6wt Fly Rod Shootout: Cheap vs. Best Rod of All Time

Let’s put some 6 wt fly rods to the test – the good, the bad, the ugly, the cheap, the expensive, and what may be “the best rod of all time.”

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Rods:
Fenwick Aetos: https://amzn.to/3u3So23
Douglas Sky: https://amzn.to/3rsbeOz
Sage XP, Hardy Zephrus, St. Croix Legend Ultra: Discontinued
Maxcatch Extreme: No longer on Amazon, direct link to Maxcatch: 3/4/5/6/7/8/10WT Fly Rod Graphite IM8 Medium-fast Fly Fishing Rod Tube (maxcatchfishing.com)

Reel: Lamson Guru: https://amzn.to/3d4fT3S
Fly Line: Royal Wulff Triangle Taper 6 wt Floating: https://amzn.to/31luD9c
Shooter’s notes:

Fenwick Aetos: Great rod. We all LOVED casting it. It was the FASTEST of these fast action rods and one of the only rods in this shootout that wasn’t overpowered by this 6wt triangle taper line. I’m not sure if there is a thing as too fast, but if there is, it might be this rod. We were worried that it might be a tippet breaker on hooksets because it is SO fast. This is Will’s personal rod and when we got to thinking about it, on a trip we took last year he did break off several fish on the hookset using this rod. If you can put a little finesse into your hooksets, this rod with this line was a great combination. If we get really picky and have to find something wrong with this rod, it was the half well handle. If you could put full wells and a fighting butt on this rod, it would be gold.

Douglas Sky: LOVED IT. Great rod at near distances and actually wins the accuracy portion of the shootout if you only look at the data up to 50 feet. Just a touch below Fenwick at the farthest distances but still a very respectable performance. Best rod grip of any rod we’ve cast. Since you hold the rod all the time and only need to hit those ultra-long casts occasionally, I think some of us would choose the Douglas over the Fenwick for that reason, especially on smaller rivers where those long casts are never needed. Also, from 45 feet (arguably the most used 6 wt casting distance), it won with clear margins.

Sage XP: I know that this rod can do better than it did in this shootout. I don’t think the triangle taper line is a good match for it. We think, as far as fly lines go, it is perfectly paired with the Scientific Anglers Steelhead Taper, another fantastic product that has been discontinued *sigh*.

Hardy Zephrus: We all liked it. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked casting this rod. It wasn’t tippet-breaking fast but still had the backbone to cast long distances. This was a rod dad was going to sell after he got the Douglas Sky but after the shootout he’s changed his mind. He is going to keep this rod, pair it with an OPST commando line and use it as a single-handed spey rod.

Maxcatch Extreme: I was so disappointed that this rod didn’t do very well after seeing its little 3 wt sister do SO well. Don’t get me wrong, for $38 it still has excellent value and would be great for someone looking for a 6wt on a budget. It did handle the triangle taper well, better than most rods in the shootout, but it just wasn’t very accurate. We all felt like there wasn’t quite as much feedback to the handle when casting this rod, so it was a little tricky to feel the rod loading and to anticipate our casting strokes. On the plus side, I’ve heard that the extra weight and rigidity make it super durable: great for people who are a little rougher on their gear.

St. Croix Legend Ultra: None of us enjoyed casting this rod with this line. It was completely overpowered by this 6 wt triangle taper line even at very mid-range distances. Even though it claims it is, this rod just didn’t belong in a fast action 6 wt shootout. I would call it a medium action 5 wt at best. I don’t think this rod is junk, I just think to have an enjoyable casting experience with it, you need to underline it with a 5 or maybe even a 4 wt line.

Comments on rod handles: When it comes to 6 weight rods, a lot of rod manufacturers will sell 2 versions of their 6 wt rod: one with half wells and no fighting butt (typically called their freshwater version) and one with full wells and a fighting butt (typically called their saltwater version). In the shootout, we had 3 rods with each handle type, and it didn’t seem to affect performance, just preference. The winning rod had half wells while the second, third, and fourth place rods had full wells. My dad, Will, and I ALL prefer the feel of full wells and the added fighting butt for 6 wt rods (typically called the saltwater version although we are using these rods exclusively in freshwater).

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Видео 6wt Fly Rod Shootout: Cheap vs. Best Rod of All Time канала Hale on the Hunt