Every rod I’ve cast with their “StratoTherm” resin has been really great, so I was super excited to try out the new Contact. I've fished it with euro nymph rigs as well as a dry-dropper setup and it performed extremely well in both scenarios. What does make sense, though, is to borrow a category from our conventional tackle cousins and talk about sensitivity. The default setting for the weight position is the top of the reel but you can make adjustments to move it to pretty much wherever you’d like. Hi Andy.. 10'0" 4pc.) Neoprene and embroidered ballistic nylon reel case & spare weight case. For example, the epiphany should have a downlocker by next year and will balance very differently. Sage ESN Fly Rod, 10 foot, 4 weight, 4 piece GREAT CONDITION. For others it's a deeply rewarding project. I can’t believe the rods from Syndicate aren’t in the shootout. Heavy and a weak performer across the board. Unfortunately, it was also the least sensitive rod in the test. We’ve caught thousands of fish together already and I think there are even more to come. Also like the Recon, it lacks feel. Built with a KonneticHD backbone, the ESN allows anglers to experience unmatched blank recovery, increased sensitivity, reduced weight-in-hand, and superior shock absorption to better hold fish. Simply, it’s just a different way of fishing a nymph. Great work. But when it comes right down to it, it’s a sign of a rod that was *specifically* designed for tight line nymphing, rather than a standard fly rod that was simply elongated. Bottom Line: For an extra $100, it’s a worthwhile upgrade over the Cortland Competition Nymph, but *quite* enough of an upgrade to earn our best buy. Looking forward to your review of the other Contact Rods, especially the 10'8" 3wt. You can feel every bump and every rock along the way. The tip is light and sensitive which means that I very rarely bump fish off, that is strike a take and lose the fish almost immediately due to the rod pulling the hook from the mouth of the fish. The Sage ESN II Nymhing Rod Euro Nymphing Complete Outfit is ready to fish. It’s got the lightest swing weight of any 11’ rod in the test! This is the least wobbly 10′ 3# I have ever handled. I've had very good results with it and can without a doubt recommend it. The Marryat Tactical Pro 10.5 is truly everything that a great Euro-nymph rod should be. The ESN has a ultra fine top section progressing to a stiff strong butt. Bottom Line: An excellent rod for the price! I’ve been fishing the old Greys XF2 for years. Ben, I'm surprised you did not include the Hardy Zephrus 10' 3 weight as the Zephrus won your 10' 5 weight shootout. Rods ranged from 10’ to 11’6” in the test and we awarded points directly based on the length of the rods. is a long, light line weight size for European Style Nymphing for trout. We spend a lot of time testing gear and writing shootouts to give you all of the tools to make your next trip a success. I don’t know about you, but none of that makes me think of an excellent Euro-nymphing rod. This matches the Sage ESN II rod with the Ross Evolution LTX fly reel and a fly line that will offer the angler utility to Czech nymph, dry fly, or even streamer fish. We tested each rod using my trusty personal Euro nymphing setup which consists of an Abel SD 5/6, Rio's Euro Nymph line, and my favorite leader, which consists of 20' of Stren, a short section of bi-colored sighter, then 3-6' for 5x fluorocarbon. Given that these rods will seldom – if ever (mine hasn’t) – seen fly line I think that all manufacturers could reduce the size of the guides at the tip end of the rod. Would be much better with a downlocking reel seat. Given that Fenwick is the new Greys in the US, I had high hopes for this rod. What’s important about this is that not every rod excels at it. Weight: In terms of overall weight, the Winston is actually the heaviest rod in the test, but a lot of that weight goes into the great details like the classic Winston reel seat, so it doesn’t *feel* as heavy as some of the other rods. BENEFITS. From there, we added one point for upgraded hardware like titanium guides or better than average cork. I will say that it was somewhat soft when casting dries, but that's mostly because I went to it from a 9' 5wt which is a completely different animal. Fortunately, you can order it with one! Our new ESN was designed specifically for European style nymphing techniques. Design, Fit and Finish: No one does finish like Winston – and this rod is no exception. Last, but not least, is the Winston Super 10. Sign up for our Newsletter, a monthly dose of new ideas and exclusive deals on great gear, sent directly to your inbox. A well designed rod with a great fit and finish. The Cortland Competition Nymph rod embodies a rod that feels like it wasn’t really designed for tight line nymphing, but is closer to a standard 3-weight taper with added length. It really bugs me when a manufacturer over engineers a reel seat to look pretty, it isn’t necessary. A plump UK brownie which was stopped in its tracks by the ESN. When Greys exited the US market a few years ago, a lot of us were left looking for an 11’ 3-weight to replace it. Question about the casting score..... Is it safe to assume that the better the casting score for the euro setup, the better the rod would be at casting dry flies in a pinch? Casting and Sensitivity: Also excellent. 