Orvis Superfine performance

[LetortAngler]

I recently broke my 4wt Orvis Clearwater and called Orvis to pay the fee and send it in to get fixed. They said their having a upgrade deal going on, that if you send in your broke rod, they give a big discount off any rod, and I got the prices 175$ Access 225$Superfine and 350$ Helios2... Well, I can't pass it up and am deff gonna get an upgrade, and my mind is set on a Superfine 1-4wt. I fish alot of streamers up to size 10-12 biggest and am worried that the superfine will not perform well with the bigger flies. I've felt the action of the superfine at the fly shop and it didn't seem that slow, actually leaning toward medium. Any superfine touch guys out there that got any insight on this rods performance with bigger flys would be greatly appreciated before I purchase.. Access and Helios 2 are still an option as well

 

[Dcap240]

For $350 I would buy the H2 tomorrow. Hands down the nicest rod I ever cast, both the 7'6" 3wt mid flex and the 9' 5wt tip flex. I would imagine the 4wt is just as nice. The price they told me at the time was $750 and that was supposed to be a discount! I wouldn't go near that price but $350 I'd be all over it. It will definetly cast a streamer better than a superfine. Superfine is a dry fly guys dream were the exact words of the orvis rep. I've never been an orvis guy but the H2 is something special IMO. Get to a shop and cast it.

 

[gfen]

I own two of them, one the earlier Troutbum model in 7'6" 1wt and one the Touch in 9' 4wt.

The 1wt is not suitable for your purposes.

The 4wt will easily fish a 4wt line with three, unweighted, size 14 flies on it.

 

[brookieaddict]

The superfines are a full flex soft tipped rod and your concern is justified. The Helios is the rod to buy, it will make you wish you had another fifty years to fish. It will lay a dry down with an angels touch or bomb a streamer 60 ft into the wind.

 

[thetonyage]

I love my 7'6" 3wt superfine touch for the small stream fishing I do. I can manage to throw a small bugger with it every now and then, but if you are looking for a specific streamer rod I'd also have to say the H2 is the way to go.

 

[Railking]

I own a 9ft 4wt Superfine Touch and 9ft 5wt Helios 2 tip flex. Love them both. Before the Helios, I used the superfine for just about all applications. It will through small streams, maybe not gracefully, but it will do it. A Helios for $350 is a pretty tough deal to pass up though.

 

[LetortAngler]

I fish about the same amount of time for each, dry, nymph, and streamer. I have an 9ft Orvis hydro 5wt which i believe is the same blank as the H2, but its sorta overkill for some of the smaller streams I fish, although it is my favorite rod. I was sorta planning to get the 7' 6" 3weight or 7' 4wt for alittle more backbone to huck a bigger fly. Wow, this is a more tough decision than buying a car!!! Appreciate the info everyone

 

[PennKev]

The rod action is of very little concern IMO. Pick whichever model you like. If that is the Superfine, go with that. More important is the line weight and rod length. If you are worried about throwing bigger flies, get the 4wt. 4wt rods are fantastic and versatile small stream rods. You'll be prepared for anything. As for length get the longest rod you feel comfortable with on the streams you are likely to fish. Personally, I find a 7' 6" to be ideal for many small streams that if fish.

Kev

 

[LetortAngler]

Thanks Pennkev, I actually just got off the phone with Orvis and got the 7'6" 4wt, they also said if I don't like it, I got 30 days to send it back and get the H2

 

[krayfish]

As someone mentioned, the h2 is amazing. I know you already ordered but I would have suggested a drive to a fly shop to compare a tip flex, mid flex and full flex. One will fit your casting style best.

 

[LetortAngler]

Thanks krayfish, I don't have a fly shop local here that sells Orvis rods, except the one shop up at Ohiopyle,(but they only carry echo and a few access rods) however I tested it flexibility just by holding a mid flex in one hand and the superfine in the other and I didn't see a crazy noticeable difference in the 4weights. All I know is that il be throwin more drys for now on

 

[krayfish]

During a standard 'shop wiggle' session, you may not notice much difference. Add 25-30' of line and theres a huge difference. Other than inconvenience of shipping back and forth with orvis, sounds like they're taking care of you.

 

[LetortAngler]

Well, at 6:00pm my doorbell rang and it was UPS and I was certain my rod was not gonna be in til at least next Wednesday, but it arrived. Immediately I opened the tube and assembled the rod and when in hand it felt like my own personal Excalibur. I put on my reel and line and did a quick test with some smaller streamers to see the action and man was I surprised! This rod easily handles a size 12 streamer and I was able to get about 40ft out with it pretty well with it, but the "feel" of the rod is like nothing else I own. I'm not a huge fan of slow action, but this rod deff has the backbone. Next I put on a dry, and I'm not gonna go crazy into detail but just say... Wow . I've wanted this rod for a very long time and man did it come at a good time cause I'm off this weekend, and it will be put to good use.