Epic Reference Series 590G

At first, the location of ultra-premium rodmaker, Epic Fly Rods, in the Central Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island might seem an unlikely site to handcraft and ship high performance, technical fly fishing tackle to all corners of the world.

But the tiny lakeside hamlet of Wānaka provides a spectacular testing environment to trial new graphite material like that used in the Epic 590G – its ‘pre-preg’ carbon fibers infused with a magical dusting of strength-giving graphene powder.

Rod designer, and long time IFFF Certified Master Fly Casting Instructor, Carl McNeil has been working with international graphite rod experts and textile engineers to bring onto the market innovative new fly rod builds with leading edge attributes, such as incredibly light swing weights.

The Epic Reference series of rods is the mainstay of the Epic graphite range of fresh and saltwater fly rods, standing alongside a legendary stable of Fast Glass® fiberglass rods.

The rod being reviewed in this post is the Epic Reference 590G (G for graphene) and is their latest iteration of carbon fiber rods available direct-to-consumer through their website.

For its maiden casts, I took the new 590G down to a local spring creek – a river I first fished as a 13 year old. I’ve enjoyed mixed success here over the decades. A labyrinth of tightly woven willows between pools guarded by high riverside reeds, it presents a formidable challenge to anglers.

Setting up the rod, I cast a satisfied eye down the subtle alignment dots and screwed up the reel seat on a dull silver Epic Backcountry #5/6 reel. Spooled with Epic’s Glassline 5wt Double Taper fly line, as per the manufacturer’s recommendations, I proceeded to creep my way upstream. The triangular custom Alps reel seat crafted for Epic means the reel is quickly and accurately in position, everytime. The Half wells cork grips feels smooth and unblemished in my hand.

The rod blank proudly wears the ringed scars of the factory applied cellophane wrap, softened by light sanding and sans paint to minimise weight. This ‘matt op tape’ finish seems tough. Talking of strength, this is a good time to mention the graphene powder infused with the resin to reduce resin requirement and lighten the rod weight further. The graphene molecules also add strength although I won’t try to test that willingly.

It’s a beautiful looking fly rod, with slender ferrules featuring male joints with enough sanding for a snug fit. The best thing about these accurately crafted ferrules is that if you break a section, Epic will simply send you out a new piece and it will fit! They call this Sure-Fit and it’s a very good reason to select their rods over one that might need to be returned to a foreign country for repair.

The 590G features a premium quality Fuji Tangle Free titanium stripping guide and corrosion proof Ion-plated snake guides according to their website.

Epic builds true-to-weight rods so I expect it to cast more lightly than other 5 wt offerings I’ve fished recently. Flicking the small nymph out towards the first trout I spot, its body weaving slowly near the edge of the far bank beneath long grass-like blades of tussock dipping in and out of the current, I’m astounded at the responsive accuracy of the casual roll cast. The fly goes precisely where I ask it to. It’s like some version of mind control for anglers. The line weight of the double taper fly line feels slick and perfect.

I spook the fish on the first cast, the barely noticeable plonk of the tiny #16 fly onto the water sending the fish downstream past me, a regular occurrence on this heavily fished stream in late summer. I smile wryly. Not because the fish beat me, but remembering that telekinesis this rod seems to provide.

The Sweet Spot

This fly rod is a magic wand for up-close spring creek work, especially with Epic's GlassLine 5wt Double Taper fly line. The rod loads up easily for close in, technical casting situation and has sufficient power out to the 40-45 feet it would typically be used in, with no problem throwing line to 60' and beyond. This balance between distance and delicacy really is the rod’s sweet spot. I’ve since fished it on large, strong fighting fish in New Zealand’s backcountry with absolutely no regrets.

In short, I really love this rod. It feels like a true five weight in a field of rather ordinary 5 ½wt to 6wt rods masquerading as five’s. It is highly responsive, ridiculously accurate out to 60+ feet (as far as you should need to cast a 5 weight) and feels great in the hand. After kissing a few frogs, I suspect it could be a long time before I go looking for another five weight rod for my small stream and midsummer fly fishing needs.