No hook keeper, matt finish gray blank, signature bright white section above cork handle. Get one in your hands, compare it with the Zephrus and Pure, and you be the judge. But at long range the H3F was definitely one of the very best rods. Mission accomplished? For me, both the Zephrus and Pure had the edge in accuracy at short to medium distances. Orvis claims the 3F is not only made to be smoother, faster, and stronger, it is also designed to be the most accurate rod ever made. Of our top three rods, the Helios 3F had the most power for dealing with a stiff headwind or throwing a long bomb should that be necessary. In 4-weight rods, the 3D is available only in the 9 foot #4 model, another reason we chose the 8’6” 3F #4 for our Shootout. The 3F rods have a softer tip than the 3D models, offering better feel and superior tippet protection while still maintaining an impressive amount of reserve power. In general, for lighter rods we prefer the Helios 3F (finesse) series to the 3D (distance). This rod gave me better control and accuracy at long range than any other rod in our Shootout.Įngineer and rod designer Shawn Combs put a lot of work into developing the Orvis Helios 3 rods and the proof is in the pudding. Performance at 60 feet: 9.7 points out of 10įeels great out long! Nice tight loops and good control. Casting against the Scott G series it felt about equal, and better than the Asquith. Now I’m getting nice tight loops, and the rod tracks very well with better feel and accuracy. Performance at 40 feet: 19.5 points out of 20 Swing weight was light but not as good as the Zephrus or Pure. I think that the vague feel I was getting hurt here. Good, just not nearly as precise but the Zephrus and Pure. Performance at 25 feet: 19.2 points out of 20 The perfect line: SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity in WF-4-F I wish there was a hook keeper, which I find very useful on light rods, but there is none. One SiC stripping guide is used and the rest are the best nickel/titanium and flexible snake guides in a gray color which complement the blank. The double size uplocking ring was easy to grip and tighten. The reel seat is an uplocking black anodized skeleton seat with a dark gray graphite insert, (pretty plain looking but it works well). Quality of the cork was excellent with a stack of thinner rings. The cork handle is a half wells with a long taper at the front, that I found to be comfortable to grip. The blank color is a non-glare, graphite gray with slightly darker gray wraps and alignment dots. I just don’t think the 3Fd is nearly as good looking as some of the more traditional looking single color rods, in our Shootout like the Scott, Winston, T&T, and Hardy. Personally I don’t care much for the five inches of white just above the cork handle but this has been the Helios 3 trademark and I think that Orvis feels that it will help the rods visibility on the rod rack in fly shops or out on the stream. The craftsmanship is typical Orvis excellence. This is a very pleasant rod to cast, and I was especially impressed at what nice tight loops I was getting at long range, where it proved to be better than any other rod tested, even the powerful Asquith. The swing weight is light but it can’t match the Zephrus or Pure. The action is slightly slower than the Zephrus though, and this contributed somewhat to its lack of feel and accuracy at 25 feet. I love the feel of this rod – it is nice and light in hand, and the action is fast and seems about right. We felt the 8’6” Helios 3F was the best rod to test since the 3D is available only in a 9-foot model. The F Series, concentrates more on finesse, without sacrificing too much power. The Helios 3 rods are available in both the D and F Series – with the D series more designed for distance and power. The Helios 3F is a relatively new rod from Orvis and it impressed us with its ability to perform well at all distances.
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