The sun will be out! The Lower D is open! Life is good! Yes folks, I was singing this on repeat at 4:30am in my driveway as I loade...
The sun will be out! The Lower D is open! Life is good!
Yes folks, I was singing this on repeat at 4:30am in my
driveway as I loaded the car. My excitement was not matched by my neighbors however, and they informed
me they didn’t care about the Lower D opening in a much more “non-internet
friendly” way.
I was headed out to the Lower Deschutes for the opener with
a couple fishing buddies. We didn’t know what to expect and planned on throwing
a combination of nymph rigs, dry droppers, and maybe a small streamer if the
conditions fit. Shhhh… (they eat meat on the lower D…). I knew I needed a well-rounded
rod that could adapt to the style of fishing that day warranted.
My rod of choice for the trip was the new Mystic Reaper X 9’
#5, which took the place of the original Mystic Reaper. My first thought when
sliding the rod sections out of the included tube, and assembling the fly rod was,
“Wow, this rod feels extremely light”. I had expected it to be a bit heavier
but Mystic paid close attention to improving the rod weight in this upgrade,
and it shows. The rod had a nice even balance, light tip, and real power in the
lower 2/3 sections. The reel seat sports a clean and modern finish that really compliments this rod.
Mystic classifies the Reaper X as a moderately fast-action
rod which is exactly the class I’d place it in. It features a soft tip which can
help with accuracy at short distances and also allowed me to fish lighter
tippet and really hone in on those selective trout you don’t get many
opportunities to present a fly to. The light tip rolled the fly line over
smoothly and allowed me to softly present the pattern to feeding trout. It may
have helped me trick a fish… or several.
Later in the day I transitioned my fishing style to get down
deep, and the Reaper X excelled. At times, fishing multiple split shot, the
Mystic Reaper X made roll casting a breeze and allowed me to change rigs from
light to heavy without noticing a huge difference in performance.
As I said before, the bottom 2/3 of the fly rod secretly
holds some real power and made it easy to throw weight when the opportunity
presented itself. Again, with that light tip, it allowed me to fish smaller
fluorocarbon tippets without the worry of breaking fish off. Lighter tippets
cut through the water faster, allowing your fly to get down to the fish quicker
throughout a run.
The Mystic Reaper X really does do it all! With a new and
improved lighter construction, the Mystic Reaper X falls right into that
mid-range price structure with a lifetime warranty which makes it a great rod for the money at $299.00.
If you’re looking for a versatile rod that will do almost
anything you need, check out the Mystic Reaper X and wreak havoc on your next
trip out to the water!
Tight Lines,
Colby Martzall
