New Orvis RECON 2026 Review / Model-by-Model Fly Rod Review for Saltwater - Best Mid-Priced Fly Rods for Trout, Bonefish, Redfish, Permit & More!
The new Orvis RECON is a serious saltwater contender. We've got all the best "mid-priced" fly rods and we know our readers and customers love a good fly rod shootout. Remember: Price is what you pay, value is what you get. Keep in mind one interesting detail: Orvis does not split the Recon into two model names for saltwater vs freshwater like other brands do. They do this very simply with color instead: Saltwater rods are blue and freshwater rods are green. Nearest competitors to this rod series are the TFO Solution (freshwater) and TFO Moment (saltwater), the Scott Wave (saltwater), Scott Session (freshwater), Sage Maverick (saltwater), the Sage Sonic and now the upcoming replacement the Sage Arrow (freshwater). Thomas & Thomas stick with Orvis on using the single model name, the ZONE, for both fresh and saltwater.
The new Orvis RECON is a fantastic rod and I think people will really love it.
This rod looks fantastic. Rod tubes correspond to the rod colors as well. Kind of cool. Components are perfectly fine and equal to other rods in this category. Actually, the reel seats are very similar to the premium Orvis Helios series which cost twice as much, so that's nice to see here.
The last few years have brought a lot of changes in the "mid-priced" category, especially the few that are actually Made in USA like the Orvis Recon, Sage Maverick, Scott Wave, and T&T Zone (that's pretty much it, I guess also the G. Loomis IMX Pro V2S which I almost forgot exists). Serious competition from TFO, while technically not made in the USA, means it absolutely deserves a spot in the conversation. *Douglas has recently released their brand new mid-priced rods as of the time of writing this but I have not had a chance to test them yet. I will update this when I do. For now, as with all my reviews, I will focus on rods I have cast extensively. I also sell these to customers all the time, so I have a lot of feedback over the years. The Sage Maverick has been a top seller since it was released. But it is maybe a bit heavy especially for a beginner, a teen, or someone with a lighter build. The Scott Wave/Session feel lightest in hand and the Orvis Recon is a very nice second place in that aspect, then probably the Maverick and Zone which are stiffer but have a lot of lifting ability.
Which brings me to my most important point when choosing any rod: Casting Well vs Fighting a Fish. Mid-priced rods have to pick one or the other to optimize. High-end rods usually don't have this tradeoff (*some still might prioritize one or the other, depending on how specialized they are). A great example is Orvis optimizing for two different 8wt 9'0" rods, the Helios D and the F. That allows the user to choose where they want to be in terms of Finesse (F) vs Distance (D).
So where does the RECON fall in this scale of Casting vs Fighting a Fish? I'd say it casts very well overall. I have not fought fish with every size Recon of course but I can tell a lot based on how they cast and respond to different lines. I'd say for beginners and intermediate casters, this rod will be one of the easiest to use, which is really important. The better you feel you are casting, the more confidence you will have, and the more fish you will be able to get your fly in front of, to have lots of shots to catch a nice one.
I think that's the big headline here, the ease of use and consistency of the Recon rods. And I used my own personal Helios 8wt and 9wt right after to compare. Honestly, I would be totally fine fishing a Recon all day for half the price (yes, literally half of the top-end Orvis rods which are $1,198 and very nice). So the value proposition, the ease of use, and the general fun of this rod series makes it a pretty obvious winner.
It helps us out when you shop here with us for the Orvis RECON, and we appreciate it. We hope you enjoy our reviews. If you need help or have any questions, feel free to call or email us.
Footnote: Did I mention that Orvis has a ridiculously good, easy warranty for repairs/replacement? They win in that category too, against all the other brands. The fastest replacement times in case you break it. *TFO is basically just as fast, but the other "Made in USA" brands typically can take several months for repairs.
