[ED: I like this fly rod, but Orvis seems to no longer sell the ZeroGravity series (abandoned in favor of the Helios fly rods), so this is more fly rod eulogy than fly rod review at this point]
I’m mostly a bamboo and fiberglass guy, meaning I like rods that bend easily.
I think concerns about weight are way overblown, so as a result, modern, high-quality (and high-priced) graphite isn’t much in evidence in my rod closet.
So when I had the chance to score a high-end Orvis rod (disclosure: a trade) I went for a rod that played to graphite’s better qualities: a big fish/high winds/sinking line/streamer rod.
I went with a 9′ 6wt in the Orvis “mid flex” (7.5 flex), figuring I’d feel more at home with the taper than with the “tip flex” rods which I don’t much care for.
The wraps are simple, and the deep red blank is handsome.
I’ve fished the rod four times under winter conditions (it’s a special-purpose rod after all–if I waited until I used it a dozen times you’d be reading this a year from now), including a couple brief flings with a streamer, casting a dry, and [sigh] nymphing.
First.
I have some serious doubts about technology being the one true path to fly rod happiness, but I will say Orvis got the cosmetics right.
The Zero Gravity comes in a gorgeous, pebbled finish red tube, and the blank itself is handsome, deep red color. Pretty.
The wraps are clean and neat (what you’d expect from a high-end rod), and the guides appear to be standard
The new Orvis reel seats are shapely (and clearly lightweight) affairs, though they’re overshadowed a bit by the 7″ reverse wells grip, which is (to my preference) too long, though the center swell fills the hand nicely.
Of course, that kind of grip is pretty standard on today’s production rods, and if you’re a total pain in the ass about a grip, you’re probably buying custom rods anyway.
Gorgeous reel seat.
Enough About Pretty. Is it Manly?
You knew we’d get around to this eventually. First, this rod is–as advertised–as light as you’d expect it to be.
I know some fly fishers who obsess over the loss of an eighth of an ounce off their fly rod, a practice any bamboo fly rod guy finds oddly misplaced, but then, Sage, Loomis and others have been selling this kind of technology (with great success) for years, so you can hardly blame Orvis for following suit.
According to Orvis, the Zero Gravity rods use a thermoplastic resin, boron fibers and a unidirectional carbon scrim to produce blanks that are “25% stronger yet 25% thinner than comparable blanks, and 40% lighter.”
Clearly, fly rods are growing lighter, and as I understand it, the challenge nowadays is to retain some semblance of strength in the things, which I understand to be the real reason they went to the thermoplastic resin.
All I can say for sure is the rod didn’t break, and an Orvis dealer I spoke to said he had yet to see a broken one. And sadly, I haven’t yet fought a 28″ steelhead on the thing to truly test it.
If I do, you’ll hear about it soon enough.
So let’s just say the rod is clearly competitive on the technology front, give durability a tentative checkmark, and move on.
How Does it Fish?
Simply put, it casts nicely. Given that all high modulus graphite rods feel stiff to my hand, I found this rod a surprisingly smooth caster.
The tip was light enough to fish well at close range, yet the rod was certainly capable of throwing a lot of line. A lot.
My first tendency with a lot of modern graphite rods is to throw a heavier line on the thing to try and squeeze some semblance of feel out of the thing, and I was happily surprised to discover this Zero G rod didn’t need that.
Wayne Eng cast the rod and also felt it was “true” 6wt, so Orvis clearly got this part of the taper right.
Also surprising was the all-around “troubability” of the thing: modern freshwater 6wts are typically only fished over big trout and small steelhead, so you wouldn’t expect 6x delicacy from the thing, though in fact I did land a feisty 15″ trout on a 6x nymph dropper.
Score one for reasonable tapers.
I also threw a weighted streamer for a while, and the rod was certainly up to the job, though I have yet to find a rod where that kind of activity might be considered fun.
Of course, if high-modulus graphite rods have a sweet spot, it’s centered directly over nymphing, and I can say two things with certainty:
- This rod nymphs extremely well–it’s strong enough to pitch a couple shot and excels at setting the hook. If I was a nymph fisher, I’d use this rod fulltime.
- If fly fishing was only about indicator nymphing, I’d take up bowling.
All-Rounder
In truth, I was surprised at how nice the rod was, though I’m not busy listing my 5wt bamboo and glass rods for sale.
It’s at testament to the flexibility of medium tapers that this would probably make a nice all-around rod if you primarily fished freestone rivers or lakes, especially in windy/big fly situations.
