I met Per Pedersen of the Danish company called Zpey at the recent Nordic Fly Fair in Elverum. Per graciously donated a fly line for raffle during the RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival later that month. At the Nordic Fly Fair I did some extensive casting with the Zpey Dreamcatcher II rod, especially the 4 and 5 weight. A short message to Per resulted in arrival of two rods for a review: 9ft #3 and 9ft #4.Zpey entered the fly fishing market in the mid 2000 with a series of double handed rods with iconic the bent lower handle and has been popular in the Scandinavian salmon fishing scene. Especially with Henrik Mortensen Zpey had a very strong first step in the competitive market. In the meantime Zpey has established itself as a serious company with a good presence in the salmon fishing scene.
These days Zpey has expanded their product line with a broad range of fly rods as well as fly lines and shooting heads. The Dreamcatcher II is listed as a series of rods for typical large Scandinavian rivers, lakes and sea run browns at/near the Scandinavian coasts in the line weights 3 up to 7. All rods are 9ft long (except the 7 weight which is 9.2ft).The action is typically beefy without being really stiff. The finish looks very similar to the rods made in the same Korean factory by Hardy, Greys, Douglas Outdoors and Loop. Both the 3 and 4 weight rod are finished in a full wells grip and (unusual for light weight rods) an extension butt. Not sure about the heavier rods (6 and 7 weight) but the rods don't look like they are saltwater safe as they both have a nice burl wood spacer.
I was especially curious about the 3 weight rod as opposed to the 4, 5 and 6 weight I cast at the show. Very thoughtfully Per sent the rods together with two reels filled with fly lines. Remarkably both reels were loaded with a fly line one line weight up. Casting both rods with a line weight heavy line feels very smooth and powerful. The action reminds me of the original Sage RPL. The tip isn't particularly soft like the G. Loomis NRX LP, yet it doesn't feel lifeless either. Due to the fast action, casting short around 15-25 feet, even though it still casts remarkably precise, definitely isn't their sweet spot. The best distances seems to be around 40 to 60 ft, while with minimum of false casting reaching to 80ft is quite easy.
Matching the rods with fly lines their own line class turned out to be quite a surprise. Yes, the lines do feel a bit too light up to 20ft, but all together they still cast and feel pretty much similar as with a line weight heavy. With a line weight heavy, the rods load a bit deeper and feels a bit smoother.
Casting a 3 weight line up to 60ft does sound odd. When does one need a delicate presentation like a 3 weight can at such distances (or even further)? The only situation I can think of is shallow lake fishing with long leaders. Fishing at these distances, you certainly need a beefy rod to set the hook. Due to the fast action too light tippet (7x and thinner) is probably not advised. Same goes for the 4 weight rod. This rod is capable of handling quite a broad range of fishing situations, but it's probably at its best when casting long delicate presentations on lakes or large rivers.Now how does Zpey's rods fit in a very crowded global fly rod line up? For Scandinavian fishermen it is probably a logical choice but for others it is not an easy task. Priced at €510 (almost $600), it's a price range with some serious competition. It's not an entry priced rod (around $350) yet about $200 below the high end rods from established brands like Sage, Winston and G. Loomis. Targeting the American market is going to be quite a challenge with competition from rods with a similar action and price like the Douglas Upstream Plus, Sage Pulse and the Winston Nimbus. My advise would be to concentrate on the Scandinavian market with specific Scandinavian fishing conditions and style. Or as the ultimate (delicate) lake fishing rod.
