Helios 2 6 wt

[hubva]

I just purchased a new Helios for a trip to the Missouri. I fished it a day and a half and it snapped on the butt section when trying to land a brown. I was following the guides advice to keep the fish out from under the drift boat while he was trying to net the fish. It snapped like a twig. We then moved on to another River later in the week and another broken Orvis Rod. I was surprised that after each event and without hesitation, the group of guides and outfitters on these trips were not surprised that the rod was an Orvis Rod. Is this a common problem with these H2 series?
Unfortunately when i went to an Orvis distributor in town to see if they could replace the rod, the only thing they could offer was to send the rod back to Orvis for a fee. I could manage this when i returned home on my own but the rest of the week I was without the rod. Very disappointing when i needed the rod

 

[Hombre06]

It's not a common problem with Orvis rods and I think there's more to your story than you're either willing to admit or don't know. I won't deluge you with 20 questions so we can get to the truth but breaking rods has a lot to do with the fisherman. You'll get varying opinions on Orvis in general because they are considered the Macys of fly fishing but in reality, they make good American rods with good warranties. It's like Chevy vs Ford; there are die-hards on each side but both make good products. So no it's not a common problem with Orvis rods in general or H2s specifically. If it were, the guys on this board would be quick to recognize the issue. Welcome to the forum. vr

 

[ted4887]

I'd say sell me the rod on the cheap, and you'll never have to worry about it breaking again. I'll even pay to have it fixed and you can get yourself a new rod.

But in all seriousness, Orvis is a great company making high quality rods. This said, I'd never, ever, ever ever ever own anything but their rods and reels though. A leather encased cooler or plaid silk dog bed is just not in my budget. Even if it was, I'd still never buy them. But their rods are top notch!

Welcome to the forum.

 

[tbum2020]

I know this exact breaking location was a weakness with the original Helios rod and the H2 was supposed to fix it, but as the H2 is so new I don't think anyone can give a definitive answer yet as to if this issue was fixed.

 

[mudbug]

I know this exact breaking location was a weakness with the original Helios rod and the H2 was supposed to fix it, but as the H2 is so new I don't think anyone can give a definitive answer yet as to if this issue was fixed.

Yup.

The very reason for the existence of the H2 is that the H1 had a habit of breaking in that location.

Orvis pretty much admitted they had gone too light and built up the but section so this wouldn't happen.

Maybe they still got it wrong.

 

[cptxkirk]

That's why the H2 came out? To say Helios rods don't have an issue with breaking is an understatement!

 

[Gerard]

I have 3 Helios (MK1) rods, admittedly they are SW 8, 10 & 11WT so not quite the same, but so far no problems with them.

I did break my backup TFO BVK (1st day!!! but great service once I got back) with a 5-6lb bonefish...same thing trying to land it in a boat.

The guide explained very clearly that you should lift the rod in the vertical when the fish is in close or under the boat. Move the rod to the side, horizontal plane. (if that makes sense).
That was his reasoning for the rod breaking. His observation is the newer super light rods just don't have the strength in the extremes the older heaver rod used to.

 

[thenewlushlife]

To say that orvis made the H2 simply to address a breakage problem is pretty funny. The H2 is a vastly different rod than the H1, completely different taper, completely different hardware and finish, and the tip section of the rod is made with a defense grade graphite. To say this is a re-vamped H1 is simply incorrect, Breakage problems are almost always angler error. As a gentleman in the industry when a customer breaks a rod and asks me why it happened, I then ask them to tell me exactly how the break happened. %99 of the time it is user error. So, putting a label on orvis rods and claiming they're prone to breakage more than other manufacturers is false. If some of you broke orvis rods, it was your own fault, blaming the company is laughable. Lets all agree that rods break, it happens, from all manufacturers.

Back to the gentleman that started this thread, you would need to take the H2 to an orvis retail store. not an orvis endorsed fishing shop to get the full benefits of your warranty.