. It felt as if it was going to have a heavy swing weight and a clunky feel to it. As I casted it, it felt almost out of control as the power of the butt pushed the rod but while it skated the line of out of control-ness, then the strong mid section and the soft tip took over and a sense of total control took over. Ty Clifton, the Scott Pro member on hand and I fumbled for words to explain it and finally came to the conclusion that it felt like controlled chaos. It was a great feel and my mind could only think of those NASCAR cars going into the turn, hugging the high wall, only to come out in a controlled manner on the straight away. You would think something bad was going to happen, but it was a controlled chaos. That is how this rod feels. It is awesome and like nothing I have ever casted, even the 5wt in the same series.
The butt is strong and the tip is soft. It could throw big streamers and #24 trios, no doubt about that. It felt strong and powerful and then the tip took over gently flinging the fly over and landing softly. I can't explain it and neither could Ty. He just warned me that if I casted it, I would want one. Yea, I want one. Now I just need to figure out how to get the funding for these 2 rods. I've already offered my Scott S4 9' 4wt. for sale and have no takers as of yet, but if you are interested, please shoot me an e-mail. Gosh, this is getting bad and I sure hope my wife doesn't read this. I may have more trouble on my hands than trying how to figure out how to buy 2 more rods. Thanks Ty.