2018 European-Style Nymphing Fly Rod Shootout and Fly Rod Review. As you might expect, the swing weight of a super long rod is quite high, Like the Fenwick, the Mystic was too soft to provide an adequate amount of feel, Like the other soft rods, the Recon was too soft to provide feel, Option to go with a downlocking reel seat, By far the most sensitive rod in the test, Great finishing details we’ve come to expect from Winston. Reach (10 Points) – Longer rods provide more reach. So much so that fly line rarely even leaves the tip of the rod. Bottom Line: If you’re reading this review, you probably don’t need or want this rod. While we’re at that end of the rod the guides are another slight beef, albeit a very technical one. The weight and balance of the kit means I can fish for a whole week and not feel any fatigue in my shoulder. I got to fish the new Sage ESN 10’ 6” 3 wt and found it to be exceptionally. While the Worldclass is certainly light and long, it managed to be not great at either casting or sensitivity. No fly rod is more renowned for performance than Sage. Sage ESN This lightweight fish-catching-weapon is just too damn fun to stop using. Like the other Marryat rods, the grip was awkward and way too large in diameter. A great article with a lot of information to take into consideration. I’m about to purchase the 10 foot 2 weight model and I hope I enjoy it as much as you clearly enjoy yours!! I’ve fished the rod for twelve months now in many different situations for a number of different species and not once have I been let down. They also hit the nail on the head with the design of the rod – it’s got all the bells and whistles we’re looking for. The Recon doesn’t disappoint. I can see some time spent here. Build your own fly rod with Sage Premium fly rod blanks. Check the charts if you really want to know. I would have liked to see other company’s rods in here, but I imagine it’s difficult to acquire even as many as you did, and I appreciate it. Designed specifically for European-style nymphing techniques; Maximized sensitivity, reduced weight-in-hand, and superior shock absorption to better hold fish Bottom Line: The best, and most well-rounded, rod in the test. Weight: If there’s one thing that Orvis gets, it’s that lighter weight rods are better. Accurate. The ESN takes the strain as a large Slovenian rainbow decides it’s going to check out the ocean a few hundred miles away. The new Sage ESN 10’ 6” 3 wt is way ahead of these other rods. With the Sage ESN Fly Reel's unique dial-in tunability and lightweight, durable performance, European style nymphing becomes the ultimate fly-fishing thrill. The refined medium action has been designed with a variety of long and short line techniques and situations in mind, allowing you to confidently work any stretch of river. Design, Fit and Finish: The CN is essentially a standard first generation nymphing rod: half-wells grip, uplocking reel seat, fighting butt. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. A look through the retail catalogues now is evidence enough of the rise and rise of the longer, lighter fly rods. Tight Lines! Way cheaper than any of the other rods you should even consider fishing, Reach: at 10’6”, it’s got some length to get your flies to where they need to be. This all sounds overly harsh, but the reality is that the price-to-performance ratio on this rod is spectacular and it’s really hard to fault anything that Cortland has done here at a $250 price point. There are good rods, and there are bad rods. Bottom Line: If Douglas is your brand, save $300 and get the DXF. I was pleasantly surprised when Marryat enthusiastically said yes! Honestly, I’ve always thought that deflection boards are really cool. The Mystic tied for 2nd place with a BTW of 8.5 oz and a chart topping swing weight of 92. This rod comes in at 90 g (3.17 oz), and also features a half well handle made of slightly lower quality cork than the ESN. Deadly. But this is a shootout and there has to be a winner, so we took price out of the equation and crowned the Sage ESN HD the champion. Early iterations of 11’ 3wt’s require as much as 8 oz to properly balance. Design, Fit and Finish: What’s keeping the Tactical off the podium? I have struck up conversations with several europeans who compete at either the international or national levels