Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing What lenght rod and what fly line wt. do you prefer??

In Shrapnel's show us you fly rod thread, I saw lots of 4 wt. rods.. Since most of my fly fishing is in the western U. S., I wonder what wt. line and what rod length do you prefer...
I have several 9' # 6wt. rods.. Also a little 7' 3 wt. rod.. Have been considering a 9' 4wt.. I saw Shrapnel and Field Grade both posted photos of 4 wt. rods.. How do you like them, and what is your primary use for the 4wt??? I like to do streamer fishing and wet fly fishing.. With an occasional dry fly session, and bass fishing when I get the chance..

I do like 4 weight and even 3 weight rods. I still use double taper lines on them for dry flies. I also like the 3 weight and 4 weight rods for how well they handle big fish on light tippet. I fish the Lamar where you can get an occasional 17 inch fish, they are very discriminating and I use size 18 ant patterns and 6X tippet. This is the Tom Morgan 3 weight and a Lamar Cutthroat...

My all time favorite is a. Sage 9' 4 weight. It has one of the old Ross San Miguel # 1.5 Fly. Reel loaded with Scientific American WF Floating 4 weight fly line.

It's my go to Rod for almost anywhere in the Rockies. But if I'm Fishing the Quality Water below Navaho Dam on the San Juan River, I'm usually fishing a 9' 5 weight because of the monster Rainbows that reside below the Dam.

And if I'm fishing small streams for Brookies, I've got a Sage 7' 2 weight.

For streamer fishing a 7 weight rod is uber. A 10' 5 weight is double uber for nymphing. And for dry flies, 2, 3, 4 weights, depending on circumstances and size of fish.

What weight for bead fishing, and flesh fly fishing Kenai and small streams in AK. Have a 6 & 7 weight Sage 8 ft. Thoughts?

Given the size of Kenai bows and the current, 6wt is on the sporty size, many people run 8's though a 7 should be fine.

Single-hand 7s rule the Kenai... More 7s among the serious than all others combined, probably...

For the most part my trout rod of choice is an 8'6" Sage RP-II for a 5wt I fish it with a DT-F and a WF-Sink Tip, the fastest sink tip I can get with a Hardy LRH Reel. I use an 9'6" Sage RP II in 6 weight for streamer fishing, I use a 9' Sage RP-II for 8 Wt for steelhead salmon and light salt water, I have a bunch of rods I seem to fish these the most of late, and I have 2 , 4, 7 and 10 weight rods. All two piece, I am updating a reel or two, I am going with a Lampson Guru 2 for my 8 wt rod I think since my Fin Nor # 2 took a walk a while back! I fished my 7 wt the most when I was living in AK, just right for the Bows I was fishing for! Salmon well that is how I ended up with a 10 weight!!

6wt, 9ft. rod. 5-6wt forward for fishing the Green in WYO. It can handle nymph and streamer for trout and kokonee.

Anything from 2 wts to 16 ft 10 wt spey rods. Depends on the quarry. Next week it will be the big guns.

Here my main fly fishing activity is throwing poppers and Sneaky Pete's for bass and bluegill. I use a fenwick 81//2 ft 5-6 weight rod and orvis bbs reel with wf6 line and 3x or 4x leaders/ tippets . I also have my old fenwick brown glass 7wt coupled with a medalist reel that I used for years still a great rod.

I'm no expert fly fisher but have been fishing my whole life and I have already figured out what I like and dislike. For small water and short range or tight places I like my 7' 4WT. For larger water that has larger rainbows I like a 5WT 8'-9'. I'm on the lookout for a a vintage 8'6" HMG Fenwick 8WT for river smallmouth. I love smallmouth fishing and flyfishing for them is relatively not done in these parts. I'm thinking a 8WT would be a good investment as I could also fish stripers and largemouth with it.

Materials range from bamboo to boron, with 'glass and carbon in between.

My brother-in- law just gave me the address of a NY company that imports rods from England.. He suggested I pickup an 11' 4 wt. for wet fly fishing.. Didn't realize they made rods that long in light wt. lines.. Interesting stuff..

Believe me, you don't want a 4 weight rod 11 feet long...

shrapnel, I am usually a 6 wt. guy.. This traditional wet fly fishing has caught my fancy.. 11' does seem very long for a rod, but the 4 wt. seemed awfully light...

The rod is more about how big the water and the fish are. You don't need large or long rods for wet flies. You will be surprised at how a light rod will work for purposes you thought a bigger rod was for.

I rarely use a 6 weight rod...

shrapnel, Thanks for the info.. I use 6wts. because that is mostly what I have.. My stuff is pretty old; my favorite Fenwicks are 40+ years on the streams.. Maybe I need a little up grade in my rods!!!! Anyway, thanks for the info.. I started reading about the old wet fly system this summer when I was in Rock Creek, Montana.. At the Stagestop, there is a fly shop next door. They had quite a write up from the local newspaper on a man in the area who fished wet flies... Sounded interesting.. I have done a bit, but mostly am learning more about it.. Thanks again for the tips..

I prefer 9' rods in all weights, including tight brushy creek fishing where I never cast but poke the rod tip and fly into/under small holding water. When I was younger and poorer I used a 7 wt for everything.

My preference for all of my trout fishing in BC would be a 5 wt. but I have a 9' 6 wt that is so sweet I'm staying with it. Have landed rainbows to 10+ lb. with it.

I also have a 9'3" 9 wt that I use on northern pike and salmon. This particular rod is mis-labeled and it is at least a 10 wt and heavier than I like. Am shopping for an 8 wt to replace it but big salmon are in right now and am using it. I fished an 8 wt for years for salmon and liked it.

Tangent: nymph/chronomid fishing is the most productive way in these parts to catch huge trout in lakes-- and such a boring way to fly fish that I pass on it.

Why not? Its a switch 4 wt. Lots of fun for bombing dries to the far bank.