The Helios family has been a flagship model for Orvis since the creation of the original ZG Helios. Over the years, I’ve owned and fished a number of rods and models, the first being a 9-ft 4-wt Helios 2—one of my favorite rods and the first premium fly rod I owned. With each generation of the Helios family comes an increased price, the most recent being $1200. That begs the question: Does the increased price come with increased performance? To get to the bottom of this, I tested the 9-ft 8-wt Orvis Helios D in some of the toughest bonefish conditions imaginable to see how it stacks up.
Helios D Overview:
Orvis Helios D
9-foot 8-weight
Key Features:
- Length: 9-feet
- Weight: 8-weight
- Fighting Butt: Yes (1.25″)
Pros:
- Extremely accurate
- Light in hand
- Ample lifting power
Cons:
- Expensive
- Rod looks could be better
The Orvis Helios is the newest and fourth iteration of the Helios family, launching in 2024. Within this new rod offering, anglers can choose from the F or D models. The F stands for Finesse, offering a slower action, and the D stands for Distance, offering power. In this review, we focused on the latter, more specifically, a subsect of the D lineup—the Big Game rods. The Big Game Helios D rods are designed for powerful fish from tarpon to tuna, striped bass, and musky. To see what we think of the trout rods, check out our Gear Lab.
The rod I tested was a 9-ft 8-weight Helios D. It is at the bottom end of the Big Game series with rods ranging from 8-wt to 14-wt. The rod features a 1.25″ fighting butt and a 7″ full wells grip. It retails at $1198, just shy of the $1200 mark. In addition, the rod features Orvis’ 25-year no-questions-asked warranty, with a claimed turnaround time of five days. It’s also worth noting that Orvis claims this rod is the most accurate rod on the market, with minimal recovery and ample power.
How We Tested:
With rod in hand and plenty of marketing jargon to sort through, I knew testing this rod in demanding conditions was crucial. Throwing flies for local snook and reds will only tell me so much about a rod. So, I packed my things and headed to the Bahamas in search of winter bonefish. Stiff winds, spooky fish, and accurate casts are common and ideal conditions to find the flaws in any rod on the market.
On the flats, conditions were worse than anticipated. A front came through, bringing winds upwards of 30 mph and mixed cloud cover. This presented a number of challenges for fishing but perfect conditions for testing the Helios D. I either battled clouds and fish showing up under my nose or had to punch through the wind when the sun peaked through, and bones showed themselves. With a full seven-day forecast of wind and clouds on the horizon, the testing grounds were laid.
On the Water Performance:
The 9-ft 8-wt Helios D is designed to throw accurate casts. As I came across my first school of bonefish (a school of 3-lb fish at 20-ft), I got my first taste of how accurate this rod was. I carefully placed a tan Crazy Charlie three feet in front of the lead fish, followed up with short ticks. The pack pounced on my offering, and the ensuing battle with the first fish of the trip was on.
At short distances, accuracy is key. You typically get one shot at bonefish and either make the cast or spook out the school. Fast action rods can often struggle to load at close distances, but this was not the case with the Helios D. Combined with impressive accuracy and great recovery, I was able to quickly shoot line and land accurate casts to these moving fish.
On the flip side, when the sun peaked through, and I spotted fish moving further out (40-50 feet away), the power of the rod became apparent. With a well-timed double haul, I was able to punch through stiff winds and land a fly subtly in front of my targets. This same power also translated to fighting fish. While most of the fish were in the 2-4 pound range and were nothing to write home about, the rod protected light tippets and landed the fish in short order. On the last day of the trip, I came across two fish pushing the scale at 7 pounds. Upon hooking one, the same power translated to these larger fish, taming the long runs bigger bonefish are synonymous with.
Final Thoughts:
Orvis’ Helios D is a premium rod, and with that comes a premium price. This price point may not be for everyone, which I get. For those willing to spend the money on the Helios D, what you get is a performance-focused rod that is up to technical and demanding fisheries. The 9-ft 8-wt I reviewed came with ample power, incredible accuracy, and quick recovery. It handled the ever-changing conditions of winter bonefishing with relative ease and had the backbone to land large-caliber fish.
My only gripe with the new Helios is the paint scheme. For $1200, attention to aesthetics is important, and the blaring white Orvis logo at the base of the blank does not scream quality. In six months of testing, I have had no issues with durability, something I couldn’t say about the older Helios 2. That said, if you aren’t as lucky, the 25-year warranty will take care of any issues that may arise.
