Thomas &Thomas Fly Rod Reviews

Name: Jeff Williamson

E-mail: jeffwill@bluecrab.org

Experience:
Fly fished since 1957. Started using double handed rods in 1985. Fish primarily for anadromous fish wherever they are found. Have dished for them on 4 continents. However, I am not a lucky catching fisher. Learned Scandinavian style of casting shooting heads first with double handed rods then learned more conventional spey casting. After 21 years, I find I am still learning.

Product Being Tested:
Thomas & Thomas DH1409-3 three piece 14 ft. 9 weight rod using a variety of lines including Rio Windcutter 9/10/11 with varying tips and Skagit cheaters, custom tips and Scientific Anglers 12 wt. intermediate line

Snapshot of your experience with products of this sort:
Over the past 21 years of double hand rod experience, I have used most of the rods built to date, except for the CND, new Scott and Loomis double handed rods. Have owned and used other T & T rods for over 20 years. I own spey rods of approximately 10 brands in weights from 6 to 12 from dry line to sunk line.

Date of Test:
September 2005-February 2006

Place of Test:
I fished for stripers and false albacore in September, October and December with very poor catch results. I fished Montauk, Martha's Vineyard, Outer Banks. Most of my catching was on the Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego in FEbruary.

Test Condition:
Most of the fishing in saltwater was during high winds from 15 to 35 mph. The fishing in Tierra del Fuego was very windy with light winds at 20 MPH and most days at 35+. The temperatures were typically from 55 to 65 degrees for most of my casting. In most cases the wind was either in my face or at 7:00.

Relevant related equipment or products:
The fly lines that I used included a variety of lines including Rio Windcutter 9/10/11 with varying tips and Skagit cheaters, custom tips and Scientific Anglers 12 wt. intermediate line. My last session, I used an Airflow 330 gn shooting head with an Airflow Intermediate Polyfuse running line.

Your experience with the product:
Not being a master caster, the greatest joy in using the T&T was the fact that it is a very forgiving rod, very sensitive and able to correct casting mistakes literally mid-stroke. Unlike some traditional action rods, the tip did not collapse either during overpowering the rod or from heavy sink tips. The rod will throw virtually any line within reason with varying degrees of skill requred for lighter lines. I did find that a 470 gn head overloaded the rod, but worked fine on a T&T 11 wt. 14ft. I fished with a petite English lady who used the same rod that she called a cannon. With her skill, she could cast circles around me.

Qualities you liked about the product:
With a smooth casting stroke (a rarity for myself), you could virtually cast 60 to 80 ft. into a 25 - 40 mph wind. My skill with deep wading would not allow me to cast further. The rod can do it, but I can't. Compared to other rods, the sensitivity of the rod is excellent in terms of contact with the flyline and the fly. You can feel the line brushing over the backs of fish, rocks and can discern the mouthing of the fly by the fish. Other rods that I own and/or have used do not have this sensitivity. It is a crisp action rod but not overly stiff. It is a pleasure to cast which I seem to do 90% of the time. It is also excellent at fighting fish. Largest handled was 20+# in high water.

Qualities you didn't liked about the product:
The only thing that I would have liked to change is the three piece design. T&T makes a 5 piece rod, but it has major design flaws that are still not to my knowledge corrected. The design flaw is the larger size of the knurled rings of the reel seat compared to the diameter of the cork handle. The cork handle is smaller in diameter than the metal rings. As a result, virtually all of the 5 piece rods break in the first section above the grip as that is the friction point in the case in transport where the metal rings fracture the next largest segment. The piece above the grip usually breaks quickly.

Summary Comments
The Thomas and Thomas doubled handed rod (DH1409-3) is an utter delight to cast. I used the 10 wt. rod last year at TDF and could spey 120 ft. of line in winds less than 20 MPH. The crispness of the action and the sensitivity of the rod make it a joy to fish. The fishability of the rod is enhanced if you use a reel to balance the rod under the top hand grip point. The forgiving nature and versatility of the rod is excellent for beginners and more advanced casters. An advanced caster can use anything, but those with lesser abilities should have a T&T. If you don't have one yet, you are missing a wonderful experience.If you don't own one, you will once you try it!

