Fly Fishing In The UK and Europe

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Snowbee Fly Rods

For its latest rod test, Fish & Fly looks at two very different rods from one manufacturer – a #5 nine footer and a saltwater rod – and comes to two very different conclusions. You can read their test reports and find out which one Peter Sutton and Terry Lawton both wanted to keep.

Snowbee Zircon XS 9 foot #5 three-piece

I wanted to try a #5 rod to see if it really does fit in between a #4 and a #6, writes Terry Lawton, for those times when a #4 rod is just that little bit too light and a #6 is that bit too powerful. I met this problem last summer when fishing in Swedish Lapland and ended up using a #6 most of the time. One of the guides used a #5 and having fished with the Snowbee Zircon XS 9 foot #5 three-piece, I am sure that his choice was right.

The Snowbee Zircon XS 9 foot #5 three-piece is a rod that allows you to cast a very long line after but a few casts. I found it to be very easy to load and it seemed to perform best when using a relatively moderate speed and length of casting stroke. Too long or fast a stroke and it got in a muddle.

It must be a very nice rod for a shop to demonstrate as the smooth and progressive casting action makes it a very easy rod to pick-up and put out a good length of line. I’m not too sure, though, whether I would describe it as having a “fast, sensitive tip action” as the catalogue does

The rod is a built on a gloss black blank (by Greg Wos in England) and while the build quality is nothing outstanding it is quite acceptable. It has an anodised aluminium reel seat with a woven graphite insert. There are two silicon carbide lined stripping guides and over-size American Tic snake guides and hayfork tip ring. The rod is supplied in a velour bag and a black anodised aluminium rod tube.

I was able to fish the rod on two different rivers and the first time, I was glad of the extra authority it had, compared to a #4, when I hooked a strong over-wintered 4lb brown trout. It was good to feel in control. I fished the rod with the Prestige fly line that Snowbee sent with the rod. The line was a revelation. It is a superb casting line and was the first floater that I have used that really floated! It was still floating after four hours of fishing. The next time that I need to buy a line, I know where I am going.

The second time that I fished this rod I did find that I was over-casting slightly – the fly landed that bit further away than I expected. While this did not cause any problems, it was nice to know that if I wanted to cover a fish a couple of rod lengths further upstream, I could do so with ease and usually without having to move.

The rod was a real pleasure to cast and fish with and, with just a slight concern that the price of £215 is the wrong side of £200, I am happy to give this rod a whole-hearted endorsement. It is a rod that anybody could get real pleasure from fishing with. It is a great casting tool and fishing rod. I look forward to trying other models in the range.

Peter Sutton is an APGAI-qualified casting instructor and writes:

This rod is a little beauty! It loads, casts, and feels exactly the way I like. The blank is progressive, loading smoothly from the tip, through the middle and into the butt; which means that for short casts only the tip is used and for progressively longer casts more of the rod can be brought into play. Using this rod is an absolute pleasure. The rod came complete with a Snowbee floating line and the rod had no trouble in casting the whole lot when required to do so. The rod also performed faultlessly at short and medium distances producing tight, well-formed loops that turned over exactly as one would wish.

This rod would be quite suitable for all still water trout fishing with dries, small wets and nymphs; it would also make a very good river rod, which means it is an excellent all-rounder.

Is this rod faultless? No, not quite; if really pushed it was just possible to exceed the capabilities of the blank but this is a very minor criticism and in practical fishing situations (as opposed to the casting field) I don’t think this point would ever be reached.

Would I use this rod myself, would I recommend it, would I like to keep it? You bet! The Zircon XS range covers rods from 7 foot #3 at £190 to 10 foot #7 at £250. The rod tested costs £215.

All Zircon rods have an original owner lifetime guarantee. If a rod gets damaged or broken, for a fee of £35 to cover handling and return delivery, Snowbee will either replace the broken section or the whole rod.

Snowbee Deep Blue saltwater fly rod, 9 foot #10 four-piece

Peter Sutton can have the first say on this rod...

My experience of saltwater fly-fishing is severely limited (something I hope to rectify over the coming years) and I am a little confused about the purpose this rod was designed and built for.

It is exceedingly stiff in the bottom two thirds and is therefore uncomfortable to cast with which suggests to me that about the only purpose this rod might be suitable for is tarpon fishing. In tarpon fishing you may make, maybe, only 20 or 30 casts in a day and the rod is primarily a fish fighting tool, which in view of the size of fish likely to be encountered means that the rod must have sufficient lifting power to bring a played-out fish weighing maybe 80 or a 100 pounds to the side of the boat and this rod certainly has that stiffness. It also has an additional cork grip above the handle for the angler to grasp whilst using the rod as a crane. The rod also sports very large guides and a strong reel fitting, both of which will be a further asset when a big tarpon decides to head for the ocean. The only question mark over using the rod for tarpon is that a #12 would normally be considered more suitable, which accounts for my confusion.

If you are looking for a fly rod in order to fish for pike, striped bass or permit; all species for which a #10 would be considered suitable or even ideal, then you will need to look elsewhere. This rod is far too stiff in the butt to be comfortable casting and retrieving all day and would make the playing and landing of those fish a decidedly un-fun thing!

Terry Lawton’s comments:

First impression was that it looked to be one of the best finished Snowbee rods that I have seen. It certainly looks the business.

After an initial casting session, as someone more used to an 8’ 6” #4, I could not help but wonder if I would really want to fish for a quarry that demanded fishing with an #10 single-hand rod. But that is to take nothing away from the value for money of this rod - £145.

If I got it loaded just right and a good double haul, it would shoot plenty of line. When I fished with it, I found that the best way to load it was to use a water haul. While I could make good and satisfying casts, it is a difficult rod to use and would, I hope, benefit from more practice.

While I would be able and very happy to recommend the #5 Zircon to anyone, I can only stress that this Deep Blue rod is one that must be tried first. I don’t want to discourage anyone from buying one, but it is a rod that not everyone will like.

In view of our concerns about this rod, I contacted Snowbee UK and general manager Bob Wellard sent me the following comments: “This is a rod for big open waters, difficult winds and powerful fish. This would be my first choice when fishing in any seriously challenging salt or fresh water environment. Whether it's throwing large lead-eyed Clouser's at UK bass or playing freshwater dorado in South America, this is the tool for the job. The rod is furnished with oversize snakes and a hayfork tip to accommodate the larger line weights and has extra thick wall sections that add more confidence when playing those trophy specimens. This rod is now a particular favourite with UK pike fishers.”

Snowbee Deep Blue XS rods are available for #7, #8, #10 and #12 lines.

All rods are nine foot and four piece. The #10 and #12 weight rods have an upper extra grip for additional leverage when playing big fish. Reel seats are Channel Lock Saltwater and providea firm and secure hold for any size of reel. Rods come with a cordura-covered tube for protection when travelling. Prices range from £120 to £150. The guarantee is the same as the Zircon but the handling charge is only £25.

Important Note

Peter Sutton and Terry Lawton's review of the Snowbee Deep Blue XS #10 saltwater fly rod gave Snowbee cause for concern. Snowbee felt that the description of the rod tested was more like that of the #12, and its investigations have revealed that the rod was one that had been mis-labelled. It was, in fact a #12. Snowbee has made available a #10 rod and we will publish Peter and Terry's test of it shortly.