The same qualities that made the original Contact such an exceptional rod have been refined in the Contact II to create an unparalleled trout catching tool. The Contact II recovers faster and dampens quicker than its predecessor making for a much more accurate and sensitive rod. The updated guide spacing eliminates line sag and aides in fighting and landing fish. All rods come with a down locking reel seat unless requested in addition to a complete array of top-of-the-line componentry.
There is no other rod on earth like this, it is the ultimate fly rod for the technical trout angler.
Here's what T & T has to say:
After nearly three years of design and development, T&T is excited to announce the release of the highly anticipated Contact II series! Contact II rods are a fully redesigned second generation of T&T’s Contact rod series.
Contact II blank construction utilizes five different types of premium quality carbon and fiberglass fibers, bound together by our proprietary aerospace resin system. Aligning these fibers at strategic angles as we roll Contact II blanks improves accuracy, sensitivity, and strength. Components have been carefully selected to maximize performance and comfort. Improved guide spacing moves a “Low Rider” style stripping guide to the butt section of each Contact II, which decreases line sag from the angler’s hand to the first guide.
An absolutely incredible rod !
The sensitivity is amazing and you are in complete contact with your nymphs all the way through the drift.
Handles large fish great and over all is just a fun rod to use.
My Orvis Helios Euro Nymph rod will now be collecting dust as a back up !
In addition to this T&T, I own a 10' Echo Shadow 2 and a 10'6 3 WT Echo Shadow X so this is definitely a step up to those rods. Those are both good rods, especially the Shadow X which I think is as sensitive, if not more, than this T&T. However, the old saying of you get what you pay for rings loudly with this rod as it screams quality - from the tube, to the sock (yes even the sock), to the cork and rod itself. I also have a G Loomis NRX LP (both 9ft 5 WT's). The craftsmanship on this Thomas and Thomas is amazing and I put it ahead of even the G Loomis.
I've fished it twice in the last week since I received it. This rod just feels good from the first cast which is one of the areas it excels in. I'm able to more easily hit spots I'm aiming for and the rod recovers quickly (much quicker for me than the Shadow X) helping me stay in contact with the nymphs much earlier in the drift. My initial feeling, although I need to do a side by side, is that it's not quite as sensitive as the Shadow X. Having said that, it is plenty sensitive and excels in accuracy, recovery, craftsmanship and versatility.
I primarily fished a double nymph rig, but I did fish a dry dropper, and double dries for a couple of hours and it performed extremely well. This was one area that I was really interested in as my preference is to carry just one rod that I can primarily nymph with but throw some dries when the situation arises. It's not the G Loomis 9ft 5 wt but it did what I wanted and better than I expected.
I probably didn't need another rod (ask my wife and she'd say that without hesitation) but T&T's motto is "the rod you will eventually own" and I'm damn glad I made the purchase.
