The Helios™ 3 Blackouts have landed! Available now, these new, high-concept, supremely accurate H3 rods are designed to excel in specific angling scenarios. Our rod design team listened to some of the sport’s most seasoned guides and fishiest DIY anglers. They cataloged input, cherry-picked consistent themes, and obsessed over anglers’ needs, wants, and challenges to design technique-driven tapers that answer the constantly evolving question of “What if?” with “Here’s what.”
There are three models–all made in our Manchester, Vermont rod shop–each designed for a specific angling need:
H3D Blackout 9’5″ 5-weight
It began as a supremely accurate boat rod, with superb long-range mending abilities on both reach casts and on-the-water drift manipulations. Field-testing proved it also impresses when it’s time fish backchannel sippers on foot. That extra 5 inches is the secret sauce, providing added lift on your back cast without feeling overwhelming.
H3D Blackout 8’5″ 8-weight
Big fish are ghosts: They vanish and quickly reappear where you least expect them to. This rod thinks quicker—designed to overcome instantaneous directional changes that would normally require several false casts to correct. That’s the philosophy behind this 8’5″ 8-weight. The result is a high-concept boat rod designed specifically for the quick-turn, one-shot accuracy required to stay ahead of fast-moving bonefish, reds, permit, or even pike.
H3F Blackout 11′ 3-weight
A supremely accurate 11-foot rod with the swing weight of a 10-footer, it’s got the unreal sensitivity to telegraph the exact number of times your nymphs kiss gravel. Translation: Significantly fewer missed strikes and more fish to hand. Note the 11′ length—that extra 6″ is crucial for intuitive drift control in extremely complex current seams with a softer tip to protect even the finest tippets.
Click here to learn more about all the Helios 3 Blackout Models
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