HELIPLY SERIES
HP 8811/3

This is perhaps the finest tarpon rod on the planet. HP 8811/3 is easier to cast than STS 9011/3 or SES 9011/3 because it balances lighter in the hand and is somewhat less stiff in the mid section. Simply put, many anglers find it easier to access the power in the HP 8811/3 than in other tarpon rods. This rod is surely the most accurate casting 11-weight available, and has the ability to drop a wind resistant 4/0 fly right where you want it, even at distances of 70-90 feet. Once a fish is hooked, the shorter Heliply works as a more efficient lever than 9' rods, and the Heliply reinforced butt section makes these rods almost unbreakable

STS 9011/3 and HP 8811/3: For big tarpon, my favorite rods are mostly 11-weights in these days of spookier tarpon and longer leaders. So I tarpon fish with an STS 9011/3 for most of my tarpon fishing, and an HP 8811/3 for close quarters and tight back country areas (the HP 8811/3 is a great rod if a tarpon rod feels too heavy for you; it feels like a light 10-weight to me). These rods are light enough to fish all day, can deliver a powerful tight loop to turn over a tarpon fly with the necessary heavy shock tippet, and have the backbone to whip a really big tarpon. My son Stephen took his first 100 pound tarpon this year with an STS 9011/3.

Chico Fernandez Miami, FL