S
Silent Ocelot
Well-known member
Upon reflection of my current rod stash I thought about the notion that if I only had to pick three rods to fish for trout in PA, what would they be? The answer came quite readily to me.
1. A shorter and lighter line rod for dries and dry/droppers and to fish small creeks;
My Choice: CTS Affinity MX 2wt 8ft. I have only lawn cast mine but from that I have gleamed it to be an excellent caster when a short cast is required. I gave it a wiggle test against my SAGE Little ONE 1wt 8'2", a rod I really hold in high regard, and the CTS definitely felt better. It was at least faster. The only thing I am curious about when using this rod is how well it will throw a light indicator rig. More on that when I fish it. The first choice was actually the hardest because I often like a rod that is just really fun to fish. My Orvis Superfine 2wt 6'6" (new version) is definitely the rod I have the most fun with when lawn casting, but its shorter length wouldn't be beneficial on most of the small creeks I fish, barring two. The added length of the CTS makes it substantially more beneficial.
2. A longer nymph-specific rod for larger creeks as well as just nymphing in general;
Too easy. I am going with my Hardy Ultralight 2wt 10'2" for this. This by many miles is the best nymphing rod I have fished, though I will say my ESN HD 3wt 10' takes it on sensitively. Indicator fishing with this rod is a breeze. The RIO Tech Trout 4WF-F I have on mine practically jumps off the guides. I can through heavy indicator rigs on it and the rod still gets them out there. I ADORE the action on this rod, just so pleasant, intuitive, and easy-going. This rod can cast far for its class so I'd have no problems throwing dries on it, in fact I fished a pond with it a few times last year after it was too dark to fish the creek. It worked but it wasn't ideal. This rod would be great for a creek where I would be switching from nymphs to dries. I run standard fly line for this purpose, it makes the rod more versatile. A simple leader swap will change the way I am fishing entirely. If I am indicator fishing I just take off the indicator and cut off the tippet ring and nymphs for a seamless transition to evening dry fly fishing.
3. A streamer rod that could also be used to hock heavy indicator rigs;
My ideal steamer/heavy rig chucker has yet to make its way to my quiver. I know, me not having an exact rod for an application, nigh impossible I dare say! But it's true. Having analyzed this I have come to the conclusion that I'd pick up a 6wt 9'6" rod. The added length would help with line control for indicator fishing and I speculate the length could also help with rocketing out streamers, at least when roll-casting. My choice would have to be a either a SAGE Method or SAGE TCX, both rods I cam quite fond of. I actually had a Method 6wt 9'6" (697 in SAGE nomenclature) that I really like (besides the cork). It seemed to be a pretty powerful rod and could cast far. Flicked it away because the cork was grimy when I got it (I just should have re-corked it). Considering I go to Erie at least once on an annual basis I wanted a rod suited for that and I think a 6wt 9'6" platform would be ideal for the kind of fishing I am expecting to encounter there. I am on the hunt for a Method in this configuration but the current EBAY prices running close to $800 are even high by my standards, so I'm going to wait on this one.
So there you have it. I hope this was an enjoyable and entertaining read on my fly rod selection. Does anyone else have a selection like this? What are your 3 rods for trout fishing in PA or just your 3 rods for general PA fishing?
1. A shorter and lighter line rod for dries and dry/droppers and to fish small creeks;
My Choice: CTS Affinity MX 2wt 8ft. I have only lawn cast mine but from that I have gleamed it to be an excellent caster when a short cast is required. I gave it a wiggle test against my SAGE Little ONE 1wt 8'2", a rod I really hold in high regard, and the CTS definitely felt better. It was at least faster. The only thing I am curious about when using this rod is how well it will throw a light indicator rig. More on that when I fish it. The first choice was actually the hardest because I often like a rod that is just really fun to fish. My Orvis Superfine 2wt 6'6" (new version) is definitely the rod I have the most fun with when lawn casting, but its shorter length wouldn't be beneficial on most of the small creeks I fish, barring two. The added length of the CTS makes it substantially more beneficial.
2. A longer nymph-specific rod for larger creeks as well as just nymphing in general;
Too easy. I am going with my Hardy Ultralight 2wt 10'2" for this. This by many miles is the best nymphing rod I have fished, though I will say my ESN HD 3wt 10' takes it on sensitively. Indicator fishing with this rod is a breeze. The RIO Tech Trout 4WF-F I have on mine practically jumps off the guides. I can through heavy indicator rigs on it and the rod still gets them out there. I ADORE the action on this rod, just so pleasant, intuitive, and easy-going. This rod can cast far for its class so I'd have no problems throwing dries on it, in fact I fished a pond with it a few times last year after it was too dark to fish the creek. It worked but it wasn't ideal. This rod would be great for a creek where I would be switching from nymphs to dries. I run standard fly line for this purpose, it makes the rod more versatile. A simple leader swap will change the way I am fishing entirely. If I am indicator fishing I just take off the indicator and cut off the tippet ring and nymphs for a seamless transition to evening dry fly fishing.
3. A streamer rod that could also be used to hock heavy indicator rigs;
My ideal steamer/heavy rig chucker has yet to make its way to my quiver. I know, me not having an exact rod for an application, nigh impossible I dare say! But it's true. Having analyzed this I have come to the conclusion that I'd pick up a 6wt 9'6" rod. The added length would help with line control for indicator fishing and I speculate the length could also help with rocketing out streamers, at least when roll-casting. My choice would have to be a either a SAGE Method or SAGE TCX, both rods I cam quite fond of. I actually had a Method 6wt 9'6" (697 in SAGE nomenclature) that I really like (besides the cork). It seemed to be a pretty powerful rod and could cast far. Flicked it away because the cork was grimy when I got it (I just should have re-corked it). Considering I go to Erie at least once on an annual basis I wanted a rod suited for that and I think a 6wt 9'6" platform would be ideal for the kind of fishing I am expecting to encounter there. I am on the hunt for a Method in this configuration but the current EBAY prices running close to $800 are even high by my standards, so I'm going to wait on this one.
So there you have it. I hope this was an enjoyable and entertaining read on my fly rod selection. Does anyone else have a selection like this? What are your 3 rods for trout fishing in PA or just your 3 rods for general PA fishing?
