Orvis’s top-end Helios 2 earned Gear Institute’s Best in Class honors in the Premium Rod category, and the new mid-range Recon mimics many traits of its big brother. I found the Recon one of the fastest rods in the class, with a good bit of sensitivity and line control to go with its powerful build. 

Fit and feel
In testing, the well-tapered half-wells grip and nicely balanced weight allowed casting without having to exert much grip-pressure. That made it easy to stay out all day, casting a variety of fly types without tiring. 

Distance and Accuracy
The Recon was masterful at laying out line in the typical blustery conditions on Washington’s Yakima River, but it also worked well when I needed to reach well out into a remote alpine lake to get to feeding brookies. I did feel there was a bit of accuracy fall-out in exchange for that power, but not so much that I felt uncomfortable casting #20 BWOs during a modest hatch. 

General performance
The Recon had the stiffness needed to land large trout in fast-moving water, and had just enough mid- and tip-flex to throw effective mends during a long drift. But I missed a few hook-sets when I failed to feel a tentative strike on a small nymph.

The Recon is also available in 3-wt through 10-wt versions of various lengths.