Help with buying a 4 weight

[nstumpo]

I don't post often but have found a wealth of information on this site so I'd like to just say thanks in advance for your thoughts! Here's my situation...

I have a 5 wt. Orvis 8'6" TLS Power Matrix that I unfortunately broke in half a few weeks back. It is being replaced but as of right now, my only backup is an old glass rod that belonged to my great grandfather and I'd rather it keep its space hanging on the wall. I've always wanted a 4 wt for some of the smaller streams in SE PA and Centre County so I've been looking at a 7' Orvis Clearwater.

Here's my criteria/thinking: I want the 4 wt primarily as a backup rod for my 5 wt but also as a complement. I don't have a ton of money to spend and would say my budget is probably 200 bucks. I also don't have money for another reel so I'm thinking I'll use my Battenkill Reel with 5 weight line on the 4 weight. Is this an issue?

Also, what is your experience with this rod or maybe others that I should check out in the same price range? I don't want to break the bank since it won't remain my main rod but I like the 25 yr warranty of the Orvis rod and don't want to spend 75 bucks on a cheap rig that breaks anyway.

Thanks!

 

[SBecker]

I have a friend that is selling a 4wt Hydros in your price range if interested. Pm me if you are.

 

[jerseygeorge]

I bought a 4wt as a back up to my 5 wt. Now my 5wt is my backup. Even on big rivers big fish like the Delaware. The 4 always comes out first. So get one you like, you may be surprised. I have two 4's. The first was a winston ibis kit on ebay for $100 complete. Awesome rod. The second is a scott.

 

[jerseygeorge]

I bought a 4wt as a back up to my 5 wt. Now my 5wt is my backup. Even on big rivers big fish like the Delaware. The 4 always comes out first. So get one you like, you may be surprised. I have two 4's. The first was a winston ibis kit on ebay for $100 complete. Awesome rod. The second is a scott.

 

[Swattie87]

As far as the rod size/length goes, the further you stray from the 8'6 5wt parameters the less of a "backup" and more of a "compliment" the new rod becomes...not that that's an issue, but just be aware. That said, I think diversifying a little in your situtation makes more sense than just getting a second 8'6 5wt, especially if you're looking in to some smaller streams. There's some 7'6 and 8'0 4wts out there too.

For example, I have a 6'11 4wt LLBean Streamlight Ultra. Very good rod for the price ($110 or so I believe), but I use it as my small stream Brookie rod, and it would struggle as a full time backup for my 8'6 5wt that I use on bigger streams. Could I get away with it for a day or two if I needed to, sure, but it's not the right tool for the job on a larger stream.

As far as the 5 wt line on a 4 wt rod goes, you'll get lots of different opinions...it won't hurt the rod or be a major issue either way though. If you're going to be fishing smaller streams (and making shorter casts) with the 4 wt, the 5wt line will actually help you load the rod properly with less line out, which will help on shorter casts. I often fish my 4wt Brookie rod with 5wt line for this reason.

Plenty of good rods in that price range...

The Orvis you mentioned
LLBean Streamlight Ultra
Pretty much Redington's entire lineup
St. Croix Rio Santo/Imperial
Sage Vantage

 

[Tiogadog]

Redington RS4 can be found online for under your price point.

 

[Keppenbill]

Echo carbon 169.00 with a lifetime warranty

 

[nstumpo]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I looked into all of the mentions. One thing I forgot to bring up is my preference for a 4 piece rod for this purchase. The Redington Classic Trout particularly caught my eye. Any thoughts on this one? The glass rod I've been using as a backup is 7' 6" and has a medium action. I've come to like it for throwing small dries. The Classic Trout lists a medium action as well and at 1st glance appears comparable. It is available as a 4 piece 8ft.

 

[Swattie87]

I've casted the Redington CT...was one of the one's I was considering for my Brookie rod upgrade (ended up with the LLBean I mentioned above). The CT's definitely more on the medium side of things. I wanted something a little faster for a Brookie rod, but that's just my preference. The CT's a nice rod. Pretty sure they were going for an old school feel with modern components type of thing on that one. Don't currently own one, but I like pretty much all of Redington's rods.

 

[PennKev]

nstumpo wrote:

Here's my criteria/thinking: I want the 4 wt primarily as a backup rod for my 5 wt but also as a complement. I don't have a ton of money to spend and would say my budget is probably 200 bucks. I also don't have money for another reel so I'm thinking I'll use my Battenkill Reel with 5 weight line on the 4 weight. Is this an issue?

So are you plannig on eventually getting a 4wt line and reel for this rod?

Using a 5wt line on a 4wt rod is not an issue but what's the point of having/using the rod without a 4wt line? Sure it'll work fine if your go-to rod goes down, but if you just need a backup, get something cheap but servicable. If you want a complimentray rod to your current 5wt either get an appropriate 4wt line also or get a second shorter/longer 5wt rod IMO.

Kev

 

[nstumpo]

I understand your opinion Kev. I guess my thinking in getting a 4 wt is I want something shorter than what I have now that I can be a little more delicate with. To be honest, after casting a 4 wt today at the Orvis store, I'm thinking a shorter 5 might be the way to go, say a 7ft or 7ft 6". I want to cast a few more rods before I say yes or no either way though. Heading to French Creek tmrw to see what they have in stock for 4's, particularly Redington.

 

[mrwisker]

For my extremely limited knowledge I can only offer this.

I purchased the 7'6" 4wt prestige set from Cabela's (on sale right now for 129.99) ready to use set. Unfortunatly I have yet to use it (sick kids and work come first)

LL.Bean has ready to fish sets from 75.00 on up
LL.Bean also has an unconditional lifetime gaurantee. If it breaks or for some reason you just don't like it anymore, they will fix or buy it back from you. (that's on any of their products)

 

[NewTyer1]

I have a LL Bean 7'6" 4wt with reel and reelonrod tube for $125 shipped

 

[NewTyer1]

I also have a 5'9" 4wt with an Austin Forbes reel, backing and line for $125 shipped. Both the LL BEAN and the 5'9" rod/reel are brand new

 

[nstumpo]

A big thank you to all who helped with suggestions. I did a lot of research on the rods suggested and was able to get my hands on most of the ones suggested to test out casting.

In the end, I went with the Orvis Clearwater 7ft. 4-weight 4-piece. I liked the short length and the feel more than any of the others I was able to cast and man is it light. Have yet to fish with it but that should change this weekend. Thank you all!