If you were buying a rod specifically for flinging streamers the size of squirrels, then I’d do what Ian Rutter suggests and get a 7wt.
Still, if you were into high-tech rods and wanted a powerful-yet-all-around 6wt that fished lakes, stoneflies and freestoners (on windy days no less), then I’d have to give the Zero Gravity a thumbs up.
It would make a great windy-day back up to a 4wt that you could keep fishing after the wind died down (on anything short of a spring creek) and not give much away in terms of fishability or even tippet protection.
For a backwards, low-modulus kind of guy like myself, this is clearly a special-purpose rod, but–unlike some of the steeper, faster taper graphite rods I’ve tried–I could fish this one a large percentage of the time and not feel like I’d died and been sent to fly fishing hell for swearing on the Internet.
It’s a reasonable, fishable 6wt that does some things extremely well, which is about all you can really ask from a fly rod.
Orvis makes a damned pretty rod tube.
[tags]orvis, fly rod, orvis fly rod, zero gravity, zero gravity fly rod, graphite fly rod[/tags]
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Welcome to the “dark side” Tom.
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Orvis? I thought this was a fly fishing blog?
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Clay: I’ve been to the dark side, done the high-quality graphite thing (years ago) and returned. The key? Don’t walk towards the light.
Alex: Get ready to have your mind expanded: Orvis is far and away the #1 Fly Fishing company (forget the dog beds and all the other stuff – and they’re still #1).
Cast in, tie on, check out…
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Thanks for the enlightenment. Orvis is like the GM of Fly Fishing. GM makes a ton of cars but I wouldn’t want anything they make. And if they made dog beds I wouldn’t buy any of those either.
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I get the Orvis catalogues in the mail, and I find that they have some very useful products; the key is, you have to wade through all the stuff that is aimed at a target audience a few Benjamins shy of Bill Gates. For example – I am relatively new to this fly-fishing disease, so I’m (gulp) exclusively in the dark side so far…eventually, I will want to try out bamboo, and I’m sure I’ll end up buying several – but, there is NO WAY I’ll ever shell out 7K for a rod/reel combo, like there was in one recent edition of the catalog. There are a lot of useless nick-nacks to skip over, but eventually you’ll find some good deals. The basic Battenkill reels are nice, and the prices aren’t bad. Even the rods, for the most part, are in the market range for graphite. Anyway, it’s fun to browse through.
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Orvis is a very old company, that make some of outstanding (or have it made) outstanding equipment. Like IJ said it is fun to browse through there catalogues. There warranty and customer survice the best. No I wouldn’t buy a 7K rod and reel outfit from them, or anybody, but some people do. Hell I’ve sold a few flys for $500.00 a piece just to hang on a wall. All that to say this, not all of the equipment is just for yuppys, I have reels that are still with me from High School and are working good and still look great, and that was a long time ago. The Orvis rain jacket has served me well. Those of you that are thinking of getting into bamboo can find some real bargans on e bay on used Orvis rods. A few are quite nice. (I would rather shell out the money for a Chris Raine, or a Jimmy Reames rod) or in that case many of the other CA.,or OR. Builders.
David
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I have an Orvis 7 1/2 ” 5 wt bamboo that is quite nice. I did not pay $7K for it, either. I don’t like the finish on it as well as some of the custom mades, but it fishes nicely, and is perfect for the small stream on which I use it. I also have a Winston 8 ” 4 wt that I am looking forward to fishing on that same stream.
The change that Orvis went through some years back is preferable to the one that Abercrombie & Fitch went through. Some of Orvis’ clothing is good value. But, I don’t like their business model, and I stay away from them for most fly fishing items.
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The 7K job, to be fair, was a limited edition model…actually, their bamboo prices aren’t that bad either, but of course they aren’t custom-made.
What really floored me in the last catalog I got was the prices for their vacation packages – enough to pay for a decade’s worth of trips to the Smokies.
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The Smokies? Where’s that? Just kidding. My family, I and a friend used to vacation in Gatlinburg. I fished a number of the streams in the park, quite unsucessfully, since I was about 12 years old, and hadn’t a clue about trout.
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Nice write up. Fish and Fly just trashed a Zero G 5 wt. I wonder what they were smoking. I fished a 6 wt. 7.5 just like yours from a guide and absolutely loved it. The word that comes to my mind is ’smooth’. I have fished my share of graphite, glass and bamboo. I like them all for different reasons. Like you I enjoy the smoothness and feel of bamboo. However, I liked the Zero G very much. I also once fished a T3 that I liked very much. And Orvis has a great conservation ethic. They may be big and may have made some mistakes in the past, but I do like a lot of their stuff.
