long 6wt streamer rod

[trowpa]

I've been doing more pickerel and bass fishing this summer. Some with the spinning rod, some with the fly rod. When using the fly rod - it is all streamers. Haven't gotten into any poppers yet...been using my 9' 5wt for that.. may bump up this fall to bigger streamers with my 9' 7wt.

However -i won an Alpha II 5/6 reel at the catskill jam and this of course prompted me to think how to use it...and i've been thinking of a dedicated streamer rod - a 9'6" 6wt.. for use on lakes for pickerel and bass...as well as now and then for trout, river smallies, etc.


I've found many options in various price points for 9footers, but very few in the 9'6" range.

Looking for ideas to add to my "test cast" list. So far I know there are 9'6" 6wts out there in discounted Z-axis, and even a few xps still around...and some blanks i could get (Dan Craft offers that).. but are there any choices cheaper than the 500 or so the Z/xps are going for now? Anything 300 or less?

I wanted the extra length to aid when fishing close to the water in the lakes (either wading or from a kayak...sometimes from a row boat) and for distance..but there seems to be so many more options in 9' lengths perhaps its not worth it?

Thanks in advance for helping me brainstorm.

 

[afishinado]

trowpa wrote:

I've been doing more pickerel and bass fishing this summer. Some with the spinning rod, some with the fly rod. When using the fly rod - it is all streamers. Haven't gotten into any poppers yet...been using my 9' 5wt for that.. may bump up this fall to bigger streamers with my 9' 7wt.

However -i won an Alpha II 5/6 reel at the catskill jam and this of course prompted me to think how to use it...and i've been thinking of a dedicated streamer rod - a 9'6" 6wt.. for use on lakes for pickerel and bass...as well as now and then for trout, river smallies, etc.


I've found many options in various price points for 9footers, but very few in the 9'6" range.

Looking for ideas to add to my "test cast" list. So far I know there are 9'6" 6wts out there in discounted Z-axis, and even a few xps still around...and some blanks i could get (Dan Craft offers that).. but are there any choices cheaper than the 500 or so the Z/xps are going for now? Anything 300 or less?

I wanted the extra length to aid when fishing close to the water in the lakes (either wading or from a kayak...sometimes from a row boat) and for distance..but there seems to be so many more options in 9' lengths perhaps its not worth it?

Thanks in advance for helping me brainstorm.

Cast the rod before buying it. Some really good 9' rods are dogs in longer lengths. You can buy nearly every model of rod in a 9 footer, while a 9'6" is very hard to find (hummmm may there's a reason for that?!?) As far as distance casting, I don't see how the extra 6" will make any difference at all.

 

[trowpa]

thanks afish - yes this is a list to TEST CAST. I won't buy anything over $100 or so without casting it first. From what i understand, the extra length helps when you are close to the water (either wading deep or on a kayak) but i don't have much experience in lake fishing like that.. so yes, perhaps i'm better off sticking with 9'ers - lots more choices.

 

[jdaddy]

Based on the boat theory I would say go with 10' 7wt. This rod could cover a lot of territory. Streamers, low to water casting planes, STEELHEAD (based on your email), bass, etc. But as mentioned, even in the same series 10' and 9'6" rods can be night and day. That extra foot is not just a foot of tip but an overall increase if taper and corresponding weight. 9' 4wt biiix is night and day compared to 10' 4wt biiix.

 

[gfen]

I'm quite confused by boats and rods, because first source says longer is better, the next says shorter is better. That said, I'm prone to believe shorter is better because you've got to do less leaning and fussing with 8' of rod above you and the angry teeth of a pick in front of you versus a 10' rod.

Maybe its different for a float tube, where you're shoulder deep in the water, but if I were in a kayak, I'd think shorter is better.

In something like a kayak, where stability is effected by how you torsion your body, it would seem to be even worse. You turn your body the wrong way, you dump the kayak because you've shifted your center of gravity.

Anyways, as jdaddy says, you add length you add weight.. Not just the physical weight of the rod, but the amount of weight that loads back and forth as you load that rod, which in turn works its way down the rod to your wrist. That's an order of magnitude higher than just the weight of the rod sitting on a scale.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear trowpa,

Since you are looking for a 6 weight some of what I have to say probably won't apply.

When I speak of same line weight rods of say 9" and 9 1/2' or 10' I am speaking of rods in the same series of rods by the same manufacturer.

This goes back a few years but in the mid to late 80's Sage had far fewer "series" of rods and far more models in a given series.

They had an 889, 890, and 896 RP and they were all distinctively different rods. The 889 was the finest graphite smallmouth fishing rod ever built and that is why other manufacturer's attempt to emulate it. The 890 was a fine general purpose 8 weight but it clearly lacked the "ummph" for tossing weighted or bulky flies possessed by the 889. The 896 was pretty much a dog, it couldn't toss a size 4 crayfish much less a size 4 crayfish with two pinkie finger nail sized split shot on the leader.

With that experience in mind I've stuck to 9 foot rods pretty much across the board for warmwater fishing knowing they wouldn't be perfect but they wouldn't be perfectly screwed up either.

I think that with rare exceptions among brands when you are dealing with larger, heavier, or more wind resistent flies my experience holds true in general. You may want to reconsider longer rods depending on the flies you will be using with them.

Now when you bring boats or kayaks into the mix you introduce another potential problem, that is will the rod be able to reach around the bow or stern of the boat and the items or people inside the boat when you hook a fish that decides he's moving hard from port to starboard?

Keep in mind that the hooked fish shortens the effective length of the rod and you will see why many kayak anglers are using 7 1/2 and 8 foot spinning and baitcasting rods in their 'yaks. Those rods deflect a lot less under pressure than a typical fly rod does also since they are usually working with 15 or 20 pound test or the equivalent diameter Superline.

Edited to add after "Superline" - and those rods are rated for 15 to 20 pound test which makes them much stouter than even a 10 weight fly rod.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[SeanC]

trowpa
Hey Guys, All great answers. Everyone has different needs and opinions regarding rods. So i will give my 2 cents. regarding a decent 6 wt try looking at the Greys GRXI 6 wt. Its a great responsive rod with a great price tag. If your doing allot of lake fishing 10 ft rods really are great. Especially when the wind kicks up. Good luck.

 

[gochs]

I'd like to add that if you want to move up to a 7wt, I think Justin lets you swap reels and just cover the difference. Perhaps that could be a solution.