Name: Jeff Miller Jr.

E-mail: jmiller@adamsonadvertising.com

Experience:
I've been a pretty die hard fly fisher since I was about 10 years old. I'm now 54. I've been fortunate to travel the world, both fresh water and salt. I take two or three fishing trips a year from Chile to Montana to the Bahamas to Mexico to wherever. I'd guess I spend 60 or 70 days a year on the water.

Product Being Tested:
Thomas & Thomas Horizon 2 9-foot for an 8-weight.

Snapshot of your experience with products of this sort:
A 9-foot 8-weight is the classic bonefish rod. I've done a ton of bonefishing with rods of this kind. Mostly Sage rods. Starting with the old RP, then the RPL, then the RPLX and RPLXi.

Date of Test:

Place of Test:
Deep Water Cay off the East End of Grand Bahama. October Bonefish trip.

Test Condition:
October in the Bahamas tends to give you wonderful weather or a hurricane. We fished in wonderful weather. 80 degrees with light to manageable winds.

Relevant related equipment or products:
We put a Ross Big Game reel with a Scientific Anglers Mastery floating bonefish line.

Your experience with the product:
The T&T Horizon 2 is the next generation of T&T's Horizon line which has been around for a few years. Like a lot of new saltwater designs, it's a very fast rod. The Horizon 2 casts a lot of line, but initially we found it hard to load. Since the majority of shots at bonefish are 30 to 60 feet and must be executed with minimal false casting, a slow-loading cannon of a rod doesn't really fit the bill. This was our take until the last day of the trip. At lunchtime that day, we staked out our skiff and asked our guide, Meko Glynton, to take a few casts with the new stick. Meko is a remarkable caster and fisherman and is is the current Bahamian bonefishing champion. So we weren't surprised when he stripped all 90 feet of line onto the deck, made two false casts and shot the full line. Meko loved the rod and told us that it required a firmer casting stroke than our "slower" RPLX and RPLXi rods. He was right. Using a stronger and more aggressive stroke we were soon loading the rod much more quickly and casting 80 - 90 feet of line. Upon returning home my friend Dee Hawes and I each bought a Horizon 2 9-foot 8-weight. Bottom line? You have to muscle up a bit to get everything out of this rod. But there's a lot to get out of it. Long casts for sure, pretty fast loading, delicate presentations and an all around great feel.

Qualities you liked about the product:
You have to muscle up a bit to get everything out of this rod. But there's a lot to get out of it. Long casts for sure, pretty fast loading, delicate presentations and an all around great feel. And as usual, T&T has built one of the prettiest and best finished rods you'll find.

Qualities you didn't liked about the product:
Until I understood that a more aggressive casting stroke is necessary to load the rod quickly, I thought it was too fast...something great for a casting contest, but not for fishing the flats. But once I adjusted my stroke, I was sold!

Summary Comments
You have to muscle up a bit to get everything out of this rod. But there's a lot to get out of it. Long casts for sure, pretty fast loading, delicate presentations and an all around great feel. Those who aren't reasonably strong armed or who like slower action rods probably won't love the Horizon 2. But most of us will.

Name: Mike Brennan

E-mail: mbrennan@hollandhart.com

Experience:
I've spent the better part of forty years proving that trout (well, trout, bonefish, you name it) are smarter than I am, in locations ranging from my home waters in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to the Bahamas, the Yucatan, and other saltwater locations.

Product Being Tested:
Thomas & Thomas Horizon II 905-4 (9' 5 wgt flyrod)

Snapshot of your experience with products of this sort:
Have fished, guided and taught flycasting under all conditions with flyrods of all makes and materials, from bamboo to glass to graphite, in lengths and line weights ranging from 6' 4 wgts to 9' and 12 wgts.

