While I was down in Cuba I had a mystery rod along. A couple (at least) guessed it was the new Helios from Orvis. That was a correct guess. Now, Orvis is starting to beat the drums so I can finally talk about it.
In short… it is kind of awesome.
Now, Orvis suffers from a brand perception problem that can get in the way of their gear at times. It is an odd thing, but it persists. They do sell some pretty un-flyfishing related gear, but Yamaha doesn’t lose ATV customers because they make pianos. The brand gets labeled “elitist” but I’d say they sell at the price-points others sell at and some of that gear is damned good.
The rod is damned good. In fact, it is great. I know I posted about the reel being paramount, but I also said that I like good rods and this is a good rod. It is light and powerful. It didn’t feel too tippy to me and loaded well and easily at short range. I kind of loved this rod and I was sad, very sad, to send it back. I was already a pretty huge fan of the original Helios and if I worked at Orvis I might have just stopped there, hung up my (whatever it is they wear there) and called it a day. They didn’t though and this rod is lighter and stronger than the original. It was dreamy. If I weren’t already engaged, I might propose to this rod. Just say’n.
Big ups to Orvis for this rod.
- Unique Post
Luv ’em or hate ’em (and I know all the hipsters out there HATE Orvis), but I will say this…they do give back.
Original Helios is excellent and the 8 wt has performed flawlessly for stripers, bones and Atlantic Salmon. The only complaint is that the reel seat is a few millimeters too small to accommodate Bogdan reels. Hope the new rod corrects that.