|
Review by: Fly Rod
& Reel Magazine, March 2001 My first impression of Redington's new Nano Titanium ( NTI) rods was that they where incredibly lightweight. And while I briefly cast them at the fall Fly-Fishing trade show, there's no place other than a real fishing situation to properly wring out a rod. For that, equal parts water and wind are required and, with some luck, a sprinkling of fish. I was lucky. Sometimes, the stars do fall into alignment. Redington's Jim Murphy was kind enough to hurry a couple of of new rods to me for an early season trip to Cape Lookout, NC for false albacore. The weather was nice - almost too nice, as the water was a bit warm. Bait was plentiful though, and even if the water was too warm, the Albacore were willing to tolerate a bit discomfort for the gravy train. The 9-weight was indeed amazingly light at an advertized 3.95 ounces, and, rigged with a matching intermediate line, fished even lighter. According to Jim Murphy, the addition of molecular ("Nano") titanium to the polymer resin in the graphite pre-preg, or tape, strengthens the bonding, allowing the use of higher-modulus material. In fact, the blanks are formed of a composite of three different graphites. In turn, less of the higher-modulus graphite is needed to roll a rod of any given line weight. The result is a lighter and stronger blank ( 30% lighter, according to Redington). For instance, the 4# is only a claimed 2.69 ounces, the 12# only 4.35 ounces. There are six other models in between, all 3-piece 9-footers. The proof is in the fishing, and the NTI fished well. Albacore can pop up fast, and so a good Albie rod has to load fast, buck the wind and deliver the fly accurately. The NTI loaded quickly for shorter casts and never wilted when punched into a freshening breeze. If the fish takes, the rod will need a powerfull butt to turn and lift it, as Albacore are nothing if not strong and determined. Although the day was a bit slow, I pulled on a couple of albacore really hard, and the Redington never wavered. Best of all, after casting all day,my arm felt as relaxed as a day on the trout strem. Perhaps a guide friend summed it up best. When I asked him what he thought about this 9-weights weight, he replied in a passable Gomer Pile imitation; " gawl-ly, it sure is light! And look at it throw that line!" NB: On July 14th Redington was awarded with the “First Prize – Best of Show” for the NTi series fly rods by the European Fishing Tackle trade Association in Amsterdam.
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
