All Around Rod

[podflyguy]

When I bought my 8’6” 4wt I thought it was going to be my “all around” rod. It has since been relegated to dry fly duty and over the last several years I’ve found myself buying more niche rods: 6 and 8wts for streamers and smallies, 7’ and 10’ 3 wts for small creeks and tight lining, and of course I still have the 9’ 5wt that started the sickness. That rod is still very much still in service but is limiting as it’s a 2 piece and could do with a trip back to the factory for a new tip top.

I do a Montana trip each year in early September where the bulk of fishing is hopper dropper. My 9’ 5wt would do just fine, but it’s a pain to travel with as I’d be forced to check it. Last year I fished a buddy’s 10’ 4wt Radian and really liked the extra reach to mend my drifts. I’ve since been thinking about adding a 10’ 4wt or 5wt to finally get back to that original idea of an all around rod. I’m curious to your thoughts on whether one makes more sense than another or whether I should simply replace my 5wt with a 9’ 4 piece.

 

[ColdBore]

A 10 foot 4 weight is not what I would consider an "all-around, universal" rod.

For that role, the first thing I think of is a good ole basic 9 foot 5 weight.

There's a reason that darn near everybody has at least one of them. Very little that can't be done with one of those.

 

[redietz]

Although I'm of the opinion that an all arounder rod falls into category of "Jack of all trades is master of none" and that for a person who owns more than one or a few rods is probably going to use the all rounder the least of all the situation of traveling, where you might be fishing a variety of waters with a variety of methods, in and of itself justifies an all rounder.

I pretty much agree with ColdBore; there's a good reason for a 9 foot five weight.

Replacing your 5wt 9 foot with a four piece is a good idea. Complementing it with a four piece is also a good idea -- you still might want a travel rod for road trips in the car.

 

[podflyguy]

I appreciate the input. I’ve been thinking that simply getting a 9’ 5wt 4 piece rod makes the most sense. Plus, there are tons of used ones out there for sale. But, the 10 ft+ rod craze has me over thinking it. Seems like every book/article you read someone is touting the benefits of these longer rods.

 

[afishinado]

podflyguy wrote:
I appreciate the input. I’ve been thinking that simply getting a 9’ 5wt 4 piece rod makes the most sense. Plus, there are tons of used ones out there for sale. But, the 10 ft+ rod craze has me over thinking it. Seems like every book/article you read someone is touting the benefits of these longer rods.

My all-round rod is a 10' 4wt. It's the rod I use for all types of fishing in larger rivers down to medium sized streams. It casts well mends well, and roll casts great. For very small streams I use a shorter rod, but a longer rod that casts well for you has many benefits.

BTW, my all around trout streamer, steelhead and smallie rod is a 10' 7wt.

 

[PennKev]

podflyguy wrote:
I do a Montana trip each year in early September where the bulk of fishing is hopper dropper.....
....... I’m curious to your thoughts on whether one makes more sense than another or whether I should simply replace my 5wt with a 9’ 4 piece.

If the goal is to acquire a rod that is suitable for fishing MT and also be easy to travel with, I'd recommend getting a 9' 4 piece 5 or 6wt and I would lean toward the 6wt.

A 6wt is a great all-round rod IMO, even for a lot of PA trout fishing.

I like 10' rods too, but I don't think they offer much for dry-dropper fishing. If you were planning on doing a lot of nymphing, then it becomes a different story IMO.

 

[podflyguy]

PennKev, I take a 9’ 6wt with me but have fished it mostly on days where we are in a drift boat (Clark’s Fork, Bitterroot, Blackfoot). Most of our DIY fishing is on Flint Creek and Rock Creek. I figured it was overkill, but I’ll definitely give the 6wt a go this year.

 

[moon1284]

To me all around is a 6wt between 8 and 9'. If I had to use one rod everywhere it would be an 8.5' 6wt and I'd have a bunch of different lines.

 

[Swattie87]

I have 4 rods that I regularly fish with:

9'0 6WT
8'6 5WT
7'6 3WT
7'0 4WT (2 piece)

My favorite to fish is the short 4 weight. But it's a 2 piece, and I find I fish the 3WT more for Brookies just out of the convenience of having the 4 piece. I'll never buy another 2 piece rod.

All that being said, if you made me sell 3 rods, and keep only one...I'd keep the big 6WT. I once had a brain fart while packing the truck for the day and threw my 6WT in for a day of planned Brookie fishing. I didn't realize it until I got to my destination two hours later. I considered going to bigger water, but the Brookie stream I planned on fishing was in primo shape. I fished it with the big 6WT, and it did just fine. There were some spots that were a PITA, but I had a really good day fishing attractor dries with it, just like I would have with the shorter rods.

I've fished Sulphur hatches on the 6WT, nymphed with it, and it's my primary warm water rod.

The one all around rod thing is definitely a jack of all trades, master of none scenario...That's why we buy more than one rod, but IMO a 6WT is the best jack of all trades. Bottom line...It does the lighter stuff better than a 5WT does the heavier stuff...if that makes sense.

