Biggest Trout you'd pursue with a 4 wt?

What's the biggest trout you'd feel comfortable targeting with a 4wt. outfit?

Andrew

the biggest one in the water.

as big as I could find. Seriously though, if you have a specific trout in mind, what size are you looking at tackling? Some folks here in Texas have been going after redfish in the Gulf with 4 weights and doing OK.

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RRhyne56
[url=http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com:38c11]http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com[/url:38c11]
IM = robinrhyne@hotmail.com

I have great fun trying to land 10-15 pound chum salmon on a 5wt. I'd fish at any trout with a 4.

I've landed trout up to 27" long on a 4wt. Just stay connected and keep just a little pressure on him. MOVE to get close to the fish, don't try to pull the fish close to you. Use a landing net.

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Fishing the Ozarks

You're really secong guessing that four weight huh? It's not the fighting of the fish that will be your problem, you could fight a 30 pound chinook on a one weight.

Water type and size will be a big factor also. A 4 wt will handle a good size fish but really heavy water can overwhelm the rod as well as a big fish.

Al

Andrew,

As big as they get.

Allan

[This message has been edited by tyeflies (edited 17 February 2005).]

Any size. (If I'm using heavier equipment it is to meet needs other than concern about handling the fish, such as chunking big Clousers of something. Other than tippet, a fish that can bust a 4 wt line can bust any weight line. Similarly, a fish that breaks a 4 wt rod would break an 8 wt if the rod were mishandled in a like manner.))

It would have to be bigger than what I normally fish for. Say over 25". I rarely if ever use anything that big.

Depends on the 4wt you're talking about and the angler. I would tackle a lot bigger fish on a 10' 4-wt Sage XP than a winston 7' 4-wt wt. Plus, if someone knows how to fight a fish harder and w/ the butt of the rod, they can land some pretty serious fish on a 4-wt. I used to land Pinks to about 6 lbs on my Scott 8' 4-wt fiberglass, and even landed about a 9-lb silver on it. But I was pushing the limits of the rod. Most of the time, I use my 4-wt rods for trout to about 3 or 4 lbs.

Fun question thanks for asking.

-John

Mikeytwoshoes: "the biggest one in the water."

Right on http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/biggrin.gif

I've caught 20 inchers on a 9 foot 2 weight, so I 'd say you'll be fine, just let him run when he wants to and keep a little pressure on him, and work him downstream. The only problem is it tires them out a lot, so release him as son as you get him in to increase his odds of survival.

Armed with a 4wt, I fear no trout.

Remember, the world record brown was caught on an ultralight spinning rod and 4# line.

Do they make 40 lb. trout these day?? I wouldn't mind one of those.

I was guiding on the Missouri River and saw a guy land a 26? brown trout on a 4wt. Bamboo rod. The fish died from exhaustion. No judgment here, make your own choice.

If you're planning to keep the fish, I think with skill you can land just about any trout on a 4 wt. The only problem is that generally speaking the lighter the rod, the longer it takes to land a big fish, and the longer it takes the more stress is put on the fish, and the less chance it has of surviving the battle.

Bob

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There is a fine line between fly fishing, and standing in the water waving a stick.

Thanks guys...this one sparked some pretty interesting comments.

Benjo...I wouldn't say that I'm second guessing the rod purchase at this point, I was really just asking out of curiosity. In my spin fishing days I landed a 12 lb. Steelhead on a 4.5' ultralight rod while fishing for brookies in a small stream. I realize that the angler's skill and patience can more that make up for lighter gear.

I can't wait to get out on the water! Why do I buy new rods in the winter? (And why did it always rain the day my parents bought me a new bicycle?).

Cheers,
Andrew

I have to agree with Jonas on this one. A person could land any size trout on even a 2 weight, but unfortunately, most people I've seen fish that light for fish over 18", do it just to say they did without thinking through a strategy to land trout quickly. It takes more skill to land big trout on a light rod because you really have to make that rod and your reel work to their potential to get the fish in. IMHO, not many people can do this successfully .

For instance, when I've fished with a 3 weight for large trout, I have the rod bent into a candy can shape literally. I put the absolute most pressure the rod will take ( and it will take more than most people think ) to land the fish. I'm also only using 6x tippet. On the other hand, if done correctly, one can land a large trout just as quick with a 3 weight as with a 5 weight.

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Jude
Small flies work best. Elephants eat peanuts.
www.customflys.com

its all in the tippet and the person behind the rod,,what weight rod will protect the tippet...isnt a 6 x tippet the same on any rod,,,can you play a fish harder with a 6 wt rod than a 4 wt. on the same 6 x tippet

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make a rod, catch a fish

Builds,

I can actually play a fish harder on that 4wt because it will provide better shock absorption for the 6x.



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Jude
Small flies work best. Elephants eat peanuts.
www.customflys.com

Riverdancer ,,i alway try to match the tippet to the rod flex ,rod and line weight fly size and wind. that is with 6x and smaller..iam with you on the 4wt. and 6x

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make a rod, catch a fish

Bigger'n this one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...2205_3_lc2.jpg

how about 4lbs, 29" on a 1wt? i was fishing the inlet of a loacal lake for small brookies.

i regularly use my 3wt. its my goto rod, and often catch 17-24" trout on it.

