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Orvis Helios 3 Blackout Fly Rods - The Flyfisher

Orvis Helios 3 Blackout Fly Rods

by Orvis
Save 30%
$1,178.00
$825.00

Imagine a rod designed for a specific application without being confined to what is termed "normal".

These rods are in a class of their own and there's one to suit whatever fishing you're in to. 

The Helios™ 3 Blackouts Have Landed

Available now, three new high-concept, supremely accurate Helios 3 rods designed to excel in specific angling scenarios.

Spend seasons in boats and on the banks with storied guides and the planet’s fishiest DIY anglers and you’ll learn the fishing quickly takes a backseat to deep conversations. That’s when our rod design team listens the hardest. We cataloged input, cherry-picked consistent themes, and obsessed over our anglers’ needs, wants, and challenges to design technique-driven tapers that answer the constantly evolving question of “What if?” with “Here's what.” 

Each new model is accuracy with purpose and exactly what you’ve come to expect from the leading name in innovation because our process is really quite simple: Fish with the best anglers, listen instead of talking, take notes, and you can’t help but return the favor with the best rods. 

Helios 3D Blackout 9'5" 5-wt.

The Long-Range Nymphing Weapon with the Accuracy for Pinpoint Dry-Fly Presentations

It began as a supremely accurate 9'5" 5-wt. boat rod, with superb long-range mending abilities on both reach casts and on-the-water drift manipulations straight to the indicator.

Field-testing proved it’s also a 5-wt. that impresses when it’s time to hop a gunnel and fish backchannel sippers on foot. That extra 5" is the secret sauce, providing added lift on your back cast without feeling overwhelming, with the comparable length advantages of a 10-footer in a rod that feels more like a 9. Simply put, it’s a nymphing weapon and your dream dry fly or hopper/dropper combo all in one. Made in Vermont.

Helios 3D Blackout 8'5" 8-wt.

The Line-Speed Titan Designed for Unreal, Quick-Turn, One-Shot Accuracy

Big fish are ghosts. They vanish and quickly reappear where you least expect. 

This rod thinks quicker—obsessively designed to overcome instantaneous directional changes that would normally require three, four, and five false casts to correct. That’s the philosophy behind this 8'5" surgical 8-wt. The result is a high-concept boat rod designed specifically for the quick-turn, one-shot accuracy required to stay ahead of fast-moving bonefish, reds, permit, or even pike. While this rod has the power of an 8-wt., it feels more like a 7-wt., with a slightly shorter length perfect for fine-tuning your loops and driving flies under heavy cover. It’s a line-speed titan in salt or fresh. Made in Vermont.

Helios 3F Blackout 11' 3-wt.

The Supremely Accurate Euro-Nymphing Machine with a Welcomed Extra 6" of Drift Control

It’s what happens when you unleash American ingenuity on constantly evolving European-nymphing techniques. 

This, our four-piece, 11' 3-wt. Euro-nymphing rod, is the latest development. A supremely accurate 11' rod with the swing weight of a 10-footer, it’s got the unreal sensitivity to telegraph the exact number of times your nymphs kiss gravel. Translation: Significantly fewer missed strikes and more fish to hand. Note the 11' length—that extra 6" is crucial for intuitive drift control in extremely complex current seams with a softer tip to protect even the finest tippets. Made in Vermont.

Accuracy with a whole lot of power—the Helios 3 Fly Rod casts like a dream.

“Most Euro rod blanks have thin walls with a narrow butt section and just lack the reserved power to control a bigger fish. The new Helios 3 Blackout is the perfect balance between a soft, sensitive tip for strike detection and the beefy butt section I need when a true giant climbs on.”
—George Daniel, guide and instructor at Livin on the Fly, former competitive angler, and a former coach for both the USA Youth and Adult Fly-Fishing Teams
Description

A product of strong collaboration, the Blackout rods are high-concept, extremely specialised fishing tools—each conceptualised in a partnership between our storied guides and gear designers. New models include a scenario-specific 9'5" 5-weight, an 8'5" 8-weight boat rod, and an 11' 3-weight Euro-nymphing rod. USA.

Features 

  • Three specialised models of Helios 3
  • Matte Midnight blank
  • Reel seat is type III anodised aluminum Midnight black w/Matte Midnight carbon insert
  • Black/black main wraps
  • REC recoil snake guides
  • SiC/titanium stripping guides
  • Aluminum rod tube
  • 25-Year Guarantee
  • Made in USA

Customer Reviews

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Jordie Swearse
Absolutely awesome

Amazing rod I love it might have to buy another just as a spare. The 8wt paired with a Lamson litespeed M8, super light in hand and a dream to cast. A big thanks to Andrew and the guys at the shop great work

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C
Craig
Orvis Blackout 5wt

One rod, three line weights….easy-peasy.