10ft Nymphing rod options?

[Cormo_rant]

Hi
There hasnt been a post on this for a while.Gary posted his thoughts a while back on the esn 3wt,stealth infinity and the hardy zenith.
What options are now available in either 2wt or 3wt in 10ft versions?I think xplorer have released a rod recently.

[JadeDsantos]

I have a 2wt ESN, and I really enjoy it.

Its great for the NEC streams, and can also cast a dryfly well.

[dtayl13]

Xplorer Xtenda
Echo shadow 2
Wychwood
Redington Horizon
TFO BVK
Vision cult (though I think it comes in 10'4 3wt or 11'1" 4wt)
Greys Streamflex XF2
There are a lot of options around now. I really like the streamflex and that is what I now use.

[Andre]

The market is full of 10 foot 2 and 3 wt rods of quality. The Sage ESN is probably head and shoulders above the rest, but that's my own speculation, because I haven't tried all the rest. My advice would be to first build up some leaders of different lengths according to the various nymphing styles that you would want to do, and go along to a tackle dealer and see how the various rods can manage them. Its not a perfect test, but its better than nothing if you are unable to get to fish one. Echo also have a nice light 10 foot, if you are able to deal with a bit of a tip wobble, and a "not so good" warranty, but on the whole, nice rods.
It also very much depends on how you choose to do your nymphing. There are so many different nymphing applications, and different styles work better with different rods and actions.
I would be quite happy to lend you my ESN for a day, but the problem is that you might fall in love with it and never give it back.:biggrin:

[dtayl13]

Out of the few rods I have tried the two I liked the most were the ESN and the streamflex. There is always going to be a fight about which of those two is better, but I honestly think they are equals after trying both. They feel a bit different but both really top class rods. I owned a 3wt 10'6" echo shadow PE which was brilliant for casting a full fly line and not much else. I had some great fun buzzer fishing with it and even took a 68cm stillwater yellow with it. It has some serious backbone. The infinity is nice though you cannot class it with the streamflex and ESN. You will have more control with it than with the echo but it isn't very sensitive and too fast for my liking. Really not a bad rod at all though. The BVK is also nice. Slightly slower than the infinity which is nice for nymphing though once again not a very sensitive tip. Its still much nicer to nymph with than the echo and I would get it over the infinity. The other rods I haven't tried so I can only comment from what I have heard. Apparently the Redington Hydrogen is fantastic. Very sensitive but with a bit more backbone than the streamflex and esn. I know nothing about the xtenda or the cult but I would really love to try the cult.Screenshot_2015-10-14-09-38-22.jpg

Before you all shoot me down these are purely my opinions. Just because I think one rod is better than another it does not mean that I am right. All of my comments come from fishing the rods on the cape streams so the faster rods are not as nice for that as the slower rods in my opinion but maybe for yellows the infinity and shadow will way out perform the greys and esn.

[Korrie]

I am of the opinion that you do not want a rod that is too fast in the 10" 3# range.
Too fast, and you struggle to load the rod when doing dry fly only, with the long leader.
A slower/softer rod, it is easier to cast long leaders and very short fly line.
You want a rod that recovers fast and does not vibrate a lot before coming to a stand still at the end of the cast.

[GGY]

Xplorer Xtenda
Echo shadow 2
Wychwood
Redington Horizon
TFO BVK
Vision cult (though I think it comes in 10'4 3wt or 11'1" 4wt)
Greys Streamflex XF2
There are a lot of options around now. I really like the streamflex and that is what I now use.

Unfortunately the Cult is a 3pc rod (10'8" 3wt or 11'1" 4wt).
As to which is better for what ,depends on what you are going to use it for and whether you want an all-rounder or a specialised rod.

[Cormo_rant]

i see greys have a streamflex xf2 #2 10ft
Thought they only had a #3,maybe its a new addition

[dlampert]

I have owned and fished the Echo Shadow 10'6" 3wt and the Echo Shadow II 10' 3wt. They are very different rods and cannot really be compared to each other ito weight, swing weight, tip wobble and performance. The Echo Shadow II easily casts a 40' leader for euronymphing and is great for dry fly work. I have cast and fished for short duration the Sage ESN 10' 3wt, Stealth Infinity 10' 3wt and Greys Streamflex 10' 3wt. The Shadow II feels lighter in the hand compared to all of them and is a pleasure to cast and fish. I didn't like the ESN and found it tip heavy even with a heavy reel to balance it. The service directly from Echo in the USA has been excellent!

[redhumpy]

I remember in I think it was April a rod builder was up in PTA and we compared the Echo Shadow PE 11ft to a, I think, an 11ft ESN if I remember correctly next to each other. There was a comment on the quick recovery of the Echo Vs the Sage. So I am not so sure of the " tip wobble" as I have not experienced it personally on my Echo as a previous poster has on his. Plus as said before, the warranty dealing directly with Tim in the US is outstanding. The warranty issue in SA is due to slapgat agents. I am by no means saying the Echo is a better rod as I have not had extended fishing experience with an ESN, but for a third of the price and with good technique a wobble is a non issue.

ps. If wobble and recovery is not related I apologize as I do not have time now to verify my reply on Google.