Fly rod question

[Opie610]

I'm currently shopping for a new fiberglass rod for next spring. I am mainly going to be using it to fish caddis dry flies on creeks like the Tulpehocken. I have been wanting a slow action rod for a long time so I'm gonna pull the trigger on a Redington butter stick. The problem I'm having is deciding what size and weight to go with. So my question is what differences will I notice between the 7' 3wt and the 7'6" 4wt. ?

Thanks
Opie

 

[troutpoop]

I have a 7'6" Hardy glass rod I really enjoying casting. It has enough backbone to get the flies out there but not too short to cause problems mending. I don't have a 7' 3wt so I can't compare.

 

[salvelinus]

7'6" 4 wt. Any wind you're going to want a 4 wt. A 3 wt. for tiny dries would be nice but you'd want a longer rod, like 8'. 7' 3wt. is nice for brookies.

 

[mxk1058]

I would suggest the 7'6". I have a 7' 4/5wt and I often wished it had the extra 6". The other thing is the longer the more "limber" it will feel with fiberglass. So there should be little difference in "feel" as far as casting and fish fighting goes.

 

[steveo27]

I have a 7' 4/5w CGR and at times I find myself wishing it was 7'6".

 

[Bamboozle]

I fish a lot of glass in many lengths. However, if I was choosing a rod for the Tulpehocken or streams around that size, it would be 8 foot rod, ideally a 5wt.

I own an 8'0" 5wt glass rod and use it at a lot of streams in PA from the Manatawny to Big Springs. It is a versatile length that will work at most places where my preference could be a 7'6" or even an 8'6" to 9'0" rod.

A 7'0" 3wt is specialized rod & length that I also own but use on much smaller streams where things are tighter and wind doesn't cause a problem.

While everybody has their preference, I always choose the longest rod I can get away on most streams I fish.

Obviously YMMV

Good luck!

 

[outsider]

The Tully is my "home Stream", been fishing the caddis hatch there since the 70's. And when the caddis are in bloom, I only fish on top. I like it on top. And I do fish it with several different rods there, probably 10 or more. Glass, bamboo, and graphite. That being said, If I where to select one glass rod, it would be an 8' rod, either a 4 weight or a 5 weight. I own 10 glass rods ranging 6' to 8'. I assume you live in Berks County or close to it. If so, I invite you to cast my rods to better help your decision. I live close to TCO's West Lawn shop.

Had to edit my post, forgot about the 2 custom glass rods I recently acquired. By the way, my glass rods range from slow to fast.