There is no shortage of fly rod options for anglers these days, and all the major companies (Sage, Scott, Winston, etc.) are making great rods across various price points. Although relatively a newer brand for us to carry, Orvis has been in the mix of making high quality fly rods for many years, and their Helios 3 series was very popular. For good reason! What made the Helios 3 such a good rod was that it was light, balanced, and designed from the ground up to be a rod focused on helping anglers be more accurate in their casting.

Fly-casting accuracy and fly presentation are paramount to having a successful day on the water, and by all accounts, the Helios 3 was/is very good at both of those things. When news broke that Orvis was replacing the Helios 3 with a new rod, and that the new Helios was reportedly “4X better”, it caused a stir across the fly-fishing community. If there is one thing that Orvis has been very good at for decades, it’s their marketing, and claiming that their new Helios is “4X better” than the previous H3 was met with understandable scrutiny.

To be fair, Orvis is certainly not the only company to advertise that their new rod is WAY better than their previous great rod, and if you’re going to make such a bold statement you better make sure you can back it up. I haven’t had the opportunity to get the latest generation of Helios out on the water to fish, but I have cast as many models as I could get my hands on, with as many different lines as I had available on both the lawn and pond. My general opinion is that this is a nice rod, and for $1,100, it should be!

Helios D, Helios F: What’s the Difference?

Just like the H3, the new Helios series has been split into two specific models for specific fishing situations. In short, the D (Distance) version of the Helios is the fast action “power” model, and is differentiated by having a matte black colored blank. It’s designed to cast bigger, heavier flies, and is best suited to fishing for larger fish on larger water. While the F (Finesse) version of the Helios has a medium-fast action, a matte olive colored blank, is focused more on tippet protection and presentation of the fly, and a better option for anglers who are fishing on a variety of water types. Don’t let the “Finesse” label fool you though; the F models have plenty of power down in the butt of the rod and are very capable of fishing a variety of fly sizes and techniques.

As far as what Helios model and rod action would work the best for you, that’s ultimately up for you to decide. The best way to do that is to come by the shop and cast these rods side by side and go with the one that you enjoy casting and will compliment where and how you fish. Personally, I like the feel and castability of the F models of the Helios, and I believe the F models are better suited to a vast majority of the fishing we do in Utah and across the Intermountain West.

Fit and Finish

Let’s get into what I like about this new rod, by starting with the rod’s cosmetics. I know this seems extremely trivial, but if you heard anything negative about the Orvis H3, it was that there were a lot of folks who REALLY disliked how the rod looked. In particular, the big and white “NASCAR” Orvis logo. I know I wasn’t too keen on the white label H3 rods either, so it was nice to see that Orvis listened to public feedback and toned down the rod graphics for the new Helios. I also like that they made it easier to distinguish between the F and D models by changing the color of the rod blanks, and added a wooden reel insert for the freshwater models. Do these cosmetic changes make the rod fish better? No, they frankly don’t, but if you’re going to spend premium money on a premium rod, I feel it should look as good as it performs. If you want to get the specific details on the new Helios components, and other technical information, you can find that info on their website, which I have provided a link to here.

Casting Performance

As I mentioned before, Orvis ruffled feathers with the claim that the new Helios is “4X” better than the H3 (and its competitors), and significantly more “accurate”. Like many in the fly-fishing sphere, I too was skeptical of this claim. Fly-casting accuracy will always be dependent on the skill of the angler casting the rod, and not so much with what technology the rod was made with. That said, after casting these rods with multiple lines on the grass and local ponds and casting the Helios side by side with the H3 and other competitors rods, I did notice a positive difference.

With good casting technique and the right line pairing (the key to making EVERY fly rod work efficiently) I felt and saw an appreciable difference in the Helios’ casting accuracy. I found it to be a very easy casting fly rod at distances of 25’-70’, I could put the fly wherever I wanted in both calm and windy conditions, and if you too have good fly-casting technique I’d be surprised if you wouldn’t be able to appreciate how well this fly rod tracks while casting. The most telling observation I’ve made about the Helios’ casting capabilities has been watching our customers cast these rods side by side with other manufacturers' fly rods. On more than one occasion, I have seen customers of various skill levels pick up a Helios and make noticeably better casts. I’ll admit there are multiple variables that could be influencing what I have witnessed when watching customers cast the new Helios (i.e., wind, lack of wind, skill level, etc.), but based on what I have seen, I believe that what Orvis has been saying about these rods casting abilities is true.

