Needless to say no shortage of these length glass rods in my collection, especially if one includes the 7’10” - 8’1” range as well. But reading reviews, searching their web site has tweaked an interest especially since this summer was a bust fishing wise due to rain. Welcome opinions, comparisons to the more utilized Mcfarland’s, Steffen’s, etc. Thanjs

I have an Epic 580 that I built, and I really like it. It's definitely fast, but I wouldn't call it stiff. (Then again, I tend toward faster glass rods and medium graphite rods). The Epic 476 has a notably stiffer butt section (comparable relative to a 4-weight) than the 580. If I'm casting in close--say within 15-20 feet, especially with a small dry, it's not my favorite rod (but it's not bad at all in that regard).

To me, it really shines when I'm casting in the 20-60 foot range. The fly choice really doesn't matter to me, once I get out past 20 feet. I had a great night this summer casting a medium-size klinkhåmmer to rising cutthroat in a mild (sometimes more) breeze. That said, casting hoppers or a dry-dropper rig are probably my favorite type of fishing with this rod. It's crisp and feels lively and a lot of fun in my hands. Playing fish on it is really fun. It's got a lot of flex, but it can also muscle some large ones in.

I think of it as a very Western rod, and I like it on our medium-sized and larger streams. The only real competition it has in my quiver is the ********* 895, which is another excellent tool, but much longer and with a slightly different set of strengths.

I've got an original 3 piece, it is very similar in casting feel to a friends 8' 4 wt 3 piece Steffen. I like it a lot. I like it a lot for glass on the faster side.

Do not forget to check out ********* Rod Co. He has an 8' 5wt that is getting rave reviews. I own his 8'9" 5wt western glass rod and its a tailwater fishing machine.

Mike

I've got the 580 built for saltwater and handles a lot of big fish really well,even uplining to a 7wt line.

Seems like the original mid weight Epics are in two categories- the 476 and 580 are faster, while the 480 and 686 bend deeper. I expect it’s a deliberate design choice.

The 805 is very capable with a 6wt. It's a great allrounder best for fish 9" and up and fishing anywhere that a 5/6 is preferable to 4/5 (breeze, faster water, stronger fish). For small water, and small fish there are rods that are more fun to use but it will still do the job. It can even cast a 4wt without too many complaints if necessary.

I really like my 580 (previous generation) too.
Very versatile. It's also nice with a 4 weight line too.

Had to brag. Love mine.

I forgot my 5 weight line that trip

It's a Danielsson Midge reel. I also got the Loop version before Danielsson went as their own brand. Spools are interchangeable. Best deal on the ultra light reel market.

I am trying to take a photo that shows all four pieces of my 580 being of equal length except for the bottom blank being just a few millimeters longer. This is because I have measured the Rod out at 8 foot, one and three-quarter inches or 97.75 inches. Thought I was losing my mind and brought out some other rods and made some more measurements. AND fitted it together multiple times and even after leaving it in the garage to get cold and perhaps lose some diameter in the ferrules.

Anyone else get that too?

I measured mine at exactly 1/2" short of eight feet.

I should mention that I expect that this kind of variation is normal, and it doesn't bother me in the least.

I haven't done it in a while, but I did pull out all of my rods at one point to measure them, and I want to say there were small differences in all of them, from the higher end rods down to the more budget friendly ones.