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Vision: Venus 9wt. 9' Saltwater Rod
Venus 9wt. 9' Saltwater Rod
More and more people are taking up saltwater fly fishing. Making the change from freshwater to saltwater can be a bit daunting. Salty environments can destroy expensive gear and hooking into a large fish will surely test the integrity of your equipment. This year Vision Fly Fishing introduced a new line of saltwater rods that have proven to be among the top rods available. The Venus SW is priced in the mid-range coming in at $349 and is offered in line weights ranging from 6-12. The Venus is available with a full wells grip or an SWS model that utilizes an ergonomic D shape handle. All of the Venus rods come standard with triple anodized aluminum reel seats and high quality salt resistant Pacific Bay hardware. The rod action is rated at medium/fast and offers a nice balance of wind-cutting power and feel. In addition to the function of the rod, the Venus rods are ascetically stunning. They feature full metallic wraps, gold/pewter two-toned hardware and a nicely balanced natural and rubberized cork grip.
Fishing in saltwater requires a rod that can both throw a lot of line and is able to handle wind. A good saltwater rod should also be light so as not to wear out the caster after hundreds of casts. I cast the Venus with five different lines ranging from a 9wt. sinking pike line to a S.A. 9wt. Red fish line and with very little effort I was able to throw the entire fly line on four of the five lines (the sinking pike line was 105' long and I could almost shoot to the backing). The Venus is not a rod for close range. The rod loads near the tip and really comes to life with about 60' feet of line out. Throwing shorter casts in the range of 20-30' was difficult because the rod just would not load for me. Perhaps over-lining the rod with a 10wt or even an 11wt. line would help the short game. Casting into the wind with this rod is as easy as it gets! The strong fast action is able to form tight loops and can punch out 80-90' casts in a head wind as good if not better than any rod I have fished.
Here are a few highlights of the Venus 9wt.
The guides are all anodized and corrosion proof made by Pacbay. The guides are generously sized to make shooting line easier and the color of the guides go great with the blank!
The reel seat features a rear lock nut for added security. The seat also features a captive hood that does not rotate. I have never seen this type of seat on a rod before, but after attaching a reel a few times I wish all my rods has a reel seat like this. The opening that receives the rear foot of the reel stays aligned with the front opening so there is no more need to hold the reel to the rod while rotating the band in search of the opening. Great idea!
The grip is a full wells and features natural and rubberized cork. I like that the grip is long enough to accommodate big hands. I don't know if its me, but it seems like a number of companies have shortened the grip on larger rods. The fighting butt is just right for added that extra amount of support for working large fish.
The guide wraps are metallic and bring a nice modern ascetic to the rod. The finish work was very good (something that can no longer be assumed!).
In sum: The Vision Venus 9wt. is a great rod if you need to throw long casts into wind. The blank is extremely quick and in the right hands can punch out long casts with very little effort. As previously mentioned, I could not get the Venus to load with less than 40 or so feet of line out so for fishing up close to easily spooked fish a more moderate action rod might be more appropriate. The Venus is a technical rod and although not an "all around" stick the Venus will get the job done if distance in wind is required. One thing I am beginning to appreciate about European fly fishing equipment is that they do not advertise nor design their equipment to function in every situation (as though any rod can live up to that). Instead, rods and lines are designed to function in a specific range of applications. The quality of gear, then, increases as the form is matched to function. Vision has done a great job with the Venus and without hesitation I recommend this rod.
Jocelin et Sonie
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