![]() ![]() The 804 Superfine Carbon wasn’t built with that in mind. It just doesn’t have the power to really handle streamers – but that’s not a bad thing. And at that point, I’d overline the rod and double-haul every cast. The 804 isn’t a rod I’d throw a streamer on unless you absolutely had to. ![]() Granted, you want to throw streamers that you’d throw on any normal 5wt, but this rod will get the job done. While I would never tell anyone to use this rod primarily for streamers, it will pick up and throw streamers. The TMF has a stiffer tip, though, which lends itself well to short casts in tight quarters. The 804 flexes much deeper than the TMF, so smaller fish are a lot more fun on it. I plan on buying an 804 Superfine Carbon because I don’t think my rod quiver (being the dry fly enthusiast I am) is complete without it. In the end, the heavier swing weight of the Superfine Carbon made me partial to the TMF, but only slightly so. I fished the 804 alongside my Tom Morgan Favorite WT (804 model) and it was an incredibly close call to which rod I preferred more, for dry fly fishing. That’s not always a bad thing – if you’re consistently catching fish 22 inches or bigger, take me with you – since not every trout requires 5wt power to land. The 804 does an even better job of dry fly presentation, but as with any 4wt, you sacrifice power and backbone for delicacy. When I hooked up with a trout, the half-moon bend in the rod looked awesome, but there was still enough backbone to steer the 20+ inch browns to the net. I broke this rod in on the Green during a decent BWO hatch, and it handled presentations smoothly. That’s what the 905 delivers for dries, when you need a big rod for bigger waters. I love when I pick up a rod and it feels like an extension of my arm, rather than a tool in my hand. I love being able to throw dries to trout without thinking about the cast. Now, let’s dive into a few specifics about the rods. In the $300-450 range, it’s hard to find something that beats this offering. Orvis is continually impressing me with every rod they produce these days, and for $425 the Superfine Carbon is competitively priced. The 804 handled nymphs fine, but again – it performed better when fished with a dry-dropper rig than two nymphs, split shot, and a strike indicator.Īll in all, I was highly impressed with this series of rods. But I wouldn’t use the 905 as a go-to nymph or streamer rod. The 905 handled a nymph rig fine, and as long as you use a double haul and really pay attention to the load of the line, it’ll throw an average-sized Wooly Bugger. I fished nymphs and streamers with these rods as well, although I didn’t use a streamer on the 804. I assumed this was due to my mediocre casting skills, but two guide buddies of mine casted both rods and noticed the same thing. Near the end of the cast, the line would lose a bit of its power and accuracy. I did notice a slight hitch in the cast when throwing past 50 feet, on both models. So line choice definitely had some affect on how the rods presented dry flies. The Abel had RIO DT LightLine, while the Hardy rocked the WF LightLine. ![]() It should be noted here that I tested both of these rods using an Abel TR-2 reel on the 905 and a Hardy Princess on the 804. Sharpe’s bamboo rod lay dries on the water with more aplomb. Only my Tom Morgan Favorite WT Winston and antique J.S. That’s not a bad thing, but you’ll definitely notice more of an ache in your casting arm after a day of throwing the Superfine Carbon as opposed to the Helios 2.īoth the 905 and 804 excel at fishing dries. These rods are fairly light, although they pack a heavier-than-average swing weight, thanks to their slow action. ![]() A simple cork grip and reel seat, paired with the classic Orvis unsanded blanks give the Superfine Carbon rods an understated, beautiful look. I’m also a sucker for beautiful craftsmanship, and Orvis knocked it out of the park with this rod series. As any regular reader of this column knows, I’m a sucker for rods with slow, classic action, and that’s exactly what this series of rods deliver. Thanks to the generosity of Tom Rosenbauer, I’ve had two extra fly rods in my quiver for the past three weeks – the Orvis Superfine Carbon 905 and 804. ![]()
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