Line Pairings / Recommendations

As far as what fly lines pair well with the D and F models, I cast a handful of fly lines from both RIO and Scientific Anglers. The results were straight forward as to what lines worked for the Helios D’s, but a little surprising for the Helios F models. For the D models I have been able to cast (905D, 955D, 10' 5D, 906D, 10’ 6D, 908D), I felt that the SA Textured Amplitude MPX and Infinity, which are fly lines made for casting on faster action fly rods, really made these rods come alive. This was not a surprise to me; the D Models are noticeably stiffer than their F counterparts, and a ½ size heavy fly line made them significantly more fun to cast at all distances. If you are a RIO fly line fan, the Elite Rio Perception or Elite RIO Grande would be good options for freshwater use with Helios D models.

Regarding the F models I’ve been able to cast (904F, 905F, 906F, 908F), there were also a couple of specific fly lines from both RIO and Scientific Anglers that I felt really made these rods click. I also felt that, unlike the Helios D models, the Helios F rods have the capability of casting “true to line weight” lines AND ½ size heavy fly line options well, which gives an angler more versatility in what and how they fish. My preferred RIO fly lines for this series are the Elite RIO Perception, and the Premier RIO Gold.

From Scientific Anglers I found the Amplitude Textured Trout Standard and the Amplitude Textured Infinity to be great fly line options for the Helios F. Having both lines in your kit would be a great 1-2 pairing for anglers that want a line great for delicate presentations, and a line for more all-around fishing applications. One thing to note while casting the various SA fly lines we carry, was that the textured Amplitude Textured Infinity lines threw well on both the Helios D and F, but the Amplitude Smooth Infinity felt clunky on F models. I cannot put my finger on why a line with the same line taper and AST+ coating would feel so different, but based on what I felt and saw while casting, I would stick with the Textured Amplitude Infinity for the Helios F.

If you do take the time to come in and cast these rods, I’d recommend taking the time to cast a couple of different fly lines on them to see what works for you. What fly lines I like and recommend may not "click" for you, but after putting these aforementioned lines and rods through their paces, I’m confident that what I’ve recommended will work well for most anglers.

Warranty / Repair Turn-Around Time

Ever since the Pandemic, rod repairs from various companies have taken much longer than they used to. What used to be a matter of weeks has been taking up to 6 months (or longer), and as a result, we’ve had some customers change preferred rod companies because of not being able to get their rods back in a timely fashion. Orvis’ new warranty policy has turned heads because, according to Orvis, they can get you back on the water in as little as 5 Business Days. If you don’t break the butt section of your fly rod, there is no reason to send your entire rod back to Orvis for repair, and they can ship you whatever replacement sections you need. For more info on their warranty and repair policies, you can find that here. 

This is possible due to Orvis’ manufacturing process being so precise that they can make spare rod sections in mass, and do so without compromising the quality and consistency of their fly rods. This new warranty policy alone has resulted in several rod sales for the shop, and if Orvis can follow through with their commitment of getting customers their gear back in 5 business days, I foresee it changing how other rod manufacturers deal with rod repairs.

Conclusion

Orvis has built a very nice fly rod in the Helios rod series. They are light in hand, easy to cast, and I’m looking forward to getting a chance to take one out on the water down the road. Whether or not you can tell that these rods are “4X” better than other fly rods on the market, and worth spending $1,100 on is up to you. The only way to know, is to take the time to cast these rods side by side with others and see for yourself. If you DO decide to come by and cast the new Helios, Orvis is offering a limited time, test-cast sweepstakes. In short, you come by the shop, test cast as few or as many Helios rods as you want, and you are entered into an Orvis sponsored sweepstakes for free. Grand prize is an all-expenses paid trip to Vermont worth $8,000. I hope this post has helped shed some light on these new sticks, and as always, if you have any questions about any of the rods we carry, please feel free to call, email, or stop by the shop. Coffee’s on at 8 AM!