You’ve already read about the cool technology behind the ZG Helios Rod series and how it will make you a better caster. But don’t just take our word for it.

Here’s what the experts have to say about the Helios:

“Overall: A ‘crisp’ rod, you can feel the line moving through the guides, which reinforces that this is a very light, responsive rod.
-- Action: Faster, for sure, than most 9 weights (if not all) that I have cast in recent years. Feels similar to the Loomis GLX Pro series, if I had to draw a comparison.
-- Most Noticeable: Tip control. Didn't fee the tip wobble out of position, despite my tendency to let the tip wander. Seems to be a rod strength.
-- Cosmetics: Obviously this is a very light rod for its class. The finish is beautiful. Glad to see Orvis getting back to the more subtle colors; golden olive is a nice choice. Reel seat and butt are all obviously high-end and attractive.”
      —Marshall Cutchin, Midcurrent.com

“I don’t know what is going on with that rod, but it is the nicest 5-weight I’ve thrown in years, maybe ever. Since I’ve fished it the last couple of weeks it has landed 6-8 trout over 20 inches here in Michigan and in Wyoming. What impresses me the most is that the rod weighs nothing, yet can turn a 20-inch rainbow out of the wood (I rolled   a fish over backwards right after he ate on the Pine River in Michigan to keep him out of wood) and deliver an 80-foot cast with ease. I love that rod, not something I say often. Casting, it will carry 60 feet or so of a weight forward line and still shoot another 30-35 feet. Most 5 weights can’t do that (not that you should be fishing that far away with a 5 weight!).  
The other unique thing about the new rod is that, not only can I cast the hell out of it, average casters that have used it have done really well with it. It has that combination of power while keeping the ‘feel’ that lets average casters keep control of their loop and attain greater accuracy and distance. That makes this a great guide rod!”
      —Chuck Hawkins, Michigan trout/steelhead guide

“The rod is so powerful yet very light; it casts at distance as good or better then any rod I’ve ever used.”
      —Conway Bowman, mako shark expert and extreme fly fisher

“You know I’m fussy yet, I think it’s the best balanced, most responsive 9-wt I’ve ever cast. It feels like you’ve got a 6- or 7-wt rod in hand. Kind of like a sports car with a wide torque curve. Great  feel in close when you’re just cruising but with extraordinary, comfortable power when you step on the gas. Even markedly better than the Zero Gravity 9-wt, which I think is a super rod. The cosmetics are easy on the eyes, too. Love the new blank and wrap colors. ”
      —Fly fisherman Jack Coyle, in a e-mail to Captain Tony Biski, one of our field testers (Captain Biski asked some of his clients for feedback on the rods)

“Capt. Tony Biski had me try the new Orvis rod while fishing the flats of Monomoy. Absolutely the best rod I’ve ever cast—light, accurate, and you can cast it all day.   Hats off to you and your team for bringing such a great rod to market.”
      —Bill Pastore, client of Captain Tony Biski

“The Helios rod is the lightest most responsive rod I have ever fished. Whether I am casting streamers, nymphs, or dry flies, the ZG Helios delivers them accurately and effortlessly. I can (and have) literally fished with the Helios all day for many days in a row and never get tired from casting it. This rod is my new favorite fly rod!”
      —Jim Hickey, Wyoming / Idaho guide and owner of World Cast Anglers

“Jon Luke and I gave the Helios a workout in Wisconsin chasing muskies around, and the past few days over in eastern Washington fishing some fall bass. The rods are a dream to cast! They throw big flies with ease, handle big fish well, and appear to be one of the toughest, best casting rods I have ever had in my hands.”
      —Steve Probasco, Northwest Fly Fishing

“It seems that Orvis has pulled out all the stops on this project, very high tech, right down to the graphite tube. I almost liked everything about the rod — the cork is triple A with hardly any fill, streamline ferrules, wraps and guides, excellent. I liked the drilled-out reel seat hardware and the graphite seat. But especially the light weight and the way it cast.
As you know, I have not gravitated towards the last two evolutions of Orvis rods. They seemed to have emphasized eye candy, were too heavy with minimal performance gains over the TLS’s. The Helios is an all out high tech fishing tool.”  
      —Philip Pantano

