G.Loomis IMX-Pro V2 590-4 FB

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   A fighting butt helps keep your reel out of the sand, so Loomis offers their 9’ 5-weight with or without one. The implementation of a fighting butt forces the grip to be mounted slightly higher on the blank, so fighting butt versions feel a little different from their counterparts. In this case, the IMX Pro V2 590-4 FB is slightly bouncier in the tip and maybe just a tad less crisp along the whole blank. I’m splitting hairs, but I can feel a difference. If you don’t need the fighting butt, choose the other version, but if you want the FB, you’ll still be impressed with this fly rod.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 4 out of 5

   There aren’t too many 9’ 5wt rods on the market with a fighting butt, however there is still a need for them in certain places. In general, this casts pretty similarly to the 590/4, but it isn’t quite as fine-tuned as the non-fighting butt version. It can be difficult to feel a difference between these two rods, but if you really pay attention, you will notice a slight bounce in the tip of this rod which is not the case in the other version. It’s still a great all around 5wt, but I would likely reach for the other version given my individual fishing preferences. The SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity is a good line on this rod, but if you want to quicken the rod up consider the Rio Elite Gold as another good all-around line.

   Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)