Steve Richards Reviews the New Orvis Recon & Ratio
Most years, experienced UK saltwater fly angler, Steve Richards, makes the pilgrimage to Cape Cod in pursuit of striped bass. It's a destination synonymous with sight fishing on the flats and unforgettable encounters with one of the world's most iconic gamefish.
This year, Steve took the opportunity to put the new Orvis Recon rod and Ratio reel through their paces in one of the world's most demanding saltwater fly fishing environments. Here's his honest review of the trip, the fishing, and how the tackle performed.
Cape Cod 2026
Cape Cod is a destination for anyone who's a fan of bass on the fly.
There's a reason striped bass are held in such high esteem among fly fishers stateside. They have very similar behaviour patterns to our own UK bass, with the exception of size. Striped bass grow large, very large in fact, compared to our own bass. They are measured in inches rather than weighed, with length being far more important than weight to Americans, something I wish us Brits would take on board.
They have a slot size between 28 and 31 inches. Anything smaller or larger can't be taken for the table. These are called "keepers", and this is the benchmark you aim for. My best fly caught bass, a sight-fished 32-inch fish, is small compared to friends who have caught them over 35 inches.
This year's trip took place, as normal, in June, although it proved harder than I'd hoped. There had been an early run of bass at the end of May, but by the time my pals and I turned up, the early good fishing had disappeared. Several reasons were discussed, but the most concerning was the lack of schoolie bass to catch.
Poor recruitment over the last seven years had meant that pretty much all that was left on the flats were fish over 28 inches. This sounds great until you realise that those bigger fish change their feeding habits. Where smaller fish will happily eat sand eels and shrimp, the bigger fish tend to move offshore and feed on bunker and squid. Fish over 28 inches will still eat shrimp and sand eels, but if there's an opportunity to eat bigger food items, that's where they'll be.
This year there was a massive squid showing on the deep-water marks off Provincetown, meaning those fish that had been feeding on the flats were now eating squid in deeper water. Without small school bass to catch, it meant a long wait between bites while waiting for a larger fish to come along.
Recon & Ratio
This year, Orvis very kindly lent me the new Recon rod and Ratio reel to take on my travels. It's funny because my first impression of fishing the Recon on UK shores wasn't great. I'd decided to take it fishing for UK bass in a stiff onshore wind, throwing large bucktail Deceivers, and in those conditions it probably wasn't my greatest idea. The rod coped well enough but felt a little underpowered. Having been used to the Helios D in similar weather, I'd probably expected it to behave in much the same way.
That was quite unfair, as I discovered when fishing on the flats.
The Recon actually comes into its own when fishing small shrimp patterns and, once I got used to its action, I really started to appreciate how it felt. The swing weight is similar to the Helios, meaning it's easy to use all day.
When comparing it to the Helios, I found its slightly softer action actually allowed for a gentler and stealthier presentation. The Helios is still the premier rod, though, as it performs a little better with big flies and strong winds. The Recon had no problems casting fast intermediate and DI lines, but put a floater on it and it really came alive. I probably enjoyed it most when using it with a floating line and small baitfish patterns.
If I could take two rods on a flats trip, I'd take the Helios for those breezy days and the Recon for everything else. My first impression had been completely wrong, although I did really like the light blue colour.
Catching a striper on the Recon was great fun, especially flicking a fly in front of an approaching fish. The rod behaved exactly as I expected and it was great to connect with fish as they moved off with the fly, then simply hold on as the striper peeled line from the Ratio reel.
The Ratio reel, in my opinion, is the perfect reel for bass and striped bass.
A striped bass over 28 inches will peel line off in seconds and you'll soon be questioning your braid knot. What I really liked was the drag. As the fish was running hard, it was easy to apply a little more tension until you had the perfect drag setting. Both the rod and reel had no problem taming fish up to 29 inches on this trip. I should add that I dropped the reel in the sea and sand while landing bass, without any ill effects.
I'd like to see what the reel looks like after I've abused it for a full season but, on this showing, it certainly looks like a winner.
Looking ahead
Overall, the trip was a little disappointing. The tackle, however, certainly wasn't.
As I've said before, the worst bit for me is now having to give both the rod and reel back because they were a joy to use. Cape Cod is still a top destination for the fly angler, but for how much longer, I wouldn't like to say.
