salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
I have to disagree here.
Fast action or slow action matters not really. It's the line that carries the streamer. You can fish a heavy(line weight) slow action rod with streamers, very very well.
A NOS vintage graphite will be slower. The 7/8 wts "feel" like a 5wt and can land and cast more delicate flies generally used in trout fishing very softly. Yet they can rocket out a streamer.
Of course of you like fast action then buy that, I was just pointing out as a devoted streamer guy that likes fullflex rods, that it's a myth that you need a fast action to fish streamers well.
It's all in how you cast.
No doubt pick the best rod that fits you casting style and preferences. You can make a slow or slower action rod that is designed to flex into the butt section with slower acceleration and stop work for streamer fishing.
But most rods in the heavier weight classes tend to be on the faster side and that's for good reasons. A faster rod flexes mostly at the tip and flexes further down the blank when casting a longer line with more weight and/or more acceleration and stop.
If one is choosing a rod for a certain purpose, streamer fishing in this case, it's best to try to match the rod to the intended type to fishing to be done. Streamer fishing usually involves longer casts with heavier and often more wind resistant flies than normal trout fishing. Also, to fish streamers effectively, it is often necessary to cast a sinking line.
In both cases, choosing a faster rod than you may prefer to use in your regular trout fishing may work better for casting streamers. A faster rod will handle more line in the air because it has more flex left in the blank, while a slower rod rod may get maxed out of flex at a shorter distance.
In addition, casting a sinking or sink tip line is not the same as casting the floating line you use on most streams. In just about every case, a faster rod with a more power butt works better for casting sinking lines or weighted poly leaders along with bigger heavier flies.
Another benefit of a faster rod is being able to cast a tighter loop, which helps you cast in the windy conditions more likely to be encountered in larger and more open rivers and streams.
Hopefully you test cast a rod before choosing one. I suggest you check it out with a good sized streamer (cut off the hook point) and a sinking tip line, if that is what you will be actually be casting on the stream or river. You will be surprised how doing this changes your approach to buying a rod, even if you prefer rods on the slower side for regular trout fishing.
And last, when streamer fishing a heavier tippet is used. Also (hopefully) you will be tangling with bigger fish. In addition, you will likely be fishing a bigger streams and rivers which tend to be deeper and with more current. As a general rule, a more powerful rod with a stiffer butt is a better tool for fighting big fish with a heavy tippet in deeper water with heavy current.
The long and short, test out your rod with the rig (line and flies) you plan to fish and try casting with them the distances you need to hit to fish effectively.
Finally, I am not saying you need to fish a broomstick with guides, just that a faster rod than you would normally choose for trout fishing, may serve you better for streamer fishing.
The bonus is the rod should be a great when you decide to slum it.... and fish for smallies.
