HI
I'm looking for a 4wt to be used on small and mid sized streams. Any suggestions.
Thanks
Dave
Printable View
HI
I'm looking for a 4wt to be used on small and mid sized streams. Any suggestions.
Thanks
Dave
I have an 8' St Croix Legend Ultra (pre IPC) 2 piece 4wt that I LOVE! I bought it here (used) as a compliment to my 8' 2pc 3wt LU, which is my "go to" rod for panfish & stream trout. Those rods are outstanding. They cast well in wind, are sensitive, AND St Croix is an FAOL Sponsor. I now own 3 St Croix LUs & will own more in the future. Check them out.
Mike
I have a Temple Forks 7'6" 4wt that I love - and they are a hell of a value.
You are going to get as many answers as there are folks fishing 4 weights. I have a Sage xp 486 4 that I love but it is the only 4 weight I own so of course it is my favorite. Best thing to do is to go to your local fly shop if you have one and try a few out. If you don't have a fly shop handy I might suggest joining a local fly fishijng club and try the membership's rods. What I am getting at is you need to put a few different rods in your own hands to see which one is right for you.
Batson F764-5: 7'6" 5 piece 4 weight. I've built a few, and it is a nice little rod.
I have three 4wts and they're all favorites ;)
However, I've fished my Lamiglass 'honey' for 35 years and it's still a favorite
Got a 7'0" 4wt Diamondglass that is a real sweetie.
I have a 8' 3pc forecast blank that I built into one of my favorites...
Winston WT 7'6" 4wt.
Cortland Brook Series 8' 4wt. Power and finesse!
Depends on what you are looking for and what you want to spend. I have an old 8.5' Redington 4wt that I like for those situations, but I like it lined with a 3wt line because it feels like it runs out of gas with a 4wt.
I own two 4 wts. A St Croix Avid 8 1/2' 2 pc (pre IPC) and a Pennington Pine River 7' boo. Each has a purpose, when fishing our small spring creeks in the NE part of the state. Between the two rods the Pennington speaks to me when cast.
Dave
My favorite is my rpl 490-4 but I dont fish really small creeks with it, half the fun to me is casting and presentation of the fly.
Out of the available rods on the shelf these days....I was offorded the chance to cast another persons TFO Finesse 7' 9" 3wt, with a 4wt DT Cortland Peach line on it. VERY VERY nice casting setup. He swore it cast better than the 3wt line "to him". I would tend to agree that it felt like a prefect match. It seemed to load with a rod-length of line, roll cast spot-on, & cleanly toss 30ft.
I have an older, slower Orvis Superfine.
Randy
If I was going to buy a rod for the purpose of fishing creeks & streams I would rather spend my money on two rods, one short and one long, than just one rod. There are times when a short rod excels because of heavy cover and other times where a longer rod is the ticket for open streams. My personal choice would be a short rod of 7'6" and a long rod of 9'0'". I know a lot of folks like shorter rods but I tried a 7'0" and ended up selling it and buying a 7'6" rod.
Tim
Randy, I'm partial to the older Superfines myself.
OK, I'm in.
My favorite 4wt is my 9' Winston BIIt. Really a sweet casting rod (at least for my "style" if one would call my casting a style).
Jeff
I believe the OP specified a rod for small to medium streams. Sure, a nine footer can work great on the smaller waters at times, but I'd be more likely to recommend a rod in about the 7 1/2 foot range- plus or minus a bit. I'm going to throw a small monkey wrench in here. My fave small stream graphite rod is a Cabela's Three Forks. It's a three piece, 7 1/2 footer, labeled for a 3 wt. line, but I think it sings with a DT-4 on it. And, it costs $49.95. It is a very popular rod with creek anglers. The fittings aren't German silver, but it's decently fitted out and, most importantly, it fishes great. My $0.02? Sure. Only $49.93 more, and I could buy another one!
Chuck
I have an older St Croix Avid pre-IPC 8ft 4wt that is a sweetheart. It's the older version with the gray blank. Sweetest dry fly stick I've ever had my hands on and fits like a glove (for me and my preferred casting style). I have it matched with a Cortland "Peach" WF4F line and it's perfect. I fish it regularly and always worry if I break it, it's gone as SC quit making this particular rod sometime ago.
I have and recommend an 8' 6" St Croix Imperial 4 piece with a Ross Flycast 2 reel.
For small and med size streams and pools I use a Sage ZXL 490-4. It smooth and relaxing cast allows me to lay down a dry fly softly of the water. When 9' is a bit much I just choke up on the rod which does not change the casting characteristics of the rod.
Hey Dave,
I have a nice little cortland 7' 2 piece CL that I'm selling. It's in perfect condition and perfect for smaller to mid size water. Also, your mailbox is full so you can't receive any messages.
Thanks
Billy
For small water I fish an 8' 6" Winston bIIt matched with a Hardy Marksman.
Thanks everyone. Very helpful.
Dave
let midwest custom fly rod make you one. He is the best in the business just check out some of his post in the rod building area. The best part his price is very reasonable.
I also have a Temple Forks Outfitters 4wt (7'9" Lefty Kreh Finesse Series) that I recently purchased and have quickly fallen in love with. Its a a great little rod and not too expensive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spike-2
Can you give more information? I mean a tfo finese could be good, a sage zxl could be good, a hardy marvel boo could be good, what are you looking for? It is like someone buying a car for there kid. A 70's vw bug that is reliable and gets good gas mileage might be the answer, or bmw might be the answer. If someone can cast, and it is only a creek, a $30 walmart special might be a good choice if funds are low. If one is a billionaire a $2000 boo might be the answer.
What is your pricepoint? For lowish end I would say a tfo finese, for higher end a sage zxl
Went fishing this last weekend and almost broke my Redington RS3 4wt over my knee. I have a serious hate for that rod, and will be getting rid of it, soonest. Is way to slow for me. That being said, I love my Fenwick 4wt. It's a two piece, so harder to travel with, but it is going to be my only 4 wt soon, because it is my fave.
Channer 7' 4wt....my fav boo rod on small waters (which is about all I fish *G*)
Yes, they definitely look very nice, but that is because they use a eyepleasing $10 reelseat instead of a $5 reelseat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Threedayweekend
How it looks has nothing to do with how it casts. What blank do they use? Do you know? Do they build their own blank or buy it?