“Over more than 50 years of fly fishing I have used and tried hundreds of rods. For the past 10 years or so, very few rods have really excited me, but I think the new Helios is really something. In my humble opinion, probably the most perfect fly rod I have ever cast.”
      —Barry Unwin, Fulling Mill Flies

“Wow! Fished the Helios for everything from Bahamas bones in windy weather to Florida snook deep in heavy current. Super light, and delivers both in the delicacy and the power departments. Orvis’ best stick yet.”     
      —Mike Conner, Editor, Shallow Water Angler magazine

“What a great rod: incredibly light, super responsive, and impressive looks. I’m partial to Orvis rods but this is a fantastic fishing tool. Before I even got to fish it I let a guide client try it out and he loved it. He had no problem casting and fishing with it even though he had his first casting lesson just an hour before. Later that day I took the rod down to the river and put it through its paces, what a ball. The rod responds and does what ever you ask it to do. Up-stream tuck casts, across-stream reach mends, feeding line downstream (and still setting the hook), it does it all at any distance. Very impressive. It was also very forgiving on hard hook sets with 6X, around 40 fish caught and no breakoffs with the Helios. Then just for fun I put on a heavy weighted #4 sculpin on 3x and made a few casts. Casting 60' with such a large fly was no problem, finding a big brown was, but it was still fun chucking a big fly with a 4wt. The new Helios will let you fish as close and small as you want but when you need to reach out with a big fly it still won’t let you down. My birthday is in January and I know what I will be getting myself, the Helios 904-4 Mid.”
      —Brian Harris, White River guide

“I got to use the 9-foot for a 5-weight line last summer, when it was still a big secret, and was amazed. It was incredibly light, about 2.5 ounces, but that’s not what got me. It was the almost effortless casting. You just lifted the line off the water, did a quick false cast and let it fly.
For the past 10 years Sage has set the standards for upmarket fly rods. But when I tried the Helios side-by-side with a 9-foot Sage TCR, using the same reel and line, I thought the Orvis was noticeably better.
The light weight of the Helios trout rods is nice but not all that important. I’m 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, so a 5-weight rod that’s an ounce lighter isn’t a big consideration. But an 8- or 10-weight that’s 4 ounces lighter is appealing for saltwater, salmon, or bass fishing, where you hold it at head level as you make hundreds of casts a day.”
      —Eric Sharpe, Detroit Free Press

“The first thing one notices about the Helios rod is the weight, or lack of it. Touted as the lightest rod ever made, it employs resins to hold graphite fibers together rather than fiberglass scrim. The net result: weight reduction of up to 40 percent in the blank, another 20 percent trimmed from the reel seat. This featherweight somehow gains in performance and has played to rave reviews. This beauty is quick, powerful, sensitive, durable - the complete fly rod in sizes 3-10. Perhaps the only question is whether it will deliver sticker shock at $755.”
      —Charlie Meyers, Denver Post

“I found the Tip-Flex 9-foot 6-weight remarkably light in the hand, responsive, and powerful. Here was a smooth, sensuous pleasure in the cast. The Tip-Flex 8-weight was assertive and powerfully progressive, a casting joy without fatigue. This rod could easily replace my 10-weight. And I bet no angler can cast the Tip-Flex 4-weight without a smile. When my brother cast the rod, he dryly noted that now we have fly rods lighter than the lines they toss. Not quite, but the Helios is rising, and it is a new dawn in rod-making.”
      —Darryl Martin, Fly Rod & Reel Magazine

“The new Orvis Helios 9 wt is the best rod I have ever fished with. I just wish we had hooked up with the elusive permits so I could have experienced its response to large, very active gamefish. This should be a big seller for them since those of us now in our 60’s don’t have the strength or ability to throw flies as far or as accurately as we once could using the heavier rods. Using a rod about 2 oz lighter is a fantastic advantage. I think those fishing for salmon, steelhead, etc. where it is not just sight fishing will love the lighter weight and ease of casting. Please tell Orvis they have a real winner there.”
      —Malcolm Alpin, customer of World Cast Anglers in an e-mail to Jim Hickey

