Orvis Recon 9’0″ 5-weight Freshwater (2026)

Reviews

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   This is an impressive rod when paired with an SA Infinity Taper, but lighter lines leave the caster feeling disconnected and wandering. With an Infinity, however, we have something special. The Recon 2 905 feels light in hand but stable and confident throughout the blank. It doesn’t wobble under the weight of a strike indicator and lead, nor will it back down from a Rio Predator or other common streamer line. This is truly a 5-weight for all techniques: dry flies, nymphs and streamers. It possesses tremendous power and seems to build line speed with each increment of line in the air, yet flexes and responds beautifully at short distances for fishing right off your boot laces. This is an outstanding mid-priced trout rod that will fish right alongside most of the high-end 5-weights on the market.

   John Duncan (Telluride Angler)

2. Rated 4 out of 5

   This is a great “do it all” 5wt that will handle a wide range of fishing styles well. It doesn’t quite have the ultralight feel that the shorter models do, but it isn’t as heavy as other rods in a similar price point. It performs pretty well in close but really comes to life with 40’ or so of fly line out. Just like all of the Recon rods, the 9’ 5wt handles several different casting strokes well. It will perform equally well with a long, smooth casting stroke as it will with a short aggressive stroke. It’s relatively stiff compared to other mid-priced rods but still has great feel. I threw this rod with the SA Amplitude Infinity WF5F and was very happy with the performance.

   Parker Thompson (Telluride Angler)