Hello, I am looking to purchase another rod. My 9ft 5 wt is too heavy and stiff so I am looking to replace it. I am looking at a 10ft, 8.6ft, or a 9ft rod. I am not sure if I want a 6wt or 5 wt. As of now I have never needed anything more than a 5wt. I already have 3 wt for streams and rivers and 8 wt for saltwater and larger fish. I am wondering what the difference in the length makes in a rod? I typically only fish for trout and in freshwater. I do a lot of fishing from my pontoon as well. Any opinions on weight and length? Thanks in advance, DC
according to my wife, it does. Sorry had to get that one in before someone beat me to the punch line. To answer your question, 9' seems to be a common length amonst trout fishers as does real short. I would go with a 9' 5wt
Damnit, you beat me to it. An 8'6 tends to feel "crisper" and more responsive to many people, and I tend to agree with that. I love 8'#6 single hand rods. But, you're going to lose some distance going shorter, especially fishing from a pontoon. More length will give you better line handling and more distance. My experience with a ten foot rod in a pontoon is that going with a more expensive, lighter rod really pays off in that situation--having a heavy rod with your body so low to the water is a bitch on the wrist.
I'm told girth is more important. Ok I couldn't resist. I wouldn't cut the lenght (ever); (sorry couldn't resist again) to lighten the load. But seriously if you're looking for a lighter rod, why don't you just look at the weight. There are 9' rods that are lighter than many 8' rods. My 5wt 9' rod weighs 2.75 oz. I also have an old cheap 7.5' rod that weighs more than my 9' but I love it on small streams.
When I'm lake fishing from my pontoon I usually have a full sinking line on an 8 1/2 ft 5wt. For dry line work I really like by 10' 6wt. From my perspective it depends on what line you will be using. GBeeman
That's true--I never got into the full sinking line game, that's some highly technical angling I just never had the patience for.
DCSlick, Fly rod length matters. Longer rods in a given line weight can generally make longer casts. And longer rods increase the strain on your wrist over the course of a day's fishing. If the rod is too heavy, you can almost always find a lighter one, even in the same length or longer, but usually at a higher price point. Almost any decent graphite rod is light weight, so I don't understand why you say it is too heavy. You also say it is too stiff. I think that is the typical graphite rod these days. Consumers love fast action rods, which are inherently stiff, and so the manufacturers make and sell them. If you want a medium or medium-fast action rod, which in my estimation are far more comfortable to cast and fish with, you're gonna' have to shop. There are some to be had, but I don't know which models by which makers fit that category at this time. In graphite, I like a 9' 5 wt and have two that I use, an older Sage 590-2 LL and one built on a Rainshadow blank about 7 years ago by Ordella, now out of business. Sg
If you're interested in a moderate or medium action graphite rod take a look at the TFO Finesse series. They make a 8'9" 4 and 5 wt. The 5 wt is 3.1 oz. I made the 4wt for my son and liked it so much that now I'm building one for myself.
Length almost doesn't matter for casting. (See my thread "It Ain't Necessarily So.") It does somewhat for mending. I just reread Schwiebert's chapter on suitable rods and lines in "Nymphs." He concluded that an eight foot rod was sufficiently long for controlling nymph drifts. But he was using bamboo. Don't forget that when graphite succeeded bamboo, we were able to add a foot or more to the length of rods we find comfortable. That doesn't mean we need long rods. Short rods in a float tube? Sure; learn to throw backcasts that rise on an ascending vector.
It's not the length that matters, it's how you use it. I like a short rod for tight bushy creeks. A 9'er for more open trimmed up areas and a 10'er for the clean shaved open flats.
With in normal fishing conditions and if you are talking 8'6" to 10 foot. The average fisherman isn't going to know the different. A shorter rod does put more pressure on a fish when playing it. But get what you like and go fishing.
I recently bought a 10ft. 7 weight Sage ONE for Streamer Fishing and Nymphing on big water, the extra foot doesn't really make a difference for Streamer fishing except maybe if your throwing a long mend to some unique current/structure situation. However with nymphing, I've found it extremely helpful on big water because you can mend and control your line quite a bit better (again, my opinion) same goes if your fishing dries. I have also noticed that i can get a little more distance with this rod then my 9 foot rods of comparable line weight. Also, here's an interesting article on fishing 10ft rods on small streams:http://www.ginkandgasoline.com/trout-fishing/who-says-short-rods-are-for-small-streams/
