The all new Avari is quickly becoming the go-to fly rod for many around the US.
Back towards the end of 2020, Spencer Watson, the owner and operator of Pursue the Pull guide service out of the Apalachicola area of Florida's Gulf coast, was contacted by Walton Rods. The reason was pretty simple. He was asked to fish a trial fly rod so hard it would break. We kind of figured that a great way to test a fly rod would be to chase huge saltwater fish in heavy coastal winds, and Spencer was the man to do it. At the time, he didn't know we were sending him what would later become the Avari, available now, but putting the Avari to the test he did. Now, for the first time, his review is finally in.
The look of the rod was something we put a lot of effort into making sure it was just right. The light blue offers a very classy feel that pops in all the right ways. As Spencer noted, it was the first thing he picked up on right away. We also wanted a rod that was super light and also durable and dependable. Seems like we hit the nail on the head.
"The overall look and feel of this rod can compete with the top rods out there right now. I definitely love the light weight feel and flex of the Avari", Spencer said. "This rod is my daily workhorse - everything from jacks, sharks, bull reds, to juvenile tarpon. This rod is a great all day, everyday fly rod."
One big question we had is that we asked Spencer to really push this rod. We wanted to see what it could handle. Without surprise, he didn't let us down. We've shared a few pictures over the past few months of a few of the giants he himself caught, along with a few of his clients. However, what kind of fish fish did he actually get into?
"I've found there are no limitations with the Avari fly rod. I've caught 40lb black drum to 30lb jacks", Spencer said. "It's a very well rounded, smooth, and also a good looking rod. It's the flex that allows you to feel the load better and play the fish which takes the stress-load off of the angler. The flex is felt all the way into the butt of the rod instead of just in the middle or the tip."
Something we were also excited about with the Avari is that we utilized a little bit bigger of a diameter of cork. A lot of today's modern rods are going to smaller corks to try to shave weight off of the overall rod. However, we felt that a larger grip makes for a more enjoyable overall experience. We were happy to see Spencer picked up on this as well.
"The larger cork keeps hands from cramping on LONG fights, and trust me, they can be over an hour. Nic Palaski can vouch for that. He was using his rod all day and got frustrated. I handed him the Avari and on his first cast, he smashed a hog and it was an hour", Spencer said. "Everyone who has fished the Avari loves it...real talk...it's my daily driver. I need more."
Right now, the Avari is on sale directly through Walton Rods for only $195 and comes with a lifetime warranty. You will begin seeing these rods pop up in fly shops all over the country very soon as well.