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In hindsight I should probably give Fish and Fly the benefit of the doubt. I did not cast the same rod they did, so I should not pass judgement on them. All I can say is that the 6 wt mid flex was a nice rod.
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Fly rods are a wholly personal matter, but I’d be lying if I thought most reviewers weren’t a little motivated by brand loyalty.
Frankly, I’d take my review of this rod with a grain of salt — I haven’t fished graphite rods consistently for years.
One thing is clear; you should always remain skeptical of reviews by fishers who don’t appear to have fished very long. I’m amazed by the fly fishers who have owned or cast only a couple of rods who are posting reviews on the Internet.
Certainly their preference is valid, but until you’ve fished a lot of rods in different situations, it’s hard to invest those preferences with a lot of juice.
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I have a Zero Gravity 5 weight in the 4 peice 8′6″ and absolutely love the rod. It does everything you want in a trout rod very well. It’s nimble, light, responsive & beautiful. Best of all, I almost got her for free. Orvis customer service is AWESOME!
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Thanks for the update. I haven’t tried any of the other Zero G rods.
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I’ve fly fished a 5wt mid 7.0 T3 and thought it was awsome. I’m looking into a 5wt Super Fine 4.0 Full. I also have my Dads Bamboo Orvis from the 60s. In my mind Orvis makes a hell of a product and backs it up w/ great customer service. They were outa stock on a fly I bought for $2.75. As an apology they gave me 25% percent off any perchase I made within 10 days. I didn’t hesitate one second to purchase the before mentioned T3!
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Brian;
I’m working on a review now of Orvis’ newest rod — the as-yet-unreleased Helios line. Look for it soon…
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Thanks,
Just asked orvis about the finish, price, release date of it and they politley went all covert on me
Brian R
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Yup. The rod I’m testing doesn’t even have the name on it…
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You said you were interested in the Orvis Superfine 5 wt. For what its worth I have the 7′9″ in the 5 wt and it is one of the best fishing rods you can imagine. I have it paired up with the Abel Big Game Pt.5 (non porterd) and it balances perfectly.
This rod is ok to cast in the parking lot etc, but to really appreciate it you have to have the line in the water….you just wont believe how that rod does all the work for you and is smooth as can be.
Its no problem to do 60′ casts and throw nice tight loops when you want to……
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Tom B: I cast the 7′9″ Superfine and it was certainly nice, though I’ve got a lot of really nice 8′ 5wt cane and glass rods, so I’m unlikely to make any buys.
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I heard from an old very well known Penn. trout and bass fishing pro who told me that Orvis had problems with the ZG rods, such that when some folks cast it, sometimes the four piece rod simply came apart where they connect. I”m considering buying an Orvis ZG 5wt. 9 ft model and wonder if anyone else wants to weigh in on this rod. Presumably, whatever problems this rod has experienced, they have been cleared up by now. thk
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@Tom: I think that kind of thing happens with a lot of 4-pc rods (streamer geek Ian Rutter prefers 2-pc rods for streamer fishing for this very reason). The bottom ferrule on my ZeroG came apart once while being fished by someone else, but no damage done, and hasn’t happened since, though I’ve lost the tip on my 4-pc Steffen fiberglass rod twice too.
Before you buy a Zero G, try to test cast the same rod in a T3; the ZeroG is a compound taper, and I’m told the T3 (and the Helios) rods are relatively straight tapers, and some prefer one over the others.
Good luck.
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Thanks for getting back. For what kind of fishing would you want to have a “compound taper” and the same for a “straight taper”? vis a vis the ZG 5 wt. two piece rod? I would’nt have known the difference since I’m not very experienced in the technologies involved here and how they may impact different kinds of fishing, i.e. lake, river, stream, vs. bass, trout, etc. vs. windy vs calm conditions. I’m considering fishing while wading on the Deleware and lesser size rivers for the most part. Maybe use a pontoon occasionally just for some variety. Thanks, tom kieren
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Tom: One is better than the other; it’s simply a matter of which casts more naturally for you. In truth, the difference isn’t huge, but I also thought you could save a few bucks on a T3, which you might actually prefer to the ZeroG.
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Yes I will take a quick look at the T3 and the Superfine – maybe even the Trident if I have time. Prices are pretty good these days. Question: if the ZG was such a good rod, why did Orvis discontinue it?
