Reviews

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Rather than putting hundreds and hundreds of one liners, I’ve decided to just put a selection of the more in depth reviews here.

Jason Williams – Wales Team Captain 2016

I bought on of the Atomsix Elemental 10ft 7wt rods…… it’s the best casting rod I have ever put my hands on and believe me, I’ve had them all over the last 30 years of fishing….in fact it’s so good that I bought another one!!

I’ve used the rod several times as I fish for my country and it helps me so much as it has a lovely sensitive tip that you just can’t get on other rods.

Lastly, what a great guy Steve is to deal with. He’ll make you a beautiful rod just how you like it that performs better than the rest. More more can you ask for. Thanks Steve….Jas

Neil B

I was looking for a new rod and was pointed in the direction of Atomsix by a friend who owns two of them. From the beginning, dealing with Steve was an easy and pleasant experience. I described how I wanted a rod for upstream nymph fishing, but versatile enough for dry fly fishing if a hatch developed. He directed me to the Elemental Nymph 10ft 3wt, and loaned me a rod to try. After testing it over a weekend I was satisfied it was a good choice and decided to order one. Steve helped me with the customisation of my rod, even down to the specifics of the handle shape and size. I have since taken delivery of my rod, and I am absolutely delighted with it. It is light, true to line weight, loads well, casts well, and has great feel when hooking and playing fish. I can thoroughly recommend Atomsix.

Frank Williams – APGAI Fly fishing instructor

Having decided I still had a gap in my armoury I decided to speak to Steve Parkes at Atom Six. I was looking for a #4 rod with a fast recovery that bent nicely into the blank.

After a long chat with Steve he decided to send me a couple of rods to try out to help him get a better idea of what I was actually looking for.

Now, its not only Steve’s rods that are fast, his service matches his carbon. The next day the rod tube arrives and I open it to find three rods, two 9ft #5 both AtomSix’s new blanks; a Tachyon which as the name suggests is that more tip action of the two, and a Neutrino which has a more mid to tip action. Steve had also included a 7ft 6in Tachyon for me to play with. I know I am looking for a #4, but Steve was still waiting for the #4 blanks. My first impression was of the quality, these are very well finished rods, the guy obviously has great pride in his work. Which is always nice to see.

The rods are matte black/charcoal with just a little bling in the whippings. Which gives them a quiet understated look that reminded me of the phrase “The more you know the less you need to show”. The quality of the cork is about as good as it gets these days and certainly far higher than some of the top end rods costing more than twice the price.

So off to the field to see how they cast. Now I am a fan of my casting tools, fast and stiff, and in the 9ft #5 Tachyon that’s exactly what you get. The rod was a pure joy to cast and quite easily put the backing knot out the rod rings with a couple of false casts. I messed around with it for an hour get a good feel for the rod. One of the things that impressed me most of all about it was its sheer stability, even when carrying a long line it still felt smooth and under control unlike other rods I have cast recently which have felt like they where buckling under the load when it came to carrying 65-75 ft of line. All in all a very sweet rod.

The next of the three rods I try was the 9ft #5 Neutrino. I don’t really put much store in the old waggle test, it tells you virtually nothing about a rod in my opinion but I did notice that the Neutrino has what I would describe as a very tight tip, by that I mean that once you stop waggling it it stops moving almost instantly rather than bounce around like a a kid on a space hopper. It still had a nice fast recovery on the rod and it was well capable of shooting of a whole line and throwing a nice tight loop with ease but it was just the bit more flexible than the Tachyon, making it that much more of a fishing rod to my mind. A cracking rod that would be a pure joy to fish with all day.

I liked it a lot, in fact I ordered one when the #4s arrive!!!

Comparing the Tachyon and the Neutrino to each other the comparison that sprung to mind was that of comparing the TCR and a TCX to each other in terms of the feel of the rod when casting. I don’t mean that the Tachyon is like a TCR and a Neutrino is like a TCX, What I mean is that a Tachyon is a fast very tip action rod while the Neutrino is a very sweet mid to tip with fast recovery and gives a bit more feel when casting.

So that just leaves the 7ft 6in Tachyon, the best way to describe it is “WOW what a beast”, for me it was just what I would want in a rod of its kind. It is short and powerful capable of throwing the tightest of loop with the least possible effort.

So in summary, I was very impressed with the AtomSix rods and with Steve’s dedication to customer care. I would say if you are looking for a top end rod but don’t want to shell out the £500+ Speak to Steve Parkes at Atom Six, not only will you get far more bang for you buck you will also have a rod that was made with you in mind on a British blank. Perfect!

