G.Loomis NRX rods go “Green”

Introduction: G.Loomis is in the process of rolling out new additions to their NRX lineup and the first thing that anglers will notice is that they feature a green finish that gives the line a completely different look and feel. To better understand exactly what these new NRX rods are and where they are positioned we went straight to the source and reached out to Justin Poe, Brand Manager for G.Loomis.

G.Loomis broadens the top of the line NRX series with new "green" rods

There has been a lot of speculation from anglers about just what these new rods are as they are now starting to highlighted at G.Loomis dealers. Some guessed that these new rods were a new line with a slightly different blend of NRX graphite, others speculated that these rods were a new application specific sub-series in the line.

The new rods (below) are among the first to come out of G.Loomis's newly upgraded paint facility

In reality there was a plan at G.Loomis to introduce the green rods for quite some time, and when we visited the G.Loomis factory earlier this year in May we noticed that the paint room was undergoing a major "clean room" renovation, and was told that when fully upgraded the company would be able to implement new finishes on their rods. Is this new series a direct result of these new capabilities? Even though Justin is currently traveling in Asia he was able to respond to a few quick questions to help set the record straight.

A closer look at the new green finished blanks

Zander: Thanks for answering a few questions about these new green NRX rods, lets’ start at the top, obviously the new rods look different, is there anything different in terms of the actual NRX blank?

Justin “The new NRX rods feature the same blank guide and cork. The paint and logo position is different. The spec are now in the split area and the logos are in front of the winding check. This is also a new capability and you will see more of this in the future. It makes the rods both very clean and precise looking.”

The new rods feature specifications on the split grip (casting shown)

Zander: Are they designed to target the same or a different target market?

Justin: “They are designed to target both. We know there were a number of people who were opposed to the original appearance of NRX and we listened. That coupled with a large investment in our paint room pushed us to show everyone what we could do. This new color is the original color that we targeted for NRX. Our old capabilities kept us from qualifying them in terms of repeatability and our new paint room gives us the ability to qualify new brilliant colors. We know some people that have purchased NRX already will have the hard choice of continuing with the original or switching to this new color.”

The longer split grip of a NRX Green spinning rod

Zander: Is there any other aspect of the new rods that you would like to highlight?

Justin: “Although there is no change in performance on our side we have heard from consumers and dealers that the rods feel even lighter than before. But the mind is a powerful thing!! When you like what it looks like and already know how good it fishes then your mind takes over. We weren’t worried about it and didn’t weigh them. We will let the fisherman be the judge!!”

Yes, there are even new NRX Green fly rods

Justin went on to confirm that the rods are beginning to ship now and are starting to become available at their top dealers all over America. The rods will feature the same technical specifications and actions and the retail price points will remain consistent with the existing rods as well. Personally I still really like the original NRX look and feel, but this is coming from the guy that used to race around in a "Laguna Seca Blue" M3 which bore a similarly conspicuous bright coloration.

While the new green rods will likely appeal to a greater audience I've always been fond of the blue highlights on the original which reminded be of my old Laguna Seca M3, but having more choices is a very good thing

While the previous generation NRX rods were a lot more polarizing in appearance, this was also one of the things that I liked about them, they were strikingly different. Nonetheless I can certainly appreciate anglers wanting a more traditional looking rod with the same blank and performance characteristics. I’m glad to see that the new rods will co-exist with the original series and while the new NRX “Green” rods don’t offer more “performance” they will unquestionably speak to a broader audience, and having more choices is a very good thing when considering top of the line products, not everyone wants a bright blue "ride" after all.