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Stillwater Trout Rod

3K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  FlyFishAR 
G
#1 ·
Okay, you're fishing a little fly fishing only lake, less than 5 acres, with calm to mild morning winds - What is you favorite weight rod? Length and action?

You fish weighted nymphs?

Unweighted nymphs, etc?

Dries?

For no particular reason I like 5 wts. that are fairly long. Like I said, for no particular reason.:rolleyes:

mmm
 
#2 ·
I love long rods for lake fishing...

Anyways...my favorite is the 596 XP although I've cast the new 596 Sage DS2 numerous times and you cant beat it for the money. Both are perfect rods for sinking line and chironomid work with long leaders and strike indicators.

When the fish are taking surface flies or can be covered with an intermediate line, I fish a 4 weight alot!...or when the wind isnt blowing.
 
#4 ·
I use a 9' 5wt and an 8'6" 3wt. I usually fish the 5wt about 80% of the time and when the wind is down I will pull out the 3wt. Personally I think the "long rod for lakes" mentality is curious and never quite understood it. You really never need to cast over 40-50 feet on a lake but feel freeto enlighten me...


-sean
 
#5 ·
sean -I think the long rod for lakes thing is related to float tubers or wading deep. The extra length will keep an errant backcast from skiimming the water when your arm is close to the surface.

M3 -personally, the 9' 5wt I use everywhere else for trout is just fine on a lake, but adding a Sinktip line/spool set up helps me fish them deep when necessary.
 
G
#6 ·
Yeah, the extra length makes up for the squat-like stance when tubing, etc.

I fish early with the floating line and adjust as the water warms to either a sinking leader (Airflo) or a level sink line I have spooled on another reel.

Does anyone change rod action to match the depth or offering? I mean, I like a moderate action rod for surface but really like the medium fast for the deeper stuff and for casting the beadheads. Again, I don't know why I have gravitated to this position...

mmm
 
#7 ·
Hmm in theory I see what you all mean but still sounds like a marketing scam to me....Never had a problem in my tube with hitting the water on the backcast. Maybe my casting isn't as bad as I thought :smokin:

Well I used to bring a full array of floaters, clear intermediates, and full sinks but now that Leland has enlightened me this year I fish a floater all day when out on the lake. I now prefer to stalk trout rather than blind casting for them. Luckily most of the eastern washington lakes accomodate this type of fishing. Have found I can fish a dry fly 90% of the timenowadays out on the lake with good results.

-sean
 
#8 ·
I think your preference of different rod actions for sinking flys & lines versus floaters may be due to lifting the line & fly out of the water for the first cast. I didn't like casting the sinkers until I learned to rollcast the line & flys to the surface prior to backcasting.

IMHO I wouldn't go to less than a 5 WT if I had to pick a single outfit for stillwaters. It's tough to find a line that sinks faster than an intermediate in 4 wts or lighter.
 
G
#9 ·
Actually, John, I have gone with the firmer action rods because of gravities effect on my loop and offering when casting sinking leaders and beadheads. Seems I needed a faster stroke with the faster rods to keep things suspended properly. And I might very well be ack bassward on this one, physics was always beyond me.:eek:

As to lifting a sunken line to cast, nope. I'm way to laidback (i.e., old)for that. I either strip in and lift the leader or roll cast, each far easier on my back.

mmm
 
#10 ·
I like a fast 10 ft 6 wt for fishing fairly large weighted flies to small unweighted flies. There are several rods that fit this: T&T, GLX (which is the one I own), Redington, the new top of line St.Croix, some Sage models (I especially like the Sage 11 ft 6 weight, which Sage developed for the UK lake fishing market), Gatti, etc. The 10 foot 6 weight rod is what I reach for when lake fishing or if I feel like trout fishing on medium to large streams and rivers, unless I am only going to fish flies #16 or smaller, then I grab the 4 wt.
 
#12 ·
Since I'm using sinking lines most of the time on lakes (or long leaders on a floating line for chironomid pupae), I'm normally slinging nine-foot 6- and 7-weight rods (never mind the brands or models; they're mostly out-of-production or various oddballs). It takes a 7-weight to control the momentum of a large, wet dragonfly nymph or leach. When I fish dries, it's usually a 4-weight, 8- to 9 feet. Even when standing up in my boat, shorter rods just feel... too short.
And I wouldn't think of going out with just one rod. Even my float tube has been modified, with elasticized tape loops, to carry two rods. (Mounted with the tips pointing aft, the extra rod is out of the way.) Underway, my wooden pram looks something like a bass pro's, with about four rods rigged with different lines; no wasted time changing spools.:eyecrazy:
 
#13 ·
Lighter is better

Okay I am gonna go against the grain of the other threads and favor the Sage 4wt 9'0'' XP ( or any XP) for lakes mostly because of the fast action which can pull a submerged fly out with a minimum effort and casts with a short compact stroke for dries. I have been using mine for a year now in the south which means moss and grass and micro-algae and this rod has stood the test. It is super accurate even if you are not (I'm not)and can handle all types of flies with ease and gentleness once you get used to it(It does take a little practice)and you say you are not young anymore well neither am I and this rod will add hours to your back muscles(Less time waiting for the back cast ) I have practically retired my 6wt in favor of this 4wt try it out.
 
#14 ·
Re: Lighter is better

moosestang said:
. It is super accurate even if you are not (I'm not)

All your other points maybe true but no rod can make you that way if you are landing your casts where you want them then you are an accurate caster. Give yourself some credit. I just don't like the idea that one can "buy" their way out of casting problems!:tsk_tsk:
 
#15 ·
GOOD POINT, RB. AND i think a few others touched on it as well...

let's leave some this (accuracy, distance, etc.) up to ourselves, and give ourselves credit when we achieve the desired effect. It would really take away from the sport for me if I had to think about which rod I needed for each cast I make! (or each fly, type of water, wind speed, etc, etc) Put enough time into it, and one can enjoy every situation with very few equipment options.
I find the 9' 5wt, fast-action rod I have used for the last seven years works for every single trout fishing situation that I've been in. Technique adjustments make the difference when a different presentation is needed.

Of course, I'd love to have a few more rods (not in the cards at the moment), but I 'd hate to think that I would be constantly worrying about whether I was using the "right one". Bottom line - that extra $ spent on an expensive rod or an extra one with a different flex, length, or whatever, isn't going to catch me any more fish.
 
#16 ·
Still water rods

While fishing from a boat or a float tube I prefer a longer rod not for the distance but for the ablility to manipulate flies better at a distance. Trout tend to shy from a large object on the surface. If you are trying to "emerge" a fly you need some additional length of rod to keep it away from the boat. The additional length also helps some what make up the difference in your "height" above the water.

Still water lake fishing from a bank is probably better using a shorter rod. Probably even less that 9 foot. I don't know what sort of still water you are fishing but most of the western lakes have tons of cover on them. A shorter rod helps while trying to make your way through the brush. Generally the fish "cruise" the banks or from point to point.

Distance is rarely the most important factor. Besides, if the fish are in the middle of the lake you should really be in a boat or tube anyway. A day on the side of the bank throwing shooting heads for an extra 50 feet when the fish are 200 feet out can be pretty frustrating.

John
 
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