and they almost all fish european rods with the exception of the new ESN. Must have been difficult w/all the designers standing around looking over your shoulder. Size of The Sage ESN Fly Reel: One Size (FIPS Line + 75yds/20lb). We started with a base of 5 points, which was given to all of the rods, because, let’s face it, even overseas-made rods are well made these days. Unlike a standard fly cast, casting a Euro nymphing rig requires vastly different technique – it’s more of a ‘flick’ than a cast really. Design, Fit and Finish: The Recon is a well-designed nymphing rod. Built with a KonneticHD backbone, the ESN allows anglers to experience unmatched blank recovery, increased sensitivity, reduced weight-in-hand, and superior shock absorption to better hold fish. The reason behind this is that weight distribution becomes especially critical as rods get longer. Hey George. This is where we come to the real USP of the ESN reel: Sage have included a selection of weights that you can add to the inside of the reel by simply removing the spool. This is what separates a 3 weight euro rod from a normal 3 weight fast action rod. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail. Weight: Super light! If there’s one test where it was really going to be able to show us something, it’s this one. Change ). Here are the best euro nymphing rods 2021 has to offer. Design, Fit and Finish: Great build quality, but we would have liked to see a downlocking reel seat and a fighting butt. I’ll be honest. The finish of the rod belies its class and I know that anybody who buys this rod is going to be as happy with theirs as I am with mine. Casting (10 Points) – Let’s face it; while most of the rods we tested are 3-weights, there’s really not a lot that European style nymphing has in common with a 3-weight rod. For example, it has a heavier swing weight and BTW than the DXF. Their 10’ 2wt is incredible and the price is right for a specialty stick. Unfortunately, it’s super stiff and that made it very hard to cast. 8 – Excellent. It’s heavier than the DXF across the board. This rod, however, is better suited to indicator nymphing that tight line nymphing. Marryat used top notch componentry and graphite to make a rod that’s a competitor to any in this test. The two-handed Sage X has brought unprecedented light weight and fast action for the two handed caster. I’ve got a couple more, as many as my wallet will let me, so I always know what to expect in terms of the build quality and feel of a top end Sage. This next year the brand introduce some new rods for dries. Hi Andy.. Blog Sage ESN 10' 4wt Review. I’m not really sure why, but this rod never got much marketing steam behind it. Should try Euro nymphing leader set up with Maxima chameleon #15-20 then 12 or15 # green amnesia tied to then sighter. Out of the tube the cork feels like velvet with little or no evidence of filler and even now after a year of heavy use it was that same luxurious feel. For this category we fished all of the rods along the same stretch of river and compared. The ESN HD is a complete redesign of the old ESN. Stren the old way. Tune in as Jared teaches you the steps to tie the Hollow Fleye Squid with tips, techniques, and advice for tying this Hollow Fleye-style Squid pattern. We were excited to see how it performed. It only takes a bit of adjustment to get accustomed, but once you've sorted that bit out, you'll be glad to own it. I agree there are a lot of new tight line rods out there for less than 300.00 like the shadow II, syndicate, epiphany (by moonshine) that were not reviewed this year but should be next year and will be different. Sage's new ESN was designed specifically for Europeanstyle nymphing techniques developed to maximize catch rates. That’s a lot of reel for a trout rod! It’s got lightweight guides and a downlocking reel seat. We go back and forth on whether or not it should be included on almost every test. Design, Fit and Finish: While there’s no question that this was designed as a nymphing rod, it really was missing the downlocking reel seat that we really prefer. And now, they're back. A long rod with above average performance across the board. There are probably more people out there fishing this rod than any other in the test. If you’re the type of person who gets sensitive about the price of fishing kit then this may not be the review for you. Whether you like it or not the current trend for “no fly line” style fishing is here and it’s here to stay. As usual, we started by weighing, poking, measuring, and wiggling until there was nothing left to learn from the rods. Nevertheless, we took a leap of faith and did it for this shootout. The 10 foot fly rod length gives you a ton of reach for keeping line off the water and mending. