After a lot of fishing, I’m happy to declare: the Diamondback Aeroflex 9′ 5-wt. is an unbelievable product at a fair price.

Last summer, I purchased that rod and the new Orvis Helios 4, also in a 5-wt. I fished both of them extensively in Montana, sometimes on the same day. I have also kept fishing both this fall in New England. While the Orvis rod had slightly more accuracy, the Diamondback at $550 was a much better value when compared to the Orvis rod at $1,098.

Both rods combine both finesse and power and are a joy to cast. They can chuck the bobber and offer a great dry-fly presentation. Both had no problem landing wild fish at high currents but had the flex to accomodate 6x. And, they’re just fun to hold and cast.

We are in a period during which finely-tuned manufacturing has greatly increased turn-around time for repairs. If you break a rod tip, both manufacturers will ship you a new rod section very quickly. No longer do you have to ship in the entire rod and wait months for a repair. I think that trait alone is a game changer.

We also are in a period when high-end rod prices are increasing and seem just a bit much. Definitely try out the Aeroflex. It’s an incredible rod that offers great price-to-value.

Hats off to Joe Goodspeed for another amazing product line!