There - Fixed It

My wife surprised me when we got married with a fly fishing gift that included a full rod and reel combo...it was Orvis's premium flagship rod at that time. Perfect for small stream fishing, an Orvis ZG Helios 8'4" 3wt rod with an Orvis Mirage reel, loaded with Hydros WF3F fly line. Everything about the rod was impressive and the mid-flex action worked great on my small streams. It has a deep olive blank color with dark oxblood wraps that look very nice. This light rod has some power. However, the reel seat has some major bling factor (not in good way) with cheap gold toned hardware covering a burgundy graphite spacer. That reel seat is just not my idea of a serious trout rod...I never fished with it around friends. I have to wonder who in the executive suite at Orvis approved that reel seat for a premium fly rod? What were they thinking???

Well, I decided it was too good of a rod not to use more than I do and I just needed to replace that awful reel seat. After a period of researching different brands, I decided on a Bellinger reel seat that looked like a great fit for this rod. Because of the rod's length, I selected a down locking seat with german silver sliding band and butt cap. It's an impressive looking reel seat.

I have to say, the finished remake turned out better than I expected...with the gold bling gone, this rod will be pulled out of the rod tube more often this year!