Mission 9'0" Trailblazer Series

Hi Maven, About a year ago I had a 9’/4 Mission made, with a micro butt direct from Maven. I FINALLY had a chance to fish it locally (Catalina Island- Southern California). Wow, this rod is a fun and super accurate. Took it on a one day trip to the island, I was consistently outcasting everyone, you had to land your fly right at the edge of the kelp where the bass were hiding to get bit, and the Maven made it every time. Most casts I had to shorten or stop them from going too far. In any case, thanks again for a great rod, thinking about a 7’6” 9wt for peacocks in the Amazon in October, or I will just stick with this one. Cedros island in July, go Maven. BTW, if you have any Maven stickers or patches around I would love a few to represent properly! Tight loops, Jordan, Costa Mesa Ca. USA

If there was an award for best aesthetics, the Maven Mission would win by a landslide. The vintage blue paired with the off-white wraps and orange accents made for the nicest-looking rod of the test. And its performance isn’t far behind. You just need to make sure you’re targeting the right size fish.

Let’s get this out of the way: The Maven Mission 12-weight is a beefy rod. To be fair, it was designed that way. This 12-weight will handle the biggest tarpon you can find, and I’m talking 150-plus pounders. Is it a bit bulky? Yes. Though, I have no problem with that because this rod throws long, accurate casts and has the power to fight giants.

On the lawn, I hit the 95-foot mark without issue. And while it’s easy to say this rod feels beefy, I expected that from a 12-weight. It is balanced and loads line surprisingly well. The extended wells are a nice bonus for comfort and essential when you come tight with a giant fish.

The Mission comes in almost every line weight, and I think most anglers would be thrilled with the 11-weight for average-size tarpon. But if you’re looking to target monsters, get the 12-weight. It is also the most expensive rod we tested, but the craftsmanship matches the price. When I pulled the Mission out of its tube, I said, “This is the nicest-looking fly rod I’ve ever seen.” It is truly a work of art.

Normally 4 days on the water to land two fish is the definition of a slow week but...My Maven 9 wt handled these permits well. I was a bit concerned when the guide requested that I 'high stick' it to lift the permit's head into the landing net, but the rod held up well.

Ok guys. Finally had a chance to put my new Maven 9 wt to the test at Andros Island, Bahamas. You guys hit a home run with this rod. First two days of fishing were struggles due to poor weather and low to no visibility, but the weather cooperated on the last day for me to be able to put this rod through its paces. The guide stops at first flat of the morning and I'm staring into a 10-15 mph direct headwind. I'm thinking what have I done to the guide to make him mad at me, but in his defense, he had to get the sun behind us. First shot of the day comes at 12 o'clock at 50-55 feet. I'm just an average caster at 63 years of age, and this shot is not one that I normally execute. However, the Maven rod performed beautifully, and the fly turned over as it should with plenty of power to spare. The bonefish obliged as well, and I had the first fish boated with one cast. This rod has a lot of power. My line hand lost the line a couple of times on the back cast haul because of line speed that I normally do not generate. Interesting, the Maven rod also performed well on the shorter casts of 20 -25 feet or so. For a rod that has this much power and backbone, it also has the needed feel for the in close shots. My guide practiced with the rod at lunch, and he stated he has never thrown as much line as he did with the Maven rod. He was also impressed with how light the rod felt in his hands. At the end of the day, I hooked 14 bones and boated 13. The Maven rod performed flawlessly. I'll be ordering the 8 wt version of this same rod for Christmas! Congratulations. You guys nailed it with this rod!

J B Benton