Rods with a light swing weight are pleasant and effortless to cast. But if you look at just the three distance performance scores, it would have finished below the top dozen rods! Now the good butt power helps and Im getting very nice loops, good control and excellent accuracy equal to the Avantt and even better than the Zephrus. At that price there may not be a better rod on the market. This rod is a pleasure to cast, and it has tons of reserve power at long range. (tie) R.L. Hardy has given us another magical rod that produced an absolutely stunning performance to blow away all the contenders. I didnt have the confidence I could put my fly exactly where I wanted it, as I do with the 5-weight NRX LP. This same Expeditor service applies to the Asquith but the fee is $275 for 2ndday air. As in our past Shootouts, it is important to keep everything apples to apples in an effort to eliminate the variables that will have an effect on the scores. 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. Performance at 25 feet: 16.5 points out of 20. We set the casting line so that we generally had the wind at our back if possible, or at least off our left shoulder (all of us are right handed). In the 4, 5, and 6-weights, the DXF is a great casting rod. Anglers used to high line speed, laser-tight loops, and the hiss of line shooting through your guides wont get that experience from the Zephrus Ultralite. 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. But confirmation arrived when we were able to cast and compare the Pure with all the other top 4-weight rods. I think that this can be attributed to the slower action of this rod compared to the Zephrus. If you are thinking about buying a fly rod, we suggest reading one of our Shootouts for the line size rod you want. At $650 I expected it to do better. 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. Very nice feel with excellent accuracy at short distances. Hardy ZEPHRUS 8'6" #4 $679.00 George's Comments: Hardy has given us another magical rod that produced an absolutely stunning performance to blow away all the contenders. In close, I could not cast off the tip of the Ultralite nearly as well as with the Zephrus. An attractive X-pattern graphite wrap is used behind the logo, just above the cork handle. Alignment dots are placed at the ferrules, which is handy. For reels, we again decided to use one of our all-time favorites, the Galvan Torque (T-4), loaded with 100 yards of 20 lb. #2. The Asquith tracks beautifully and is giving me nice accurate tight loops. G. LoomisLifetime warranty to original owner. No other rods were as good. Rods are replaced. Fun to Fish/Got to Have 10 points available. Orvis HELIOS 3F 86 #4 $849.00. Use this link to go to ourFavorite Freshwater Outfitsfor the 3 through 8-weight rods, in our Online Store. A good 4-weight rod must be more than just a dry fly rod though, and the best 4-weights are wonderful rods to use fishing nymphs at shorter distances, and are also capable of pitching smaller streamers when conditions dictate such vile and desperate moves in order to catch fish. This is a good-looking rod finished in a matte gray color. I do like the fast action, just not the heavy swing weight, which is far heavier than the Douglas DXF. Ive fished with Howard here, on our Montana Spring Creeks, and better understand how and why he came up with these designs. I could hit this distance easily enough, but I had much better feel and accuracy with the faster, lighter rods. Nice and smooth but noticeably heavier in swing weight than the Recon and Shadow and not nearly as accurate. The other reason is that this 9 #4 SKY is just too stiff for a 4-weight. Nothing beats this rod at 40 feet. Better than the Radian and Helios 3F in close. The blank is finished in a medium brown with brown wraps that complement the blank. And since it was such a soft rod, the lack of butt and mid-section power killed its score at 60 feet, especially if there was any wind. Same consistent, smooth action and presentation. The Aetos was dramatically better for an inexpensive rod. Heavy, slower action rods never perform well. In fact, the new Zephrus Ultralite from Hardy is likely my favorite fly rod currently on the market. The cork handle is a half wells design with a stack of thin corks as on the Helios 3F. The 8 foot Pure had a much stiffer butt and mid-section and a soft tip that is much softer than what we found on the Nimbus. One of the things that I liked was the light feel of this rod in my hand. The Recon is a very pleasant rod to cast wonderfully light in hand, and responsive. 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. I normally prefer an 8 foot rod in a 4-weight but when we cast the two rods heads up, and put them on the deflection board, it was obvious that these rods had two different actions. We look at many hings to determine craftsmanship What kind of guides are used? The guides start with a hook keeper, and then one huge stripping guide that looks way too big, followed with thin wire hard chrome snake guides. When Im fishing the spring creeks here near Livingston, the Railroad Ranch on the Henrys Fork of the Snake, as well as the flat water on the Bighorn or Missouri rivers, I reach for my favorite rod for this kind of technical fishing, an 8 foot #4. The Radian is both stiffer and faster in action. 