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.
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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