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the harder rods to cast. The top rods had softer tips and made casting very little weight much easier. I’m a bit of a Sage fan-boy, I admit it. The Sky is the big brother to the DXF. By contrast, the worst rods were incredibly damp. … The only rod that was better was the Winston. Then Tippet ring to sighter and then tied to 3-5' of tippet. Design, Fit and Finish: The Tactical Pro gets a lot of things right. Casting and Sensitivity: I don’t know if it’s the Boron, or just the taper, but the Super 10 was by far the most sensitive rod in the test. Great review. As such, it wasn’t a particularly good caster, nor was it very sensitive. A heavy swing weight and balanced total weight keep this rod from being a competitor for the top spot. What’s the reason? Good job guy. The rod cost them 1100.00 . The wood spacer is apparently Cocobolo wood, I would call it dark brown. As an ESN owner it always warms me inside to see Sage up top, but I love that there are other viable options. The average size is between 7 and 12 inches. The second important difference is that you’re not really casting a fly line – just a leader. Basically, it’s slightly worse than average. The Sage ESN Fly Rod is specifically designed to maximize your catch rate in all waters where you can use the technique, from tiny rills to rivers. The Tactical, which shares its grip with the other Marryat rods, has a very large-diameter grip that just makes it really awkward. Sage ESN Nymphing Fly Rod European-style nymphing rod Product Description. The Sage ESN rods are designed specifically for European Style Nymphing techniques developed to maximize catch rates. Douglas came onto the market with their DXF at exactly the right time to capitalize on this (and they had some of the same team that was at Hardy). Since you’re not actually casting, “feel” doesn’t really make any sense to test. The Tactical 10’ 3wt is a fantastic rod. Any advise on reel choice? For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Best Euro Nymphing Fly Fishing Rods. In fact we found that there was a massive difference between rods in terms of their overall casting ease. OK, at least in this test. Weight: The Sky weighs in at 3.65 oz with a BTW of 12.1 oz and a swing weight of 125. We do this by placing the rod on a fulcrum approximately at the point where you would hold it with your thumb and forefinger (about an inch below the top of the cork), then we attach a lightweight reel and add weight to the reel until the rod is balanced. Bottom Line: If you’re thinking about getting into tight line nymphing, but not ready to commit to spending $800 on a new rod, this is a spectacular bargain. And it is… but not by much. Condition is Used. Casting and Sensitivity: Like the other soft rods in the test, the M-Series is a pleasure to cast. You need something delicate, accurate and subtle. Almost to the day twelve months ago I bought myself a little Christmas treat. The Sage PULSE 3100-4 (ESN) fly rod (3wt. The Hollow Fleye Squid is a phenomenal pattern for Stripers keyed in on schooling Squid at night and during the day. It’s better. Weight: Super heavy. Better still, this rod is at the heart of the tight-line movement. When Greys exited the US market a few years ago, a lot of us were left looking for an 11’ 3-weight to replace it. Matching The Hatch by Lapsley & Bennett, The Best Fishing Scissors In The World: HPA Ulkut Ceramic Scissor Review, The Best Fishing Scissors In The World: HPA Ulkut Ceramic Scissor Review, Glen Pointon LTD Catch and Release Net Review. Think about this: the difference between the total weight of the 14 rods we tested is only about an ounce, which, isn’t much. We think BTW is a worthwhile measurement for all rods, but especially for Euro nymphing rods. Design, Fit and Finish: See description of Cortland and DXF. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Built with a KonneticHD backbone, the ESN allows anglers to experience unmatched blank recovery, increased sensitivity, reduced weight-in-hand, and superior shock absorption to better hold fish. Be keen to get some feedback from your experience as the Sage is a fair bit lighter than the Greys. ( Log Out /  Build them like we do, or add your own personal touch with a different reel seat, grip, guides and thread colors. Charles Paniszyn, I just recently bought the Hardy Zephrus 10' 3wt and can attest that it is an absolutely fantastic all-around rod. Prijzen incl. Sage makes fly rods ranging from delicate 0-weights all the way up to hefty saltwater 14-weights. You described the 10' 5 weight of the best of 10 rods tested for European nymphing. It’s one of the lightest rods in our test! You tested on some great water. It did, however, lack feel as we’ve come to expect from softer rods. Be sure to include the best European Nymph rods in the market next time, Stickman NO/ for example. 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