I’ve been on the market for a new rod for a while now, to be honest, just didn’t know what I wanted. A few days before my girlfriend and I went to Lake City, Colorado for a Wine Festival I went to Orvis to try out a Recon Fly Rod, Orvis’ mid-ranged fly rod. While I was there, I wanted to try the Helios H3, you know, for the hell of it.
I met with Bill at Orivs, and started talking to him about what I wanted. I decided on a 5WT because I wanted a four piece rod, one that I’d be able to pack in the backpack instead of carrying around my big 2 piece 9ft 5WT awkwardly hiking up the mountain. We went out for a cast, and brought the Helios 3F, Helios 3D, and the Recon, all in 9ft 5WT.
The Casting Results and Decision
Before we started casting, I asked Bill what the difference between the 3F and 3D was. He began to explain that the 3F stands for Finesse and the 3D stands for Distance.
Casted the Helios 3F first, didn’t get the results I expected, due to my own lack of skill, but once I got my cast down after a few practices casts, I was casting 45 feet pretty accurately. Although I didn’t have as much control as I expected from the rod.
Next, Helios 3D, I instantly was making perfect casts with this rod. From shorter casts, to longer, I was able to cast consistency and accurately. Every cast I made was perfect. Loved the feeling of the H3D. It was a little stiffer and it just felt better to me while casting.
Last the Recon, immediately I could feel the difference in quality compared to the H3 rods. Even more so when you casted it. While it didn’t cast bad, I didn’t have as much as control or consistency compared the to H3’s. There further I casted, the less accuracy I had. Still, overall a pretty good rod compared to what I’m use too.
Throughout the whole process, Bill went above and beyond by giving me casting tips that were more than welcome. I struggled with the first few casts which was embarrassing, but he was nice enough to give me a quick refresher lesson. It was cool to hear about his past and fishing experience too.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to drop a $1000 when I walked into Orvis that day, but I was prepared too. Going through my head, I knew I no longer wanted the Recon, but I wanted an H3. The thing that kept getting me was the D for distance and F for Finesse. I asked Bill what he thought between the 3D and 3F, his response gave me confidence for my decision. He replied, “you know Patrick, when you casted the 3F you weren’t getting consistently great casts, but the moment you cast the 3D and were making great casts and I could see the joy in your face. I think if you got the 3F and your casting wasn’t that great, you would always be wondering what if, about the 3D”. While I was concerned that 3D is a “distance rod’, its the rod that ultimately fits my casting style. Thanks for the help Bill.
After I casting all three, I ended up splurging. I purchased the Helios 3D with a BattenKill Reel and Hydros HD Trout line. It was a $100 off of a package deal, so ended up getting the line for free. Couldn’t wait to test it in Lake City over the weekend.
The Fishing Review
I only had a limited time to fish because of the Wine Festival, but I was determined to get out and spend as much time as I could on the water trying out my new rod. I got on the water around 10AM, didn’t see anyone else fishing yet. The water on the Lake Fork Gunnison River was really low. It’s been hot and dry. And the reports I heard, the fishing wasn’t great right now.
I was getting a little nervous that fishing would be tough, but at the first stop, I find a promising run. I rig up a nymph setup with a pink wiggly worm and a black bead head midge dropper or a copper john (can’t remember what I started with). I put a little weight on it then started high sticking in the sections I thought there’d be fish. I usually would use a indictar when nymphing but with the water so low I didn’t feel like it was necessary. Second cast in, I’m drifting near a tree branch, and my line tightens, fish on! A nice little rainbow. Wow, a great feeling to get a perfect drift and catch my first fish on my new H3 rod. Remember when I was worried about the “distance” part of the 3D? Well, I pretty much was using my leader with a foot of fly line out. Turns out, it works great casting short distances too!
I keep fishing the run for another 30 minutes or so, and I catch another five fish. They love that damn wiggly worm. And so do I. I caught some really nice rainbows that I’ll put below.
I went on to fish another hour or two, then went and met up with the girls at the wine festival and got some food. I didn’t eat breakfast and I was a hungry boy. The wine festival was fun, tried some good wine, ate some tacos and a chicken wrap, did a little shopping, and a little napping.
I really wanted to get back out and catch the evening hatch, I found a hole with some big fish that I couldn’t get to bite early in the day, I was hoping to change that in the evening. I got the okay from my girlfriend that it was okay for me to leave, and got back out on the water a little after 4:30pm. The evening started out slow, and the only fish I could get to eat were little ones. I went to a few other parts of the river and to finish of the evening, I went back to the hole with large fish. They didn’t like my midges that I had on, so I changed to a black and red copper john I believe. I put an indicator on and had my flies going as deep as I could get them. After a few drifts, I finally got the one I was looking for and hooked into my first big brown. I would get it close to the net, then it would take off back into the pool. After a few rounds, I got it in, grabbed a picture and released it. Good way to end the night.
Once it got dark, I headed back to meet up with the girls. They were wasted, so I just ended up staying sober so I could drive us home. We had a nice fire after the bars, with some Makers Mark Whisky and night night.
The next day, we got off to a slow start, had brunch at the stunning Climb Elevated Eatery. Full disclaimer, my gf’s friend Kayla’s parents own this restaurant and they are amazing people. They also let us stay in their “Garage” for the weekend. We went and saw some incredible views from windy point after brunch then went to checkout their river property.
The river property held some nice fish in a large pool, but the water was running to slow and the fish weren’t interested in anything. With only an hour to spare, I hustled over to the public section to the section I caught a brown in the day before. I decided to take a different approach to this hole and it helped me get a better drift. Only a few casts in, I hooked into my nicest rainbow of the weekend. It happened to be my only fish that day. Good way to end a great weekend out.
After catching quite a few fish with my new rod, I must say, the Helios H3 3D is an amazing rod. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase and can’t wait to use this rod for years to come. If you happen to be considering purchasing a new rod, I would suggest going into Orvis and giving their rods a test. While the rod it’s is rather pricey and set me back a fair amount of money, compared to my $70 fiber glass rod and my Template Fork Signature II Rod, the quality is noticed. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
To end the post, I’ll leave you with a short video of some slow motion releases and pictures of fish I caught over the weekend.