I’m liking this font! This is the HT4, which is off to Germany.
If you thought of a 4WT as a spineless noodle then think again! A remarkable rod – can throw a team of three 90 feet across a reservoir to reach a windlane and fish with unsurpassed (?) sensitivity 🙂 Can throw a weighted streamer down and across for BIG Kola Trout. Can topple over 5KG Giant Gourami. And finally, does exactly what it was designed for: will fish 7X or .10mm tippet and tiny flies with both skill and precision.
Why fish a 5 when you can fish a 4?
Any questions please feel free to drop me an email on paul@sexyloops.com
This is, almost certainly, the first wooden insert on an HT. Actually there are prototypes with wooden inserts, but I don’t count those! I’ve always liked the aluminium inserts that we have specially cut and anodised for us, however this the wooden insert on Nick’s new Instructor rod looks awesome!!
Tremendous build quality from our master rod builder Lee Martell – and I love the removable fighting butt. You too can have a rod like this. We love custom builds! Email me on paul@sexyloops.com to discuss your dream rod.
Last week we had a shipment of HT blanks arrive and we are building rods fast! The HT7 Pro and HT7 Instructor blanks are in stock and ready to assemble. True, we have various rods stuck with couriers but at our end at least, things are smooth and we are building.
This is Troy’a second HT. The first is expected to arrive with him tomorrow! Yay!
This one is off to a super nice chap in Phoenix. In fact it’s one of two, the other being an Instructor 6. Troy has really got the casting bug and is working seriously on his casting. Training with the Sexyloops Challenge and we are also working through the FFI CCI theory together.
I think one of the very best things about working in this industry (I have no idea why they call it an “industry” but they do!), is that you get to meet some really nice people who ultimately become great friends. In fact I’m not sure if that’s the industry or maybe it’s just Sexyloops. Certainly over the past 22 years that Sexyloops has been around, I have made very many great friends through this platform.
Andy is writing a series of FPs about why we fish. He hasn’t covered it yet, but it’s an in-depth series and so I’m sure it’s coming! For me, one the most overwhelmingly positive things that fly fishing has brought me has been a wealth of friends – many of whom it could be said are completely mad! (And by mad I mean in a good way!)
Charles Darwin famously wrote, “A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.” And by this measure I feel extremely rich indeed. Sexyloops really is a wonderful network of friends – I believe this more than anything is what it’s all about… life too in fact.
The HT7 is available, but we are also catching up with numerous orders, so it’s not listed in the shop as of yet – however if you email me on paul@sexyloops.com we can certainly organise one for you. With Torzites they are 1045USD, with Recoil rings they are 945USD. I would thoroughly recommend the Torzites – on this rod they are superb and are the hardest, slickest rings available.
Here is the first HT Instructor 7, a custom finish for a CCI in the USA. I’m very excited to see this one finished – the first of many more to come I’m sure!
As you can see we have fitted Torzite Titaniums to this rod, in fact our first three HT7s all have these rings fitted. There is nothing in my mind that even comes close.
This rod was specifically designed with the FFI Masters exam in mind, it is a rocket launcher for the distance casts, but has great feel up close for accuracy casting as well. It’s fast become my favourite with the SA MED7.
We sent the Pro version to Bart’s father last week. Bart immediately messaged me to say “Just cast my dad’s #7. What an awesome rod! Well done again :)” And he had to order one for himself, because he “felt a little depression coming up. My dad having such a nice rod and me not :p” 😀 😀
So I think we’ve hit the nail right on the head with this one! Which makes me very happy!
They are not currently displayed in the shop, but will be soon, just as soon as we’ve caught up with our small “waiting list”. Drop me an email on paul@sexyloops.com to find out more or to get yourself down on this list before we launch properly.
Incidentally, for anyone training to be a certified instructor or MCI of any association, I regularly go through instructor theory for HT owners. We do this via email over 2-3 months. If you are an HT owner and would like me to run through the theory with you, then simply drop me a message.
Beautiful workmanship again from our master rod builder, Lee Martell 🙂
In the past four years this is the rod that I’ve spent most of my time fishing and casting. But let’s talk about it not as a 10WT fishing rod, for Saltwater and the jungle, but as a 5WT competition distance rod. It would certainly be one of the most used rods in the World Championships 5WT Trout Distance event. Bart de Zwaan is throwing some huge casts with it, breaking my BFCC record with it… twice. I suppose that if you are going to have your record broken then it’s best that it’s a friend using one of your rods 😀
It’s been an interesting shift from how we started 5WT distance, which as most of you will know, goes back to around 2004 – for me anyway – being inspired by “The Best of the West” casting competition in the USA. Back then “the rod to have” was the Sage TCR905. And what a controversial rod this turned out to be; even I found it too stiff for fishing a 5WT line, preferring to line it with a 6WT line for fishing!
