So it's no secret the Aetos, in certain weights, gets great reviews and is one of the best bargain rods out there. Well, here's one more good review. Haha!
The reason for the review is because I've fished an 8wt more in the last year than I have for quite some time. So here it goes-
Note- I have the original, 1st gen, Aetos that was $189 or $179 or something like that. Also, I bought it in "Barely used" condition. It still had the plastic on the cork. I got the idea some newbie bought it and just didn't need it.
Fit & finish-
Blank/rod- The rod is an attractive blue color. Yep, blue. Some people are like "oh, it's blue." Haha! It's more attractive than you think even if you think blue is a bad rod color. The silver threads are very nice.
Cork- Where this original version really suffers is the cork. Just like many bargain rods (anything less than $300 in my book), the cork is where they save some $$. My cork doesn't have a bunch of holes yet, but I can tell it probably will eventually. And mine has a glue issue where rod and front of the handle come together. Right at my thumb. There is a very small section that either didn't get enough glue or the glue ran down during drying. Either way, when it's hot, I don't notice it at all. When it's cold I can feel it when casting and every once in a while it makes a click or squeak. I need to fix it, but that will probably have to wait for winter.
I have read that Fenwick supposedly improved the cork quality on the 2nd gens. Not 100% sure on that.
Reel seat- This is another area that the rod shows it's bargain price. It works completely fine, but it's a matte finish that looks either space-aged or a little cheap. The good news is the color-scheme works. The real seat is a blueish gunmetal and the sleeve and rings are silver.
Fighting butt- Some think the butt is too small.
I like it. The rod is not big enough to be doing figure 8s for musky so the more important thing about a fighting butt on a single-hand rod is the length and that it doesn't get hung on everything. This one is the right length and it doesn't hang on anything. Many rods, even by great rod builders, have fighting butts that are just too big. There, I said it.
Casting- This is where this rod surprises people. This is a light, but strong stick. It's sold as a medium-fast rod. I would say it's on the faster side of that spectrum. It is a delight to cast. It can handle the modern .5 or even .75 heavy lines with a punch while also giving love to older, true to weight lines like the reliable WF8F Cortland 444SL Rocket Taper that is usually on it for bass & carp duty.
Last fall, it casted beautifully with an old SA WF8F/S 15' IV Steelhead taper for bull trout casting 4" weighted streamers. One could argue that old line is a bit light for the rod and coupled with heavy flies could spell disaster, but it did great. Whenever I had any doubts, just speed up or haul harder and the rod responds with spirit.
Last summer it had to roll cast bass poppers in the gorge wind. It did great. And despite a brand new WF8F SA Mastery Bonefish line not being the best for throwing weighted tarpon flies in the Mexican mangroves, it still did the job. And anytime I had a fly that was actually bonefish sized it was a delight.
This spring and summer it's casted the WF8F Cortland 444SL Rocket Taper sending 4/0 deer hair or plastic poppers, 2/0 foam gurglers and various smallmouth streamers with ease. As well as delivering carp flies with minimum fuss. And most importantly, with accuracy. This rod is accurate! I actually plan to try the bonefish line on my next carp trip. I think it would do very well.
This rod can also shoot the appropriate line very well. I'm a shooter. I hate casting long lines if I can help it. So I'm always shooting line even if it's a traditional DT or WF line. Why false cast 4-5 times when it can be 1 or 2 and shoot? Well, the answer is usually because of accuracy. This rod can shoot accurately better than any rod I've used. This is also something I noticed right away with my other Aetos- a 8' 4wt. Completely different than the 9' 8wt, of course, but they share that remarkable ability.
These rods have light tips. My buddies are always like "this feels lighter than my 7wt". And some of those buddies are casting Sage, Echo and Scott. My old Redington 7wt doesn't get much action now since I'd rather cast the Aetos 8wt. It literally feels like some of my 6wt rods.
Fish catching- This rod has a great tip. Super sensitive, but not too flimsy. It's hard to explain. It doesn't feel like an 8wt until you have to horse 50-70' of line or when you hook a big fish. This thing has great back-bone. Is it the beefiest 8wt out there? No way. But is it a true 8wt when fighting fish? I think so. I had an 8wt that a buddy built for me that felt like a 9wt when fighting steelhead or salmon. It was great. The problem is it was a friggin broom when casting. The Aetos is sweet in hand, but has enough back-bone to be called an 8wt.
It's a fast rod in hand when setting as well. You think it's going to flex more than it does.
So there it is. My honest review of the 1st gen Aetos 8wt. Well worth the $$ I paid and the 2nd gen at $235 is also well worth the $$. I agree with all the reviews that say it was literally competing with and showing up some of the $700 rods. I've cast some Sage and Hardy rods that are really nice. I have a Sage rod I love. Their fit and finish is much better. Are they $500 better for casting and fishing? Nope.
Anyway, if you're in need of an affordable 8wt, I can fully recommend the Fenwick Aetos for the reasons of casting, feel and fishing ability. If fit & finish are more important to you, then there are lots of rods out there that are prettier...and probably have a bigger butt.
