The Thomas & Thomas Avantt is the lightest fast action rod I used in 2017, yet it also proved to be one of the strongest in terms of fighting power and casting distance. The Avantt proved to be my favorite rod from early 2017, knocking off some great products from Sage, Scott, and G.Loomis. The biggest knock on the Avantt proved to be its price: As with much of the outdoor market, lighter weights and better performance equates to higher prices and the Avantt is one of the most expensive rods out there.
The Thomas & Thomas Avantt represents a new direction for the venerable old brand. With new owners, new management, and new rod designers leading the way, T&T has stepped back to the forefront of fly rod excellence. The Avantt rod blanks utilize proprietary composites and resins in a new sleekly tapered design. The result is a rod that provides fast-action performance, with the tip sensitivity of a slow-action dry fly wand. That makes the Avantt a versatile tool for fishing everything from big, heavy nymphs to tiny dry flies.
Everyone, from the woman with the smallest hands to the guide with the biggest, most calloused mitts, felt the Avantt’s cigar-tapered grip fit perfectly in hand. The cork has enough girth to be held firmly but not so bulky as to cause hand strain for the smaller folks after a long day of casting.
The Avantt’s most weight (2.9 ounces) felt even lighter thanks to the low swing-weight of the design — that is, the rod’s balance means less effort is needed to ‘swing’ the rod through the full casting motion. The result is a rod that can be fished all day without undue fatigue.
Casting Distance and Accuracy and fishing performance
The Avantt’s fast-action design helps deliver big flies and long lines out to where the fish live, but a slower, most flexible tip section gives the rod an extra measure of finesse not often found in fast action sticks. That tip-flex does slightly inhibit casting distance, but not enough to make a difference for the vast majority of casters.
With fish on, the rod proved adept at controlling hard fighters. There’s enough power in the butt and mid-section to ‘lift’ big brown trout from the depths of pools, and enough delicacy in the tip to help control leaping rainbows without snapping the tippet.
Versatility
The Avantt 590-4 and its little brother the 486-4 (8’6” 4-weight version) earned our respect for their unmatched ability to move from one situation to another with light or no change in performance. The rod worked wonderfully when we needed to chuck a couple weighted nymphs under a thingamabobber indicator out into a deep Yakima River pool. And when I spotted fish rising to a caddis hatch in the next pool, I switched to a #18 Elk Hair Caddis and could deliver it gently and accurately into the feeding lane about 40 feet from my position on the shore. The Avantt truly earned the title of “King of the One-Rod Quiver.”