When the World Championship events were created, almost exactly 12 years ago, the rod class was left open – because what is a 5WT rod anyway? – but the line was restricted to a Mastery Expert Distance 5WT in the competition length of 120ft.
I’ve attended every competition; for the first three competitions I used the HT6. In fact for the first competition in Norway I actually took along a couple of the first HT6 prototypes! I reached the finals in two of those competitions but in the first finals Stefan and I made my line so slick that I couldn’t keep hold of it while hauling and in the other the wind did some really strange things to everyone. Something else happened however, and I felt that I was convincingly beaten by Tor the Giant, the Norwegian Javelin thrower. Bart was in that final too, as I’m sure he will remember well!
A bit of research later, led me to the conclusion that I should be trying stiffer rods for this competition. At the Sexyloops Scottish Meet, what was then the British Fly Casting Team had a “shootout” with International rules, using the HT6, an 8WT and two 10WTs. Or it might have been two 8WTs and one 10WT – I can’t be expected to remember everything! What I do remember however, is that everyone involved threw the 8 further than the 6 and the 10 further than the 8. My personal result was throwing the 5MED two metres further on the 10WT compared to the HT6. Yes it’s probably something I should have tried earlier! 😀
When the HT10 blank arrived – the current production one, not the prototype I took fishing on both coasts of Australia, nor the one I chased Snakehead with out of a kayak in Malaysia – the first thing we did was to fit it with Torzite Titanium rings, as an experiment, and after two weeks of practise I took it to Estonia, where I actually managed to get a Bronze Medal in the Trout Distance.
It’s funny how all these years later, that I now find rods that I once found stiff for the 5WT distance, such as the TCR5, to be soft noodles without backbone. My stroke has changed too, I use pull-back to set the loops on the backcast, my arc is slightly narrower… but that fly casting feeling like no other, namely carrying and false casting a MED5 to 90’… that remarkable feeling… I find even better with this rod, particularly watching the chiselled shapes into which the loops morph.
You don’t need to spend $1000 to get that feeling, and you can get a similar experience lining up a MED5 on any 9 or 10WT rod. I think where our rod particularly excels, is that we have more feeling in the lower sections (certainly compared to most Saltwater 10WTs out there which can be pretty lifeless), we have incredible tip recovery which you can see in the bottom/fly leg of the loop and of course we use these remarkable Titanium Torzite rings. After all it is a Hot Torpedo!
Here is some loop morphing…
On the other hand, and I’m sure it’s one reason why this is one of our top selling rods: this is the rod I use in the World Championships. So if you buy this rod and line it with a MED5 then you will not go far wrong. It will take practise – lots of practise – to get the very best out of it. But it does come with a Video User Manual! https://www.sexyloops.com/flycast/competition-distance-cast/ and I’m always on hand to answer any questions you may have or even analyse video of you casting. I actually do this regularly.
Always exciting to have a new rod come out and see Serial Number 1 delivered! Serial no1 is owned by Bart’s father, Ruud and has Torzite Titanium rings. In fact our first three HT7 orders are all being fitted with these rings. I’m a huge fan of them and if Fuji ever make them in lighter weights I would gladly fit them to our 3 and 4WT models.
This is a very interesting rod for me. It was specifically designed with the FFI MCI test in mind. I’ve been asked multiple times for such a rod. And it was tested on Snakehead. Normally I use a 10WT outfit for Snakehead and occasionally an 8WT. But I thought it would be a good test for the seven weight and I’ve been throwing it at Snakehead for about 7 months.
As with all of our rods, it is designed using AFFTA conforming fly lines. In my opinion it is a “true” seven weight. A lot of flylines nowadays are in the middle of line weights.
Generally speaking with lines that are half-way between the AFFTA number I recommend using the lighter one. For example on the HT6 if the line is 1/2 heavy I would use the 5.5WT. Same with the HT10, preferring 9.5WT as opposed to 10.5WT. Ditto the HT4, ie 3.5WT instead of 4.5WT. The HT8 is different and with that rod I would choose to use the 8.5WT.
Now you may not think that there is a great deal of difference with regards one line number, after all it wasn’t so very long ago that rods had a range of recommended line numbers. And it is true that a good caster can make anything work, I’m merely talking about what I think is optimal.
If in doubt stick to the AFFTA table, using the true line weight of the line and not the number that is printed on the manufacturer’s box. Many flyline manufacturers are intentionally making fly lines heavier than the AFFTA table. We don’t design rods around overweight lines, we use lines that are AFFTA conforming.