Munro – Tinto Trout Fishery

The demo turned up at the fishery I had a few chucks with it today. I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination so I will not use all the fancy casting jargon.
I fished with the rod set up with a 6wt Rio grand line and I enjoyed it very much. I usually use a Sage Z axis and a TCX which are very different in action but I really enjoyed using your rod and I could easily fish all day with it.
I thought the rod suited the 6wt line very well but I then tested the rod with a 5wt Rio Grand line and it was even better. That is the line I would use on that rod. Another thing I liked about your rod was how well it roll casts and picked the line off the water.
It is a little stiffer than my usual Sage rod which I think could be a good thing. I also think the blanks you use would suit me for a boat rod if built a bit longer.
My Dad said something that was interesting, he liked the matt finish which he thinks helps stop any reflection spooking fish.
Your build quality is very good and I would not think twice about recommending one of your rods. When I consider value for money then your rods beat Sage hands down pound for pound.
I have attached a picture of the fish I caught today with your rod.
Your rod had a good bend in it but handled the fish well which did not come in easy 😉

Mike S.    Bristol

Hi Steve,

The second rod just arrived. Have to say, I absolutely love the combination of this one, looks stunning!!! This will most likely be the rod that I’ll be using most, and it looks and feels a million dollars! Of course, the 10 footer is also lovely! Many thanks for all of your help with these two.

Trevor O.  Lanarkshire

I received, and tested the rod yesterday.

In the world of fly casting and fly rods there are many,many companies that try to attract us to purchase their products and then there is the AtomSix rod company, one of the best. Owned and operated by Steve Parkes. Steve is the man you will speak with when you ring his number.
I expressed an interest in a particular rod, so Steve posted one for me to try. How many rod companies would do that ?
The rod that I chose was the Atom Six Celestial 7 foot 9 inch 4 weight. I wanted a wand and this is it.
I can understand now why the late Lee Wulff liked the short rod so much. The swing weight is negligible and in the right hands Steve’s rods will cast as far as you want.
When I first received the rod, every thing about it on opening the lovely tube it arrived in was quality. I first tried it on the lawn, wow, I said to myself. This is what I’ve been looking for. I can’t wait to try it in a fishing situation. when I did I wasn’t disappointed, it handled large rainbows with ease.
The signature of a good caster is producing tight loops.this rod is capable of just that. It’s awesome.
If you are thinking of getting a new rod, you could do no better than to give Steve a call. His rods are bespoke, made especially for you, with your name on it if that is what you would like.
Steve would discuss your personal needs. Rod action,—rod handle,—colour of whippings,—reel seat etc etc.
Steve is a real craftsman par excellent, and for him only the best will do. His commitment to you the customer the customer is second to none.You certainly wouldn’t be disappointed whatever
rod you choose. Give him a call. I’m glad I did

Ray King A.P.G.A.I.

Four years of using AtomSix rods

I bought my first Steve Parkes AtomSix rod over 4 years ago. I now own four and a half Atomsix rods, more about the half later. Needless to say I like Atomsix rods. The single handed range is extensive ranging from 2wt to 10 wt in lengths from 6’6’’ to 10’ including a variety of actions from slow/medium to extremely quick. Then there are the switch rods, Spey rods and competition casting rods. I’ve got know Steve over the years that I have been buying rods from him. He is passionate about his rods, no overpowering sales talk, in fact the complete opposite. Steve is always very helpful and offers a try before you buy service and also a bespoke service that lets the customer choose how the rod is finished.

The factor that really sets Steve’s service apart, and rather bizarrely not highlighted on the Atomsix website is his passion for casting, particularly distance casting. Steve Parkes is one of the very top distance fly casters in the UK, a look at the British Fly Casting Club web site (competition results section) will confirm this. Should you be looking for a new fly rod I can unreservedly recommend visiting Steve Parkes and try out his Atomsix rods. Not only will you get to cast some top class rods with a passionate skilled rod maker, you will get advice, guidance and a demonstration on improving your distance casting from one of the very best distance casters in the UK. No where else I know of, offers such a complete service.

The first rod that I bought from Atomsix was an Italian style fly casting rod, after a couple of years casting with it and developing my technique I decided that I would like to modify my rod with a slightly more forgiving but fast butt section. Steve was happy to oblige and made me a new butt section. this is the half rod that I own, Im not too sure how many other rod makers, if indeed any, would have helped me out. Like I said Steve is passionate about his rods and his casting. Thoroughly recommended.

I Hedley