4. The G. Loomis Asquith rods are designed here in the U.S. but the blanks are rolled in Japan and then the rod is completed here in the U.S. First, the Zephrus Ultralite's blank is surprisingly strong, stiff and stable given its weight. Performance at 25 feet 20 points available. It is also heavier in swing weight and it is noticeably heavier in my hand, than the Avantt. The blank itself is a deep burgundy color, with dark gray wraps. We like the looks of this new Mystic rod and the craftsmanship is better than we found on the Reaper X, but the price is a lot higher also. The 8-weight Asquith won our recent 2018, 8-weight Shootout, putting in a marvelous performance. The Reaper X is an improved model of this original rod. In general the SKY rods do cast well, and the SKY 9 foot #6 won our last 6-weight Shootout. Incredibly accurate and capable of delivering the fly exactly where it needs to go, even when dealing with a moderate breeze. You call in and incur a credit card of $100 but you get a brand new rod in 3-4 days. Most of the rest score 9s, which was a $60-$75 fee for repair or replacement. 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. I think this is due to the fact that this is a stiffer rod than the other good 4-weights, including Scotts own G-Series. Performance at 40 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. Broken sections are replaced. In order to do this, we set each rod up with the same reel, line, amount of backing and leader, length of tippet and the same size yarn indicator. Sometimes the whole rod is replaced. Rods are repaired or sections replaced. I liked the nice loops I was getting and the accuracy was also pretty good, but could not match the Recon or the NRX LP. The DXF was significantly better. We have experimented with the ways to measure this in past Shootouts but we still prefer our tried and true approach using the postal scale since it provides believable and meaningful results. This fast action produced extremely good feel and accuracy, especially at 25 feet. Hardy ZEPHRUS 8'6" #4 $679.00 It's the Hardy Zephrus for the win! The cork handle is a half wells western style grip, with a contrasting darker composite cork at the bottom end, over the flare for the reel seat. I just wish that the performance was as good as its looks. I enjoyed the amount of reserve power it has, and I was making great casts at the longer distances. For those anglers that like fast action rods with more power, (for fishing at longer distances or in windy conditions), the G. Loomis Asquith, the T&T Avantt, and the Scott Radian are good choices. The handle is a western style grip, without much of a swell in the middle but a flare on the lower end to accommodate the uplocking reel seat. This is a smooth line, rather than one with a textured coating. Performance at 40 feet: 19.7 points out of 20. If I remember correctly, the 864 also won YA's 4wt shootout, adding to its popularity. The ring seems to lock up well. Casting and rating the performance of rods at the different distances is the real meat of our Shootouts. If you buy this rod, you need to put a WF-5-F line on it. Sage Lifetime warranty to original owner. The clear winner in this years Shootout, the Zephrus brought power, feel, and accuracy to the table and left no detail untouched. Since it is a lot shorter than my preferred 8 foot #4, it ran up some high scores in both overall weight and swing weight. #16. For guides, there is a hook keeper, then a single SiC stripping guide, followed with hard chrome snake guides that are nice and thin on the tip sections. 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). 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. I just didnt care for the moderate action that was a lot slower than the X. Sage could improve the MODs swing weight by using the more expensive nickel/titanium guides instead. Like the Zephrus, casting off the tip of the rod was easy and fun and I was getting very delicate, precise presentations. The heavy swing weight and stiffness made it impossible for the JXP to compete with the best mid-priced rods like the Orvis Recon, or Hardy Shadow. The reel seat is a gray anodized double uplocking skeleton seat with sliding band and darker wood insert. This is a sharp looking rod. The quality of the cork was much better too, but still not in the class of what we found on the Recon or Shadow. At short and medium distances, it has great feel, but was lacking in accuracy. Performance at 60 feet: 8.0 points out of 10. It tracks well and I was getting very nice loops and good control, especially at mid to longer distances. As part of the Expeditor policy, Loomis includes a FedEx call tag so that you dont have to spend any money to send the broken rod back. 