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Tom: In your article above reviewing the ZG Orvis rod, you mentioned that it does some things very well. If you can remember way back when you tested out this rod, 1. what are the things it does very well and
2. what are the things it doesnt do very well.
You may compare it to other rods in the Orvis line, that would be better indoing the things the ZG doesnt’ do well, etc. Thanks. tom (again)
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I’m new to fly fishing, though I’ve been casting on spinning tackle for most of my 30 years. I am interested in trying both bamboo and graphite, less interested in spending a grand or two on a rod at the moment. If anyone’s got any tips regarding what to look for in a used rod on eBay, I’d be much obliged if you’re willing to share. There are some decent-looking pieces on there for a couple hundred bucks or so, but that’s still a significant chunk of change that I don’t want to just throw away on a relic that won’t perform.
Cheers,
Matt
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Matt,
Orvis makes an excellet offering. You may get a great deal on line but…you may want to patronize your local dealer. One you keep a man alive, two you get the warranty…which is nice and being a beginer you will probably need said warranty. When you become addicted like the rest of us you can begin mortgaging your home for fly fishing equipment. You most likely will end up divorced and heavily reliant on alcohol and trout steams!
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Clay,
Good point about the warranty. I’m pretty close to 100% sure I’m going to buy one of the cheaper Orvis graphite rods (either the Clearwater II or the TLS) to get started, so that will at least give me something reliable. If it is indeed possible to get a decent bamboo rod online for something in the neighborhood of $150-250, I would like to have one to compare to the graphite. Goal being to determine which material I want to save my shekels for to upgrade later.
I guess the crux of the issue is there’s not really any such thing as an entry level bamboo rod that you can buy new from a manufacturer or an independent rodsmith. Most of them appear to cost about twice as much as a top of the line graphite rod. That’s hard to justify when I haven’t had the experience to convince myself that bamboo is better, let alone two or three times better.
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MHH.
I’d be happy to assist if you want answers on the eBay process and what rod is appropriate for your fishing. That first tackle purchase is hellish – as their is so much to learn and most of that comes with experience.
I’m sure TC would also be happy to answer any of your questions, drop us a note.
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I’m now considering buying a new Helios, 6 wt, 9 ft. four piece rod, mid flex 7.5 – primarily for the Deleware River in NY/NJ/PA. Does this seem like a sensible rod for this type of water? Any suggestions?
I have a Montague bamboo rod I would sell for $300 and I’ll have it appraised shortly to confirm my price. It is used and comes in three pieces: three pieces together make it a 8.5 ft rod; with the additional piece substituting for the second piece) included, it becomes a 6 ft rod. Never used it – so I’ll sell it since I have too much stuff around here. I can be reached at 973-214-6473 to discuss.
Yes, for the newcomer to fly fishing, Orvis has great customer service and bends over backwards to assist us in selecting the best rod for our budget and taking it back should we buy the “wrong” rod. And their warranties can’t be beat when you buy “new”. Best to go up to their Manchester Vt. property to test out their rods in their ponds. And you can’t beat their “tent sale” during Memorial day weekend!! – where newish rods are sold at rediculously low prices but come without their warranty I’m told.
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Sorry so slow to this one; developing and teaching class stuff chews up most of my time.
@MHH First, I’d go with a good graphite rod, and worry about bamboo later. Bamboo is expensive, but more importantly, buying used cane can be a dicey matter; I finally gave up even trying to buy bamboo on ebay after getting stung. In the price range you mentioned, you probably won’t get a great rod.
As
that cheap bastardSinglebarbed noted, there are some deals to be had on new rods on eBay, and your instincts about getting a solid graphite to start with are good.There’s no shortage of advice from people about which rod you “should” own (or my personal favorite, “You can’t go wrong with… xxxx”), but you don’t really know what you want to buy until you’ve fished a while (fast rods, slow rods, etc). Buy a decent rod, fish it and have lots of fun.
@Tom; I’m not familiar enough with the Delaware to make any proclomations, but I’ve been really happy with my 9′ 6wt Orvis (same as you described). Then again, I’m a fool for 6wts to begin with – they do so much so well, and there just isn’t a penalty to using them unless you’re allergic to another half-ounce of weight (mine protects fine tippets just peachy).
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Hey Tom about how much does the ZeroG cost and where can i get one?
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Orvis sells them (orvis.com), or at least they used to – the rod’s been discontinued in favor of the Helios, which is (you guessed it) lighter and more expensive (and a straight taper vs a compound taper).
ZeroGravity rods are still being offered on eBay by closeout companies, so if you want one, you’ll probably end up there.
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