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

I'd tend to lean towards a 4 wt for those cutthroats and about an 8wt for the steelhead.

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.

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,

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.