If you could only have two trout rods...

[JimC]

and one was going to be an antique bamboo 7 1/2' 3 wt, what would you pick for a second rod for eastern trout fishing? 9' 5 wt? 8'6" 5 wt? 4wt?

[bamboo1963]

Jim,
I'd go with the 8'6", 5wt.
Bob

[MJ]

Please, why the 8'6" 5wt as opposed to the 9' 5wt? Advantages? Disadvantages? And does the choosen preference apply to only bamboo or would such a selection apply to other 8'6 and 9' rods?

[mer]

Probably because he can carry an 8'6" fully rigged in his car, but a 9' he can't.

:)

If you were strictly talking about bamboo, sometimes the 6 inches can make a difference in how tiresome a rod will be for you to fish. If you've had shoulder/elbow issues, a couple inches can make a huge difference in your being able to fish all day or not. Graphite, the weight difference isn't that great. But a lot of it boils down to where you are going to use the rod. The original question I'm reading as wanting 2 rods to cover everything from "small brookie water" to the bigger water. Based on that, I'd personally go for a 5 or 6 wt. Length would depend more on the taper/action of the rod. A more full-flexing rod I'd tend towards a longer one, as the action moves towards the upper half, a little shorter. But my favorites tend towards a 7'6" length, 4 and 5 wts, with an 8' 6wt as a "big water" rod.

[Steve H.]

I'd go with what I'm using now: a fast-action 8'6" 5-wt. uplined with a 6 wt. DT.

[Birddogtwo]

If your using your bamboo for in close small stream fishing I'd go for 9' 5w graphite for heavier fishing. that I think makes the most sense for those times when your trying to punch the line out into the wind or fishing bigger water. As far as overlining the rod, that ads stress to the rod and it's easy to over power the cast. Of course a 4 weight would be nearly as good. Over the years I seem to have gravitated to lighter rods. I seem to have a hole in my inventory. I have no 6 or 7 weight rods. Maybe over the winter I'll correct that if I have time. :lol: Enjoy deciding it's half the fun
Dave

[Steve H.]

I fish mostly with my G. Loomis IMX 8'6" 5 wt., have for years with both a 5 wt. line and a 6 wt., weight-forward and double-taper. There is no question that this rod fishes better with a 6 wt. line. I would have to disagree that uplining this rod "adds stress to the rod" or causes me to "overpower the cast."

Granted, a lot has to do with the situation: river size and flow, wind, size and weight of fly, etc. But overall, uplining this rod has made fishing easier for me especially with weighted nymphs and larger streamers.

[FlyFishingVet]

I'm by no means an expert, but I was told graphite rods could easily handle three different weights. That would be the weight it was "designed" for plus one weight up and one weigth down.

[overmywaders]

I'd go with the longest rod practical under the conditions (e.g., if you must access the stream through heavy woods, a 10' rod might be the limit). There are many advantages to the long rods. See Leonard Wright's article (http://www.overmywaders.com/extracts/lwrightlongrodsall.html).

However, given the question, I would go with a 9' 5wt (but would prefer a 6wt).

Best regards,
Reed
www.overmywaders.com

[FlyFishingVet]

I've been thinking about this. First off, I'm not sure one of my two rods would be a 7.5' 3wt cane rod. If I could only have two rods they'd both be graphite! I think a 7.5' 4 wt and a 10' 6wt. With those two rods I could throw lines from a 3wt all the way up to a 7wt.

[Steamtrain]

I'll assume you are going to fish alot with 3wt bamboo, so I would suggest a graphite 9ft 5wt 4piece (action of your preference). Try casting a few rods of both lengths at your local fly shop,that might make the decision easier.
Longer rods are easier to mend with and better for float tubes, canoes, and kayaks. The heavier the line weight the easier it is to battle wind and cast bigger flies. There are alot more pros and cons of rod lengths and weights so there is no wrong answer to your question.

I'm just jealous your getting a new fly rod.
Good luck!

[bamboo1963]

"Please, why the 8'6" 5wt as opposed to the 9' 5wt? Advantages? Disadvantages? And does the choosen preference apply to only bamboo or would such a selection apply to other 8'6 and 9' rods?"

Hi Marcus,
I was speaking in terms of bamboo going on the assumption that Jim was talking about getting a second bamboo rod as well.

As mer pointed out above, 6 extra inches of bamboo can get tiresome at the end of a long fishing day.

Jim also mentioned that the rod was going to be for Eastern Trout Fishing. Given the size of most of the rivers here in the east I feel that an 8'6", 5wt. should be able to cover just about any fishing situation whether it be bamboo or graphite.

I personally like an 8', 5wt., but it wasn't one of Jim's choices.

That being said, if he is going to be fishing out of a canoe or float tube most of the time I would go with a 9 footer or longer.

I fish a 9', 7wt. graphite rod on lakes and ponds for bass.

Bob

[JimC]

Great info guys. I really appreciate it. The deal is this: After many years I've sort of rediscovered sweetwater. For the first 25 years of my life my dad dragged me all over the Northeast chasing trout and salmon. Finished college, got married, started working for a living...you know the deal. 15 yrs ago I started fishing again but entirely saltwater, picked up a 10 wt and never looked back!

This past summer I spent a couple days fishing the Newfound River, made a magical trip back into the Whites to "wrestle" with native brookies and got invited on a join a few friends on the Provo in Utah and the Wyoming Green. While on the Green I managed to "shorten" the only modern FW rod I own, an 8'med action 6wt. The lesson learned was I need a fast 9' 6 wt for nymphing those big western rivers although a 5 wt would be fine on the Provo. Wish I could anticipate fishing out there more but I live here.

The little bamboo stays. Its clearly not the best choice but its my Dad's and has too much sentimental value and mojo to either collect dust or be replaced by graphite. Provided I don't stuff it into something scrambling over rocks I should be okay.

But I'm left with a gap for a primary Eastern trout rod. I guess I'm leaning toward a 9' 5wt although I'm tempted by the lightness of a 4wt. I guess I like the sounds of the 9' for the sake of line management at the expense of castablity in confined spaces backed up with the hopes of another western trip. I think I need to try some rods, maybe at Marlboro, and report back. Thanks for your insights

[mer]

"The little bamboo stays"
You're saying that like there's something wrong with bamboo. :)
There isn't. It's a lot more versatile than one would think.

Out in Maine, we do a thing called "SuperBoo". Next year is the third one. The weekend after the SuperBowl, I think the Sat morning. Out near Augusta. A bunch of caneiacs take over a high school gym, we all bring rods, and for at least 4 hours, test drive anything you want. Lots of fun. I'll dig up the specifics and post them here. If you've ever wanted to try a bamboo rod, this is a good chance to see what you like.

[Boneylegs]

http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=7674&forum=1