How Long is your Rod?

[Bogey]

I know this topic is covered many times in past threads and while I did read many, I was interested in newer opinions. In Tom Gilmore's latest book he mentions his go to rod is a 4wt. 10ft. where he states much of his fishing is nymph fishing because it so much more effective. I have always fished 8'6 rods and started tying and fishing more nymphs last year (with great success). I know there are different rods for different applications but it seems like a 4wt. 10ft. could throw dries as well as euro nymph if I wanted to go that way?

When looking at the Orvis Recon, the orvis guy said that the 3wt 10ft is actually more sensitive and better for nymphing but similar to a 4 or 5 wt due to rod length and can handle bigger streams (penns). Anyone have experience with this rod?

So would a 10ft. rod work for smaller streams as well as larger ones or should I be looking at a 4 or 5 wt. 9 ft.?

 

[PennKev]

It really comes down to what technique you intended to employ. If you're going to really get into tightline/Euro methods a 10ft 3wt makes a lot of sense even for bigger wster. If you intended to fish conventional indicator rigs a lot, a 10ft 5wt may make more sense and is a much more versatile rod. As you may have guessed a 4wt is a decent compromise.

As for matching rod length to stream, go with the longest rod you can, particularly if you have decided to go Euro/tightline. As a good point of reference, a stream the size of Spring Creek is ideal for 10ft rods and such rods would not be out of place on somewhat smaller water too. Generally speaking, any water big enough to require at least knee deep wading in some areas is not too small for 10fters. Of course larger waters like Ljr or Penn's will be well suited to not only longer rods, but heavier line weights. A 10ft 5wt is not a bad all-round rod for such waters regardless of whether you're fishing dries, nymphs etc.

On the other hand a 9ft rod is a proven, versatile length, but does not offer much of an advantage over a 8 1/2 ft rod IMO.

Personally, I've settled into using a 9ft 4wt for the majority of my nymphing and while there are sometimes I want a heavier line weight, or a lighter, more sensitive rod, the 9ft 4wt fills most roles adequately.

 

[afishinado]

Bogey wrote:
I know this topic is covered many times in past threads and while I did read many, I was interested in newer opinions. In Tom Gilmore's latest book he mentions his go to rod is a 4wt. 10ft. where he states much of his fishing is nymph fishing because it so much more effective. I have always fished 8'6 rods and started tying and fishing more nymphs last year (with great success). I know there are different rods for different applications but it seems like a 4wt. 10ft. could throw dries as well as euro nymph if I wanted to go that way?

When looking at the Orvis Recon, the orvis guy said that the 3wt 10ft is actually more sensitive and better for nymphing but similar to a 4 or 5 wt due to rod length and can handle bigger streams (penns). Anyone have experience with this rod?

So would a 10ft. rod work for smaller streams as well as larger ones or should I be looking at a 4 or 5 wt. 9 ft.?

I own many different length and weight rods for trout fishing and I can choose to fish any one of them.....I choose to fish a 10' 4wt rod. It is my go-to rod for trout fishing bigger rivers like the D as well rivers out-west (and I've never felt undergunned), medium sized streams like the Penns, Fishing, Spring and the Little J as well as the numerous smaller streams I fish.

I fish dries and wets with it, high-stick and Euro nymph, as well throw a bugger or streamer at times.

The rod overhand casts well for all types and fishing, mends well and really excels at roll casting in tight areas.

HTH

 

[ryansheehan]

I fish a 10 foot 4 weight for 90% of my trout fishing, maybe more. The added line control is a major advantage with nymphs and dries. You can learn to be delicate and precise with a long rod with a little time. You cannot keep 15 feet of fly line off the water with a short rod no matter how much you try. There will be some people who say they mend just fine with a short rod and this may be true. However, put a longer rod in their hand and they will gain more leverage on their drifts and line, it's simple physics. There is an article that breaks down the math I will try to post a link.

 

[ryansheehan]

trigonometry fly fishing

 

[springer1]

Here for most streams in SEPA, I typically use a 7' or 7'6" fiberglass, for the larger streams like the Perk or Tully, a longer' IM6 graphite.

 

[CRB]

8' 1wt

 

[Bogey]

Thanks for all the great feedback...that knee deep water rule is a good rule of thumb. That was also the first trigonometry article that I have found interesting and actually finished.

Afishinado - You write with such confidence in your 4wt.10ft. that I was curious as to what brand/rod it actually was? I am not locked into any brands and am not a name chaser, but was just curious.

Thanks for all the opinions. It has swayed me towards the 4wt 10 ft. Now to demo...

 

[afishinado]

Bogey wrote:
Thanks for all the great feedback...that knee deep water rule is a good rule of thumb. That was also the first trigonometry article that I have found interesting and actually finished.

Afishinado - You write with such confidence in your 4wt.10ft. that I was curious as to what brand/rod it actually was? I am not locked into any brands and am not a name chaser, but was just curious.

