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Anyone cast the T3 yet?

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Eddie 
#1 ·
I'm not needing another rod right now, but I'm wondering if anyone has cast Orvis' newest rod, the T3. If so, how did you like it, and is it worth the money?

Thanks for indulging my curiousity. :p
 
#3 ·
The Right Honourable Mark Doogue brought an Orvis T3 "loaner" to the last "casting clave" and I did get a chance to try it out...
Very light and very fast tip...good line speed and distance.
Interesting cosmetics and a great warrantee.

I also got to play with the Powell Boron...same sorta' feel but even more $$$'s...
Fast approaching the point of deminishing returns?!

Part of buying a new rod is getting to try them all out and to compare and try them out again...If the dealer won't let you throw some line outside, then the dealer doesn't understand the trying/buying process...take you business else where...

So many rods, so little time!
my .02
 
#5 ·
I would need to spend more time trying them. It didn't seem to communicate how it was loading, nor did it seem to unload well with anything but a short quick stroke with an optimal line length out of the guides. When cast with the ideal amount of line, the ability to shoot line and get down to business was phenomenal, but when aerializing a longer length, let's say 60 feet, the rod did not seem to communicate it's loadpoints in a way that I am used to with other premium rods.

Much of this is subjective, although I am able to find a comfort zone easily with most rods I've cast from the Temple Fork to the Rplxi. Mysteriously I could not get comfortable with this rod and the dynamic motion of the line did not seem to be "connected" while in transit through the outer extents of a long stroke.

The fun part is more testing!
 
#6 ·
Orvis T3

Hey Eddie,
Was that T3 11 wt. you tried their 9.5 flex? I'm wondering how the rod loads and casts when you're in close quarters? Any thoughts on it overall for both distance and short range casting?

I have enjoyed using my RPLX for several years but an experience on my last trip to the tropics made me want to scream. Though the RPLX rods are great rods for picking up and shooting lots of line in strong gusts, the stiff tip is nearly impossible to work with on short distance casts. Trying to deal with a quick short 15' - 20' cast when a fish suddenly comes onto a flat right on top of you can make a guy feel foolish in a hurry. That short bit of line really makes it a struggle to load these RPLXs.

Thanks for your thoughts on the T3 or any other saltwater rods you think I should consider as potential replacements. JB
 
#7 ·
Speynut, if I may jump in...

The discontinued rplX definitely had a stiff tip, especially 10wt and over. In fact it was a broomstick, I owned one for a season and sold it (9wt and less were fine). The RplxI has a much sweeter upper taper and loads like a dream, in fact I defy anyone to find a nicer casting SW rod than the Rplxi 8wt 9ft, even in the 5pc with all those ferrules.

Scott has a really sweet upper taper, T&T rods are also exceptionally designed - there are a number of great tapers out there.

IMHO the problem with a finesse tip, if too much finesse, is that it feels like you're casting with a 6 foot rod once you need to dig into the double haul and throw a long line in the wind. I feel like I need all 9 feet on the striper coast and for coho out on the pacific so the challenge is to have your cake and eat it too.

To be more clear about my previous T3 comments, to be brutally frank rods like the RPLXi, Scott STS, T&T, etc - give you both optimal grain performance and reserve long cast capabilities whereby I could only find the optimal grain performance with the T3. Once again it could have just been my casting nuances, all caveats apply.

I'd be curious to hear what others have to say about the T3 to widen the sample size?
 
#8 · (Edited)
The 8 and 11 weight rods that I cast were fast,"tip flex" models. As I said befor they generate a lot of line speed. I think they will be great on windy days(I didn't cast them in the wind). They track well and boom out long casts with little effort. In close, I thought they loaded quickly and cast accurately. Having said that, no matter how much line I had out of the tip, I thought that the T3 rods were vague and provided little feel. Everything looks good,just don't close your eyes. I think that alot of people will love these rods on the flats, but I would rather use these rods for long blind casts to stripers.
I have fished with these 11 weights on the flats: T&T Horizon, Sage RPLX and RPLXi, Scott STS and Heliply, Loomis GLX 10/11 mega, and the Orvis PM10 and Tident TL. Of these rods I prefer the RPLXi. All of these powerful rods are just about perfect, but I think that the Sage RPLXi is the quickest loading, easiest to cast rod. While long casts are good(and all of these rods are great at this) poor visibility ofted dictates a quick 35' cast, often to the side and accross the wind. This is where the Xi shines. It is also a fishfighting machine. The soft tip might make you think that it is not up to the task, but work the pressure into the butt, and you can really put the wood to the fish. My second choice would be the T&T Horizon, however, they proved a little fragile. They have come out with a new three pice version this year that promises to be up to the task.
You might like one of the others more, so cast them all. I went into a flyshop in Isla Morada(not Bob's or WWSM)and asked the guy who was there what rod he liked for Tarpon. He said he liked the Scott STS and added that the RPLXi would be better suited to a woman. With that in mind take my opinion for what it's worth.
Which RPLX do you have? They are still very desirable among the teeny/leadcore chuckers.
 
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