I can't choose a rod!

[Dave G. 0]

Not doubting your decision making process, but...why a 6wt? If the biggest thing I ever had to throw was a #6 weighted streamer, I'd use a 4wt for that use the vast majority of the time.

 

That point aside, at the price point you seem to be shooting for, I don't think you can really go wrong, quality-wise.

Can't speak for the OP but around here, where a 4 wt should be great the wind kills it. A 5 is better on average days but many days a 6 is way more comfortable to work with. All my early years of fishing these ponds and even rivers of New England, especially down here near the SE coast , all I owned was 6 wt rods. The Moosehead Lake area of Maine isn't a whole lot better for wind, they get what seems like constant weather fronts coming in from Canada up there. I keep both a 5 and 6 wt in my car 24-7, wind direction and velocity determine which I will use. The 4 I presently have is mostly a stream rod though and I want to build a 9 ft 4 wt. but we have to really pick our days to use a 4 wt on. Mid summer and mornings are usually pretty good bets for a 4. A switch rod might work well though, it's the false casting that gets blocked by the wind generally.

[Poopdeck 0]

I'm with Dave G. Except I'm not throwing any size weighted streamer on a 4wt rod. I cannot see how that would be enjoyable or superior to a 6wt.

[Dave G. 0]

I'm with Dave G. Except I'm not throwing any size weighted streamer on a 4wt rod. I cannot see how that would be enjoyable or superior to a 6wt.

I might throw about a size 8 with a small bead on it with my 4 wt. I tie a small size 12 Syn Yak streamer to simulate baby herring in our ponds here for the fall trout fishing, on a nice day I might use a 4 wt for those. Size 6 Marabou or Traditional single hook Grey Ghost with no weight would be max and I would prefer my 5 wt for it on Northern rivers. I throw a lot of a certain pattern purple bucktail though in size 8 or even 10 up there. Muddlers are 10 and 12 and that is my go to fly for northern Maine streams, that and sunken fluttering caddis in size 12 ( tied like the fluttering caddis but with soft hackle). And size 12 and 14 wet flies and soft hackles traditionals in several patterns. Small Hornbergs, the big ones get the 6 wt for around here. For some reasons the brown trout love those little ones in one particular pond here fished wet and up north the brookies in ponds all over up there, fished dry, weird. My kid caught an 18" brookie on a 4 wt up there but on a size 14 March Brown, also weird, only because of the time of year. Nuff said.

 

Oh and in that herring season, try a 7 wt or even 8 with a big perch pattern because the fish that will take it are really really powerful big bass and browns. I couldn't hold oneof these with my spinning rod and ended up breaking off but it only had 4lb test line. They don't bother with the little herring they are on what's taking the little herring, I found that out bait fishing a couple of times when my perch and then a bluegill were taken by one of these monster fish ( course you can't hook em but they run with the full size sunnie or perch till they spit it out. And there are huge pickerel in there too.