Orvis Helios 3D (Distance) 912-4 Fly Rod
Helios 3D Fly Rods are the most accurate fly rods ever built, plus offer remarkable strength and the ability to place a fly where you want it at distance. The Helios 3D 9 foot 12 weight is from this point forward the standard by which the 12-weight tarpon rod will be judged. You need power when going after big tarpon on the flats, but more importantly you need accuracy and this is where this rod rises to the top. All tarpon rods are powerful but when casting to big tarpon, accuracy is everything. The power doesn't come into play unless the fly is on target and this rod is the most powerful and most accurate rod ever built. Hit the target first. Then and only then do you have a chance to fight the fish. No cast ever thrown is identical to any other cast ever thrown. The variables of caster, rod, and conditions are too great. Helios 3D was designed to significantly reduce the variables at the point of release focusing the energy of the cast to the intended target. No matter what happens behind you, the energy of the forward cast is crisply released through a tight window created by the most significant reduction in horizontal and vertical tip frequency ever conceived. It is a rifle in a world of muskets and it autocorrects the variables of the cast to the target with incomparable precision.
Rod outfit includes:
- Helios 3D 12-Weight, 9' Fly Rod
- Mirage VI reel
- Hydros WF 12 Tarpon line
- 300 yds. of 30 lb. Dacron backing
- Rod Tube
“How are these rods different from Helios 2?”
- The only fly rod designed with the primary purpose of transferring casting energy into accuracy.
- They are more accurate because of new materials and new construction techniques that greatly reduce oscillations in the rod after the cast is made.
- They have a lower levered weight so they feel lighter in the hand.
- They are 17% stronger in tensile strength, 40% stronger in hoop strength, and 77% stronger in impact strength.
- They have a low-reflection matte finish to prevent spooking fish.
- They have an exclusive Orvis-designed reel seat made in the same US machine shop as the Mirage reels.
How did they make them so accurate?
- New graphite fiber is denser and has a quicker recovery rate.
- Increased hoop strength for improved tracking and quicker recovery rate.
- Each section of every rod is hand-tuned to maximize energy transfer.
- New progressive tapers that deliver improved energy transfer while increasing the tip sensitivity and offering reserve power in the butt section.
- Two new Helios rod families are available: Helios 3F for accuracy and finesse at short to mid-range distance; Helios 3D for accuracy at distance even in the wind.
Orvis Fly Rods
- With the exception of two price-point rods, all Orvis fly rods are made from start to finish in the Vermont rod shop.
- Orvis designs and produces graphite, bamboo, and fiberglass rods all under one roof.
- The Orvis rod shop employs over 50 craftspeople.
- Orvis has been making fly rods in Manchester, Vermont since 1856. “Ahead of their time since the beginning.”
