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Fly Tying
Mike West

Let’s hash this out...specific rod for a fly

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Mike, I've been fly fishing since the mid 70s and I can do all the trout, bass, and pan fishing that I'll ever want to with an 8' 7wt.

I always encourage new folks to look at similar mid-weight rigs (5-7wt) in medium lengths that don't stay up in the tree tops and you can reach the end of, and suggest a price of $100-200 tops. My thoughts are that the great majority of new buyers won't stay in the sport long and the high priced stuff will live in a closet or ... If and when the newbie decides he/she wants to specialize or upgrade, he should have the acquired knowledge to make informed decisions.

 

What drives the price up on some top name rods is the guarantee that they will replace it 2,3 or 10 times if you are careless and break it, no free lunch- just raise the door charge. And then there is a class of fly fisher that has to pay more for every thing as part of his personality; doesn't matter to those guys which thing is best, only which one cost more.

 

You are correct. I have made several posts about the late great former fishing editor, Jason Lucas, and how he always preached that the only fly rod one needs for ALL fly fishing, from small sunfish up to large tarpon, was a rod 8 feet or even several inches shorter with a medium action, a floating line, a leader about as long as the rod, and a single action reel. I pretty much agree with ole Jason, and the only reason I fish with lots of different rods is because I am a collector and I like to fish with the stuff I collect. I only fish the small streams of the GSMNP in eastern Tennessee for small trout, so by rights I should only need a 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 foot 4 or 5 weight rod for most traditional fishing situations and a 10 foot 3 weight rod for high stick nymph fishing. But lately I have been using my 8 footers with 5, 6, and 7 weight lines and am doing quite well with them and having a lot of fun in the process. Maybe it is an unconscious tribute to my childhood idol, Jason Lucas.

Joe

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Full disclosure, I have a ridiculous collection of rods. I used to be a VP of a corporation and could afford them. Glad I have them. I don't drink, do dope or chase women. This is my hobby.

 

That being said, I like what Tom McGuane said, "You can fish for any fish in North America with two rods, a 5 wt and an 8 wt." But sometimes small stuff is more fun with bluegill or brook fishing. Once I had my ass handed to me by a hot Chinook on an 8 wt. Probably user error, but I use a 10 wt for salmon and Steelhead after that.

 

I would advise anyone to get a 10 wt and go find a fish that needs it. But ultralight is fun, too. I am bipolar about this, I guess.

 

And then there are Spey rods...

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95% of my fly fishing is on 20' wide, knee deep trout streams. Mostly I fish 7' 3" 3 weight that I love and I have 9' 5 weight for wider rivers or for the salmon run in the fall. Both rods are in the $200 range so not expensive at least not when compared to premium fly rods.

 

Last year my father in law gave me a cir.1950's 9' 3 piece South Bend bamboo rod (5-6 weight) that I restored in my spare time. I removed all the original varnish, straightened the tip section, replaced the reel seat, grip, silk wrapped a set of new guides and re coated the spar varnish. All in, I'm into the rod for about $125 and 30 hours labor or so. Casting took some getting used to but in the process I realized I really like the feel of a bamboo rod.

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Looking at it as an engineer, bamboo is much heavier, not as durable, more maintenance intensive and measurably inferior to a modern fly rod. But fly fishing is only part science, there's also a whole lot of art mixed in with it and I just like the feel of bamboo. Recently at an antique shop in Maine I found an old 7' 6" 2 piece bamboo rod in the 3 weight range that I paid $20 for. It's in rough shape but it can still be saved for about $100 and some love, I'm going to make time to work on her this summer-

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People should do what makes them happy. Fish the rods you want and don't poo on people that like to fish another way.

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People should do what makes them happy. Fish the rods you want and don't poo on people that like to fish another way.

 

I was in a tobacconist store years ago when a guy came in and wanted to know what the "best" cigar in the store was. The owner replied "It's the one YOU like the best". I never forgot that-

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People should do what makes them happy. Fish the rods you want and don't poo on people that like to fish another way.

Well said

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People should do what makes them happy. Fish the rods you want and don't poo on people that like to fish another way.

The OP isn't saying different, the gist of the thread as I understand it is that he objects to new inexperienced flyers being told/sold that they MUST have a specialty rod/line/outfit for each situation. One could also include a specific style of hat to match each rod or each type of fly and make just as sense.

 

I simply dont understand why in this day and age you have to have a rod for every style of fishing or fly.

