http://www.winstonrods.com/

http://www.sageflyfish.com/

http://www.hardyusa.com/

http://www.orvis.com/store/home_page.aspx?bhcp=1

Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - april2008 - Index

2008
S
S
RODS
12
9-foot
4-piece
8-weight
4.2 ounces
Made in U.S.A
R.L. Winston
Boron II-MX
R.L. Winston’s new Boron
II-MX rods represent
the pinnacle of technical
achievement in boron/
graphite-composite construction.
“MX” stands
for “maximum”—as in
maximum power, maximum
distance, and maximum
fish-fighting ability—and it’s
an apt moniker, especially
for the Series’ extraordinarily
competent 8-weight. We’ve
spent many hours fishing the
8-weight since getting our
hands on it last summer, and
it is an immensely powerful,
highly responsive, and
superbly accurate rod. Boron
II-MXs features a hand-turned,
premium-cork, full-Wells
grip, uplocking nickel-aluminum
reel seat with dual locking
rings and cork/peppered
cork fighting butt, emerald
green painted boron/graphite-composite
blanks with
tip-over-butt ferrules, twin
dual-foot strippers, and wideaperture,
hard-chrome snakes
and tip-top. It comes packed
in a green and gold aluminum
rod tube, and includes
Winston’s unconditional
lifetime warranty.
$660 $680 $725 $775
R.L. Winston Rod Co.
(406) 684-5674
winstonrods.com
9-foot
4-piece
8-weight
4.2 ounces
Made in U.S.A
Sage
Z-Axis
Another Editors’
Choice Award winner,
the Sage Z-Axis is
built with Sage’s Generation
5 tooling and
technology. Using
analysis software, Sage
designers eliminated all
unnecessary material and
created what may be the
ultimate 8-weight taper. The
Z-Axis is significantly lighter
and stronger than previous
generation Sage 8-weights,
and affords demonstrably enhanced
casting performance.
While this is a truly fast-action
rod, it loads comfortably
on a short line and delivers
every bit of the sensitivity and
line feel you would expect
from a medium-action rod,
making it an ideal choice for
all skill levels. Additional
features include a Struble reel
seat with twin locking rings
and cork/peppered cork fighting
butt, premium-grade,
full-Wells cork grip, green
painted blank with tip-overbutt
ferrules, twin stripers
with SiC rings, hard chromeplated
snakes and tip-top,
and Sage’s Original Owner
Lifetime Warranty.
Sage Manufacturing
(800) 533-3004
sageflyfish.com
9-foot
4-piece
8-weight
4.2 ounces
Made in Korea
Hardy
Zane
Named after Zane
Grey—author, angler
and Hardy rod/reel
devotee—the new Zane
Series 8-weight is a
stellar performer. Built
with a multi-modulus
blend of graphite, the
Zane’s blanks are the
slimmest Hardy has
ever produced. It cuts through
the air like a hot knife through
butter, but loads easily with
very fast recovery from flexion—the
perfect combination
of characteristics for quick,
accurate casts. Other features
include iridescent blue
painted blanks, tip-over-butt
ferrules with alignment dots
and machined aluminum
ferrule plugs (how British!),
Fuji strippers with SiC rings,
extra-wide aperture snakes
and tip-top, silver anodized
aluminum reel seat with
iridescent blue accent stripes,
double locking rings, and
cork/EVA-foam fighting butt,
and a premium cork full-
Wells grip. The rod comes in
a matching blue, carbon-fiber
rod tube with protective neoprene
cover, and includes an unconditional
lifetime warranty.
Hardy USA
(607) 756-2851
hardyusa.com
9-foot
4-piece
8-weight
3.2 ounces
Made in U.S.A
Orvis
ZG Helios
OK, here’s the Ferrari
F430 Spider. At $775,
the Orvis ZG Helios is
the most expensive rod
of the bunch, but is it
really worth the money?
Absolutely! Orvis has
spent a lot of time and
R&D dollars over the
last five years to regain
the high ground in fly rod
technology, and with the
ZG Helios they’ve arrived.
Perhaps the most technically
competent 8-weight of all
time, the ZG Helios is built
with unidirectional graphite
scrim that permits steeper,
faster tapers while reducing
blank weight by more than
30%. Weighing only 3.2
oz., it feels like a 5-weight in
hand. Other features include
tip-over-butt ferrules with
alignment dots, titanium-alloy
strippers with NanoLite
(twice as hard as ceramic)
rings, Recoil snakes and tiptop,
gold anodized-aluminum
reel seat with woven carbonfiber
insert, dual locking rings
and cork/EVA-foam fighting
butt, and a premium cork
full-Wells grip. All backed
by a 25-year guarantee.
The Orvis Co.
(800) 548-9548
orvis.com