Diamondback Ideal Nymph ESN Fly Rod Blanks

Diamondback's Ideal Nymph series is the brainchild of Joe Goodspeed , the designer behind the renowned T&T Contact and Contact II fly rod series. Joe has used Euro-style/tight-line nymphing and streamer fishing methods for many years and brings this experience to the development of nymph rods.

The Ideal Nymph blanks are designed to combine fast recovery with extreme sensitivity. The rods still have enough flex to allow delicate mono rigs to be cast effortlessly and, above all, precisely. In addition, a crisp backbone in the lower section allows for precise and instant hook setting and to keep even larger fish out of the structure. The blank taper of each rod class was tailored to the intended application.

Scope of delivery:

1x blank

1x adhesive decal

Specifications:

Color: Matt black fine structure

Alignment Dots

Here's what Diamondback has to say:

"The Ideal Nymph series is a line of tactical nymphing rods, carefully designed in every way to be the most effective and enjoyable nymphing tools. The rods feature a non-glare matte finish, downward-locking, matte titanium fittings with high-quality, high-density cork handles, curly koa wood spacers, and compact fighting ends. Rod accents include dark amber primary wraps and metallic titanium accent wraps. The selection and placement of guides on nymphing rods is critical to performance, and Ideal Nymph rods feature the right components. Below the rod tip are three snake guides that help prevent leader winding problems with long leaders. Two lightweight single-foot stripper guides provide a smoother surface in the most critical contact areas during intense rod flex when fighting a fish. Dark single-foot guides cover the area between the snake guides and the Stripper guides. Guide placement is optimized with a stripper guide at the butt end to minimize potential line slack. Ideal Nymph blanks are designed to maximize recovery speed and feel while remaining flexible enough to be loaded with mono rigs and light nymphs. All Ideal Nymph rods have a solid backbone that facilitates quick hook setting and good fish hold, while also featuring a smooth power transition that allows anglers to apply firm pressure to fish without fear of light tips breaking.

Below is a brief overview of my experiences with each model.

10' 10" 3wt: This rod is very stiff/powerful overall. I consider it a big trout/big river rod. Because of its length, it offers very good reach and allows you to stay farther from the fish. I like this rod a lot for floating sighter methods where tuck casting is the priority. It's good for fishing heavier nymphs and streamers, but it doesn't load as easily with light nymphs. The swing weight feels like most 11' 3-wt, so I recommend pairing it with a 5.5-6.5 ounce reel for balance in the cork. When I fished it with a lighter reel, I found it harder to make quick casts and hook sets, and to hold the rod with my arm extended for extended periods. The heavier reel is much more comfortable to fish.

10' 10" 2 wt : This rod is well suited to fishing with micro leaders in wider rivers where range is important but sufficient casting with light nymphs is still required. It has plenty of power to fight big fish. So far, I have caught a carp of around 7-8 pounds and a rainbow that I glued to this rod at 25 inches. The cushion in the tip allowed me to handle both on a 6x tippet without much trouble. It is a good all-round nymphing rod, provided aggressive casting is not required. The soft tip recovers more slowly than the 3 wt and the shorter 2 wt. I find that I have to wait longer for the rod to unload on my backcast to maintain accuracy. This characteristic means that this rod also performs best in calmer conditions, as it is difficult to make precise casts upwind or to Cast with authority. Due to its length, it offers better performance when paired with a reel in the 5.5-6 ounce range, but has slightly less swing weight than the 10' 10" 3-wt.

10' 2 wt: For smaller rivers, this is a great choice as an all-around nymph rod. It has more power than most other 2 wt Euro nymph rods I've fished and a fast recovery, making it possible to land big fish and cast accurately into tight areas. I've enjoyed using this rod in the smaller waters I frequent for float-sighter methods and dry/dropper fishing on a Euro nymph leader. It casts well and is very light in the hand. Due to the shorter blank and light overall weight, a reel between 4.2 and 5 ounces is sufficient for balance.

10' 1 wt : This rod is a lot of fun in small waters. I compared it to a few 10' 1 wt rods from other friends and it has a lot more power in the bottom end of the rod, but still plenty of padding in the top half of the rod. It protects light tips very well and makes smaller fish a lot of fun on the line. It loads very well with lighter nymphs and drives them along without much effort. Compared to the stiffer and longer models, it lacks hook security, so it's not a good choice if you fish a lot of larger, heavier wire nymphs and streamers. Similar to the 10' 2-wt, it doesn't need a lot of weight to balance it, and a reel over 4 ounces will probably do the job.

A review of the Ideal nymph rods can be found on YouTube at this link.