Review: Epic 476 by George Minculete

Recently my friend George Minculete sent me a newly built Epic 476 for a review. This rod is finished on the new generation Epic blanks, now called Fast Glass II.

In 2018 mother company Swift changed their supplier of their blanks from CTS (New Zealand) to JS Company (where also rods for Hardy, Loop, Douglas, etc. are made) in South Korea. The main difference now being four piece instead of three piece for easier traveling. The blanks now also has a lightly sanded finish rather than fully sanded smooth finish of the CTS made blanks. Besides blanks Swift also offers rods finished in their own workshop.

As usual Epic offers their S-glass fiberglass blanks in several colours, but this amber colour blank certainly has that 'vintage fiberglass' look which I really like. George has been building rods professionally for more than 15 years and that shows. The finish is simply among the best there is. The very best components are used (Struble hardware, Snake brand guides) and the epoxy work on the guide wraps is outstanding.

The comfortable snub nose grip looks very similar to my 580 Epic George built in 2016 when he did a five rod limited edition series for Swift. The 12 cork ring (6 inch) sized grip matches the length and line weight of the rod perfectly. The whole package comes in a handsome faux leather rod tube. The rod weighs 3.4 oz yet feels much lighter in hand as well as when casting.

The fiberglass series designed by the founder Carl McNeil are known for their smooth and easy casting progressive action. The 476 is no exception. For real fiberglass geeks these Epics are probably on the (too) fast side of medium-fast. Anyone used to fast graphite rods should have no problem with this rod.

The first thing that comes to mind when casting this rod is crisp. I tried several fly lines: Orvis Hydros WF4, SA Mastery MPX WF4, a H&H WF4 and an older Orvis HLS long belly WF4. With a four weight line the rod feels very lively, casting anything from around 20 ft all the way to 50 ft with great ease. This should be an amazing rod for streams and smaller rivers.

After a while I tried the rod with a five weight line and the rod became a magic wand. Less snappy than with a four weight line but the rod seems to love the deeper loading smooth rhythm that comes with a line that has slightly more mass. Even very short distances I had full control of the loop. Is the line rating on this rod a flaw? I don't think so. Rods made of fiberglass are known to have a wider range of line weight 'adaptability'. I prefer to say that this rod is very versatile.

I have no doubt that this rod will perform well in many situations. Depending on the conditions (with windy conditions you want the rod to feel more snappy), size of fly (with wind resistant or weighted flies you want more line mass) or even ones mood you can fish it with a true-to-weight four, heavy four (like the SA MPX or Rio Gold) or a five weight line. A rod like this might even save you money.

For more (amazing) pictures of this rod, check them out at George's website. Thanks George for letting me review the rod. I'm sure the new owner will love this rod!

Keep posted for a Q&A with George soon.