Legend ultra, elite?

[jayL]

I am looking to take these two for a test drive in 9' 5wt. I am down to one of the st croix, or an orvis hydros 9'5wt tip flex, which I can cast over at Orvis.

Anyone know of anywhere that might have one of the st. croix rods on the rack around SEPA? Cabelas? French Creek Outfitters? If anyone owns one and would like to meet to fish to let me cast it, I'd appreciate it.

 

[bam]

Not sure, but Orvis is running a special on their Hydros. Buy one and get a large arbor reel w/ backing and line. Might sway your decision...

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Jay,

I have a 4 piece 9' 5 weight Legend Ultra. You are welcome to cast it any time but this weekend because I'm heading out of town.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[jayL]

Tim,

Check your pm.

Bam,

Good call.

 

[kyle1248]

Jay-

I have a Orvis Hydros 9' mid flex and absolutely love it. I know it isn't exactly what you wanted but I am probably going to be fishing Valley on Friday night after work if you would like to cast it. I will probably be fishing somewhere on Saturday as well.

 

[jdaddy]

Jay, you will have no interest in the Ultra. The Elite or Hydros is your rod.

 

[gfen]

email i got said the orvis reel deal, the mid arbour, ends on 5/31.

 

[krayfish]

I had mine at the JAM but you didn't cast it! Are you looking for a fast or mod/fast rod? The Elite is pretty solid and not all that much cash out of hand (compared to other models). I have a 4 & 5 wt in the Elite as well as a 4 & 6 in the Ultra if you'd want to compare them. Jdaddy has some if I'm not mistaken.

 

[jayL]

Since there has been some question as to what the method to my madness is, and I am currently too full to work, and because I am shocked that the glorious return happened in a thread started by little old me, I'll give the story.

For reasons that I'm not willing to articulate, I am down to one of those three rods. I broke my dan craft FT a few weeks ago, and am feeling a major need for another "ferrari". I am skeptical that the legend ultra will fit my needs, as I have a scott A2 for my "feel" fishing. I need a rod to put a lot of line in the air on big water.

I talked to Dan at dancraft, and he is willing to work with me on the FT, so things just kind of changed. The FT will be my broomstick*, so the legend elite would be a bit redundant. I think I may go with the hydros, because it'll fit my need for an all purpose, montana ready rod with a warranty. The scott and FT have no warranty**, and I am no longer comfortable without having a warrantied high end 5wt. I am also no longer comfortable fishing big waters without a super fast rod, because I felt like it helped me to greatly expand my skillset.

But I still want to cast the legends before I decide.

*that's a term of endearment to me.

**Dan will work with me on the broken blank, but whenever it breaks, I have to rebuild it.

I will need 3 montana ready rods by the end of july. 9'5wt A2, 9'6wt GL3, and ???. Nymph, Bugger, Hopper.

 

[mcwillja]

I will also put a good word in for the hydros. I have the 8.5' 4 wt. fast action rod and love it. I also got the large arbor reel, it's a deal you can't beat.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I tried out the hydros and loved them. I didnt pull the trigger because of price. Its a wonderful rod jay and i dont think you'll be disappointed owning one.

 

[krayfish]

Jay,
If you want the opinion of a good caster, ask D. Rothrock. He asked me at the JAM what type of rod did I bring to the LL back in the early spring. He thought it was very sweet. I wouldn't call it a broomstick by any means. It's fast but not too fast and allows for feel in the casting. I have a z-axis 5 wt you can cast side by side with it. I think you'd find the Sage to feel quicker/stiffer than the Elite. Warranty is very important when shelling out that kind of $$. Just a thought. I'm not an Orvis subscriber so I can't provide any feedback on thier products. I believe Mr. Rothrock said he has a Helios and an Ultra in 7wt but he prefers the Ultra over the Orvis offering. Go figure!

 

[jdaddy]

Dave let Nate use his rod at the jam and it was a 9' 5wt tip flex Helios (which is the same blank as Helios you are considering).

 

[njk3395]

I use my buddys 10 foot helios pretty often, and have casted the 9 footers in helios and hydros.. both rods are absolute cannons and if you're looking for high line speed with a lot of line in the air, get the hydros. I consider myself an average caster, and I can effortlessly throw as much line as i need to reach a fish

 

[jayL]

I just put my hands on a hydros. I can have it for this weekend, so I am going to pull the trigger.

I still want to cast the st. croix rods. I decided that no matter how sweet the st. croix rod is, the hydros is a rod I want to own. Just an absolutely incredible, high performance rod at any distance. I had never even come close to casting a whole line before, and was able to come damn close in some stiff wind without really trying to. Of course, I don't do any casts that long in the wild, but the rod really excelled at doing a dead pickup of short pieces of line and shooting them great distances. Once there was 30 feet of line out, forget about it. The rod loaded beautifully and just felt like a casting tool.

If I fall in love with one of the legends, they will just have to be saved for next.

 

[wsender]

Jay, BPS is a St. Croix dealer. I think there is one in hburg if that isn't too far for you...

 

[jayL]

The hyrdos reel is pretty sweet too.

 

[krayfish]

They may sell the rods but don't really stock any St Croix gear.... just like Cableas. Just be in Hancock on Friday at 6 am and you can use any one of my rods providing you don't get it near a boat oar. LOL

 

[jayL]

Hancock at 6 = circle E at 8:30?

Will not make it, but would like to get up there soon.

 

[krayfish]

I should be up there with Josh on 6-3, 6-4 and 6-5. Nickyboy may be joining us for Saturday. Brandon is kayaking with his buddy Mike that Saturday as well. We will split up and then compare stories later in the evening over some pizza. No 10 person float trips for us.