North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine October 2017 | Page 34

GEAR LOOP Q ROD REVIEW A NEW FLY ROD SERIES WITH INCREDIBLE FEEL BY FRED TELLEEN The Loop Q Fly Rod is an incredible piece of fly- casting technology at a price point you won’t believe...but that’s not the point of this review. This review is about taking the rod out in the field...from Montana to Mexico, and seeing how it plays against a wide variety of fishy species while competing against the weather in all places. Here’s what we found: JANUARY 1 - THE LOOP Q DEBUT WOLF CREEK, MONTANA I made my first cast of the year with a Loop Q 4 wt and I caught my first trout of the year on a Loop Q 4 wt. Review? So far, so good. It was smooth and perfect for midging with 5X tippet. Then I tried the 6 wt. A bit faster, the 6 was perfect in the nasty Montana wind. Caught fish on it too. I liked them both. “How much are these rods selling for?” was a question that floated around in the back of my mind after this initial test. FEBRUARY 16 - THE LOOP Q GOES INNER-CITY CARPING Calvin Fuller and I went down to the Missouri River on a windy winter afternoon to cast the 8 wt. Q. Calvin kept pulling more and more line off the spool and sending casts far into the river despite the wicked winter wind. 34 He looked at me and said, “How much are we selling this rod for?” Then he hooked a carp and things got really interesting. MARCH 7 - THE LOOP Q TACKLES TARPON IN MEXICO A tarpon rolled at 90’. I looked at my guide. He shrugged his shoulders. I pulled off some more line and let it fly. The fly landed right where the fish had rolled. While the tarpon did not eat or was no longer there, my thought was this: “This Loop Q rod is really good. How can it be priced so low? I’d fish this stick any day.” For the next two hours, I took every shot I could as far away as I could. It was simply fun to launch line. Eventually, I got a tarpon to eat. He was at 40’. That’s how it usually goes, but at least I got to feel him on the Q. No problem there either. I put the rod to him hard and the Q was up to the task. WHAT THE PROS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE LOOP Q FLY ROD I messaged Loop Pro, Eoin Fairgrieve, in Kelso, Scottish Borders to get his take on the Q. He