Take Your Nymphing Game To The Next Level With The New Vision Nymphmaniac Twin Tip! With Two Interchangeable Tips: Power Tip For Larger Fish And Strong Currents, And Sensitive Tip, For Lighter Nymphs And Shallow Water.
Vision has a well-earned reputation for producing some of the finest specialised nymphing rods available. The previous range of Nymphmaniac rods have proven so good that it’s hard to imagine how they might be improved. However, Vision has once again left no stone unturned, and the new Vision Nymphmaniac Twin Tip range is, quite simply, fantastic.
Over the last couple of months, top Scottish competition angler Scott Hamilton and I have been field-testing this much-anticipated new range of nymphing rods. Scott should need little introduction. He is the current Scottish Rivers Champion (his third title) and came a very close second in the most recent UK Rivers Championship. Needless to say he catches more than his fair share of fish and is a permanent fixture on the Upper Tweed where he lives and does most of his fishing.
Before sharing our thoughts on the new Twin Tip range though, it’s worth quickly touching on why the Vision nymphmaniac rods to date have proven so popular. They were developed by some of the best competition anglers in Europe and designed specifically for Euro nymphing. They quickly became firm favourites on the completion scene and with serious nymphing anglers from both near and far.
Finely tuned, boasting incredibly high quality blanks and Vision’s typically cool aesthetics, they managed to effortlessly blend the ideal action for detecting sensitive takes and hooking fish with fast recovery and impressive backbone. It’s fair to say Scott has been pretty attached to his 11’ 2 weight Nymphmaniac over the last couple of seasons and it’s served him incredibly well. So how has Vision managed to improve on what in many a serious angler’s book was already the ideal range of modern nymphing rods?


Vision Nymphmaniac Twin Tip Review – Twin Tips
The first and most obvious development is the inclusion of a second tip section with every rod. So each rod in the range comes with two tip sections, a power tip and a sensitive tip. This effectively gives you the option of two slightly different actions with each rod. The two tips are easily distinguishable with coloured markings, the sensitive one being green and the power tip black.
Sensitive Tip
As we’ve been targeting grayling over the winter, initially in low water flows, we started off trying the Sensitive Tip. The last thing you want when tight-line nymphing for grayling is a rod with too fast an action, especially in the tip section. This invariably results in ‘bounced’ fish, i.e. pulling the hook out in the vital first stages of the fight. This is all too easily done, especially when playing bigger specimens (of which there are good numbers in the Tweed) in a decent flow. So a rod with a lovely through, soft action is ideal.
We’re delighted to report though that the general action of these rods is once again spot on in this department and so far, no fish have been lost by being bounced. What’s more, a fair number of out of season but very lively trout have been hooked and landed too and the sensitive tip has handled these often more acrobatic fish with minimal fuss.


Power Tip
The difference in the tips is subtle but nonetheless important. The slightly faster action in the power tip helps the blank recover incredibly quickly after each cast and set the hook on trout more effectively. It also allows a little more control when playing livelier or bigger fish and has a slight edge in accuracy when throwing heavy nymphs around. It’s worth noting, however, plenty of grayling have been landed when using the power tip as well so it’s not so fast that grayling are likely to be bounced – another plus point.
In fact more recently, in the higher water, we’ve predominantly been using the Power Tip and landed some of the better grayling the Tweed’s renowned for. We’ve both netted fish hitting the hallowed 3lb, mark with a couple just over. The fights from these fish have been phenomenal, especially those hooked in faster water, but the 10’9 3 weights have proven the perfect tools for the job.
On Scott’s last trip out he also hooked and landed a 56cm trout and has noticed how the rod seems to bend more throughout the whole blank when playing fish with the Power Tip, right down into the butt section.
Vision Nymphmaniac Twin Tip Review – New Action
The rods in the new Twin Tip range have a medium to fast action and are designed for cutting edge nymphing techniques. As a result they’re incredibly light but what struck me immediately when feeling them in hand for the first time was how perfectly balanced they are. This is key in my book, whatever style of rod or fishing technique you employ. If a rod feels balanced in the hand it greatly increases the fishing experience. This is particularly so when nymphing where continuous casting or throwing of nymphs around is required, not to mention holding the rod high and/or out in the stream.
The medium to fast action is key to the fast recovery of these blanks and allows you to stay in touch with your nymphs immediately after casting. But they have great sensitivity throughout, as well as a reassuring amount of backbone in the butt. In essence, they offer the perfect combination for nymphing techniques. They have the sensitivity necessary for detecting subtle takes, enough flex to absorb the lunges of fish at close quarters but also enough backbone to tame bigger specimens.


