New Orvis Helios Rod

[Fredrick]

This is supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread. All they talk about is how light and how easy it is to cast. But I didn't read anything ABOUT PUSHING LINE . So what do you think stud or dud ??? :-D

http://www.orvis.com/intro.asp?dir_id=758&Group_ID=759&subject=3586

 

[tomgamber]

Well, as my 10 year old says..."what? its just bread ...in slices..."

With the 800 price tag, (I don't care if it flies me out of the gorge from the creek when I'm done fishing), it's irrelevant.

 

It seems, that almost every fly fishing posting site, lately, is talking about this "new rod"!?!

Hard to believe, that so much hype can be generated over a rod that weighs only 3/4 to a 1/2 ounce less, than 10 other rods already on the market!?!

Even devout Trout Bums, like myself, also have "limits" on just how much we'll lay out for a fly rod and the mid to upper 700s is, to me, absolutely nothing short of ridiculous.

Just "how much" can be DONE to graphite and graphite compositions, anyway?
Sorry, but my own opinion.........I can't see, shelling out $700.00 + for a rod that won't throw the 30 to 50 feet of line, I use 99% of the time when fishing, any faster, or any easier, than the rods I already have!?!

And, to lay out, that kind of cash- to save carrying around an extra 1/2 to 3/4 of of an ounce around with me all day?? Nawwwwww.

Fortunately, for Orvis, these rods are going sell like virtual hotcakes.
In a sport, where "a bobber" is a "strike indicator", a "Rowland Martin Plastic Worm" is a "San Juan Worm" and "hydration packs", are now being made.........."With our plastic so pure, it will not impart a foul taste into your wine! Even, if, kept in our pack all day!", you just KNOW there's the element out there, that will grab up these rods as fast as they can get their Amer.X cards out.

Orvis, as usual, has mounted an excellent campaign to get these rods, out, and into the mainstream of the Fly Fishing world............... they're spending hundreds of thousands on hype and priced them SO HIGH, they know every fly fisherman "will HAVE to have one"!

 

[tomgamber]

Its just another golf club...it'll hit the ball farther, for sure. but I can think of way better things to do with 800 bucks. I'll just have to deal with hitting the ball 250 yards and walking the next 50...most fly lines are 90 feet long. Most rivers aren't even that wide...how much further do we need to cast. Hey, 800 will buy a lot of casting lessons too.

 

[Padraic]

Casting for distance is rarely important for actual fishing. I found I caught a LOT more fish (especially on tougher streams like Spring and Penns) when I tightened up on the distance and worked on presentation.

I have no idea whether the rod is worth the price or has some other advantage. I don't have a lot of interest in finding out either. I will say though, that there will be a new "must have rod" next year. Probably one for every manufacturer.

 

[afishinado]

I don’t think Orvis reinvented the wheel with this rod. It’s a half ounce +/- lighter than some other high end rods, but it has a graphite reel seat insert instead of a hardwood one to make it lighter. If Sage, Winston, Loomis, St. Croix, etc. used a lightweight insert on their top-of-the line rods, they would be at least as light as the Orvis Helios.

I’m sure it casts far, a lot of rods do that, but there are few rods out there that cast well at all distances. As everyone said, casting with ease and accuracy close-in is a lot more important than casting far when fishing.

I will test cast it for fun before I pass my final judgment, but I wouldn’t buy at that price, even if it were marginally better.

 

[Sylvaneous]

At least once, maybe more, one of the rod comparison articles in one of the fishing mags noted the same thing mentioned above. How much more can you do with the exact same graphite and epoxies? We have well passed into the realm of diminishing returns. Some are clearly better than others, flat out. Some are better for some uses than others, and some are preferred over others by personal taste. Orvis just brought out the Zero Gravity. The T3 seemed like a responce to the Sage SLT (it copied it's coloration scheme). You just loose the effect of BEST FREAKING ROD EVER! if it's used once every 2 or 3 years.
700 bucks for a graphite cone to catch trout (especially trout, fer heaven's sake) with the same tactics in the same water that we have been successfully and happily doing it for 10, 15, or how ever many years with other graphite cones, seems rediculous. We are many generations into the latest graphite rod technology. We even survived the micro silica, nano-titanium frenzy from 3 years ago. (Do they still use that stuff? Fad or function?) Puh-leese. Don't let me bop you in the head with my hand as I strech to yawn. Another 700 fly rod is as anticipated and useful as another $120,000 Italian sports car.