We live in the city but I fish the various rivers and streams within a few hours of where we live…my wife is interested in trying fly fishing…but not so keen on wading rivers with me…so we are looking to possibly join a trout club that seems a great place for her to be introduced to the sport…great fly fishing on several ponds plus a small lake (really a larger pond)…club is well managed…with own hatchery…stocked with rainbows and brookies…that can be a fair size…mostly catch and release though one can keep up to 100 fish per year…club has fly fishing pros for casting lessons…over 200 acres of property with hiking trails…beautiful club lodge with meals available in dining room…possible overnight rooms or even camping sites…open year round…in winter snow shoeing or cross country skiing plus ice fishing…also winter fly tying group…for a 70 year old youngster like myself it is also an opportunity to hook onto some nice trout now & then lol…but overall a good alternative to a cottage…less than an hour from downtown…
SO I am looking for a good rod for the wife…thinking a nine foot medium action 6 wt. (like I said some large fish at this club)…possibly an Echo Lift (I love Echo rods…owning a 9 ft. Trout X 4 wt. as well as Ion XL 10 ft. 7 wt. that I can use at the club as well as for Great Lakes steelhead)…have also considered TFO & Redington rods…any thoughts? (Figure if things do not work out as I hope I can always use another rod…jk)
How strong is your wife? I recently broke out my six weight after fishing with a four weight for several weeks. I was surprised at how heavy it felt and how quickly my arm got tired. I think a good reel may be more important for landing big fish than a heavier rod. Another possibility to reduce weight is a shorter rod, especially if long casts are not required since she will not have to worry about mending line in still water.
A 6 wt. sounds right to me. I’m guessing that fishing ponds will mean streamers, and likely a fair amount of distance to get out away from shore…and having a rod with more backbone for the bigger fish will be a benefit as well.
Both of the rods you mentions would be fine for what you’re trying to do.
Replying here as woman … unless she’s super big, and strong, she’ll wear out fast with a 9ft 6 wt. Start her out with something like a 7ft 4/5 weight 4 piece. I’ve caught hundreds of trout brookie little to honken browns and rainbows with that size. Once she learns casting she’ll manage good distance (or to where the fish are…there is a definite difference!), she’ll enjoy that size rod a heck of lot more than a mongo 9 footer. I’ve got 30 years fishing in, and have built about a hundred rods. Just sayin’
I’m curious about the reason for thinking that a 6 wt. is enough heavier than a 4, 5, or 4/5 wt?
I haven’t checked the numbers on rods that light because I don’t fish trout often, but the difference between a 6 wt. and an 8 wt. of the same model mid priced TFO rod (including line) is just a nudge over a half ounce.
It’s less than 1/4 ounce when comparing a 7 wt. to an 8 wt., and .68 ounces 5 wt. to 7 wt. I didn’t check 5 wt. to 6 wt.m but it’s going to be less than that.
I respect each opinion raised…but I have to agree with Geoff in that I don’t think there would be much difference rod weight wise between a 6 wt. or 4/5 wt…minimal difference I would think…and as this is for still water fishing I believe a longer rod to be better than a shorter rod (7 ft. in etc as opposed to 9 ft.) and again minimal difference in actual rod weight…we are going with a 9 ft. 6 wt. Echo Lift. Appreciate the advice.
After much consideration my wife is taking the Learn To Fly Fish course later this month (4 hours learning:-what is fly fishing?-the equipment-fly casting-choosing the right fly-fighting fish) from our local fly shop, Drift Outfitters, which is actually done at the Franklin Club…on the advice of the Drift staff, the 9 ft. 6 wt Echo Lift or Redington Wrangler looks like the choice of rods…she will get a chance to try out each
It could be the caster becoming tired from casting a six-weight rod is putting more effort into casting than needed. Over exertion. We just returned from the Canadian Yukon. My wife cast an eight or nine weight rod all day long for large northern pike and lake trout.
Just my opinion.
I routinely cast 8, 10 and 12 wt. rods all day for muskies and pike. I certainly know I’ve been casting all day after a float, but you’re 100% correct - letting the rod do the work is the key.
I seem to do less of that as the day goes on and I get more tired…you’d think it’d be the opposite.
I’ve landed a number of Clearwater B Run steelhead, which average out about 32-36 inches and have a lot of fight in them, while fishing for the local west slope cutthroat trout with a 4 weight rod. It’s not the weight of the rod, it’s more about tippet strength, how you play the fish and how good ( strong ) your knots are.
And the reel on that rod was an Orvis Battenkill II click and pawl loaded with 4 weight line. You don’t need a drag, you can handle line and palm the reel as necessary.
On the same rig, I had the misfortune to hook up with an upper 20’s inch bull trout ( on a dry fly ) and had it on for 28 minutes before the hook leveraged out and the fishy went bye-bye.
Doesn’t seem likely that your wife is going to get into anything in a pond that is bigger and stronger with more fight than those steelhead or that bull trout.
Tippet strength is indeed important - but tippet strength is also about protecting the rod. You can easily go to a tippet that’s strong enough to hold a big steelhead and exceed what the rod can handle.
Knowing how to play a fish, particularly on a click and pawl reel, isn’t something a beginner will be good at.
To add to that last bit: the fish I pursue aren’t strong running fish - I’ve only put one musky on the reel (and that was because she ate the moment the fly hit the water and put herself on the reel), and I’ve never put a bass on the reel. Everything gets stripped in because taking the time to pick up line in the chaos of a musk fight can easily divide attention and cost the angler the fish.
If you keep the rod pointed directly at the fish and play the fish only off the reel, there is zero stress on the rod regardless of the tippet strength and the strength of the knots. The steelhead were landed on 2x tippet using clinch knots only to attach the tippet to both the leader and the fly, after playing the fish for an average of ten minutes or so in moving water.
The bull trout was on for 28 minutes on 4x tippet, again using clinch knots only to attach the tippet to both the leader and the fly. I pulled as hard as I thought I could without breaking the fish off, most of the time with a bent rod, not pointing it at the fish.
In both cases, the tippet was tied, with the clinch knot, to a tippet ring incorporated in a home brew furled leader, fluoro in the case of the steelhead, and thread in the case of the bull trout.
I have been fortunate to spend some time at our club casting pond on Thursda nights during club casting lessons. It seems that if they will try it, useing my bride’s 8ft 5wt rod’ most beginners and ladies get a better stop and thus a better loop. We just spent 8 days in Canada pestering smallies to 20" , top-water, and that was all she tossed. Leverage too is a consideration.
Betty, you rock!
…lee s.