Date of Test:
September 24th and October 1st, 2005.

Place of Test:
Snake River, Jackson Hole, WY.

Test Condition:
Sept. 24th - cool, calm with periodic showers; Oct. 1st - clear, calm to strong and gusty winds.

Relevant related equipment or products:
Sept. 24th - Rio Accelerator 5 wgt floating line Oct. 1st - Orvis Wonderline, 6 wgt and 5 wgt floating lines.

Your experience with the product:
I fished the T & T for two days on the Snake River (both from the boat and wade fishing) under a wide range of conditions, with different line weights and designs and using a wide variety of terminal gear. It took me a while to find a line combination I was happy with - but when I did the rod performed very well. I should say at the outset that I like a stiff, fast-action rod that will handle longer distances and windy conditions when need be, and found the T & T user-friendly and easy to cast once I had it correctly-lined (for my taste at least). On Day 1, I fished a 5 weight Rio Accelerator line (I don't normally fish Rios), and the rod felt under-lined for short to medium-distance casts (20 to 40 feet), not uncommon in my experience with fast action graphite rod designs. Unless casting longer distances (over 40 feet), the rod did not load well, was not particularly accurate, and felt stiff in the hand. At longer distances it handled acceptably. On Day 2, I tried a 6 wgt weight-forward Orvis Wonderline - only to find the rod felt extremely tip-heavy and sluggish. Now, I feel like I'm really striking out - until I changed to a 5 wgt WF Wonderline - at which point everything came together. With that line combination, I thought the rod handled very well, at both short and longer distances and under occasionally heavy wind conditions (i.e., whitecaps and driftboats blowing upstream). I found the rod to be capable of short and long casts alike, responding particularly well to double-hauling. It shot line well, though I think its shooting capabilities would be enhanced with a bit larger stripping guide. The rod was more forgiving than other fast action rods I fish, and allowed me to throw a tight loop quite easily without tailing. Recognizing that you have to use good technique at some point, this rod still seems to have a larger "sweet spot" in its casting stroke, allowing less than perfect timing while still performing nicely. Most of the graphite rods I have fished will handle a couple of line weights easily, but that was not my experience with the T &T. Instead, line weight and stiffness appeared critical to the rod's handling. After fishing the rod both days, I looked at the T & T website write-up on the Horizon II, and noticed the manufacturer's statement that its BAFT graphite technology (new to the Horizon line) creates "a heightened feel of the line beyond the rod tip." That makes sense in terms of what I felt to be the rod's great sensitivity to (and significant difference in performance resulting from) choice of line weight and design. During the two days, I fished everything from fairly small dry flies (#16 - okay, not so small) to dropper rigs and streamers. The rod handled two-fly casts fairly well, even large foam indicator flies with a bead head dropper, but was clearly happier with lighter terminal gear than when asked to throw larger (#6) cone head streamers. So, it's pretty versatile for a five weight, but would not be my rod of choice for heavy streamers and bulky dries. All in all, a very pleasant rod to fish once I'd figured out the right line combination. I suspect it would afford precise casting and accuracy if fitted out with a double taper line but did not have a chance to test that.

Qualities you liked about the product:
Nicely finished high-end production rod, western grip, easy to cast fast-action design, powerful for a 5 wgt.

Qualities you didn't liked about the product:
Small, single stripping guide (I prefer a larger "first" stripping guide and a second stripping guide for ease in shooting line).

Summary Comments
A good choice for casters who like a fast casting action and are looking for a rod that can handle small dries to moderately large wet flies or indicator/dropper rigs at a variety of distances. It does not demand perfect timing, but rewards it when you occasionally get it right. A good large-river light rod with sufficient power to deal with wind and those unexpected days when the game plan involved dry fly action and you end up using streamers anyway.

» Home | » Read An Issue Online! | » Subscription Related | » Report Search | » Contact Us