Thanks for all the opinions. It has swayed me towards the 4wt 10 ft. Now to demo...

I fish an Orvis H2 10' 4wt, as well RyanS....the Virginny trout slayer. You mentioned a Recon rod. It is a good rod choice but there are many others you may consider.

The one thing I would definitely recommend is to test cast and buy a rod that casts and fishes well for all types of fishing and water. There are some longer rods made for Euro fishing; while they fish great for that technique, they might not be the best choice for a more do-all type rod. In other words, just because a rod is longer, that does mean it's better, necessary...do your due diligence

Good luck in your quest.

 

[Dave_W]

Bogey,
Don't go over to the long rod dark side.

Kidding aside, longer fly rods afford you a LOT of advantages, especially in nymph fishing. The advice above is rock solid.

However, there is a small fan club of short fly rod guys like me. A tiny 6' or so fly rod with a tiny cork grip and matching small reel has aesthetic appeal and makes for a great fishing experience. Moreover, it can be practical. In the tight, rhododendron choked brookie streams I frequent in Michaux, a long rod will cause you more headaches than help. A short rod is much better for these very tight spaces.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

I agree with Dave W . A smaller rod can be a lot of fun to fish even on larger streams. I have a 2wt. that is a good rod on brushy streams .It lets me get a fly closer to the bank and even an 8in. fish
feels HUGE. I can keep my line lower and avoid tree branches which love to eat flies.
All rods are compromises in that what you can do with one another might not work as well in a given situation. GG

 

[MKern]

A long rod (anything over 7.5') on really tight streams would be difficult to walk with, let alone fish with.
(i have been on rhoto choked streams that I have had to separate the sections of my 6'6" 2 wt just to walk.

But on most waters, 9' and above would be okay.

 

[ryguyfi]

The more you fly fish (or do anything for that matter) the more you realize you have specific tools for specific jobs. What do you need a hammer for? To drive in a nail. What type of nail? Tack hammer, claw hammer or sledge hammer? Same goes with fly fishing. You need specific rods and reels for specific situations.

A 10' 3-4 weight rod used for Czech nymphing is a great tool. Even go as far as using a slim level nymphing line to reduce sag and connect with the flies better to detect strikes. Now if you want to cast dries with it, then no it's not going to work so well. Maybe use a lighter weight rod with a more appropriate line. So it all depends on how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go with the specifics of your rod, reel and line set up for each outing. You can target a specific purpose for that day and have a set up for that, or you can have a setup that allows you to throw nymphs, dries and streamers if the situations present itself. I have gone back to the car and changed setups in the middle of the day because I felt I would have a better opportunity for a better presentation of flies due to changing conditions ie bugs now hatching, water levels changing, etc.

 

[troutbert]

You can also go the simplification route.

You can fish for trout in PA and be pretty well outfitted with just 2 fly rods. One for the larger and mid-sized streams, and one for the small brookie streams.

For the smaller streams, a 7 1/2 ft 4 wt.

For the large & medium streams, a 9 ft 5 wt.

 

[Swattie87]

troutbert wrote:
You can also go the simplification route.

You can fish for trout in PA and be pretty well outfitted with just 2 fly rods. One for the larger and mid-sized streams, and one for the small brookie streams.

For the smaller streams, a 7 1/2 ft 4 wt.

For the large & medium streams, a 9 ft 5 wt.

I agree with this, but would substitute the 5wt for a 6wt personally. Handles bigger stuff comparably better than a 5wt, and I don't notice much of a difference on the smaller flies, up to a size 18 or so. I don't find the need to fish flies smaller than that very often.

 

[salvelinus]

I could get by with three rods, all glass. A 6.5' 3 wt for brookies, a 7.5' 4 wt. for most streams, and an 8.5' 6 wt. for bigger water and warmwater. Of course only three rods is no fun, so I have a few more.

 

[Bogey]

All great advice. I actually have the orvis glass 3wt. for smaller streams and am planning on using this 4wt. 10ft for the larger streams (penns and spring and so on).

Afishinado: is that Helios 2 a tip flex? Local Orvis said they can get one so I can cast it. although I'm sure they are not going to give me any breaks on the price.

 

[afishinado]

Bogey wrote:
All great advice. I actually have the orvis glass 3wt. for smaller streams and am planning on using this 4wt. 10ft for the larger streams (penns and spring and so on).

Afishinado: is that Helios 2 a tip flex? Local Orvis said they can get one so I can cast it. although I'm sure they are not going to give me any breaks on the price.

The H2 104 is a tip flex. The H2's are being phased out for the H3's. there may not be many left. Give it a cast if you can. Good luck.

 

[steveo]

Come on guys. Everyone knows that it doesn't matter how long your rod is. What counts is how well you cast it!

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

The 10' 4wt H2 is absolutely my favorite trout rod. Everything Afish says about it is true. I like mine so much I'm going to get a 10' 5wt if they ever make an H3 model.