How to Choose the right fly line

Choose the right fly line for your fly rod by using this helpful guide https://www.epicflyrods.com/blogs/news/how-to-choose-the-right-fly-line-for-your-fly-rod

Which fly reel is right for this fly rod?

Choose the right fly reel for your fly rod by using this helpful guide https://www.epicflyrods.com/blogs/news/how-to-choose-the-right-fly-line-for-your-fly-rod

How do I choose the right fly rod?

Use this since fly rod guide here https://www.epicflyrods.com/en-nz/pages/the-epic-fly-rod-selector

What are the correct fly line ratings?

Information on correct AFFTA fly line ratings. Weights in Grains and Grams https://swiftflyfishing.com/blogs/news/floating-fly-lines-vs-sinking-fly-lines-the-affta-system-for-rating-fly-line-weights

Home / 686 FastGlass Fly Rod Blank

686 FastGlass Fly Rod Blank

$299.99

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Arctic Olive Amber Electric Blue Arctic + Glass Tube & Sock Olive + Glass Tube & Sock Amber + Glass Tube & Sock Electric Blue + Glass Tube & Sock

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★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Over 3500 5-Star reviews awarded by discerning fly anglers worldwide.

686 FastGlass Fly Rod Blank

$299.99

Colour Options

Arctic Olive Amber Electric Blue Arctic + Glass Tube & Sock Olive + Glass Tube & Sock Amber + Glass Tube & Sock Electric Blue + Glass Tube & Sock

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DESCRIPTION

The Epic 686. The ultimate 6wt fiberglass fly rod Blank. Often imitated, never beaten.

The Epic 686 is the most popular 6 weight glass blank on the market. Hang on, you're in for a wild ride.

The Epic 686 has gained cult status over the past few years and we've seen many imitators try to replicate the magic of this fly rod. There is only one - and this is it!

Regarded by industry pro's and glass aficionados world wide as the best glass 6wt made, the Epic 686 presents beautifully but packs a bad ass attitude. Perfect for tossing big flies, swinging streamers and light saltwater work. The 686 is as strong as an ox, super smooth and extremely versatile.

FastGlass II™
The Epic™ 686 is produced from industry leading Zentron 8 micron Unidirectional S-2 Glass. This next generation fiber is specifically engineered for fly rod production and features 8 micron fibers developed and produced in the USA. These fibres are almost half the diameter of other unidirectional materials, resulting in a tighter, more precise and stronger material.

SnakeBelly™
Not sanded and not unsanded. Our SnakeBelly™ finish is produced by a unique radial production process. SnakeBelly™ delivers the toughest exterior finish possible. After production, blanks are first painted and then clear coated. This two step process produces blanks that are incredibly scratch resistant and very durable.

Sure Fit Ferule™
Break a tip? we've got you covered This ferule system is so precise that parts interchange between models. Gone are the days of having to return a broken section to the manufacturer or outlet where you purchased from. Breakages can be addressed by simply sending out the replacement part.

Recommended line weight: AFTMA #6

Length: 8'6"
Pieces: 4

WHY EPIC?

Epic Beginnings….

Epic was born out of two frustrations I experienced in fly fishing:

My students were coming to fly casting classes with new fly rods so stiff and so lifeless they were extremely difficult to cast - even for me! _ Probably great rods if you wanted to bust out a 100 foot cast on a football field, but a total impairment when used as practical fly fishing tools.
The second big driver was my own fishing experience. Like all fly anglers, I wanted to be a better fly fisherman, become a better caster and ultimately catch more fish. And like all anglers, I’d grown through experimentation and improvement on just about every aspect of the sport. Rods, lines, leaders, my casting - and thousands of flies.

Eventually I started fish lighter fly rods and lighter lines in order to make better presentations. You know, to get more feeling, better casts and better response.

While the lighter rods had better feeling for sure, I was regularly breaking tips by point loading when netting big trout - Yep, we have some fairly big trout here in New Zealand!

And so began the journey. A journey to "build a better fly rod” - that phrase still sits on the whiteboard above my desk to this day.

Many materials were tested and many tapers developed in the quest to leave behind the stiff lifeless rods I was so used to using. My first fly rod that went into production, the Epic 580, went through 15 iterations before we settled on a taper that could truly be called Epic - and that's how the brand began.

Our tapers are powerful, but not stiff. Incredibly tough, but impart wonderfull responsiveness and feedback. And test, they can still bust out those long casts

I know that you’ll feel and appreciate the Epic difference. You’ll be making better casts, making tighter loops, better presentations, and ultimately catching more fish. And if you don’t, we’ll happily take back the fly rod you are looking at.

Effortless Fly Casting - Smooth Like Butter, Sweet Like Honey.

Carl McNeil - Master Fly Casting Instructor - Founder - Epic Fly Rods

The Materials

Epic fly rods are made to exacting standards using either a proprietary S2-glass composite or a multi modulus, helical constructed low resign Carbon Fibre system.
Although fast for fiberglass, our fuller flexing FastGlass blanks have a beautiful soulful feeling and are incredibly tough.

Our Carbon Fibre blanks are light, crisp and at the very forefront of fly rod design.

Each material features a unidirectional fibre layup which aligns fibers longitudinally along the blank. The result is an incredibly strong, light and powerful tube with a crisp, precise response. This recipe, rolled to our Epic tapers combine silky smooth easy loading with trophy pulling power.

Regardless of the material you decide to choose, you have before you what we sincerely believe is the very best fly rod produced.

All jargon aside, these fly rods are just fantastic to cast, they look incredible, are super tough, and are a hell of a lot of fun to fish with.