Perhaps a general purpose rod/outfit and a fedora is all one has to have?

 

I try not to poo on anybody's gear, but you might get me shaking my head and making a suggestion if you are out throwing 1/0 flies at stripers with a 6' 3wt. By the same token it's easy to fish a #26 larva with a 9' 9wt by simply using a leader and if that was your choice I wouldn't even notice it.

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People should do what makes them happy. Fish the rods you want and don't poo on people that like to fish another way.

The OP isn't saying different, the gist of the thread as I understand it is that he objects to new inexperienced flyers being told/sold that they MUST have a specialty rod/line/outfit for each situation. One could also include a specific style of hat to match each rod or each type of fly and make just as sense.

 

I simply dont understand why in this day and age you have to have a rod for every style of fishing or fly.

Perhaps a general purpose rod/outfit and a fedora is all one has to have?

 

I try not to poo on anybody's gear, but you might get me shaking my head and making a suggestion if you are out throwing 1/0 flies at stripers with a 6' 3wt. By the same token it's easy to fish a #26 larva with a 9' 9wt by simply using a leader and if that was your choice I wouldn't even notice it.

 

I understand that.

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bamboo is ..., not as durable, ... a modern fly rod.

You'd be surprised. Cane is in many ways much more durable than graphite. I have one rod that I bought with the understanding that one of the tips was run over by a car. I can tell which tip, since the guides are bent out of shape, but otherwise, it's structurally sound. Try that with a graphite rod.

 

I regularly fish rods that are 80 years old. The only "extra maintenance" they require is to let them dry before putting them away -- hardly an onerous amount of work.

 

Cane is different than graphite, but in no way inferior.

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As a kid, I remember seeing Lee Wulff using a 6 foot bamboo fly rod. In one episode, he was float planed to some remote river or lake in Canada. He was fishing for large brook trout. He wanted to see which streamer the trout might prefer, so he tied on three separate streamers, I believe as droppers. Before he could strip the line all the way to him, he had strikes and hooked three trout at once. These were not small fish either. He landed all three. Lee always said when using a very short rod, one needs to keep his arm extended over his head when playing a fish. I would never use a 6 foot fly rod for large fish, but who is going to argue with ole Lee? My point is that one can use any rod he/she wants to if it makes them happy and no one should disagree with that.

Joe

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I have one flyfishing rig; a SciAnglers Concept 9' 6wt kit with the stock WF-6-F line. I learned how to cast with it, & used it for everything from perch to 14" trout. It's always done the job for me, so I never thought about anything else.

 

I have a tenkara setup, but that's for small streams & for playing with the little parr marked fishys.

 

These days, I fish primarily on the Upper Colorado below Gore Canyon; my fly rig works very well there except when I want to cast across the river; then I'll grab my Wonderod spin cast rig.

 

I really like the look of Steve's rods, though!

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Just got back from a trip to Great Smokies NP and the friend with me gave me a 8' 5wgt glass rod. Need to match it with a reel and line then I can try it. Can hardly wait. Used a Tenkara rod while on this trip but wished I had brought a 5 wgt reel. Guess I'll have to plan another trip.

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I've got the same Fenwick 8 1/2 ft 7wt rod that I built back in the late 70's. Except for 3" that the wife broke off while vacuuming too close to it. I've rewrapped the guides once & still use it every time I go out. Bass & bluegills & crappies. It does everything I need. I built a 9 ft 9 wt carbon rod about 15 years ago after all the hype I was reading & hearing. I hate that rod. Find one that works & stick with it.

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I agree to a large extent. Too many fly fishermen, especially beginners, seem to put too much emphasis on equipment, and not nearly enough on technique. There are excellent rods and reels out there for not a lot of money these days. You don't have to spend a fortune to be a very successful fly fisherman.

 

I fish a lot. For the last 25 years, most of my trout fishing has been done with an entry-level Redington 8' 3 wt combo that I bought back in the mid 90s. It is a great all-around rig. I've went through several lines on it, but the rod and reel are still solid after thousands and thousands of hours of fishing.

 

In recent years I have added a couple of rods to fill niches that this rod doesn't fill really well. I have a 9' 7 wt. TFO for river smallmouth fishing and casting big stramers for trout. I also recently added a 10' 3 wt Wetfly Element SE that is the bomb for tight-line nymphing. Those extra 2 feet of length make a world of difference. None of these rods are expensive, but untold tens of thousands of trout, smallmouth, and other fish don't know the difference.

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