I’m looking to purchase a new rod this spring for brookies, i would like to go with a 2 or 3 wt line, but still can’t decide on a length. My fishing buddy has a 6 foot St. Croix, 3 wt which makes small fish look big, LOL.
My question is, rod maker aside, will a 6, 7 or 8 foot rod rated for the same line weight, say 3 wt have the same feel,thats to say will the 8 foot rod be as sensitive as the 6 foot rod.
thanks
Mike
The only thing I find that longer rods to is allow you to cast a bit further. This being said my 6fy 3wt cast nice but I can get 20 more feet out of my 8ft 3wt granted they are different brands. Also the longer rod is a bit better if there is some wind.
I found that the longer rod makes it easier when stalking fish in small clear creeks to stay back out of sight and reach out and drop a fly in the water.
Rocky
Newfoundlander:
Different length rods in the same line weight can be VERY different in action and feel; even within the same maker and rod line. Go cast as many different lengths as possible to find the feel you like.
Without getting into a boring diatribe about makers and preferences; if I was you I’d settle on a length based on the conditions you expect where you plan to use the rod.
If you fish the same waters now with a heavier line weight rod; your 2-3wt rod should be the same length if it works for you.
Good luck
I also like a longer rod because it is easier to mend my line or reach over a fast current to a slower current. I would go with a 7.5 or 8 foot. 6 foot just feels too short and stiff for me.
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Well the only reason im asking is there is a spot we go where the brookies are consistantly 11 to 13 inches in size, his 6 ft 3 wt rod seems to make the fight bigger, i was just wondering more or less was it the rod or the line weight that was the biggest reason for this. His rod buckles under the pressure and it looks like a grand bit of fun. I’m just wondering would a longer rod with the same line weight buckle and react the same way or is the reason for the big play the small rod.
thanks
a bunch
Mike
Actually, a shorter rod gives the angler greater leverage. An 8 ft rod exactly the same as yiur friend’s 6-footer might be too limber to handle the fish efficiently.
I have rods down to a 61/2 3 wt, but I almost always use a longer rod so I can sneak up behind rocks and dap more effectively and hold more line off the water.
I dont know the answer cause I only have a 5 wt , but it seems to me if you stayed with the longer rod and got a 2wt instead of a 3wt , you would have the advantages the longer rod and the kind of fight with the fish you are looking for .
Of course I could be wrong , seems unlikely ,but I suppose it could happen .
thanks for all the help
later
Mike
I prefer my 6.5’ 2 weight in brushy conditions. It’s easier to manipulate during a fight than a longer rod.
RW here,
I think it all depends on the kind of fishing you are going to be doing. I have settled on my 7-foot 1-weight with 5X to 7X tippet almost 95 percent of the time because my favorite kinds of fishing are for headwater and small stream brookies, open water smallmouth bass and small pond panfish. Haven’t been licked by a fish up to 4-pounds yet. For my occasional steelhead forays, I use an 8 1/2 foot 6/7 weight.
Later, RW
“We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours.” -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-
Yeah im just trying to decide on rod length, but would like longer rod say a 7’ or 7’6" but want the bigger play, but will settle on the 6’ foot if its the rod size that supplies the big fight out of the brookies.
Still don’t know if its rod length or line wt that supplies the big fight. I guess a line wt dictates the stiffness or rigidness of the pole, so would a 7ft 2 wt have a more sensitive, (smaller) tip than a 3 wt. Just want the pole to buckle under the pressure of a 10 to 13 inch brookie, thoughts!!!
thanks
MIke
Like 7star, I always go with the longer rods if possible. For me, mending -on the water and in the air - and reaches are more effective.
Bob
Well the trout up here are quite agressive and my line more often than not slaps the water with no ill affect, presentation is not so important in my climate as is fly selection, not to say that a fella with excellent presentation couldn’t catch more than I, LOL.
I just want the big play, so what do i look for, rod length or line wt, anyone
thanks
Mike
Sounds to me as if your question relates more to action of the rod than to the length. If the action is moderate it will bend all the way from tip to butt. If it is a fast action, the tip does most of the bending. The feel and fun of catching would be similar on both, but if it is appearance you want than the slower the action, the more the bend. Just my $.02
Lee - Better Loops and Singing Reels
Newfoundlander:
Based on your desire for “the big play” I think Better Loops has the right idea: go for slow.
Try a glass rod or two. I have a Winston Retro, (glass), in 6’6" 3wt and when you catch a fish on it, you know it.
My suggestion is a six foot 2 weight. The shorter rod is more efficient in dealing with overhead trees and the tight rhododendren canopy. That is my favorite rod and it handles streamers,dry flies, nymphs, and midges just fine.
Ok thanks a bunch fellas
later
Mike
7 1/2 seems to be a happy medium for a small stream 3 wt. I have no complaints.
Mending and rollcasting seem to work reasonably well.
I’ve had rods in the lighter weights that ranged from 9 to 5.5 ft. Depending on the brush, overhang and more my favoirte over the years has migrated to a 7.5 ft and 3 wt. Nine gives you more reach, 5.5 gives a bit of ease in snaking through the bushes but 7.5 works all around.
Good Fishing
Chuck Scheerschmidt
“I’ve traveled a long way and some of the roads weren’t paved.”