Rod:  G Loomis NRX 9 foot, 9 Weight Fly Rod

Reel: Nautilus NV G8 Fly Reel

Line:  Monic Clear Tropical Taper

The latest and greatest from G Loomis has finally dropped in stores and I was one of the fortunate ones who got to take one out for a test spin.  We put the new G Loomis NRX  9 foot, 9wt Flyrod to the test on some bonefish flats in the upper Keys this past weekend.  Brewing storms around us made for a little bit of wind in the AM but it eventually slicked off through the day so we got to test the 9wt NRX out in the whole gammut of conditions.  We arrived at our destination to be greeted by my favorite silvery frustration… cracked out bonefish.  The fish seemed tense and moving at an erratic pace.  I had to extend the leader to 20ft after the wind laid down and the NRX still had no problem turning over a weighted bonefish fly.  I had a number of good shots in the next few hours and I ended up hooking 6 fish but losing 5 fish before landing one for a hero shot.  Once the winds pick up and skies are clear, I can’t wait to fish this rod in Downtown Islamorada for monster bonefish.

When the winds kicked up in the AM, the NRX had no problem shooting right into it.  The rod has plenty of reserve and I never once felt like the wind was going to over take the rod.  While casting, both in the wind and not, you could feel where the line was at all times.  Being resilient to a “muscle’d cast”, I was able to correct my loop mid cast when the fish or the wind would change directions and lay the line out where it needed to go.  When needed, it took little effort to pick up the line from 50 feet out and punch it back out without having to make another false cast.  The butt and mid section felt a bit stiff but not so stiff as to lose line feel.  The softer tip makes up for the stiff backbone though and allows for shorter casts.  The NRX also balances better with a lighter weight reel.  The Nautilus NV G8 perfectly balanced out the 9wt NRX.  Natuilus is one of the only reel companies building lighter weight reels that are still structurally solid to accomodate the lighter weight rods on the market today.  Since, I am a firm beleiver in using clear fly lines for summer time bonefishing, I was using a Monic Clear Tropical taper, which has a longer belly and though it was great for longer casts, it took a little more manipulation for those shorter casts.  When I switched out to a Monic Phantom Tip line which has fatter head and more aggressive taper, the shorter casts were easier, while it still held line in the air and shot out long casts extremely well.  I would say that the best line to use on the 9wt NRX would be something between a redfish and bonefish taper as it compliments the rod’s strength extremely well.  I wouldn’t go as far as over-lining the rod though as it doesn’t need to go to that extreme.  I was amazed though that the line feel was still excellent even with lighter bonefish tapers.  Another plus to the NRX was that even though it had the REC Recoil stripper guides, they were not noisy at all, like those on the Crosscurrents.  The sensitivity of the rod is unreal as I felt every bonefish that bit the fly (I rarely felt that bite in the past when I fished other rods).  At one point, I retied a lighter fly, stepped back on the casting platform and watched a group of big tailers pop out of the deep water right in front of the boat and tail 20ft in front of the skiff.  I made a quick roll cast and laid the fly admist the tails.  As the fly settled on the bottom I not only watched, but could also feel the bonefish pinning the fly down into the grass and knaw on it like a rabid pitbull to a chew toy.  This is what makes the NRX what it is… is the sensitivity it possess while still retaining lots of backbone when you need to put the heat to a fish charging for cover.  I didn end up breaking off that big fish though as one of my blood knots slipped as I was clearing line.  This 9wt NRX is what I will claim to be the best all around Flyrod for fishing in South FL.  If you are chasing small tarpon, redfish, bonefish, permit, and smaller pelagics, this 9wt is a must have. 

The 7wt, 8wt, 9wt, 11wt, and 12wt NRX Flyrods are currently available at The Flyshop of Miami to test so if you are in South Florida and am curious to see what these rods feel like, go see Dave or Jorge at the fly shop and check them out. 

I might be working on a little video clip soon so stay tuned!!