Sunday, March 03, 2013

Orvis Helios 2 Review

The snarky part of me wants to write a seven word review and be done with it. I am not a pro angler, just a weekend hack so I can't speak to swing weight with any degree of accuracy, and I didn't mark off distances to test the rod at different line lengths. I did, however, take this rod fishing. I cast to and caught some winter carp on a shallow flat, including one 18 lber. With that in mind, I can sum up the H2 nicely in 7 words.

The best flyrod I have ever cast.

Full disclosure here, Orvis sent me this rod for free. I didn't solicit it for a review, nor did they ask me to write one. My guess...Orvis knows they have a winner here and figured I would end up singing the praises of the Helios 2. They were correct. Over the years and miles I have logged on various rivers I have accumulated a lot of gear, in particular fly rods. My primary carp rod has been a G Loomis Native Run GLX, backed up by a recently purchased Sage One. Those are both fantastic rods in their own rights, so I don't say this lightly:

They will gather some dust this season.

Why? In a word...accuracy. My type of fishing puts a premium on accuracy, and I am not talking about getting the fly in a general area. Most carp guys talk about the dinner plate; on the Big C we talk about hitting a coffee cup. Our fish just don't move far, so you need to feed them. I don't know why, or what Orvis did to make it happen, but that Helios 2 is a laser pointer. You adjust the length of line, point at your target and the fly lands there. Honestly...it was a little freaky.

So I have had one day on the carp flats and many afternoons on the lawn with this rod. As a non professional angler, I feel obliged to ignore the buzz words and lay it out there as simply as I can...so here goes. This rod is fun to cast. You can easily throw a long line (I tried, and it was fun, but I rarely fish more than 30-40 ft of fly line), and you can easily throw short 15 foot casts to the tailers I was spotting through the cloud cover. Most importantly...the Helios 2 is the most accurate rod I have ever cast.

I am going to lay the smack down on carp with this rod this spring.

 

10 comments:

Mark VanDehey said...

*mummble mummble* "lucky dog" *mummble mummble*

Mark VanDehey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Miles said...

What line are you casting with it?

John Montana said...

I am using a rio carp line miles. Great line!

Amanda said...

the best trip of Dubai can not be completed with out Fishing in Dubai

Gregg said...

Some of us must make do, but if I had a chance for such a rod it would surpass any lottery win. Good for you.

Gregg

The Allens said...

John,

I've been a silent fan of your blog for years. I thoroughly enjoy your posts. I recently 'came into' a Helios 2, 9'8wt. I'm a steelhead guy that fishes water that requires long, delicate roll casts...which is why I requested the 8wt mid-flex. I'm with you in saying it is the finest rod I have ever cast. In addition to it being the most accurate rod I have ever cast (both overhand and roll casting), the level of control I have over big fish with this rod is 2nd to none. To say I'm a fan would be a gross understatement. I have yet to stick a golden ghost with this rod, but it will happen shortly.

John Montana said...

Totally agree Allen's! It is an unbelievable rod. Good luck!

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