 

[tomgamber]

podflyguy wrote:
I appreciate the input. I’ve been thinking that simply getting a 9’ 5wt 4 piece rod makes the most sense. Plus, there are tons of used ones out there for sale. But, the 10 ft+ rod craze has me over thinking it. Seems like every book/article you read someone is touting the benefits of these longer rods.

How tall you are plays into that scenario. Short guys love longer rods. Tall guys with a decent wingspan can get along without them.

But for an all around rod I have always had a 9ft 5wt. I usually keep reel with two spools. One DT6 and one WF5. I don't spend a lot on rods. So I'm Ok keeping this set up in my vehicle at all times just in case.

 

[ryansheehan]

My 10 foot 4 weight is my all around rod as well. It gets far more use than my 9 foot 5 weight.

 

[tomgamber]

ryansheehan wrote:
My 10 foot 4 weight is my all around rod as well. It gets far more use than my 9 foot 5 weight.

Now I'm curious, so would having the extra length make it easier to get away with a lighter line for the purpose of fighting fish as well? I understand the presentation benefit but would a 10 ft rod handle larger fish as well as a 5wt shorter rod. For example with smallmouth. And how would the 10ft 4wt handle big weighted buggers and such.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

When I fish Colorado I take my Sage SLT 5 weight and my Sage VT2 6 weight. Both are 9 foot. The SLT is a 5 piece and the VT2 is a 4 piece. Just easier to transport with the shorter rod tubes. Much more so when you go by airplane. Windy conditions play a role out west also! I do remember wishing for one of my smaller rods though when fishing the small mountain streams in the Rocky Mountain National Park. The long rods worked great in the meadow streams but I wished I would have also brought my Sage TXL 7 foot 4 weight for those real small streams. All in all I fished the 6 weight the most. IMO it's the best all around for a western fly rod.

 

[podflyguy]

I’m curious as well. Would a 10’ 5wt be comparable to a 9’ 6wt?

To answer your previous question, I am about 6’ 4”. So, wingspan isn’t an issue. But I’ve definitely noticed a difference in fishing the longer rods.

 

[afishinado]

tomgamber wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
My 10 foot 4 weight is my all around rod as well. It gets far more use than my 9 foot 5 weight.

Now I'm curious, so would having the extra length make it easier to get away with a lighter line for the purpose of fighting fish as well? I understand the presentation benefit but would a 10 ft rod handle larger fish as well as a 5wt shorter rod. For example with smallmouth. And how would the 10ft 4wt handle big weighted buggers and such.

I started a thread on here with an article written by George Daniel and dealing with streamer fishing. I'm a long rod guy. Here's what he has to say in that article >

The length of the rod is a personal choice, but I prefer to fish a long, stouter rod. A longer rod allows me to manage line more efficiently. Streamer fishing isn’t just laying line on the water and stripping. A longer rod gives you more ability to mend, adjust, lead, and reposition the line. I use a floating line for most of my streamer tactics as it lets me mend and reposition line during the presentation—just as I would while fishing indicator rigs or making aerial mends with dry-fly casts.

Longer rods also allow me to add distance to my cast, which is an important part of the streamer game. Although I’m an advocate for keeping your casts as short as possible in most fly-fishing situations, I do believe the ability to make longer casts, and cover more water, is important when streamer fishing. The more water you cover, the greater your chances are of encountering a trout that is aggressive or hungry enough to chase down your fly.

For example, I would compare a trout eating small nymphs to a human snacking between meals—we don’t think too much about grabbing a small scoop of peanut butter or sneaking in a few pretzels between meals. Trout are also often in the mood to snack on small food items, especially if you drift your fly directly to them. However, streamer tactics often depend on the fish to chase down and hunt larger food items. If the trout isn’t aggressive or hungry, there’s a good chance it isn’t going to chase your streamer. In order to find those few super-aggressive/hungry fish, we need to cover water, and I feel a longer rod provides the ability to make longer casts.

Another characteristic I look for in a streamer rod is fast action, as I use the rod tip to animate my streamers during the presentation. When you use the rod tip to move the fly, you want to be able to make it dance. A softer rod tends to dampen any action you’re trying to create while working from the cork end of the rod.

What good streamer anglers often do is create the appearance of a dying or crippled minnow, and you can use a stout rod to twitch or kick the streamer (side to side) by thrusting the rod tip off to the side during the presentation. This tactic is called a jerk-strip retrieve, and it was first popularized by Kelly Galloup.

If you’ve ever seen a dying or crippled minnow in the water, you’ve noticed that it drifts downstream, but occasionally kicks off to the side. This indicates that something is wrong. Predatory fish prefer easy meals like this. A faster-action rod tip, in combination with the jerk-strip retrieve, makes your presentation much move convincing. The better you sell the injured tactic, the better your chances of catching a larger fish.

