4wt. or 5wt??

[nen-bran]

Hi,
I'm wondering what I should build next. For our first two rods ever, I built a 7' 3wt. medium action and a 9' 6wt. fast action for my dad and I. Now I want to build my own "dream rod" and I am wondering which would be more suitable, a 4wt or a 5 wt. it will be mostly for trout, but also the occasional crappie and small LMB. Just to give you and idea at how new I am at the sport, I will be going this weekend for my first fly fishing adventure (YAY!!!! ). Anyway, I am thinking about an 8'6" SCIV 4 or 5wt, but I am afraid that it may be too fast. The SCIII has a softer action, but I just don't know. My budget for a blank is $200 max. Please help!

Nenbran

[kengore]

I find I use my 4wt the most for trout in my local area. The only times want a bigger 5wt rod is when I'm fishing for really big fish (18" plus) and when I'm going to be fishing heavy weighted streamers. The 4wt is a really versitle rod and work well for both dry and nymph fishing up to about a size 6 hook.

I have a StCroix Avid (SCIV) travel rod and I like it, if you are trying to build on a budget you should look into the Cabela's Stowaway 5pc in a 4wt or 5wt. The blanks go on sale from time to time for under $40 buck! I perfer my Stowaway to the St Croix.

[waynep]

The SCIII is a nice feeling rod. I cast the Avid series a few years ago when I was looking for another 5 wt. I have one. It's med-fast, fast enough but not so fast. I have never cast a SCIV rod.

Maybe some othere can recommend similar action blanks in the Rainshadow, Hook & Hackle, Dan Craft, the non-rod name brand lines that are nice???

If you look through past posts here, there has been a fair amount of good comments on the Rainshadow blanks.

-wayne

[ol' blue]

Rainshadow and DanCraft blanks are terrific. You can call and talk to either of these vendors and get some great advice from either. I have an old DanCraft Sig V that is awesome, but haven't tried the new ones yet.

[Bob Widmaier]

Another way to look at selecting what weight rod to build, is to consider what size (and weight) flies you will be fishing most. Although a 4 or 5 wt are very close in the size flies they handle best, the 5 wt will let you cast say weighted nymphs in the size 8 range while the 4 wt handles delicate presentation of size 18 dries.

If you enjoy building rods, build one of each!!

Dr Bob

[Bamboozle]

Nen:

While I don't disagree with what anybody said; these days a lot of trout fishers are afraid to fish anything bigger than a 4wt. Years ago; trout fishermen fished 5-6-7 weight rods with impunity. The trout haven't suddenly evolved in 50 years to the present and now have become intellectual giants that won't touch a fly thrown on anything heavier than a 4wt. As a matter of fact; I'm have two 5wt's being built for me right now and I'll use them any place and catch lots of trout.

Trust me, I throw size 24 flies just as delicately with my 5wts as I do with a 2-3-4 weight rods on some of the spookiest creeks there are. It's all about presentation. If you have a problem catching trout on a 5wt; believe me, it ain't the rod. In other words; think about throwing the bigger stuff being the problem; not the small stuff.

If was strictly trout you were targeting; maybe a 4wt would be best but throw some bass in the mix and you couldn't pick a better line weight than a 5; the "OLD" standard.

[nen-bran]

Thanks lots everybody!! As much as I would like to Bob, I am a bit strapped for cash, which sparked this thread!

nen-bran

[Bob Widmaier]

I hear you on the limited cash flow!! I buy a few blanks when I see a good deal (and have some cash) and put them aside until I have a chance to work on them. I picked up a 5wt and 6wt Rainshadow RX 7+ blanks a few months back. I am just getting around to build them. Right now if I had to buy them I too would be strapped for cash.

Good luck!!

Dr Bob

[gadabout]

What bamboozle said. If I was forced to choose between a 4 and a 5, the 5 would be the choice. The 5 has less limitations than th 4. Making a delicate presentation is more a function of the leader than the line weight. Light line rods became practical to build when graphite came on the scene. When bamboo and glass were the norm, a typical weight for trout would be a 5 or a 6. The reason most of the light line weights exist now is because manufacturers want you to buy a new rod every year rather than to be happy with the ones you already own. If they offer more choices in line weights, many of us will be tempted to own them all.