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 guides start with one SiC stripping guide followed with very large diameter hard chrome snake guides. Then the dark green finish just sparkles. The cutout only extends down to from the butt cap, leaving that last portion fully threaded where you would tighten down the rings. This 4-weight Q was one of my least favorite rods to cast in our Shootout. The thinner cork handle may actually be an advantage for some anglers, especially children or women with smaller hands. However, nearly all manufacturers are charging a handling fee of $25-$100 to repair or replace your broken rod. Its not really there when youre castingthe Zephrus Ultralite has a decidedly medium action, very similar to the old Winston GVXbut the second you hook a fish youll feel it. One thing I like is that there is a serial number on each rod section. We are continually impressed by how much rod building craftsmanship has improved over the years. This rod is so soft that I just dont have the power in the butt and mid sections to get good tight back cast loops, or the line speed I need to get the job done. This rod gave me better control and accuracy at long range than any other rod in our Shootout. I was tempted to give it a perfect score for craftsmanship. 5. Usually takes 2 weeks. But the accuracy was still not as good as the best rods. The softer tip is giving me a good amount of feel and the accuracy was better than the Zone or Nimbus. The quality of epoxy coatings on the guide wraps was excellent and almost the equal of the T&T rods. There is no hook keeper on this rod. The cork handle is Winstons cigar grip, like the Pure, with the center swell a little forward of the center of the grip and a flare on the bottom end. The 9' 5wt weighs in at 3.03 ounces and has a swing weight of 61.2 gm^2. 4wt (6) 5wt (7) 6wt (8) 7wt (9) 8wt (9) 9wt (4) 10wt (5) 11wt (4) 12wt (3) View More. We make a note of which was the best line with the write up on each rod. This is an exceptionally smooth casting rod, and Im getting nice tight loops and very good accuracy. Swing weight is on the heavier side and this hurt the performance to some degree. We kept the best rod in each category, high priced, medium priced, and inexpensive category handy for comparison. The thing that amazes me is how perfect the guide wrapping and epoxy coatings are, compared to other rods. The Helios 3F and G Series Scott were also slighty better at mid-distance. With your new rod they include a FedEx call tag so that it does not cost you anything to return your broken rod. Performance at 60 feet: 8.5 points out of 10. Like the Zenith, Wraith, Zephrus and all Hardy rods from the last decade or so, the blanks for the new Zephrus Ultralite family are rolled in Korea. Hardy uses a comfortable half wells, western style handle and the quality of the cork is superb. The craftsmanship on the LP is typical Loomis excellence. This and the Pure were the only two rods I scored a perfect 20 out of 20 at 45 feet. The blank is graphite gray and follows Scotts practice of sanding the blank only lightly and allowing the tape marks to remain. Nothing Ive cast yet is better in terms of feel and accuracy from in close right out to 40 feet. Usually takes 1-2 weeks. Wow It is hard to believe that this mid-priced Hardy finished up with the top rods! The best rods in this category are almost always the lightest in swing weight, especially if you are doing a lot of false casting when fishing dry flies. Heres a category that we used in our last 4-weight Shootout, that we deemed important when you are trying to judge the best 4-weight rods, that will often be used with very light 5x, 6x, and 7x tippets. Performance at 25 feet: 19.0 points out of 20. Finally, we trace the outline of the bend of the rod, first in pencil and then in different colored sharpies. Yet Hardy is within its rights to brag about the weight of the Zephrus Ultralite because its ultra-light Ultratelite-ness is immediately evident from the second you pick it up. The epoxy coatings are good but too heavy for my liking. In all, one of the best guide set ups weve seen. A dark gray wood burl insert is used that matches the blank. Because of the cost, we downgraded the Asquith to 7 points. Once we determine how the rods perform at the various distances and compile these point values, we then add in points earned from all the other categories to determine the final finishing order. I liked the full wells cork handle better than the odd grip on the Reaper X. These Shootouts take a lot of time and effort. Better than the Sky but cant match the Shadow. The cork handle is a half wells design and the quality of the cork is not nearly as good as the best rods and a lot of filler is used. Out long the overall softness of the rod is a handicap. Now Im getting a respectable performance that matches the Zone and DXF. With 4-weight rods, performing well at the two shorter distances is the key to determining the best rods. Quality of the cork was excellent with a stack of thinner