fly rod length

[newriverspey]

just curious as to what length fly rod everyone is using for swinging soft hackled flies. i am using a 10 ft 3 weight with rio gold line and love this set up. for bigger rivers i am using a 10 ft, 5 weight. thanks in advance for your replies. otto

[willowhead]

Just all depends on the water and flies being fished.......could be something as short as a 5 ft. 4 wt. Boo rod (Brookies in a small mountain trib.), or as long as a 11 ft. 6 wt. Switch rod, Steelheading.

[letumgo]

Lately I have been fishing a 7 ft 6 inch fiberglass, which I built a couple years ago. I love seeing the deep bend this rod gets with a fish on.

[William Anderson]

Newriver, I may have mentioned earlier that I use the same setup that you do. but I bought a 9' 4wt hoping to get a little more versatility on the water. I really don't like trying to make short dry fly casts with a 10' rod and I can't seem to make myself head out with one of my shorter rods when I know I'm going to want the long rod to mending soft-hackles. If I could get out more, I would swich up, but when I do get to go out I love the feel of the 10' 3wt. It's just hard to pass that up.

I'm curious to hear everyone's preferences too.

w

[Roadkill]

Mine vary from a 5'6" 4wt to a 14' 8wt with the most common being used-9 footers for 4 or 6 wt.

My favorite is a 9' 4wt Sage LLB that I built. A close second is a Sage VPS-Light 389 that I bought to mimic the 389 LLB that I built for a fishing buddy just before I made my LLB.

[skunkaroo]

A close second is a Sage VPS-Light 389

Man I love that rod. My favourite all round dry fly stick to be sure. Just unbelievable to cast--mind you I've never fished the original LL.

Because I've started competitive fishing, I've switched over to longer and longer light weight rods mostly for their nymphing qualities--this past year I've been using a 10' 3wt Grey's Streamflex and I recently extended my "range" to an 10.5" Echo Shadow PE. These longer length rods offer the most control through the entire drift whether pulling, dead drifting or swinging, but to be honest I would rather go back to my 8' 1wt G-Series Scott or the above mentioned VPS-Light--they may not be quite as versatile, but they are a whole lot more fun to fish.

Aaron

[Roadkill]

Aaron,

As I understand it the LLB and the VPS-Light were built on the same blanks. So you know the feel of the LLB.

[CreationBear]

You gentlemen who are already using 10-foot light-line rods need to join the Tenkara Nation, post haste: once you realize that that $70 flyline is really your enemy, your journey to the Dark Side will be complete.

[Johnno]

Depending on where I am its usually a local 10 foot 4 wgt, a 9 foot 5 wgt Sage LL (the third gen one - its lovely) or a same sized Sage DS2, or a 9 foot 6 inch 6 wgt older Winston - WT I think it is

[michaelgmcgraw]

I fish a few different rods, tonight on Chittenango creek I was fishing my 8ft 9in 3wt custom built Shikari. Last Sunday it was
a 10ft 4wt brook rod on the Salmon River. Mostly I use Glass rods,got 3 Diamondglass rods, 6ft6in 3wt 8ft 4wt & the 8ft 5wt.Just love the 6ft6in & my favorite the 8ft 4wt. These work fine for the small creeks/brooks I fish.