Excellent Condition

From Hatch Magazine:

Thenew H3D Blackout rods, the latest evolution of the Orvis Helios 3 family of fly rods, are purpose-built tools designed to address three specific, common fishing needs that Orvis and its team of field testers identified. The design of one of those new rodsthe 95 5-weightmodelwas driven by feedback from guides who spend the majority of their time fishing out of drift boats. According to Orvis, the secret sauce of this new rod, the thing that makes it special, is the extra five inches in length which Orvis says gives it the reach and superb long-range mending capabilities of a 10-footer while still casting like a 9-footer. And, like the rest of the Helios 3 lineup, Orvis also bills this new offering as supremely accurate.

Despite Orvis track record of excellenceparticularly with the Helios 3 familyI was still left somewhat skeptical after reading through the promotional materials for the new H3 Blackout models. After years spent working in the marketing field, the better part of a decade spent reviewing fly rods, and a fair share of time spent writing ad copy for new products, its hard not to be. Company claims about new fly rods dont different all that much, are always grandiose, and in most cases, rods fall shy of their supposed greatnesswith only a handful of notable exceptions.

I set out with the H3 Blackout hoping it would live up to or close to its billing. From the Green River in Utah, to the Kenai and Russian Rivers in Alaska, Ive fished the new Orvis Helios 3 Blackout through a variety of situations. But, given that this latest Helios 3 is touted as a purpose-built rod, I made sure to fish it in the conditions for which it was made: from a drift boat, throwing long nymph drifts and extended reach casts to rising trout.

What Works

Extra Reach

Going in, I was worried the rods odd length would throw its performance off. Ive only fished a few 96 rods in my life, but they were all either too heavy on the swing, or their tip was so light that accuracy suffered at longer distances.

Thats not a problem with the 95 Blackout. When fishing nymphs through deep holes on the Green River from a drift boat, I was surprised at how much of a difference five inches makes. The same goes for fishing to rainbows on the Russian River in Alaska. Every little back eddy, piece of slack water, or slight seam is that much easier to access with this rod, putting you in a position to catch more fish.

Mending

The standout feature of the95 5wt Blackoutis its mending ability. As I mentioned earlier, the rod is fairly stiff throughout its length. While you sacrifice some feel for that, you get a fantastic mending product in return. Even with 60 feet of weight-forward line out, I didnt have a hard time throwing mends across multiple current seams. The rod has the backbone to pick up and place line with little effort even the thin running line behind the short heads on most weight-forward lines these days.

Honestly, using this rod to mend line on long drifts reminds me of mending with an old bamboo rod and double-taper lineminus the outrageous weight of those three-piece behemoths.

Casting

As claimed, the 95 H3 Blackout casts almost exactly like a regular 9-footer. Its a hair slower than I expected, but still very much a fast-action rod. At times it feels more like an H3F as opposed to an H3D.

If someone just handed me this rod to cast, and I didnt look at it closely, I dont think Id notice the extra length while casting. You really only feel it when youre in tight quarters, surrounded by trees and snags (which isnotthe fishing situation this rod was built for).

The 95 5wt Blackout tracks well and generates good line speed. The swing weight feels similar to the 96 6wt H3F I fished a few years ago; its there, but its not very noticeable.

Accuracy

Orvis really went all-in to sell this rod as a precision tool. Dubbing it superbly accurate gives the rod a lot to live up to, and in large part, it does just that.

The high line speed helps drive accuracy, as does the responsive tip section. While the tip flexes plenty to protect lighter tippets, its not nearly as soft as I expected. By keeping the tip stiffer, Orvis was able to maintain the levels of laser-like accuracy in the original H3 series, and perhaps even improve on that a bit.

Unless I was fishing into a stiff headwind or throwing flies that you really shouldnt on a 5wt (six-inch long, triple-articulated streamers), I didnt have problems with fly placement. I pointed the tip where my flies needed to go, threw a few casts, and they arrived on point.

Of course, accuracy depends much more on the angler than the rod. However, a good angler working with a high-performance rod can throw better casts than with a subpar product. The 95 5wt Blackout is a rod that rewards sound casting fundamentals.

Weight

It should go without saying these days, but its worth mentioning since this rod isnt your usual 9 5wt. The H3 Blackout is noticeably light in hand. What Doesnt Work

What Doesnt

No Hook Keep

Ill keep going back to Orvis about this, but Im frustrated that theres no hook keepers on their rods anymore. I know a lot of folks prefer to hang their flies off the first stripping guide. Just as many love a hook keep. In all my years of fly fishing, Ive never once looked at a hook keeper and thoughtwell thats gotta go.

But this is a design move Orvis is sticking with, because they feel thats where the market is headed. They might be right. I might be completely wrong. But I still want my hook keep.

Single Uplocking Ring

Usually I dont like double-uplocking rings on reel seats for rods 5wt and lighter. Its overkill, looks clunky, and throws the rods balance off.

But Orvis makes their uplocking rings from ultralight anodized aluminum, so bulk and weight isnt an issue. But with this rod being purpose-built as a boat road, I reckon folks will fish it with a larger reel. A double uplocking ring would help keep the bigger, heavier reels more secure, especially if youre using it on something like sockeye, dolly varden, or really big trout.

Final Word

The 9’5″ 5wt Orvis H3 Blackoutis the latest success story from Orvis. Its light, accurate, easy to cast, and mends like an absolute dream. Adding five inches wasnt just a marketing gimmick, the extra length makes a functional, practical differencefar more than I expected it tonoticeably increasing your ability to mend effectively and reach across complex current seams. After a few months spent fishing this latest addition to the Helios 3 family, Im quite impressed. Orvis has yet another home-run-hitter in their lineup.