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Friends:

Fresh back from a 2 week trip to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho that only included a little fishing (wifeo and I were helping move my daughter's family - Inc. Grandkids - into a new home) I have decided to assemble the "perfect" battery of fly rods to fish western rivers for trout and steelhead.

I used a 6 wt 9' at one point but it seemed a smidge heavy for the cutthroats on the upper Clearwater. So I'm open to suggestions on that. Yet if I go downriver to where the steelhead roam, I would think something with more beef would be in order.

Didn't fish the Missouri, although could have. That is bigger water.

Anyway, as a hobbyist roadbuilder I have lots of options, but want to do it right. Have a number of blanks sitting around for years waiting for the call....

So, pray tell, if I was to make, say, three rods to cover the waterfront. for trout in the Rockies, what should I focus on? (Big) Skies the limit!

Thanks in advance



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Perfect is the enemy of good enough
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I'd tend to lean towards a 4 wt for those cutthroats and about an 8wt for the steelhead.

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If it were me I would build all on Gatti Blanks. A 7'6" 3wt for small streams. A 9' 5wt for sure would be my general go to trout rod. The Clearwater I would go a 9' 7wt or 8wt for the Steelhead. The 8wt would probably be more versatile, but I like going up or down a wt in line on the 7wt.


Eat Fish, Wear Grundens, Drink Alaskan.
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Sort of like firearms, one can not have too many rods. I think I'm only missing a 3 wt.

My suggestions:
A 2 wt for tiny streams
A long 4 or 5 wt for big water trout
And 7 or eight weight for steelhead maybe even heavier if one is in challenging wind situations on big rivers. I'm off the deep end here with several Spey rods (16 ft) in 9 and 10 wts.

Tight lines and stay dry,


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All about the wind and the size flies you want to toss.

My primary Salmon and Steelhead rod is an old Powell North Umqua 10' 8 weight and I never felt undergunned in WA to BC and Alaska.

My primary trout rod was a first generation Sage 81/2 foot 6 weight. It served me well but alas ended up in between a car door frame. Sage replaced it with a newer model but it's not the same.

My latest seems to do it all is an Orvis Helios 9' 4 weight. I've been amazed at how it handles wind as long as I'm not using flies bigger than about 12. It will certainly go west when I do next time.

The beauty of flyfishing is so many things work so well based on our own techniques. Kind of like shotgun fitting, you know it when it's right.



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