The cork grip varies by rod weight, starting with a Modified Full Wells on the 4wt end and working up to a Full Wells with a Fighting Butt on the higher end where it’s needed. The recoil snake guides are light and strong, and they should outlast you. SiC/Titanium stripping guides give both utmost strength and smooth line movement. The wraps are black on black, leaving a clean, nonfussy look. The rod itself is a sleek matte black, with the option of either white or blue butt detailing. The vibration reduction allows for cast energy to be more efficiently transferred from the rod to the line. An increase in hoop strength is one of the leading reasons for that ability to go farther. The Orvis Helios 3D (H3D) is specifically designed to cast long distances. In short: The Orvis Helios 3D is easily one of the best fly fishing rods on the market. The rest of the words you’re about to read are glowing. Digging a caddis into the cork on a $1,000 rod … ain’t happening.Īs a person who builds fishing rods and has numerous fly rods on my bench right now, I’m boggled at the exclusion of a part that literally costs pennies.Īnd with that, the negatives stop. Repeatedly hooking flies to the bottom stripping guide can cause wear on the inner protective finish. It’s a minor detail but a silly one to exclude. Everything else about it - aside from it being a possible budget-buster at $998 - is dang near perfection. With impressive accuracy, insane power, and a wild ability to shoot line out like a cannon, the Orvis Helios 3D is straight-up bananas.

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