Winston 9' 5wt Biit. It feels like bamboo, but longer and lighter.
Ted
Winston 9' 5wt Biit. It feels like bamboo, but longer and lighter.
Ted
I have a lot of rods, and a lot of rods far more expensive, but my favorite is a '78 vintage Fenwick HMG 8'6", 6 wt... I have broken it a couple times, and been just about everywhere with it. It has been used on Atlantic salmon, all five species of AK Pacific salmon including some big kings, lake trout, rainbows including many of epic proportion, and just about everything else... Old (out of date for speed), and slow as it is I can easily cast an entire flyline with it.
I think I grew into it rather than it being the perfect rod... But I compensate for its shortcomings and it does not seem to notice mine. I need a rod that will look the other way sometimes.
For salmon I use a pair of Penn Int'l 9', 12 wt, two-handers and they have been brutalized and survived for a lot of years. They have caught 80# halibut, many 50# plus lingcod, and countless salmon (literally thousands each) and they just keep working.
After that I just use a wide assortment of different rods for different conditions. A new rod I really like is the St Croix Bank Robber in 7wt. I have the 6 also and really like them for a lot of what I do with big flies on fairly big water.
I am trying to find the magic 10' 4wt and have tried several without finding the right incantation. An out of production Loomis is what I am looking for...
Late '50 vintage Phillpson Eponite Royal.
It's a little heavy, but then again, so am I
The simpler the outfit, the more skill it takes to manage it, and the more pleasure one gets in his achievements.
--- Horace Kephart
My go to rod for bigger rivers is my Sage Z-Axis #7 Switch, a lovely rod and a pleasure to cast.
For smaller rivers my Sage XP #5 is great, but not as good as my old Sage rpl #6
My favourite casting rod is my St Croix 14'6" Spey rod, it is a blast and a lovely casting rod, but I do not use it often as it is just too big for most NZ trout.
My go to rod for the Salt water is a Sage Xi3 #9, again a great rod to cast and fish with.
As an aside none of the above were new when I got them, all my rods are "pre-loved" and none the worse for it.
All the best.
Mike
Even with my newer model Sage rods I find myself going for the XP. It's a 5 wt and a dream to cast. A close second is a 5 wt Sage SLT. A great dry fly fod.
Trout don't speak Latin.
Heddon #17 (Black Beauty) 2F - hard to choose between the 8 1/5' and the 9' though.
Bob
I've got an old Diamondback Carbonite 8' 5/6wt 4 piece that is pretty sweet. Also an Orvis Western Series 8' 4wt 2 piece that is sheer pleasure, although I bet the rival Winston Tom Morgan Favorite (which I've never cast) might be even better.
Hmmmm favorite rod is tough to define. I mostly fish with an Orvis Silverlabel 8.5' 4weight. I love my Orvis Superfine 6' 2weight on small streams. But fitting with your criteria for 'older' rods my fiberglass Fenwick 6' 5 weight gets fished every year (particularly early season nymphing on brushy streams) and my father gave it to me some 40+ years ago.
I have several, a 490-4 Sage SLT for drys, a 490-4 Sage XP for nymphs, a Gary Anderson trout Spey 11"9' 3WT.
Hap, I have an old HMG 7'.5 for 4 wt that is the best roll casting rod I've ever fished.
My favorite is an old Winston IM6 8.5 ' for 4 wt that is quickly being replaced by a Winston WT 8.5' for 5 wt.
Light line rod is a Green River Enso, 2 wt.
best,
Steve
it's all good drifts
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