I have been thinking of a new Trout Rod. I mainly fish the White River system in Arkansas. Currently my primary rod is a 9ft 4 wt. I use a 9 ft 5 wt when it’s windy or I know I’ll be fishing a bit longer distances. I have been thinking of a 10ft 4wt. I think the extra ft would be nice for mending etc. I can’t think of any disadvantages other than possibly the tip feeling heavier due to the length.
Any reason to not get a 10 ft?
wayne
Wayne,
None that I can think of and I use 11 footers for some of my trout fishing.
The guides that I have also love casting my 11 footers and most of them have 10 footers in their drift boats (note on the 11 foot rods, many drift boats don’t accommodate them very well, but one manufacturer is making a newer version that will take 11 and 12 footers).
You will love the ease of the cast, especially the great reach casts and then the ease of the mends of the longer rods. I still use 9 footers for my dry flying, and I use the 11 footers for all of my nymphing and some streamer action.
Another nice feature about the longer rod is what I call the shock absorber action. You will notice that you can let the fish fight against the action of the rod a whole lot more before you have to allow any line out, thus keeping the fish closer to you and actually getting them in and off the hook faster.
Buy it and enjoy it.
Larry —sagefisher—
I have an 11’ 8wt that I use for steelhead off of Lake Michigan. The length makes mending easier It also makes fighting big fish easier. Thinking about trying it out on the White later this month. Normally like a shorter rod but on big water a longer rod is generally a better bet.
I have been using 10’ rods for Trout since 1985, when Scott custom made a “G” Series up for me in 5wt. I now have several 10’s made by Sage, Winston and Loomis. They have been used all over the West by me and my kids for nymphing, dries and streamers. I have my eye on this one for a next:
http://www.thomasandthomas.com/rods/ats
There is no good reason to NOT have one…
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](http://s305.photobucket.com/user/planettrout/media/EAST WALKER RIVER/IMGP0359.jpg.html)
…especially when one wants to work the soft water on the other side of the white water when the flows are blowin’ on the East Walker River…
PT/TB
As in many things related to fly rods, the answer lies in the physics of levers. The disadvantages of a 10 foot fly rod over a 9 foot is less pinpoint accuracy for dry fly fishing, and less useful in smaller streams unless you are dappling or bow and arrow casting.
A longer rod is basically a longer lever. The longer the lever the greater the mechanical advantage, but the less precise control you have over the end of the lever. For example, try writing your name by holding the end of a paintbrush that is 6 inches long and one that is 4 feet long. You will have more control of the end of the shorter paintbrush. Greater control of the fly rod tip translates to greater accuracy in casting.
For accuracy alone, you want a fly rod that is long enough to give you enough mechanical advantage to cast the distance that you need to, but short enough to give you the maximum control of the rod tip. Ever wonder why 9 foot fly rods are the most popular? It is because they offer the ability to cast as far as most people need and with sufficient accuracy.
The advantages of a longer 10 foot fly rod like casting further, keeping more line off of the water for direct line nymphing, the ability to mend more line, etc. are tradeoffs for the loss of accuracy over the 9 footer. You need to decide whether the positives of a longer rod outweigh the loss of casting accuracy.
I use a 10 footer for larger rivers, but an 8 - 8.5 footer in my local waters. So in big water, the advantages of a longer rod, especially for nymphing, outweigh the loss in accuracy.
i fish soft hackles and nymphs for trout on a 11 foot 4 weight for trout. on really small, tight stream, i’ll downsize to a 10 foot 3 weight. either rod works just fine on dry flies when called upon to do so.
I bought a 10’ 4wt last year and looked at / handled several different 10’ rods during the process. I had previously fished a 8’ 4wt most of the time.
The thing I noticed first with 10’ rods was the extra weight. A 10’ rod is probably going to be almost 50% heavier than a 8’ rod of the same line weight. Furthermore, the longer lever can make the rod feel tip heavy (depending on the rod and the reel you use with it). Lastly, some of the 10’ rods, and it seems like especially those targeted at Euro nymphing, are quite soft / slow which may or may not suit your style.
All that said, I really like the 10’ 4wt that I eventually bought. The extra length really helps with line handling and mends. It’s most useful on larger water where I’m making longer casts, but it use it a lot more than I expected on small streams.
