Orvis Helios D 9′ 8-weight

$1,198.00

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SKU: orv-helios-D-908 Brand:

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Product Description

Orvis Helios D 9′ 8-weight, 4-piece fly rod  (4th generation)

comes with partitioned cloth liner and aluminum rod case

Specs

  • Versatile performance for fresh and saltwater
  • Target bass, pike, bonefish, and more
  • Generates power quickly for loading and shooting line
  • Excellent for floating and sinking line types
  • Efficient energy recovery
  • All aluminum anodized reel seat
  • Full wells grip with fighting butt
  • Matte midnight black finish with black thread wraps
  • Aluminum rod tube
  • Backed by 25-Year Guarantee
  • Made in USA

Reviews

  1. The 9’ 8wt Helios D is a wonderfully well-rounded 8wt fly rod. Just like all of the Helios D rods, the 8wt is very light in hand but still has the feeling of substance. You couldn’t ask for a smoother, easier casting 8wt than this. It has lethal accuracy at all distances and holds a beautiful loop on those longer casts. This is one of the more intuitive rods in the Orvis lineup and gives the caster tremendous control on the water. With the SA Amplitude Bonefish Plus WF8F line this rod is perfectly tuned for virtually any flats style fishing situation. This is one of those rod and line pairings that gives you the feeling that there is zero energy lost between the rod and the fly line.

    Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)
  2. The Helios D 9’ 8 weight is an exceptional 8 weight. We cast the rod with an SA Amplitude Textured Bonefish Plus WF8F and had to pick our jaws up off the floor because the running line kept getting hung up on them. This is a rod and line combination to pay attention to for the flats angler. The Bonefish Plus taper is highly versatile and I like the line with fly sizes from a #1 Deceiver down to a #8 Charlie. You have a rod and line that are capable of handling the breadth of bonefishing, all the redfishing save for the biggest bulls and flies, most of your modern day permit fishing, and general purpose saltwater inshore.

    The 8 weight is perfectly balanced, powerful, playful, precise and lovely. You feel instantly connected to the rod and your intuition is allowed to drive. It was easy to daydream away the gymnasium and imagine myself placing casts to scissory bonefish tails. The tip of the rod is tremendously sweet. I have a soft spot for a fast action rod with a just-right tip that lets me finesse the last little bit of the cast. This is a rod that returns two fold what you put into it, the level of response and control is at the pinnacle of fly rod performance. You can speed up and really dig into the blank, and the next cast you can back it right off and lay down a soft and sweet little teardrop cast. It’s akin to all the best 9 foot 8 weights out there, but with a feel and sensation that is completely unique and about as perfect as perfect is.

    Richard Post (Telluride Angler)
  3. Among the finest 8-weights I have ever cast, I put this rod on a pedestal for its optimum combination of lightness, power, control, feel and overall fly rod appeal. It blows my mind. It makes heavy lines feel light. I first cast it with an SA Amplitude Bonefish Plus WF8 and was shocked by the line speed and precision it delivered. On the backcast, I could feel the rod load with my eyes closed but never felt the heavy line head pulling the rod off axis. Stability throughout the rod is uncanny, but it’s also one of the lightest, most sensitive 8-weights I’ve ever swung. The flex profile of this rod is immaculate from the standpoint of fishability, but also through the lens of nit picking rod design critique, a lifetime accomplishment for the rod designer and model icon for the whole series.

    Fish this rod for bonefish, redfish, permit, schoolie stripers, pike, salmon, golden dorado or peacock bass. It will handle any 8-weight saltwater line, but for the flats, I would start with the SA Bonefish Plus WF8, a match made in heaven.

    John Duncan (Telluride Angler)
  4. Helios D and Helios F 9′ 8-weights: Why put these two models together for a review? To start, I love 8 weights . I fish 8 weights quite often for bonefish, permit, triggerfish etc. It is difficult for me to choose which model I prefer because I was blown away by both of them. The D certainly brings a bit more power with a stiffer butt section and softer tip while the F has a progressive taper that allows the power to be transferred along the entirety of the rod. Both of these rods allow for tight and controllable loops at distance but if the majority of your shots are inside of 40 feet I would probably give the F the edge. These rods would be equally effective as Alaska streamer and mousing rods.

    Troy Youngfleish (Telluride Angler)
  5. Fishing review from Andros: This rod was my constant companion on Andros last week. On calm mornings when I should have been fishing a 7-weight, it laid down long casts over spooky fish with a whisper. The feel and loop control felt like I was fishing PMDs on the Dolores. Afternoons were windy, and later in the week we had two days where the wind never dropped below 20mph, rising as high as 28mph. I was able to keep fishing this 8-weight right through the teeth of the wind, switching to my 9-weight only when winds approached 30mph on Friday afternoon. When casting into the wind, I found the lighter rod was an advantage because I could swing it with less strength. I made a couple of long shots that really made me smile, stabbing the rod hard into a right shoulder wind with a strong double haul with 40 feet of line in the air, the kind of cast that often hooks someone in the boat. The resilience of this rod is tremendous. I couldn’t fold it with those aggressive casts and hooked a couple of fish that honestly would have been out of range with another rod. This emboldened me to take long shots without my usual hesitation. The rod generates power through line speed, flexing deep enough into the blank to really wind up the spring and release it with incredible natural energy. The rod never feels stiff, but you can challenge it with overpowered casting techniques. The result is spectacular.

    John Duncan (Telluride Angler)
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