The HT7 rods are not currently listed in the shop because I’m fulfilling existing orders. What I don’t like is a long waiting list – that just creates unnecessary work! However you can email me on paul@sexyloops.com for more information or to order one of the early rod numbers. They are $945 with Recoil rings and $1045 with Torzites.
Ciao ciao people, yes it is me again HT10, the sexiest fly rod in the World. I appreciate you liked my bunch of complaints and my whingy story, but this time is different. This time is about quality and awesomest (with a twist😜)
You must know that Michael grew up big time. Now he does less, but the results are more. QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY is a motto of 2020 in Mike’s fly rod harem that I am a proud member of.
There is a place and time for everybody now, not like before, every casting session with 3-5 different rods, each dressed differently shouting “pick me, pick me”. It looked like a Mardi Gras parade on the grass. He played 5-10min with each, then never get satisfied, and then kick us back in the corner – bad, bad Mike, but not any more… the play time is more structured now, and everybody gets their time, less time, but huge improvement on a final satisfaction. …on a side story, Mike still has an issue with the Norwegian guy, as it is very stubborn rod and doesn’t give Mike what he wants – but this is not my problem 😌
For instance my older brother HT COMP5 had an awesome carp fishing trip, you can see him in action here…
…fair enough, I’m happy for him.
…Hey between me and you, I heard that Mike wants to replace my brother with some younger, fresher, lighter (3wt) rod. It even has a bad message to my brother on its butt. It says TFO, I am not sure, but I think it stands for TOO FUCKING OLD – wait till HT COMP 5 finds out – its going to be a “girls fight” yuppi. ….ok shush bitches-back to me, I am the queen of the story.
You remember I told you about all the cracks on my body from Mike treating me badly? Well it healed a bit and I am cool now, Mike is a very careful now (I think I know why – WC in Sweden are around the corner), no seriously he is so nice to me now that I wanted to show him some appreciation, so in some nice conditions I helped him to throw 5wt line almost 45m – you should see him then, dancing, jumping, celebrating, I said to him “I told you, be nice to me- I’ll be nice to you), but for this guy its never enough. He is worry that I will break under pressure and make him look like a fool in Sweden.
– ” Are you ready for a big, final test?” he said – “O for fuck sake, what now?- I replied – “We are going to mate you with a Tuna, and see how your butt can handle it!” – he yelled exitedly Oh well – I thought – did many weird things during my existence, so I can as well give up my butt to Tuna.
….few days after…
Holy shit guys, what an action, I had no idea my butt and rest of my body are capable to handle this stuff. Mike kept me in different angles and I felt pleasure of Tuna in every position. Forget the cracks, I can do this and I want more. See for yourself!
YUPPI YUPPI it is….😂😂😂
I’m starting to wonder about Mike! 😂 I shall close this HTOC competition on April 1st and then we shall pick a winner. If you are an HT owner then be sure to send us a story in time. There is a custom HT rod up for grabs!
Incidentally, in the unlikely event that an HT10/Comp5 V2 explodes in the World Championships in Sweden this year, we will have a spare rod ready for any HT owner/competitor to use. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s certainly not an impossibility! See you there! Cheers, Paul
I’m not sure that “Old Skool” really fits the description, but it sure is still a great 5WT! This is a build that went out last week with a Full Wells handle.
Originally, when we initially brought out the HT6, we made a competition 5 version using the same blank. The 5WT distance competition involves carrying around 90′ of 5WT Mastery Expert Distance line and then trying to knock 7 bells out of it. It’s great fun! And of course a stiffer rod helps for this.
This particular configuration HT6 blank and MED5 saw me into two 5WT distance finals in the World Championships in Norway. But then something changed and we figured out that even stiffer rods threw the line further (despite, perhaps, being less fun to cast – and much less fun to fish!). Consequently, nowadays, as you’ll probably know, the HT10 blank is our Competition 5 (V2).
Be that as it may, I still use the HT6 (or Comp5 V1) with the MED5 in the accuracy contest. I personally enjoy casting this combination, although for fishing I line the rod with a (true-to-AFFTA) 6WT line.
This “Freestyle” casting video above – which is an advanced bat-fishing technique – was cast using the HT6 blank with MED5 and Thunderbolt5 fly lines. ie underlined by 1 AFTTA rating. You will need an HT rod and a beard to be able to do this.
Read our customer reviews here. Or visit our shop here. For special orders, information about our instructor program, more information, or indeed just general fly fishing chit-chat, feel free to write to me on paul@sexyloops.com