“The wind blew consistently between 10 and 20 knots everyday during my most recent trip to Casa Blanca, Mexico, where I fished for bonefish, tarpon, and permit. Not only did the high wind make casting with accuracy more challenging, but the fish were even more spooky than normal. The 9 wt. ZG Helios, which felt lighter than an 8 wt. rod, made casting in these conditions pleasant while other rods did not perform nearly as well. Not only could I cast with accuracy into or across an often stiff wind with the Helios, but the rod had both the sensitivity (due in large part to it’s light weight) to hook and fight 3-5 pound bonefish as well as the backbone to land 35+ pound Tarpon very quickly. Stated simply, the 9 wt. Helios outperformed other rods of both smaller and larger line sizes from 8 wt. to 10 wt.”
      —Jim Hickey, Casa Blanca Mexico trip

“Thanks again for getting the Helios 10-wt to me this fall. I used the rod a bunch of times on albies, blues, and stripers from NY to NC. The rod is sweet to say the least. It casts unbelievably easy and feels so light. At first I was a little leery of putting the screws to the rod for fear I might break it. It just felt too light to really think it could be strong too.   Anyway, I cranked the drag on my reel all the way down and put the screws to bunch of crazy NC albies... kicked their asses! This rod is tough. I did the same with some jumbo blues and fall run, but not so jumbo stripers, and had a blast doing it. Everyone who fishes this rod loves it, and how could they not?”
      —Joe Demalderis

“I fished the 909-4 Helios on Andros last week. Freaking awesome stick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great in close and at distances. All the guides and even Crazy Charlie loved it. They could not believe it was a nine weight. Top notch baby.”
      —Ian Davis, Yellow Dog Outfitters

“Took the 8-weight Helios out yesterday for the first time – just to throw it around for a little and caught a 7-lb. redfish on the 5th or 6th cast. That is hands down the most amazing fly rod I have ever thrown...period. Light as a feather, and solid as a rock. As a matter of fact that 8-weight feels like a 6.”
      —John Brett, fishbuzz.tv

“Thought I’d let you know: I gave my new Helios 6-wt a workout Friday. Caught about 50 stripers in the 18-22” range at the bay. Halfway through hooked into one that took me to my backing. 10 minutes later landed a 30” 11-lb. on the 6-wt. Carson was wondering about the Helios being so light if it would stand up to bigger fish without blowing up. His fears were laid to rest…”
      —Gordon English, Albemarle Angler

“I have let six of my clients use the Helios and they all think that it is the best rod they have ever cast; I know that four of them will buy them when they arrive back.”
      —Dean Whaanga, Otago Trout Fishing Company, New Zealand

“The new Helios rods may just be the best rod that I’ve ever fished for trout with. They look good and fish even better!”
      —Toby Swank, Bozeman Fins & Feathers

“The Helios is an awesome rod! This is definitely the best graphite rod that Orvis has ever produced and, in my opinion, the finest currently being produced by any manufacturer. It’s perfect. I can’t think of a single thing I would change. I rarely say that about any piece of fishing equipment. Although the Helios stands out from the crowd in all of the line weights and lengths that I cast, after having cast the 9 and 10 weights at the shop, and after having fished this 10' 7-wt, I can say that the heavier and longer the rod, the more the Helios stands out as superior.”
      —Don Adams, Adams Guide Service

"Thanks to Mike and Brett I am lucky and I’ve tried the first HELIOS rod that came to Argentina, a 865-4 – 2 1/8 oz. - Mid Flex 6.5. The first test was on Tunuyan’s Rio Grande, fast water but a very small stream, It’s impossible to describe the lightweight sensation of this new Orvis rod, the perfect balance for the BLA I. But the greatest surprise was its strength and soul to throw flies in any difficult situation. Wind doesn’t exist for this rod. Then comes the though test for the Helios, Tordillo and Salado rivers in Mendoza, here the wind it’s really strong, I was able to cast with the same elegance, a delicate dry or a bead head streamer. A whole afternoon without stress in my back, that has more than 45 years as you know, casting flies… But no one can imagine the power that this rod has to fight a big trout and land it so nicely. It has an incredible strength despite of its weight. I’ve never used such a wonderful and nice rod in my life."
      —Benito Perez, Orvis Authorized Dealer, Mendoza Fly Shop, Argentina