Cheers,
Stacy
The reason for the review is because I've fished an 8wt more in the last year than I have for quite some time. So here it goes-
Note- I have the original, 1st gen, Aetos that was $189 or $179 or something like that. Also, I bought it in "Barely used" condition. It still had the plastic on the cork. I got the idea some newbie bought it and just didn't need it.
Fit & finish-
Blank/rod- The rod is an attractive blue color. Yep, blue. Some people are like "oh, it's blue." Haha! It's more attractive than you think even if you think blue is a bad rod color. The silver threads are very nice.
Cork- Where this original version really suffers is the cork. Just like many bargain rods (anything less than $300 in my book), the cork is where they save some $$. My cork doesn't have a bunch of holes yet, but I can tell it probably will eventually. And mine has a glue issue where rod and front of the handle come together. Right at my thumb. There is a very small section that either didn't get enough glue or the glue ran down during drying. Either way, when it's hot, I don't notice it at all. When it's cold I can feel it when casting and every once in a while it makes a click or squeak. I need to fix it, but that will probably have to wait for winter.
I have read that Fenwick supposedly improved the cork quality on the 2nd gens. Not 100% sure on that.
Reel seat- This is another area that the rod shows it's bargain price. It works completely fine, but it's a matte finish that looks either space-aged or a little cheap. The good news is the color-scheme works. The real seat is a blueish gunmetal and the sleeve and rings are silver.
Fighting butt- Some think the butt is too small.
I like it. The rod is not big enough to be doing figure 8s for musky so the more important thing about a fighting butt on a single-hand rod is the length and that it doesn't get hung on everything. This one is the right length and it doesn't hang on anything. Many rods, even by great rod builders, have fighting butts that are just too big. There, I said it.Casting- This is where this rod surprises people. This is a light, but strong stick. It's sold as a medium-fast rod. I would say it's on the faster side of that spectrum. It is a delight to cast. It can handle the modern .5 or even .75 heavy lines with a punch while also giving love to older, true to weight lines like the reliable WF8F Cortland 444SL Rocket Taper that is usually on it for bass & carp duty.
Last fall, it casted beautifully with an old SA WF8F/S 15' IV Steelhead taper for bull trout casting 4" weighted streamers. One could argue that old line is a bit light for the rod and coupled with heavy flies could spell disaster, but it did great. Whenever I had any doubts, just speed up or haul harder and the rod responds with spirit.
Last summer it had to roll cast bass poppers in the gorge wind. It did great. And despite a brand new WF8F SA Mastery Bonefish line not being the best for throwing weighted tarpon flies in the Mexican mangroves, it still did the job. And anytime I had a fly that was actually bonefish sized it was a delight.
This spring and summer it's casted the WF8F Cortland 444SL Rocket Taper sending 4/0 deer hair or plastic poppers, 2/0 foam gurglers and various smallmouth streamers with ease. As well as delivering carp flies with minimum fuss. And most importantly, with accuracy. This rod is accurate! I actually plan to try the bonefish line on my next carp trip. I think it would do very well.
This rod can also shoot the appropriate line very well. I'm a shooter. I hate casting long lines if I can help it. So I'm always shooting line even if it's a traditional DT or WF line. Why false cast 4-5 times when it can be 1 or 2 and shoot? Well, the answer is usually because of accuracy. This rod can shoot accurately better than any rod I've used. This is also something I noticed right away with my other Aetos- a 8' 4wt. Completely different than the 9' 8wt, of course, but they share that remarkable ability.
These rods have light tips. My buddies are always like "this feels lighter than my 7wt". And some of those buddies are casting Sage, Echo and Scott. My old Redington 7wt doesn't get much action now since I'd rather cast the Aetos 8wt. It literally feels like some of my 6wt rods.
Fish catching- This rod has a great tip. Super sensitive, but not too flimsy. It's hard to explain. It doesn't feel like an 8wt until you have to horse 50-70' of line or when you hook a big fish. This thing has great back-bone. Is it the beefiest 8wt out there? No way. But is it a true 8wt when fighting fish? I think so. I had an 8wt that a buddy built for me that felt like a 9wt when fighting steelhead or salmon. It was great. The problem is it was a friggin broom when casting. The Aetos is sweet in hand, but has enough back-bone to be called an 8wt.
It's a fast rod in hand when setting as well. You think it's going to flex more than it does.
So there it is. My honest review of the 1st gen Aetos 8wt. Well worth the $$ I paid and the 2nd gen at $235 is also well worth the $$. I agree with all the reviews that say it was literally competing with and showing up some of the $700 rods. I've cast some Sage and Hardy rods that are really nice. I have a Sage rod I love. Their fit and finish is much better. Are they $500 better for casting and fishing? Nope.
Anyway, if you're in need of an affordable 8wt, I can fully recommend the Fenwick Aetos for the reasons of casting, feel and fishing ability. If fit & finish are more important to you, then there are lots of rods out there that are prettier...and probably have a bigger butt.
Cheers,
Stacy
