A Quick Review of the G Loomis NRX+
So yesterday in a chain of extremely fortunate circumstances Derill, Nopes, and I met up with Austin Bacon, our G Loomis rep, to cast the new NRX+ saltwater rods. I say fortunately because none of us really planned on being there until about 12 hours prior. It was one of those "yeah, everything has gone to hell in a hand basket" type scenarios for 4 separate grown ass man during the same window. So, we had a small party complete with doughnuts... thanks Derill... it was 10:57am on a Thursday... not really sure Treaty Oak bloody Marys were appropriate...maybe they were... maybe we missed an opportunity there....
First impressions on the new G Loomis NRX+ are as follows: Holy batshit batman! If you've owned or cast the OG NRX 4 piece rods, you'll know they are some of the best fish fighting tools on the market. They'll beat a big fishes ass in a heart beat, and you can abuse the rod while doing so. However, the original NRX rods were not the most buttery to cast. They were far from clunky, but they lacked a personality that a rod of that price point should have in my opinion. THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH THE NRX+! The new NRX+ does not feel like it should have the NRX label on it. It is a completely different feeling fly rod from the butt to tip. I can bore the hell out of you with all the new specs and techy bullshit, but I'm not. If you want that info, its on the product page. What I will tell you is that this stick has a beaming personality. It is a joy to cast. It’s lighter, faster, crisper, and overall nicer in the hand than the #OG NRX. It feels refined like a Scott, but constructed by Boeing. No doubt there’s the G Loomis power in the first two sections, but the top two feel like the main ingredient in a Paula Dean recipe (that would be butter for y'all that don't know). The atheistic's got an adult upgrade too. This rod looks like your 401K is killing it and you've got reservations for 2 at The Capital Grille. The NRX+ will recover almost instantly on a miss timed haul, and will offer a forgiveness to a novice angler that the old NRX would not. Aka, you don't have be a pro to own this rod, all skill levels will benefit from better technology. One cool new feature Austin was explaining was the new resin technology Loomis is using with this NRX+. They call it "Self Propagating Resin" and what is does is incredible and worth noting. So this stuff basically keeps stress fractures in the rods from spreading and ultimately adds incredible durability. Think of a crack on a windshield. It starts as a tiny little crack on Monday, and by Friday the thing has spread the entire span of the front of your truck. This self propagating resin basically stops the spread of this windshield crack in your new NRX+. In other words (cue the history channel meme guy)..... SCIENCE!
We did cast these NRX+ in 7 through 11 weight, and I think the general consensus was they are all more than impressive. There's not a dead spot in the line up that many rods line are known for. With that said, the 7 and the 11 were the stand out honeys of the bunch. We cast the 7wt NRX+ with the new cortland redfish taper line, and Nautilus XL max reel. This combo weights nothing in your hand and that rod/line combo is a match made in Flip Pallots version of heaven. So light and springy, incredible! The 11wt will soon be the new gold standard tarpon rod. It’s a stick that could cast 20' with touch and not "squish" while blasting 80' of 11wt cortland all purpose taper line to a potential roller.
If you're a loyal G Loomis brand follower you're going to be pleasantly surprised with the new NRX+. If you're on the fence about a new saltwater fly rod, you should swing into the shop and cast one of these things. If you're unable to swing into the shop, we'll do our best to answer your questions over the phone and give you confidence buying a fly rod remotely. We'll always take it back if you don't love it. But with these new sticks, I don't think we'll be mailing you a return label... The loop doesn't lie.
*The G Loomis NRX+ will begin shipping in late November. You can preorder here. Orders will be shipped on a first come first served bases. We'd love to serve you!
-Nick Davis
