Product Reviews
I have been Euro Nymphing for the past few years. I wanted to learn this form of Modern Nymphing. However, you can’t learn everything from Youtube. I went to seek a guide in Utah that only guided Euro Nymphing. Rather than use my set up, I used his. I fished a 2 wt, 10 foot Ideal Nymph rod from Diamondback. This was a game changer. With the guides assistance and the Ideal Nymph Rod, I went from barely casting to accurately casting to pockets in the river. I could finally execute what my mind told me I needed to do. I made up my mind to buy this rod the second I got home. I compared the rod to the other euro nymph rods I have and this one is by far more sensitive at the tip but had an incredibly robust butt section. I was on the Dream Stream here in Colorado and landed several big rainbows on it. Love it.
The rod was great. It was light and sensitive. Great for small nymphs and drys. The reel balanced the rod very well. The reel is definitely nicer than other esn reels.
I am loving the casting and backbone this rod has. You would never know it was a 1wt.
I have a big, deep dome...a lot of today's hats leave me wanting more...I would not call this a full on super deep/tall hat but it definitely has some structure and fits my 7 1/2 to 7 5/8" hat size pretty well...and I think it looks cool also...
If you’re a fan of DBFC this hat is for you! The classic trucker is well made and simple but stylish. The crown panel boasts a sewn on patch bearing the company’s new logo. The color scheme seems to coordinate well with the colors of the logo. The mesh panels are something I appreciate for ventilation during hot weather. The crown and brim are a charcoal color. The brim has contrasting stitching which matches the light blue color of the mesh panels. Size adjustment is simple with the snap back strap. Overall it’s a great looking hat ! We can’t wear camouflage all the time 😜
So here is what I have to say. Get This Rod NOW! Like it's predecessor, this rod is hitting the market with a fair price tag but you're going to have a hard time finding someone willing to part with one on the secondary market if you let it get to that point.
I pared the 8' 4W Fresh Water with an Orvis BBS III with a mid-grade WF NB line.
Roll Casting Tight 8-10 (more than acceptable accuracy- line & leader length moves this rating 1 to 2 points)
Roll Casting- Mid 15-20': 9.5-10: noticeable load when drawing up for the back cast, crisp kinetic release on the forward, beautiful accuracy as tip recovery is damned near dead-nut straight.
Roll Casting - Long 30+': 9.5-10: the middle section of the rod comes into play and there's some meat to work with. Very little extra effort involved when pushing for the extra feet, "just let the rod work" approach is the correct one. Rod tip recovery remained unchanged with straight down and up tracking. I was picking my targets and hitting them intuitively.
Hull Casting: 9-10; hands down great. Fast but not snappy, I stretched casts as far as conditions and my setup allowed (longer than you think.) Intuitive loading by feel; accuracy "call your target-hit your target". I found myself in a position to toss a few steeple casts, the transition on the downward vertical into a forward horizontal was an "admirable performance" for a BS cast that is rarely used, it did what I wanted to do. (0 points added 0 point deducted.)
My Straight Up Opinion: It is on the faster side for people who like mid to slow action dry fly rods, however, it wasn't splashing down either so yeah, it does that too. You could easily line down or go with a less aggressive WF taper and customize the feel for where you want to be. ((more experimentation need.))
I absolutely loved this rod and since I got mine, it's been the only one I have taken out forgoing those in rotation with more than double the price tag.
I Spent most of my time tight lining a double nymph rig under a single BB split shot. Easy feel on the take, easy distinction between a fish take and bouncing off of structure. The 4 WT has some backbone but maybe I should have upped to a 5 WT, it handled an 18 inch rainbow in a 300cfs deep current in such a way were I was able to easy manipulate him into the pocket water I felt more comfortable fighting in. I was admittedly asking a lot from the rod and I got what I needed. again, I wish I had a 5 or a 6 in my hand but that was my choice not the rods.
Another observation; It's my opinion that the single foot hoop like islets that were prevalent in the original Diamondback VSRs and some of the older Cortland Pro-Casts do move the apex of that kinetic release point down further into the tip section of the rod as the blank is given just that much more flexibility. It's my opinion that, this is what gives you a pretty fast feel to the rod but also somehow translates into softer presentations on the water adding that versatility and perhaps providing a more forgiving result despite sloppy fundamentals and bad habits. When fighting a bigger fish, I didn't perceive any noticeable difference in the bend/backbone. but again, I'm not about to tax my new 4wt on anything lake run anytime soon.
Money back test:
Would I buy this rod again: Yes
Would I be willing to sell this rod to a personal friend at purchase price: NO, This rod is now part of my personal rotation.
Would I be willing to sell this rod for 50% profit assuming you could no longer replace it new? Honestly no, I would keep it in my regular rotation.
Would I be willing to sell this rod at 100% profit assuming you could no longer replace it new? Getting closer but no, I would keep it in my regular rotation.
Would I be willing to sell this rod at 150% profit assuming you could no longer replace it new? I would take a day to think about it, negotiate an additional trade, most likely cave, 150% profit is hard to ignore.
I haven't given a 10 out of 10 ever: the closest was the original Orvis Super Fine Glass with a 9-10 and part of that rating had to do with Orvis actually pricing a rod accurately for once.
overall, 9.5 out of 10: the numbers average out closer to 9.20. but the fact that I actually had to think about whether or not I would be willing to sell it at 100% profit and above is worth half a point. The only reason I'm not giving it the 10-10 is the short-range roll casting but I acknowledge that this is nit-picking and comes with opinions and variables.
just go out and get the rod before they are discontinued from the production line. or else you're missing out on a gem. It's worth the buy at double the price. And, Diamondback supports our veterans and first responders. That also counts for something.
This rod casts like a dream. Pinpoint accuracy with fast recovery. Handles fish remarkably well. Plenty of power in the butt section to land big fighting fish. Highly recommend it. Wish I had gotten it sooner. Thanks Joe for designing this work of art!
At first I figured I'd fish the 9' 5wt as a dry fly rod but it's doing just as well with fairly substantial foam hoppers and even small streamers. While fishing it last week I went to strip out a bit more line and realized an entire 100' fly line was already off the reel and this rod was casting it with complete ease. Small streams or big lakes seem to be equally tempting with this rod.
Nice rod, one of the best I have ever fish. Is fast, but accurate and you don't loose fish. Nice hook set, you can easy correct your cast on the air. Down locking but is perfectly compatible with semiautomatic fly reels (we use in Spain) . Nor sure if three normal guides at the end, have any adventage...Maybe (not sure) a little bit more in the #2-3 range than in the true #2. But cast very well a tamdem (dry and a nymph) 2'3 mm bead and 12 size CDC dry, no issue. I do recommend it. Nice craftmanship.
Very pleased with the casting performance and feel, of the Tactical Long. Looks great, performs great.
Beautiful rod. Excellent workmanship. Not had a chance to use being waiting for line and reel to be delivered.