Can’t add much more that wasn’t said before. I bought a 10 footer (Orvis Clearwater) for nymph fishing, but found that in nice open water it cast perfectly well for dry fly fishing. The 10 footer became my go to length for regular trout fishing as it is far superior for nymphy/streamer applications and marginally less efficient for dry fly fishing. An 8 foot dry fly rod, however, can’t roll cast or nymph nearly as well as the 10 footer.
Thanks everyone . . sounds like I should go ahead and keep looking at the 10 ft rod.
I do believe what fits one’s style fits. I cut my eye teeth on an eight footer and if push came to shove and had to settle for only one rod I’d choose the eight. But along the way tried some other lengths (and have more of them then the eights). Do a lot of my fishing setting in a canoe, more so then wading (includes the White River, too!). The niners work best for that canoe (sitting down is all I do - not standing!) - Have tried a 10 footer but did not like how it cast/handled like the 9, and I think I gave it a real try (an eBay customer now owns it).
Bottom line for me is the nine “fits” me for my style of fishing. AND the eight will work, too, if need be!
Just in case…I assume you are aware of the “broken down” length?
I have a 9.5’ BIIIX and the only drawback, for me personally, is that I can barely get into my largest suitcase diagonally. I prefer not to carry rods when traveling by plane on a fishing trip.
small brushy stream would be a pain with a 10’ rod…
I have a 10’ 4wt and an 8’ 6" 4wt. I have to admit I like the length of the 10’ but I can really tell the difference at the end of the day. The 10’ wears me out. (I have a 10’ 9wt I use for steelhead and built a 9’ 7wt to take its place.) You’ll notice that extra foot in more ways than one…
Bill
I have a 10’ 4 wt that I use almost exclusively for nymphing. I think it’s just about perfect, but my winter project is a 10’ 3 wt that will probably replace it next year. It’s a personal thing, but I believe the advantages of the 10 more than offset any “weight difference.” I also know my first rod, a 9’ 5 wt from a $100 beginners kit, including a reel and line, would tire me out a lot faster than my 5 wt Helios2 does today. My belief is, the weight question is only valid if you compare the 9’ to the 10’ version of the same make and model rod. Byron makes a good point, the longer rod is more difficult pack.
Cliff
I don’t find my GLoomis GLX Classic 10 ft 5 wt at all tiring. On the other hand an older Orvis 10 ft 5 wt was a beast because it was tip heavy. Keeping that tip up for nymphing is what tired me out.
As far as packing is concerned, a rod tube for a 4 piece 10 ft rod is only 3" longer than a 4 piece 9 foot. My Gloomis 9 ft rod tubes are 31" long and the 10 ft rod tubes are 34" inches long.
Thanks for this discussion. I’m thinking about going to a 10’ rod for nymphing (most of my fishing) in western streams where casts are rare (mostly dappling), and this whole discussion confirmed for what I want to use it for a 10’ rod will be perfect.
Brian
You won’t be disapponted with a 10’ rod. Most of our streams are medium size to small here in Central, PA, and many guys use 10’ rods. As far as casting dry flies with it, you’ll find it fun. It is just as accurate as a 9’ rod. I don’t think you’ll be able to land a fly in a tea cup every cast, but you really don’t need to. An extra foot of reach doesn’t seem like much, but it has its advantages. I have a 10’, 3wt., 5wt., 5/6 wt., 6 wt., and enjoy all of them. I built the 3wt. and 6 wt.s. I’d be glad to sell the 3 wt. to you. I only fished it about 5 times. The only reason is is that I have too many rods to use. That’s one thing about rod building, if you’re not into selling them, you quickly have too many.
I fished the white with a 10’ rod and loved it for nymph and wet fishing but didnt do well with the drys at all.
I am now leaning back to a 9ft . . . It’s going to be used as all around trout fishing. More nymphs than dries, but there will be nymphing, soft hackle, a little dry fly action etc. Maybe even some small wooly bugger/streamer action.
Of course there are some disadvantages. A longer rod will be heavier. Not much, but somewhat. Also, if you fish smaller streams, a longer rod can make it difficult to cast in and around tight spaces. If you do any dapping, a longer rod can make line/fly control difficult. If you’re dapping and need to suddenly move your fly closer, you have to elevate your rod at an angle, which, with any wind, can cause you to lose control of the fly.