rings. There is no question that the craftsmanship is better on the very best rods, and with a few exceptions they do perform better than the less expensive rods. An oversize tip-top is fitted to match the large guides. Leaders are a critical element in making accurate presentations and fooling spooky trout. Part of the light swing weight can be attributed to the use of the superb REC nickel/titanium single-foot guides. The best rods will throw very tight loops at this range with consistently good accuracy. For guides, there is a hook keeper, (The 3F has none), a single SiC stripping guide is used followed with hard chrome snake guides. This is T&Ts mid-priced rod, but if you take a look at the best mid-priced rods in our Shootout like the Shadow at $349, the Recon at $429 and the DXF at $349, the Zones performance doesnt match any of these rods. hardy zephrus 4wt. As youll shortly read, our top rated rod, the Hardy Zephrus is $679.00, nearly two hundred dollars less than the next three rods, which are each close to $850.00. At short distances like 25 feet, you dont have much line out of the tip of the rod, so the best leaders must flex like an extension of your fly line. The wraps are dark blue to match the blank and the epoxy coatings are excellent. If you look at the performance scores, youll see that the Aetos finished in 11thplace here also. It also lost a huge number of points in the price and warranty categories that it couldnt pick up in the casting distance performance categories. Im really surprised it is so far down in our finishing order as a 4-weight. Build quality and reel seat For guides, there is a hook keeper just above the handle, and then one SiC stripping guide followed by hard chrome snake guides. The wraps are a slightly lighter blue, trimmed with white on the butt section. Formed nice loops and was consistently accurate. In addition it will cost you $15 or more to ship your rod in for repair or have your local dealer do it for you. The very light swing weight confirms this. Performance at 60 feet: 9.7 points out of 10. Performance at 60 feet: 9.3 points out of 10. The Zephrus has that perfect balance between power and sensitivity; its easy to control but has the ability to turn it up a level when reaching out to longer distances or when conditions require a bit moreoomph.The softer tip on the Zephrus will protect the lightest tippets. 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. The perfect line: SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity in WF-4-F, Performance at 25 feet: 20 points out of 20. But the Avantt and Helios 3F are far better. Hardy ZEPHRUS ULTRALITE 89 #4 $679.95. And for a rod that is half the cost of the Helios 3F, the overall weight and swing weight are actuallylower! The epoxy coatings on the wraps were not so good too heavy and about like what we saw on the X. The rod itself has a nice blue finish - a look that is enhanced with a unique blue reel seat. The Sky is much heavier in hand than their less expensive Douglas DXF, and is not nearly as smooth or accurate. But that was about all I liked, other than the very light overall weight that earned it a perfect score. The handle is a comfortable full wells design, and the quality of the cork was very good. The idea here is to measure the swing weight at the middle of where your palm is likely to sit on the grip. It also has one of the heaviest swing weights in our Shootout. The guide wraps are a slightly darker gray, trimmed in orange on the butt. The blank is a pleasing burgundy that sparkles in the sunlight. To read their comments, simply click on their photo above at the beginning of our Shootout. And while each rod has its own personality, two things remained consistent throughout the new Ultralite family: unfair accuracy and strikingly smooth casting. And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me, he'd grown up just like me. If Fenwick determines that there was a defect, the rod will be repaired or replaced at no charge. The quality of the standard size cork rings was excellent. w/ Hardy Reel + Rio Backing & Line Hardy Ultralite SINTRIX NSX 4WT 8' Fly Rod!! 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 Zephrus Ultralite is ultra-light. With your support we can continue to give you more Shootouts and head to head comparisons on tackle and equipment in the future. The components are not in the same class as the Helios 3F, but that is to be expected considering the price. Hardy uses their Sintrix 220 in this rod, a lower modulus graphite than the Sintrix 440 used in the Zephrus, but it provides easy loading yet a sharp recovery. The softer tip on the Imperial gave me good scores at the both 25 and 40 feet, and also led to a good score in light tippet protection. The epoxy coatings over the wraps were a little heavy, but Ive seen worse. Youll find these on our Yellowstone Angler home page atyellowstoneangler.com.If your favorite local shop stocks the rods you are interested in, by all means visit them, try a few rods and purchase an outfit from them.