SPECIFICATIONS

Recommended line weight: AFTMA #6
Length: 8'6"
Pieces: 4
Total length: 2,580mm
ERN: (Unwrapped): 5.9
ELN: 6
Optimal Grain Window: 140 - 175 Grains
Effective Line Range: AFTMA 5 / 6 / 7
Action: Progressive / Mid Flex / Medium Fast
Taper: Fast
AA: (Action Angle): 68° (Fast)Blank Weight: 63g

6wt 686 Fiberglass fly rod Blank

The Experts

"I really believe the EPIC 686 is by far the most popular GLASS streamer rod on the market. More often than not, I get requests for the 686 and most of the time in Salsa. Carl has created a wonderful, and powerful taper and folks love them!"
- Shane Gray. Graywolf Rods.

"I will only touch on this for a second because everyone keeps hearing how phenomenal the 686 is. This is a phenomenal blank. The beauty is in the fact that the rod can lay out ten feet of line with the delicacy of a full flex cane, but when called upon fire 95' of line into a stiff breeze. It does all of this with a great deal of feel and composure that most rods will never achieve. It is quite possibly one of the best 6wts on the market glass, graph, or grass."
- Zeb Tonkavich Snowman Custom Rod Works

"the Epic 686 is (f#$%'ing) magic in my hands. This fly rod is responsive, quick to load, and a powerhouse that lays out very long accurate casts with relative ease."
- Cameron Mortenson. The Fiberglass Manifesto

Got questions? - Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you.

THE EPIC WARRANTY

The Epic Promise

If you order one of our beautiful handmade fly rods and are not delighted with it we'll refund your purchase in full. We are so very confident that every fly rod we make is of the highest quality possible we guarantee your complete and absolute satisfaction or your money back.

If one of our products fails to meet your expectations either at the time you receive it, or over the next 30 days, contact us and tell us why you are disappointed and we'll make it right or arrange a total refund.

Epic Fly Rod Lifetime Guarantee
Carl McNeil - Founder, Wanaka, New Zealand.

The Epic Lifetime Warranty.

Every Epic fly rod that we produce is covered by our lifetime, original owner warranty. This warranty covers failure due to defects in material or workmanship of our product.

This warranty is limited to repair and replacement of the rod or blank and does not cover direct, indirect, consequential, incidental or any other type of damage resulting from the use of the product. This warranty does not cover fire, theft, missing rod sections, intentional breakage, modification or customization of the finished rod, or damage during the assembly of a blank into a finished rod.

Epic Fly Rods reserves the right to determine whether to repair or replace any Epic Product covered by this warranty and the right to replace any discontinued models with comparable models when necessary. Colors and components may vary between original and replacement parts.

This Policy applies to the original owner only and may not be transferred to another person.

We will always do our very best to get you back out on the water fishing our gear again as soon as possible.

BREAKAGE & REPAIRS

Break a tip? we've got you covered. Our Surefit™ ferrule system is so precise that breakages can be addressed by simply sending out the replacement part right away. Gone are the days of having to return a broken section and waiting weeks for a return.

THE EPIC PROMISE SHIPPING WHY BUY EPIC? CONTACT FLY ROD SELECTOR

Buy with Confidence.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee and Epic Lifetime Support.

We ship tracked courier internationally every single weekday.
Shipping and tracking information is emailed out to you and SMS updates provided also.

More fly rod for your money.
Servicing our customers direct means we’re free to use the highest grade components and materials available and offeroutstanding service and support.
If you have any doubts as to our commitment to quality products and customer support please read our reviews.

NZ HQ
Address: 2 Endeavour St, Unit 1, Wanaka, New Zealand. Ph: 03 443 1350 Email: Email Us contact@swiftflyfishing.com

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The Spirit of Craftsmanship

Built to last. Built to last a lifetime using only the very finest components money can buy, premium guides, flawless wraps, alignment dots - no detail is overlooked.

Each fly rod is backed by our industry-leading support.

You'll be passing this Epic onto your kids.

Break a Tip? We've Got You Covered.

Gone are the days of having to return a broken section and waiting weeks for a return. Our Surefit™ ferrule system is so precise that breakages can be addressed by simply sending out a replacement part - same day.

A high strength internal ferrule is placed at each join to provide superior crush and split resistance.

Extraordinary Fly Rods

Extra care, extra effort, extra attention to detail.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little bit extra.

Our goal is that you will be passing your Epic onto your kids.

Lifetime Warranty

Love It or Return It

100% total satisfaction guarantee

5 Star Support

Industry leading support and service

Easy Returns

Hassle free returns

World Wide Shipping

Shipping worldwide daily

Inside Epic Epic People Our Story VIP Club

Help Knowledge Base Order Status & Tracking Shipping & international Returns, Exchanges & Refunds Epic Warranty Contact Us

Info Learn about Epic FastGlass® Epic Built Care & Feeding Rod Building Rod Building Tips Guide Spacings Fly Casting Video Clips Fly Rod Chooser

Experience the Epic® difference.

Say goodbye to stiff lifeless fly rods, say hello to Epic®

Find anything you need

686 FastGlass Fly Rod Blank

Colour Options

Over 3500 5-Star reviews awarded by discerning fly anglers worldwide.

686 FastGlass Fly Rod Blank

Colour Options

The Epic 686. The ultimate 6wt fiberglass fly rod Blank. Often imitated, never beaten.

Epic Beginnings….

The Materials

The Epic Promise

The Epic Lifetime Warranty.

Find Your Perfect Fly Rod

The Spirit of Craftsmanship

Break a Tip? We've Got You Covered.

Extraordinary Fly Rods

Love It or Return It

5 Star Support

Easy Returns

World Wide Shipping