Just as important, a stiff rod provides a more secure hook-set. When you’re dry-fly fishing with a size 20 Trico imitation, you have a totally different set of expectations. You want a soft rod that will protect light tippets and cushion the fight of the fish so the tiny hook stays in place. Streamer hooks are much heavier wire than dry-fly hooks, so you need to apply more force for a secure hook-set.

 

[tomgamber]

afishinado wrote:

tomgamber wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
My 10 foot 4 weight is my all around rod as well. It gets far more use than my 9 foot 5 weight.

Now I'm curious, [color=993300]so would having the extra length make it easier to get away with a lighter line for the purpose of fighting fish as well?[/color] I understand the presentation benefit but [color=990000]would a 10 ft rod handle larger fish as well as a 5wt shorter rod. [/color] For example with smallmouth. And how would the 10ft 4wt handle big weighted buggers and such.

I started a thread on here with an article written by George Daniel and dealing with streamer fishing. I'm a long rod guy. Here's what he has to say in that article >

The length of the rod is a personal choice, but I prefer to fish a long, stouter rod. A longer rod allows me to manage line more efficiently. Streamer fishing isn’t just laying line on the water and stripping. A longer rod gives you more ability to mend, adjust, lead, and reposition the line. I use a floating line for most of my streamer tactics as it lets me mend and reposition line during the presentation—just as I would while fishing indicator rigs or making aerial mends with dry-fly casts.

Longer rods also allow me to add distance to my cast, which is an important part of the streamer game. Although I’m an advocate for keeping your casts as short as possible in most fly-fishing situations, I do believe the ability to make longer casts, and cover more water, is important when streamer fishing. The more water you cover, the greater your chances are of encountering a trout that is aggressive or hungry enough to chase down your fly.

For example, I would compare a trout eating small nymphs to a human snacking between meals—we don’t think too much about grabbing a small scoop of peanut butter or sneaking in a few pretzels between meals. Trout are also often in the mood to snack on small food items, especially if you drift your fly directly to them. However, streamer tactics often depend on the fish to chase down and hunt larger food items. If the trout isn’t aggressive or hungry, there’s a good chance it isn’t going to chase your streamer. In order to find those few super-aggressive/hungry fish, we need to cover water, and I feel a longer rod provides the ability to make longer casts.

Another characteristic I look for in a streamer rod is fast action, as I use the rod tip to animate my streamers during the presentation. When you use the rod tip to move the fly, you want to be able to make it dance. A softer rod tends to dampen any action you’re trying to create while working from the cork end of the rod.

What good streamer anglers often do is create the appearance of a dying or crippled minnow, and you can use a stout rod to twitch or kick the streamer (side to side) by thrusting the rod tip off to the side during the presentation. This tactic is called a jerk-strip retrieve, and it was first popularized by Kelly Galloup.

If you’ve ever seen a dying or crippled minnow in the water, you’ve noticed that it drifts downstream, but occasionally kicks off to the side. This indicates that something is wrong. Predatory fish prefer easy meals like this. A faster-action rod tip, in combination with the jerk-strip retrieve, makes your presentation much move convincing. The better you sell the injured tactic, the better your chances of catching a larger fish.

Just as important, a stiff rod provides a more secure hook-set. When you’re dry-fly fishing with a size 20 Trico imitation, you have a totally different set of expectations. You want a soft rod that will protect light tippets and cushion the fight of the fish so the tiny hook stays in place. Streamer hooks are much heavier wire than dry-fly hooks, so you need to apply more force for a secure hook-set.

I subscribe to that line of thinking. All good info. But it doesn't address the question.

 

[ryansheehan]

tomgamber wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
My 10 foot 4 weight is my all around rod as well. It gets far more use than my 9 foot 5 weight.

Now I'm curious, so would having the extra length make it easier to get away with a lighter line for the purpose of fighting fish as well? I understand the presentation benefit but would a 10 ft rod handle larger fish as well as a 5wt shorter rod. For example with smallmouth. And how would the 10ft 4wt handle big weighted buggers and such.

Yes, but there is a draw back, trying to get a fish to the net at the end can be tricky. Overall I feel like the protection from the longer rod is worth the trade off at the net. The main reason I like the 10 footer though is line control. I'm 6'4" and feel like I have a lot options with that much rod length.

 

[CRB]

The net problem has made my choice 9' long rods the extra length is good for fighting the fish but, The longer handle net is a PITA to carry around.

 

[afishinado]

CRB wrote:
The net problem has made my choice 9' long rods the extra length is good for fighting the fish but, The longer handle net is a PITA to carry around.

I've never even thought of there being a problem landing fish with a longer rod. I use 10 footers all the time and never had a problem landing fish.

 

[Bamboozle]

In the hopes of pissing off a few, I suggest trying to land or bring a fish to net with a 12 Tenkara rod sometime.

With no reel you have to grab the "line" somewhere between the tip of the rod and the fish and then pull the line/fish in.

I use the same technique ALL the time with my conventional rods when trees overhead prevent lifting the rod higher to bring the fish closer and also because I don't like playing a fish from a rod lifted high (schooling from fishing bamboo rods).