A product of strong collaboration, the Blackout rods are high-concept, extremely specialized fishing tools—each conceptualized in a partnership between our storied guides and gear designers. New models include a scenario-specific 9'5" 5-weight, an 8'5" 8-weight boat rod, and an 11' 3-weight Euro-nymphing rod. USA.

Model Breakdown:

H3D Blackout 9'5" 5wt: The long range nymphing weapon with the accuracy for pinpoint dry fly presentations. It began as a supremely accurate 9'5" 5-wt. boat rod, with superb long-range mending abilities on both reach casts and on-the-water drift manipulations straight to the indicator. 

Field-testing proved it’s also a 5-wt. that impresses when it’s time to hop a gunnel and fish backchannel sippers on foot. That extra 5" is the secret sauce, providing added lift on your back cast without feeling overwhelming, with the comparable length advantages of a 10-footer in a rod that feels more like a 9. Simply put, it’s a nymphing weapon and your dream dry fly or hopper/dropper combo all in one. Made in Vermont.

H3D Blackout 8'5" 8wt: The line-speed titan designed for unreal, quick-turn, one-shot accuracy. Big fish are ghosts. They vanish and quickly reappear where you least expected.

This rod thinks quicker—obsessively designed to overcome instantaneous directional changes that would normally require three, four, and five false casts to correct. That’s the philosophy behind this 8'5" surgical 8-wt. The result is a high-concept boat rod designed specifically for the quick-turn, one-shot accuracy required to stay ahead of fast-moving bonefish, reds, permit, or even pike. While this rod has the power of an 8-wt., it feels more like a 7-wt., with a slightly shorter length perfect for fine-tuning your loops and driving flies under heavy cover. It’s a line-speed titan in salt or fresh. Made in Vermont. 

H3D Blackout 11' 3wt: The supremely accurate Euro-nymphing machine with a welcomed extra 6" of drift control. It's what happens when you unleash American ingenuity on constantly evolving Euro-nymphing techniques. 

This, our four-piece, 11' 3-wt. Euro-nymphing rod, is the latest development. A supremely accurate 11' rod with the swing weight of a 10-footer, it’s got the unreal sensitivity to telegraph the exact number of times your nymphs kiss gravel. Translation: Significantly fewer missed strikes and more fish to hand. Note the 11' length—that extra 6" is crucial for intuitive drift control in extremely complex current seams with a softer tip to protect even the finest tippets.