Vision Nymphmaniac Twin Tip Review – New Lengths
The new Twin Tip Nympmaniac range has more options than ever. With the cork handle version 10’9’’ rods are available in 2,3 and 4 weights, while in the 3-weight range 9’3’’, 10’3’’ and 11’3’’ rods provide further choice. There’s also a 10’3’’ available in the 4-weight as an alternative to the 10’9’’. It’s also worth mentioning all 11’3’’ rods come in 5 sections.


Vision Nymphmaniac Twin Tip Review – New EVA Handle Option
Another new addition to previous offerings is the inclusion of an EVA handle. To be honest I’d never used a rod with an EVA handle prior to this one and really wasn’t sure how I’d find it, being a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to classic cork handles. I have to say though, once fishing I didn’t notice any difference whatsoever, other than finding it incredibly comfortable and easy to grip. It’s amazing how quickly you can get used to something different when it’s so user friendly.
These handles also have the advantage of being harder wearing which is well worth considering for a rod that’s likely to see plenty of action in often cold, wet and sometimes freezing conditions through winter. Much less likely to develop mould if not dried out properly. The EVA handles aren’t available in the 10’9’’ 2 weight or the 9’9’’ 3 weight but otherwise the choice between cork and EVA is entirely yours.


Additional Improvements
Unsanded and unpainted blanks are another new feature worth noting. This prevents thin lines sticking to the blank, especially when wet which can be a great advantage when attempting to shoot nymphs any distance. This in no way detracts from the visual appeal of these rods. As we can rely on with Vision, good looks are pretty much guaranteed. There is the inclusion of a snake ring one down from the tip ring. This is to minimise the chance of line getting wrapped round the rod, so a highly practical and welcome upgrade.
Green markings stand out nicely against the unsanded blanks, as does the green aluminium reel seat and bright green EVA small fighting butt. All models also now boast double down-locking reel seats – another definite improvement. Just as welcome is the different spacing between the guide rings which involves the butt ring being much closer to the handle. This is a lot better for line control and Scott, in particular, is a fan of this as he likes to work the flies more often than not.


Conclusion
Of course the most important quality to look for in a rod is how they actually perform, how they feel in the hand and crucially how they cast and how they behave when playing fish. To be honest, on picking these rods up for the first time Scott and I weren’t exactly convinced as to how the action felt. They certainly have what might be described as a modern action, and we were slightly concerned they didn’t have quite enough flex for the type of nymphing we predominantly do.
However, as soon as we actually started fishing with them any fears quickly evaporated. The first thing you’ll notice is how perfectly balanced they are. Then you’ll notice how responsive and accurate they are. Then you’ll enjoy how comfortably they deal with good-sized fish. Finally you’ll realise you’re not noticing anything at all whilst fishing, and this to me is the sign of a great rod.
The most obvious new feature, the Twin Tips, only adds to the appeal. Which one is best to use will come down to conditions: flow of water, weight of nymphs, target species and size of fish. But it will also come down to personal preference. For Scott and I the Power Tip perhaps has the edge, certainly for handling big, hard-fighting grayling (and trout) in strong flows of water. It also particularly suits Scott’s style of long-range nymphing, something he excels at.
The Sensitive Tip undoubtedly has its place for lighter work, or will simply suit some people more than others. The fact that choice is there for each angler to make is a major plus point. It’s plain to see that a lot of care and expertise has gone into Vision’s latest range of rods, designed to facilitate a lightweight and effortless nymphing experience. This they undoubtedly deliver, with the nymphmaniac’s trademark good looks to boot.
So, we have a high end, technical nymphing rod at a mid-range price. On all counts Vision’s new Nymphmaniac Twin Tip range excels. The best range of nymphing rods yet? It’s perhaps early days but so far it’s a resounding yes!