Raff
Member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2009
- Messages
- 77
Recently I came across a screaming deal on the Loop AEG 590 fly rod. This rod is the revival of the older Grey Line (retail of $700) of rods, and is pretty fast "but with some love" as they like to put it. Knowing that Loop makes some pretty sweat stuff, I bought one and offer you guys my thoughts on it.
Out of the Tube
I've owned some of the older Loop rods, and one of the halmarks has been power to weight ratio. The rods could cast a mile, and were still pretty lightweight. The AEG Rod is a little heavier than most rods. This is because of the blended cork composite handle, as well as the metal reel seats. So it's a little heavier than, say, my Echo or Sage rods. But in terms of visual aesthetics, this one is a looker. It's a beauty.
On the Water
When I took the AEG rod out to the water, I paired it with a Lamson Guru 2 and a Rio Gold line. With this setup, I headed out and tried out my first dry fly. It casts REALLY nice. Their description was perfect. It's a fast action rod, but really allows for a nice presentation. I threw on some nymphs, and the same thing - great performance, good power transfer. This thing is a cannon that can cast a mile!
For kicks, I threw on a Galloup Sex Dungeon and tried it with streamers, and it was a rocket launcher! I have never been able to get as good of casts with weighted articulated streamers on a 5wt as I did with this rod. Absolutely blew my Sage FLi out of the water.
Overall
I really like this rod! I will say that after using much lighter rods, I did notice the weight. This rod definitely needs a light reel to make up for the weight in the bottom half. But paired with the Guru is did just fine. If you are looking for a new 5 wt and want to get a great performer for a pretty good price (they run on eBay for $150-200), I would definitely recommend the Loop AEG 590.
Out of the Tube
I've owned some of the older Loop rods, and one of the halmarks has been power to weight ratio. The rods could cast a mile, and were still pretty lightweight. The AEG Rod is a little heavier than most rods. This is because of the blended cork composite handle, as well as the metal reel seats. So it's a little heavier than, say, my Echo or Sage rods. But in terms of visual aesthetics, this one is a looker. It's a beauty.
On the Water
When I took the AEG rod out to the water, I paired it with a Lamson Guru 2 and a Rio Gold line. With this setup, I headed out and tried out my first dry fly. It casts REALLY nice. Their description was perfect. It's a fast action rod, but really allows for a nice presentation. I threw on some nymphs, and the same thing - great performance, good power transfer. This thing is a cannon that can cast a mile!
For kicks, I threw on a Galloup Sex Dungeon and tried it with streamers, and it was a rocket launcher! I have never been able to get as good of casts with weighted articulated streamers on a 5wt as I did with this rod. Absolutely blew my Sage FLi out of the water.
Overall
I really like this rod! I will say that after using much lighter rods, I did notice the weight. This rod definitely needs a light reel to make up for the weight in the bottom half. But paired with the Guru is did just fine. If you are looking for a new 5 wt and want to get a great performer for a pretty good price (they run on eBay for $150-200), I would definitely recommend the Loop AEG 590.
