Helios or the One

[Papasequoia]

Papa,

You forgot to add the part about the faultline and 3/4 of CA falling into the ocean, ala Superman, making the Owens Valley beachfront property with glow in the dark Steelhead and Sea Run Browns.

[duckdog]

Papa, you know , the first thing that came to mind when I read your post was " if i lite off those nukes I could finally get back at all those lower valley chukar around lone pine that have been tormenting me all these years " the ultimate chukar hunters revenge ! DEEP ,DEEP emotional scars.

[Baughb]

Flip a coin. They are both great rods. Then consider the Hydros and the money you save for a rod with the SAME blank will buy you other things like gas, motel rooms, campsite fees, a reel or spare spool, flies or tying supplies, or really nice flowers for the woman you love.

Enjoy.

Bob

[duckdog]

Well,decision made. Rod bought and fished with on the east side last week. The town of Lone Pine ,it's citizens and it's evil Chukar are all safe. I drove south a very happy camper. I e-mailed a guide friend and his opinion was that for me a 9ft. rod would be a better call and after much thought I decided on a 5 wt instead of a 4 wt. So it was just a matter of trying a few. I tried the mid flex Helios and the tip flex Helios as well as the Sage. Didn't care for the mid flex and it was almost impossible to make a decision between the tip flex Helios and the Sage. Went with the Helios. Didn't try any of the Winston's, I am not very familiar with their line of rods and just didn't want to take the time to test a few of them as I still had to drive back to S.D and work a full day. I am now plotting to sell my z-axis 6 wt. and replace it with a 6wt. One, but between now and then I will be trying a few Winston's.

[rkfiske]

What swayed your decision? I assume the Helios swing weight is probably significantly less, did you feel like it would be a nicer rod to cast all day long?

The rod that really interests me right now is the Hardy Zenith. I'm afraid to test cast any of these rods for fear of desire though!

[garypullings]

Yes, I would like to know what swayed you, I am in the market for a new rod as well and will be fishing the ONE on Friday for a few hours to test it out.

I have a sage and an orvis. I fish my orvis more but I like my sage more. But my sage is a 6wt where my orvis is a 4wt. That is the only reason I fish the orvis more.

[duckdog]

The Helios was lighter and at first I actually like the Sage a little better but after I spent a little time with the Helios it pulled a little ahead. The lightness didn't feel as good at first but the more I used it the better that weight felt. Both rods were super accurate. I picked out a small mark in the pavement about 35 ft.away and just started trying to hit it ,first with the yarn on the end of the tippit , then with the end of the fly line. Both rods were great. In the end it was the weight and that I was just a little more accurate with the Orvis, but you know ,the sage still felt really,really nice and I will get one some day. Like I said, I am plotting,I have a plan.
Saturday on Hot creek I had the Helios and my Zero G both set up the same and was walking the bank looking for fish tight up against it. There was a little breeze but not too bad . the first nice fish that I tried for was about 20-25 ft. up stream and I started with the Zero G, it took a few casts to get a good drift in the right lane but we finally connected. I figured that my lack of accuracy was all me, I don't practice enough. The second fish was just a little up from the first, about the same distance, i was really shocked at how accurate that rod was, the difference was noticeable . I was not expecting that.
One other thing that factored into my decision was the last time I bought a fly rod. In 2007 I got 2 , the Zero G and a Sage Z-Axis. In the parking lot I liked the Sage more but after fishing both the Orvis became my favorite.That was something that I really considered.
I asked if they had a Hardy 5 wt. that I could try but they did not. The guy's at Marriot's were really great ,they let me take as much time as I needed to make a decision.
Gary good luck with your test of the Sage . Let me know how you like fishing it.
Mike

[briansII]

Congrats on your new accusation. Sounds like you made the right choice. Finding just the right rod is a wonderful thing.

briansII

[hip]

To me if your a good caster you can make any rod work.
If your not you start nit picking.....

[drabo2000]

So this is where Mike and Jon hang out. ha ha...

I know, I know, its between the One and Helios but
TFO and Echo for me... Rods are obsolete in 3 years, cheaper rods leave
more money for trips, and I need more exercise so that extra 0.6
ounce of rod weight gives me the aerobic exercise I need...

Steve P. the smart a--

[WanderingBlues]

So this is where Mike and Jon hang out. ha ha...

I know, I know, its between the One and Helios but
TFO and Echo for me... Rods are obsolete in 3 years, cheaper rods leave
more money for trips, and I need more exercise so that extra 0.6
ounce of rod weight gives me the aerobic exercise I need...

Steve P. the smart a--

Haaa! Now that's a refreshing view! Don't forget more beer money!

[RichardCullip]

To me if your a good caster you can make any rod work.
If your not you start nit picking.....

Ain't that the truth. Are you still fishing your Bamboozler?

[unskunkable]

To me if your a good caster you can make any rod work.
If your not you start nit picking.....

You can MAKE any rod work....at what point do you work to make the rod perform as opposed to the rod performing for you? And why would you want to have to work that much harder to get the performance?

Sounds like the same old arguments all over again. Cheap rods do NOT perform as well as better rods. End Of Story.

Everyone should practice more no matter how good your rod is though.