FLYMPH FORUM

Hey Guys,

Just curious as to what rod you use for soft hackle/spider fishing (such as length,weight and action ?

Thanks,
MD

As I fish larger rivers (Colorado, Gunnison, Roaring Fork) 90% of the time and rarely throw drys, my rod of choice is a 9' Med/Fast 5wt. I also have a 9' Fast action 5wt, but rarely use it. I am not too worried about spooking fish when I fish SH's so delicate presentations are not needed. For my area, and style of fishing the 5 wt is a good all around rod. I dont own a bamboo rod, nor do I wish to, but bamboo and Soft Hackles seem to go hand in hand. I would imagine there probably isnt a wrong rod to use with Soft Hackles. Bamboo to Spey rods, the Soft Hackles and Spiders seem to fill a niche with all of them.

Hello MuddlerDaddy,
Can I throw in my opinion on rod choice? The new 10ft rods in a medium-medium fast action are a pretty good bet,very popular. On more open/larger water I use a 10ft 4wt. Most of the time I'm fishing small over hung creeks meaning tunnel fishing. Use the longest rod you can get away with (this is an opinion) Many people have found Fiberglass rods very useful here,they load quick and roll cast beautifully. Cane rods do very well anywhere. Graphite rods give you many choices in rod length and action. I shy away from fast rods unless BIG water is involved. What I use most are glass rods that's my choice.
There are many knowledgeable people here you that can give more help on this.

MD,

Depending on the water, I use a 10 foot 4 wgt (Snowbee Diamond) with a plastic floating line, an 8'6" Sage SLT for 5 wgt with a Sharkskin floating line, or a 7'6" Bamboo rod made by the late John Channer with a 4 wgt Phoenix DT silk line that is well geased. I have fished a Cabelas 6 foot 1 wgt with a plastic line from Cabelas and was undergunned for the fish. Went back to the Channer.

REE

Someday-someday, I will purchase a 10 foot, moderate action fly rod in a 4 weight or 5 wt. This is a dream of mine. I believe that a long moderate action fly rod is best for wet fly fishing. Of course rod selection is based upon how you fish and where you fish. Use the longest rod you dare for where you fish, which affords less line to control on the water. I have a 6 wt St Croix of moderate action I use at present which is 9 ft, and feel a 10 footer would work better for me.

Mark

Somewhere along the way in the early stages of my fly fishing I found the shorter rods to my liking. 7' to 7'-6" length in a 4wt. in medium to soft action has fit my needs quite well. That would be for fishing small creeks to streams thirty or so feet in width. There are certainly places where I could see the benfit of using a longer rod and having better line control. That said for myself I'm not sure I can handle that much rod hanging off my wrist very long.

Regards, Jerry

I've gone retro this year with my Fenwick FF805 hollow glass rod. Nice, moderate action rod.

I've gone retro this year with my Fenwick FF805 hollow glass rod.

Definitely hard to beat those vintage Feralights (I'm thinking an FF79 or FF84 would be great as well) but the early model Diamondglass 8'6" four-weight is a special stick, too. Otherwise, it's kind of a new Golden Age for modern fiberglass rods: Mike McFarland, Mark Steffan, Fred Paddock, and Mario Wojnicki all make great rods, and with the new Scott F2 series, it's really an embarrassment of riches out there. (BTW, as a enthusiastic Tenkara angler, I scoff at y'all's "long" ten foot rods...once you get used to dragfree drifts with a 13-14 foot rod, it's hard to go back to "Western" gear. )

For wingless wets and nymphs you cannot beat a Tenkara rod. I use both an 11ft and 13 1/2 ft with great success.

I'd have to agree with most of the comments so far. Use the longest rod you can get away with. For me, even of modest NY streams with tree and brush lined banks, and tree limbs overhead that's often still a 14.5 foot tenkara rod. You really should try one sometime.