G. Loomis Asquith II 2 Review - 2026 New Fly Rods - Model-by-Model Review Coming Soon!
The new Asquith is finally here in 2026! It replaces the current Asquith series in the G. Loomis lineup, sitting above the NRX+ Series rods. G. Loomis sent out teaser emails and a few posts on social media, and now it's official. I will post more details here along with my first impressions and later a model-by-model review. They arrive at an eyebrow-raising $1,635 each for the 8wt and 9wt (and $1,750 for 10,11,12wt) - Keep in mind I don't accept payment from any company to review anything, and I buy all review rods myself. I will be testing these new rods with most popular fly lines as soon as I have more time. I usually start reviews with the best-selling line for each rod weight first (for example SA Bonefish PLUS for the 8wt rods, Grand Slam for 9wt, etc).
"G. Loomis engineers spent half a decade perfecting the new Asquith's integrated handle design" - So that's what they were doing all this time. I guess the other half decade was spent on the rod itself (it's been 10 years since the original was released).
G. Loomis sent out teaser emails and a few posts on social media, and now it's official. Nearly at the ten-year anniversary of the original Asquith, it's here. I will update with the tech specs plus first impressions and a more detailed review with model-by-model info and commentary. As always, I buy my own rods for reviews and I am not sponsored by any company. I give my honest opinions and impressions. Doesn't mean I am right, but in theory I have a pretty good background in this business to have a well-informed opinion. I sell more saltwater fly rods than almost anyone and because of this I have lots of great customers who provide valuable feedback (people of all skill levels).
I would love to sell G. Loomis fly rods in my shop but I have been unable to get a response from the rep group. If someone from G. Loomis corporate would like to help me out getting signed up as a dealer, it would be much appreciated. We carry most other major fly fishing brands. I am one of the top sellers of high-end saltwater fly rods in the entire region.
In my opinion, these will be popular rods. But the competition is tough in this segment. All of the top rod brands have their flagship rods of course. Most of them are excellent. None of them are this expensive. And with the very high price tag on these new rods, it should be interesting to see who delivers the best value and "performance-for-dollar" in 2026. I will contrast that with the "best fly rod for any price" category which many of my customers fall into, so a few hundred dollars more than other options is not going to deter them at all really.
Keep in mind, the original Asquith came out in mid-2016 so it's been nearly a decade without an update. Typical product cycle is 5-6 years for the flagship rods but it varies somewhat by manufacturer. This is a pretty big deal and the last time they dropped a rod it was the best one on the market at the time, and still very competitive 10 years later against rods coming out 8 years after the Asquith's debut. Impressive stuff.
Model-by-Model Review & Impressions
G. Loomis Asquith Freshwater models (What? No 5wt yet? These are the only ones listed on the official G. Loomis website so far)
6wt (ASQ 690-4):
790 (ASQ 790-4):
G. Loomis Asquith Saltwater models
8wt (ASQ 890-4):
9wt (ASQ 990-4):
10wt (ASQ 1090-4):
11wt (ASQ 1190-4):
12wt (ASQ 1290-4):
*This is a "rolling" review so I will be adding and updating as I test each rod. My first impressions are coming soon, then later a model-by-model review when I have enough time. I am currently working on reviewing tons of new products that are coming out this year (early 2026) but first and foremost I am taking care of my existing customers.
*Please note that I am not currently a G. Loomis dealer (used to be actually for many years at my family's original fly shop). This was only due to a biased sales rep who wanted to keep me away from G. Loomis to help his little buddies who own another fly shop. He said this directly to me, I am not making it up or anything. We will see if the new rep for 2026 is a bit smarter and ready to do business. Or if any of the G. Loomis corporate team reads this, please feel free to reach out to me. Talk to your rep group, they previously turned down my $100,000 opening order for fly rods. Waiting on you guys. I personally sold Winston Air 2 Max fly rods (closest in price to this Asquith) equivalent to roughly a third of Winston's entire sales in the Southeast region in 2024... I am the guy with the right clientele for the Asquith. I sell a ton of high-end saltwater fly rods and I have lots of great customers who really should have access to as many good options as possible so they can make their own decisions.
