4wt vs 5wt

[krayfish]

podfly,

Forgive me if I'm confused but the GL3 should be able to lay out a cast soft enough to catch fish anywhere. If your Loomis isn't putting the fly down the way you'd like, it may be your stroke or change your fly line brand / model. You aren't overly fond of the Loomis rod? Ditch it and replace it with a rod that you feel handles dries, nymphs and streamers. From the reviews I read, the One in a 5wt is good but not great. It seems to be better in heavier weights (no clue why). If you want info on the Winston products, listen to jdaddy. I should have bought stock in Winston before he started fishing. He's got tons of their rods.
You mentioned the Delaware but if you fish Penns, Loyalsock, Pine and a few others.... they are pretty big waters and having a rod with some a** wouldn't hurt. If it's an issue of presentation, it could be your stroke or the line making the casts land harder than you'd like. I think Rio Grand gets your fly on the water like a brick dropped from a 5 story building. Don't care for it at all. Gold works way better for me. The Rio LT is just OK IMHO.
It sounds like you and I have similar desires in a fly rod. I'd like a faster action with a softer tip that allows me to feel where the line is. Rods sometimes give the impression that it is slower when it's just softer toward the tip. The softer tip aides in accuracy and in shorter casts. The 2 rods I've been using for the last couple of years that meet the requirements and match the feel I'm looking for have been the Sage z-axis and the St Croix legend elite. Someone previously mentioned a ZXL. Great rod but not exactly fast or a big water stick. Wouldn't suggest it based on what you are looking for.
If you ever get over to central PA, you're more than welcome to demo my junk. I think you have an Orvis down your way. Have you considered the Helios? You could probably demo a mid and tip flex side by side and see which fits your stroke and needs best.

Just kicking some ideas around.

 

[Paulson]

personal meh aside, the redington ct is alot of moderately fast rod for $75, which it is as its currently on sale at cabela's.

if its not, you can buy one from me in the allentown area for half price, plus tax, including warranty and a gift receipt before it goes back this sunday.

gfen, mine came in today. While its not as slow as expected, I think I have found a replacement for my Imperial. I'll let you know how it fishes.

I still want a Winston tough.

 

[jdaddy]

gfen wrote:

you can come to me, as i'm going right past Cab's door on Sunday

on the way to Reading?

remember, we can feed it to the worm.

 

[Chaz]

You can beat a good 4 weight 9 foot rod for a great presentation on bigger streams. But I sort of define bigger as something on the order of Pine Creek in NC PA, because my 4 weight 7' 6" rod goes everywhere else. Echo rods are designed by Gary Loomis and they aren't very expensive if money is an issue. In fact I have an 8' 4 weight rod made by them I use fairly often.

 

[jdaddy]

Chaz wrote:
Youcan beat a good 4 weight 9 foot rod for a great presentation on bigger streams. But I sort of define bigger as something on the order of Pine Creek in NC PA, because my 4 weight 7' 6" rod goes everywhere else. Echo rods are designed by Gary Loomis and they aren't very expensive if money is an issue. In fact I have an 8' 4 weight rod made by them I use fairly often.

I agree that you can beat a 9 foot 4 weight on larger streams such as Penns, Pine, D, etc and that would be a 9' 5wt. Even a 6 if you frequently fish in adverse weather.

 

[Chaz]

That should have been Can't Beat a 4 weight Rod. What can I sy I can't type.

 

[ryguyfi]

Check out Greys too. Made by Hardy without the sticker price. I have a discontinued model that I use as my dry fly rod and love it. Got it for a steal too!

 

[Pghtrouthunter]

Hardy Zenith 9ft. 4 wt. Perfect rod for your use case. Check out the 4 wt. shoot out from Yellowstone Angler for a description.

 

[Chaz]

Clarify what type of streams you'll be fishing with this rod?

 

[pcray1231]

FWIW, I have the same GL3 and love it for pretty much everything on bigger water, including dries, though I'd agree if I know I'm definitely gonna be dry fly fishing, I often carry a softer actioned rod. And my small stream rod is a 7'6" 5 wt throwing a 7 wt line, and I use it for streams much smaller and thicker than VC, which I do not consider to be a "small stream" until you get up around Exton, really.

As was said, the 2 rods you mentioned are generally considered pretty stiff.

I generally find that I can "bridge gaps" with different actions, different weight ratings aren't really necessary unless you want to make a big jump. i.e. you could get a stiffer 3 wt, or a softer 5 wt, and cover what you're going after. Except, you probably wouldn't have to buy a new reel, line, etc.

Heck, I have a whole stable of 5 wts. My lineup is 7 rods. One 7 wt for steelhead/bass, and six 5 wts! All of the 5 wts share a single reel. I do have an extra spool loaded with 7 wt line on it for the brookie rod.

They range in lengths and actions, and honestly, I feel like I cover my bases pretty good with them. I've got the GL3 which is my nympher and streamer rod, and can handle dries when called upon. I've got a softer action bamboo which handles the fine dry fly work. I've got the short, stiff one for the tight brookie streams. I've got 2 tweeners, gap bridgers like what you're looking for. And a spare workhorse (was replaced by the GL3 but I never got rid of it, it was my "starter" rod and holds sentimental value).

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I have a Loomis GL3 9' 6 weight that I bought primarily for a big water flyrod and fishing streamers. In a pinch I have fished dry flys with it and it worked fine. IMO presentation of the fly is more the skill of the caster than the speed of the flyrod.

 

[podflyguy]

I appreciate all the new replies. I had a chance to cast some rods in the 8'6" 4wt configuration and totally fell in love with the Winston biiix. Just felt perfect in the hand and at both short and further distances (on the lawn of course). The sage one and scott s4 seemed a little stiffer and faster. If i was looking for a dedicated nymph rod it would definitely be the s4. Sweet rod. I will be the first to admit that my casting stroke could certainly use some work, but I really like the gl3 for weighted nymphs and streamers. It will still be my go to bigger water rod for dries. I think the biiix in 4wt would compliment my current pair (too few to be a stable) of rods nicely. Now I just have to save some pennies...

 

[bgibb]

i use the winston b2x have an 8' 4wt and 9' 5 wt. love them both. fish everything from small native brookie streams to larger streams like the loyalsock with these two rods. bought the 8 footer off ebay last fall like new for under $350. bought the 9' new and loved it so much i didn't want the b3x for my "small stream rod". may be a generation back but they are great. save a pile of money and get a used rod. smashed the rod in the truck tailgate and sent it back for repair-still a few hundred ahead over buying new. fish everything from heavy nymph rigs to tricos with them both.