Andrew,

Just to add to what has been pointed out already, your 4 wt. will handle just about any trout you'll be likely to encounter.

The amount of 'pressure' you can put on a fish is the function of the tippet strength (given angler ability to properly apply said pressure).

Regardless of rod weight, 4 pounds of pressure is four pounds of pressure. Even if the rod is capable of applying more pressure, the tippet will part once it's breaking strengh is reached.

So, if you can 'break' the tippet with the rod (you should be able to do this, otherwise you are risking your rod), it doesn't matter what 'weight' the rod is designed to 'cast' (THAT is what the rod weight refers to, not how 'strong' the rod is, but what weight it is designed to CAST).

So, simply put, if you can break a 4x tippet with both a 3 wt. and a 9 wt, the amount of 'pressure' you can apply to the fish is identical with EITHER rod if using the same 4x tippet.

This means that, in your situation, you should adjust the tippet strength upwards (within the limits of the rod, of course) when you expect to encounter larger fish. This is often not feasible, due to presentation requirements (sometimes you have to use lighter tippet to get the fish to take the fly, get the action or drift required, etc..). In this instance, your four weight has all the 'muscle' you can use...

Good Luck!

Buddy

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As mentionned, the line wt/rod combo won't limit what you can land.

It DOES make a difference if you want to release a lunker.

Occassionnaly, we'll connect to atlantics here while fishing for trout in the late season. On the 5wt, I've connected to +15lb salmon. I've never "landed" one though, 'cause to do so,I'd have to fight it for nearly an hour and exhaust the poor critter. On my salmon rig, I use 6-8 lb tippets and it takes 45 minutes in a medium flow.

We'll break off on purpose instead of killing the salmon.



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Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec

For me, the take and initial run are the "quality" portions of the game. Simply having a fish on the hook and toying with him endlessly has no attraction for me at all. Whether I am going to release a fish or not I bring him in as fast as the tippet will allow, which is PDQ since I consider using too light tippet unethical. Only my humble opinion.

Jim

NWK,

My feelings too. Look back on "that" moment with the fish of a lifetime... Atlantics, it's often those first few moments (seconds), splash, fly gone, lift the rod, strike, got 'im. The rest is anticlimatic.



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Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec

Does a 55 pound grass carp count? Caught on an Avid 8.5 ft 4 wt. Took about an hour and a half to land.

David

If it swims, I'll pursue it, even if only armed with a 4wt.

If I were fishing with a 4 wgt rod and saw a 25 pound trout in the stream I would not go to the car for my 9 wgt but would cast to the lunker and if he took, I'd tough it out with him win or loose. son of a gun, IMHO thats what fishing is all about. He He He, it'll never happen but if it should, I think I could land him if the stream was slow enough!
The only change I'd make would be to use a 2x tippet.

Ol' Bill

Glad that we've pointed out that the tippet strength is the issue, and not neccesarily the rod WT. I've landed 26 inch browns on caddis at night with my 3WT and 5X, no more than 10 minutes of a fight. I've also cast to those same size fish with a 6WT and 5X tippet and left more than a few flies in their mouths. I think the 4WT will offer you better tippet protection fighting larger fish, and be able to effectively apply just as much pressure on the fish as a heavier rod will, without breaking the tippet.

To get back to the question, I think the BIGGEST trout I would actively persue with a 4WT would be about 28-30 inches. And probably only with the dry. If going after 28-30 inch fish with anything else I'd use 2X and go at it subsurface!

Brian http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif

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[url=http://bowcrow.tripod.com:441c6]Bowcrow Fishing Adventures[/url:441c6]

This has been done before....it's not the rod that lands the fish, it's the tippet strength. I can break almost any tippet with any wt. rod......all ya gotta do is tighten the drag and point at the fish.....if you fight the fish with the butt of the rod instead of the tip, you'll be surprised at how much pressure you can apply.

It's the rod tip. No, it's the rod flex. No, it's the tippet strength. No, it's the knot strength. Or is it the ability of the agler to land fish guickly? I've heard of guides who claim they can land fish quickly because of the judo prowess. Maybe some truth in that. Probably Jude knows who I am referring to.
Bottom line is, do I want to eat that fish, or watch him later drifting belly up down stream?
Light weight rods have always been a matter of sport.
An above poster mentioned a particular amount of time with a carp. Fine, I know no one who is trying to preserve fisheries for carp. Who cares. Don't care about humpback whatevers either. The same time with a quality trout would kill it.
Sport is one thing, but, one and two weight rods should be banned, unless you'r fishing for blue gill.
Don't want to ban anything acually, just my opinion.
And, Snipe, I wouldn't go get a differint rod either, but if I was knew I was fishing for trophys, I'd start with an appropiate(sp) rod.

[This message has been edited by chewydog (edited 20 February 2005).]

Amen, Chewy Dog!
I've heard the argument that light weight rods kill big fish...but IMHO its not true. fishermen kill big fish when they try too hard to land them. If the fish is geting too tired, break him off. It'll only cost you a fly. The weak part of the rod is straight as an arrow when playing a big fish...the fish is being fought on the tough part near the grip!

Ol' Bill