G Loomis Rod Highlights and Reviews

We had a G Loomis demo night earlier this week, and had a chance to cast many of the new rods in their lineup. G Loomis isn't on a lot of fly fishing folks' radar, but if you're in the market for a new rod you should definitely take a look at them. There were a ton of rods that were awesome, but these are the ones we thought were the highlights! Asquith 9' 8 weight - This thing is a rocket! We cast this rod with a Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Clear Tip line, and were seriously impressed. You could hit a foot circle at 40' over and over, and shoot another 40' with a one backcast. The 8 weight felt really light - almost like a 6 weight. This rod was extremely stable even when you were really pushing it, and tracked very well even at longer distances. I think that the Asquith 8 weight would be a great all-around warmwater rod locally - think Largemouth, Smallies, Carp, White Bass, and light pike. If you were doing some heavy-duty streamer fishing for trout with sinking lines I think the 8 weight Asquith would be a good fit as well. That being said, I think this rod would be an amazing rod for chasing bonefish in the salt, as well as light duty Tarpon and Snook. If you want an ultralight, but heavy duty 8 weight look no further than the 9' 8 weight Asquith! Asquith 9' 5 weight - Ultra lightweight all-around trout rod. The 9' 5 weight paired with a Scientific Anglers Mastery MPX cast well both in close and had the backbone to punch it out there a ways if needed. Even with the slightly more aggressive line, the 5 weight Asquith was nice and delicate in close. We had a bit of a breeze in our face while we were casting it, but if you gave it a bit of a haul it would tighten the loop up and punch it through the wind with no problem. If you paired this with a lighter line like a Scientific Anglers Trout taper it would be the ultimate dry fly setup. Like the 8 weight, the 5 weight is incredibly light and feels like a rod thats a couple line weights lighter than it is. This would be a fantastic choice for an all-around trout rod that you could take anywhere and fish nymphs, dries, or light streamers! IMX Pro 9' 6 weight - If you want one of the best streamer/warmwater fly rods under $500, the IMX Pro 6 weight is it! This rod bombs casts, and is a ton of fun to cast. Lightweight, classic medium fast action that is easy to fish all day and lends itself well to fishing a variety of styles and techniques. Classic Loomis look that's basic and sleek looking. If you fish big rivers like the North Platte, Bighorn, or Missouri, the 9′ 6 weight is the all around tool of choice. Big hoppers like a Chubby Chernobyl with a dropper? No problem. 3/4″ Thingamabobber, 2 nymphs, and a couple split shot? Roll cast away. Want to put a sink tip on a dredge with streamers? This rod will do it. The 9′ 6 weight is the perfect big river rod, and is a solid rod for fishing bigger, heavier rigs on smaller water as well. If you want a rod you can go fish bass poppers in the morning, carp fish with in the middle of the day, and finish up casting streamers, the 6 weight IMX Pro is it. This is one of the most versatile fly rods on the market. If you want an all-around western fly rod, the 9' 6 weight IMX Pro is an excellent pick. IMX Pro 8'6" 4 weight - If you wanted to have one rod to fish everywhere in the Black Hills, the 8'6" 4 weight IMX might be one of the best choices out there, regardless of price. At $495, this rod is an awesome all-around Black Hills rod. It’s light enough that our average 8-14″ small stream fish is fun, but has enough power that you can put a bobber and two nymphs and weight on and not feel under gunned. There’s a time and place for really moderate action 4 weights, but the medium fast IMX Pro falls right into the sweet spot between too soft and super fast. The 4 weight is an awesome big river dry fly rod as well. We liked the Scientific Anglers Master MPX or the Amplitude Trout for great all-around performance. If you wanted to have one rod to fish just about everything locally, this is an awesome choice. NRX LP 9' 5 weight - The NRX LP - Light Presentation - line of rods has been raved about for quite a few years, and for good reason - these might be the best all-around Loomis rod they sell. The tip is pretty soft on the LP, but there's plenty of power in the lower 2/3 of the rod for when you need a little extra power in your cast. The softer tip makes this rod excellent in close, even with 5-15 feet of line out of the rod tip. Excellent for fishing dries in close, but has more than enough power to toss a heavy nymph rig or streamer! Once you figure out the tempo on this rod it'll pretty much cast itself - pushing this rod doesn't make it happy, so let the rod do the work. If you slow down and give this rod smooth, even power you'll be amazed at how well it casts! The NRX LP is an excellent choice for the angler who wants one rod to fish trout nearly everywhere. NRX 9' 8 weight - Super light, fast, and fun to cast! The saltwater NRX 8 weight has all the power you need to fish warmwater, pike, or saltwater flats. We cast this rod with an SA Amplitude Bonefish and a Hatch Saltwater line, and they both performed equally well. The power this rod has in the bottom half is insane - you can easily carry 40-50 feet of line in the air and shoot a good bit after that. 80-90 foot casts were surprisingly easy with the NRX 8 weight, even with a bit of a wind. This would be an exceptional all-around light saltwater rod - bonefish, baby tarpon, snook, and redfish would all be targets. You could use this rod for a great all around warmwater rod locally as well! G Loomis has upped their game, and the fly rods they have on the market right now are excellent, and equally as nice as any of the other big name rod companies - come by the shop and give them a test drive!