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EchoRidgeElder
Member
Somewhere I read that the 8'6" 5wt' was the swiss army knife of trout rods. Now, I have been fly fishing for over 48 years, and I do not own an 8'6" 5wt!
May be of some help. Kind of summarizes alot of what's been said by powers here.
If I were to have only one rod for all around use - 8'6" 5 weight.
Be a little more manageable on small streams
That's a great long term plan for some. Most just can't afford to do that. Once I could, the question was answered by how much gear was I comfortable leaving in my vehicle all the time. That one rod was usually my 4pc 9ft 5wt.I disagree with the idea of one all around trout rod. If you are just starting out build a collection of entry level rods. One at a time, not all at once. Discover what you like and how line choice changes the character of the rods. You'll probably end up with a couple favorites depending on exactly where and how you fish.