FLYMPH FORUM

Johnno wrote:For a long time nine foot #6 rated rods were by far the most popular rods for trout fishing in the UK,

Still are in NZ. Most use the 6 wgt as their general all round rod. 5wgt and under are considered "light" and mostly smaller stream rods. 7 and 8 wgt rods are commonly used in the South Island High Country rivers and lakes where (often strong) wind is to be contended with and in the Central North Island 7 - 9 wgt rods are the norm particularly around Taupo and Rotorua.

The above post by Johnno got me thinking about rod choice and usage across various geographic areas. We have a membership that covers at least 3 continents (Europe, North America, and Australia/New Zealand). I thought it would be interesting to take an informal poll of the membership. I wonder what rods (wt/length/action) are the norm in the members' geographic locales, and what are your choices for wingless wets or otherwise? It might be best to limit this to trout and similarly sized coarse fish.

Here in British Columbia, Canada the most commonly used and owned trout rod would probably be a 9-9.5' 5wt medium fast action rod. As the largest component of fly fishers in the province are stillwater fishermen, the 5wt covers the majority of situations this group might encounter. Of course for steelhead and salmon the weights are heavier (generally 8wt+), and increasingly two-handed rods are becoming popular for these species.

For my part, I own rods from 4'-14' and weights from 1-9, but the rods I currently use most are:

• 8' 1wt Medium action Scott G-series (small streams/fish)
• 9' 3wt Medium action Sage VPS-Light (small-medium sized streams)
• 9' 5wt Very Fast action Gloomis Stream-Dancer (Stillwaters)
• 9' 6wt Medium action Sage SP (Stillwaters)

I'm a terror on small streams (not necessarily a fish catching terror, but a terror none-the-less), and while I love a longer rod for line control and presentation the canopy and close quarters make a longer rod a bit restrictive. On our stillwaters, a slower action five weight would be enough, but as I still use indicator rigs with long leaders on occasion the faster rod helps me get the line out. I fish the 6wt on stillwaters not for any other reason than that particular rod is an effortless joy to cast.

Lets hear your situation.

Aaron

The most coommon rod here in The Netherlands is probably a #4 of nine foot long. The two piece rod is completly out allmost all the rods people buy are 4 piece carbon rods. When I started flyfishing in 1978 the norm was a two piece rod of 7 foot. Allmost all of them were made of glasfiber. There are just a few that appreciate to fish with glassrods by now.

Whenever it is possible i will fish with one of my bamboos( #3 and #4 and #5). They are not more then 7 foot and two of them are 3 piece.
Further I use my #5/6 (9 foot) for fishing with little streamers not more than 5 cm long and also for fishing two nymfs or wingless wets.
For wingless wets with or without a brass head I use my #3 three piece 8 foot.

Greeting

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this board but some of you may recognize me from another.

I too find this interesting, the geographic differences. I would guess a product of the predominant fish species and method of fishing.

As for my area, Pacific Northwest, I would say that a medium to fast action 9' 5wt. is most commonly used for trout fishing. We have the tight quarters fishing in the mountains but much of the popular water is relatively big or stillwater.

For fishing wets, I was a 9' 5wt. guy until a couple years ago when I really started fishing more multiple fly rigs. I was looking for the "do it all rod" if it exists and trying to simplify. I ended up with a 10' 8" 5/6 wt. switch rod. Spey fishing for steelhead has really taken off here in the past couple years. Still not the do it all rod but it comes the closest I have found. It is wonderful for managing line when fishing the multiple wets, casts streamers with ease, beats the wind on the lakes, can handle most of the local steelhead waters casting wets spey style or drifting nymphs and streamers, and it even lands the very few dries I fish gently on the water. It has been a great addition and allowed me to clean out the closet a bit.

Welcome aboard, Carl (Old Hat)! Great to see you found your way over here. Your soft hackles will be a welcome additions to this site.

Do you know what make/model blank was used to make the rod you were describing? I need another rod like I need a hole in the head...

Hi All
Here in Cornwall UK I use 6ft 3 # carbon and 7ft 4 # cane. Always use Cortland sylk line to match and furled leader on the end of that. The rivers here are at the widest 25ft and average about 10ft across. This is for trout, I have a 7ft 6in 5# for seatrout.
cheers
Neil

Thanks Ray,
The rod is a Beulah 5/6 Switch. I went with this model because it was noticeably lighter than the other switches I handled. I am not sure what blank they use to be honest.

Likewise Lykos,

As a certified running water angler living in a country without gradient means that the majority of my fishing involves travel and overnight stays. Sometimes a (long) weekend, other times extended trips in locations far from my home.

Often I have had no prior exposure to where I might be fishing, and while I do my 'due diligence' research, many times the stream conditions I may encounter will be unknowns.

All this means I need flexibility in tackle to cover most eventualities.

I have now, for the past 15 or so years, settled on three 4pc 9' rods, and reels loaded with #4, #6 and #8 lines. This set has stood up very well, and for my freshwater fishing never left me feeling wanting.

The 9' Sage XP490 gets the majority of use.

Cheers,
Hans W