Gear Review: Diamondback Aeroflex 9-Foot 5-Weight Fly Rod

Diamondback—which began building fly rods in Stowe, Vermont, in 1983—used to be a bigger name in the fly rod world. After ownership changes and the closure of that plant in 2012, Diamondback produced rods in a few different places, but in 2021 the company offices moved back to Vermont. Led by Joe Goodspeed, formerly of Thomas & Thomas, Diamondback now designs its rods in Vermont and manufactures them at a state-of-the-art facility in South Korea (like Hardy and Douglas, among other brands).

The Aeroflex is the company’s do-it-all flagship rod, and my review model was a 9-foot 5-weight. It’s a visually striking rod, featuring a deep blue blank with matching threads tipped with silver. Diamondback offers a half-Wells or snub-nose grip on the 9-foot 5-weight, and I opted for the half Wells. It’s a thinner, more sharply tapered grip than on other rods, which probably gives you a bit more feedback.

On the water, the Aeroflex handled big nymph rigs, small dries, and the wind with a blue-collar attitude. It did the job exceptionally well. In fact, I wonder how many people could both feel and articulate the difference between the 9-foot 5-weight Aeroflex and the 9-foot 5-weight Orvis Helios, for example. That’s not a knock on the Helios, but a reflection of how small the gap is between mid-priced and high-dollar rods.

What I Liked

Easy Casting—The Aeroflex has a wonderfully relaxed action that I’d peg at medium-fast. It’s a sneaky powerful rod, though, with plenty of backbone for when you need to push through the wind or turn over larger bugs. This is a rod that matches my casting stroke perfectly, so using it felt very intuitive. There’s little swing weight, and it seemed to like slightly heavier lines, such as the Scientific Anglers Amplitude Infinity.

I wouldn’t hesitate to use the  9-foot 5-weight Aeroflex for throwing big nymph rigs from a drift boat, or tossing smaller dry flies to wary trout. Like I mentioned, it has that blue-collar aura that just seems to get the job done, so long as it’s within reason.

Plenty of Feel—Going hand-in-hand with casting, the Aeroflex offers plenty of feel to the angler. Whether it’s timing a longer cast, or setting the hook on subtle nymph eats, the rod transmits plenty of information to the angler who’s paying attention. I was surprised at how well this rod handled smaller dry flies. During an early-season midge hatch, I had no problem tossing size 22 parachutes, on a longer leader, with all the subtlety my sometimes ham-fisted casting stroke can manage.

Reserve Power—A design trend in fly rods of late has been tapers that “allow anglers to access the reserve power in the butt section.” Yes, taper has something to do with that, but it’s also thanks to rod builders creating fly rods that actually bend, instead of the fast-action broomsticks we got for years.

The Aeroflex certainly bends throughout its length—you’ll feel it flex in the cork—but it never feels slow or heavy. When you need to access that power, it’s easy to summon it. I had no problem landing larger trout in heavy current or throwing wind-resistant nymph rigs.

Price—The Aeroflex will set you back $550. That’s not cheap, but it’s more affordable than the $1,000+ many manufacturers are asking for these days.

For that $550, you also get access to a decent warranty service. It’ll cost you $65 per broken section that needs to be replaced. Diamondback doesn’t list any other restrictions in its warranty information.

What I Didn’t Like

Thin Grip—This is a minor issue—and I wouldn’t consider this a deal-breaker—but I’m not a fan of the half-Wells grip on the 9-foot 5-weight. It feels a bit too thin, like I’m lacking something substantial to hold. That does translate to increased feel, but it’s just different enough than many of my other rods that I’ve taken notice.

The snub-nose grip is probably more my style, so if you’re considering an Aeroflex, I’d recommend studying both grips before buying one for yourself.

Final Word

At $550, Diamondback put together a great rod that just gets the job done. It may not have the same flash as other sticks, but if you want something that’s dependable, relatively affordable, and a pleasure to fish, it’s hard to beat what the Aeroflex offers.

Click here for more information about the Aeroflex 9-foot 5-weight

Spencer Durrant is a fly-fishing writer from Wyoming. He’s the host of the weekly podcast Untangled: Fly Fishing for Everyone, as well as a staff writer for Flylords. Connect with him on Instagram/X, @Spencer_Durrant.