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.
Posted with Blogsy
10 comments:
*mummble mummble* "lucky dog" *mummble mummble*
What line are you casting with it?
I am using a rio carp line miles. Great line!
the best trip of Dubai can not be completed with out Fishing in Dubai
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
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.
Totally agree Allen's! It is an unbelievable rod. Good luck!
Thanks alot for sharing this with us, was a really interesting post.
Tours of Alaska
I decided to fly through the air and live in the sunlight and enjoy life as much as I could. See the link below for more info.
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www.matreyastudios.com
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