what weight

[mdram]

as i contemplate my next rod, i am trying to decide what weight to get

i have a 9' 9wt, and 8'6" 5wt
i am debating between a 7'6" 4wt or 3wt

looking for a small stream/panfish rod, but dont want to limit myself.
never know when that bluegill will turn into a bass.

help me decide, i dont know enuff about the limitations of each weight

thanks

[Jim Hatch]

Hey Mdram,

Here is my take. I like to fish bluegills as well as bass. But when I'm
fishing for bluegills, I prefer to play them on a 3 wt. It's a great match.
When I go bassing, I normally fish a 4 to 6 weight. When a bass hops
on my gill rod, I'll test him. If he feels too strong and I'm concerned
for the rod, I can sometimes lose him by giving slack. Otherwise I just
point the rod at him, hold the line and let him terminate the connection.*G* Warm regards, Jim

[maxq]

I agree with Jim completely! I use my 3 weight for bluegill and they give me a better quality fight on it than my 5 weight.. If a bass hits it and they're too big, they can usually get off without damaging your rod. I started out using my 9 weight (the only flyrod I had at the time) on freshwater and decided real quick that it was way too big for what fish I was looking for. I bought a 5 weight and the fishing was much more enjoyable. I then moved down to a 3 weight and it's a blast, even with smaller fish. I'm now thinking about a 1 weight to add to my arsenal!

Regards,
Doug

[mdram]

sound like i might want to go 4wt, im thinking wither st croix or tfo. i have a soft spot for croix, lol

[lee s]

I would opt for the three very strongly. One line size system is NOT much variance. You can fill the gaps in your quiver later.
It was not our intended target, but we have landed steelhead to 12+lbs on a three wt. Rooster fish to 6#, stripers to 8#, halibut to 8#, yata yata. Learning to fight a fish with the butt of the rod and taxing your tippet to it's fullest, works wonders and provides the short fight/quick release desirous for many.
.....lee s.

[mdram]

hhmmmm, ok thinking again

[Pemi-Man]

I'll second Lee's thoughts, dropping one line weight isn't going to be much difference, then of course after the three weight, you're going to set yourself up for the 1 wt if you so desire and like Lee said, "you can fill in the gaps later".

Right now I've got a 5/6 wt and a 7/8 wt and going to get a 3 wt for the smaller trout streams we have here in the white mts. I had contemplated just going to a 4 wt and then talked to a few friends and they all said the same thing as Lee. I have since decided on the 3.


-Pemi

I'm going to throw a wrench into this thread.
IMO the best small stream/fish rod ever conceived in the mind of man is the Orvis 7' 9" Far and Fine. Although a 5 wt. it does nearly everything there is to do on smaller water. It will throw some weight, a long line if need and is soft enough to preciate small fish.
It was introduced by Orivs over 30 years ago and is still in production....what other rod can say that? The longivity of the rod says volumes of its fishability.

The best part.......they are on sale right now.

[RonMT]

3Wgt 7 1/2 or 8 foot. Ron

[MikeL]

I have a 7'6" Superfine 3wt I never use. Contact me if you are interested.