I just want to say that I am now the proud owner of this rod. Dealing with @Tigereye was extremely easy and we had the transaction settled within the day from initial inquiry. I appreciate the speed of the transaction and he was very easy to deal with so I'd recommend him as a seller if he ever posts anything again. Rod shipped in a very timely fashion and was on my doorstep yesterday afternoon (it shipped Monday). Rod arrived in great condition and he even tossed in a reel that not only looks good on it color-wise, but also balances well. I'm typically VERY picky on rod and reel pairings but was excited to see that the seller has my same attention to detail when pairing a reel with a rod and the virtues of having it look aesthetic. I may slap another rarer reel with a more prestigious name to it on the rod but that will be dependent on the availability of said reel as it has been discontinued for a few years. For now, the Orvis reel will do.
Upon initial inspection after using a chainsaw to cut through the bomb-proof packaging (hey, I take the same lengths of protection when shipping stuff as I do not trust people messing with my stuff) I learned that this rod is pretty beautiful. I love the glossy pearlescent paint towards the handle that changes color, especially when viewed from a head lamp. I really dig that the hardware is a dark green too, it really keeps up the overall green color of the rod and would be a perfect match for an older style Tibor in that dark green they sometimes came in and a reel that is fetching some mighty prices these days (I'm never letting go of my Backcountry in electric blue) (pairs well with an Orvis H3D). The reel seat threads spun readily and I like the thread pitch (not sure if that is the right word for this). I will say the spacing within the reel holder could have been a little longer as I had trouble putting on and taking off some of the older style reels I have that have longer feet (not really a big deal considering I damn near have to hammer reels onto an older Winston I have). Overall pretty satisfied with the rod cosmetically and can think of 4 reels I'd like to put on it and two of them I already own. I will say I found it strange that the tip has a gray thread thread on it as opposed to the emerald green wraps throughout the rest of the blank, which I found odd but the spacing between the tip and the next guide down appears to be proportional. I have consulted the seller about this and I have come to the conclusion it is an inherent design trait of the DXF as the tip does not appear to be aftermarket and if the spacing from the second guide down to the tip appears to be proportional then it can't be a repair. I'm not sure why Douglas made the tip a different color, perhaps it is some kind of a visual aid.
Upon testing, I found the rod to be quite pleasant. I found after testing out a few lines that this rod likes Scientific Anglers MPX 5WF-F. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the rod could cast given its length, I was expecting more of a noodle feel from such a long rod. This rod has guts, I could probably even toss dries on it although I have much better rods for that application. It seemed to like RIO Technical Trout 4WF but the MPX helped it load a lot better. I like the MPX as it helps the rod load up better in close and helps with handling heaver nymph rigs fished under an indicator, which is the way I typically fish these kinds of rods. That being said a good comprehensive test wouldn't complete without bringing out my current favorite nymph rod. The DXF definitely bested it in raw power (it is two line weights up from my normal nymph rod). In fact, I may even like the DXF more overall but will have to fish it to offer a more thorough opinion. This was no easy feat as my 2wt nymph rod was (and probably still is) one of my favorite nymph rods. I think for fishing the Brandywine/Tully/Kish/Penns I want the longer 4wt to muscle trout in swift current and I want the additional range when working flat water. There's a specific run on the Brandywine that has been particularly annoying with trying to find the right rod to fish it with so maybe this will be the cure, I know the cure is most certainly NOT an Orvis H3F 9ft 6wt (rubbish rod!).
That being said I have decided to take this rod on my next outing to the Delaware come this Friday for any nymphing I'll be doing during the trip, which is probably all I will be doing unless a significant hatch starts up and I have an excuse to swap out for my all time favorite 9ft 4wt. I am really anxious to see how this fishes so I can make a more direct comparison between this and my Hardy. I will say that the Douglas has MASSIVE shoes to fill if it wishes to contend with my most fished rod of 2022. That Hardy was a revelation for me in the nymphing game and I can still recall one brilliant cast I made where it undercut a lot f brush to get the nymph rig to where it needed to be. This image is forever burned into my brain. I suspect the Douglas will fish quite well as I have lined it to my liking, but actually fishing it will provide me with info I am looking for. Thanks again @Tigereye for this fantastic piece of gear and I hope it pleases you to know that I now hold this rod in high regard.
