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What's your target weight?

2K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  flyfisha1 
#1 · (Edited)
I use a 7' 1 wt. , 7.5' 3 wt. , and a 9' 4 wt when I fish for trout. I am going to be purchasing a new high end rod soon and I was wondering if I should get a 5 wt. I was going to replace my 4 wt. with a high end rod , but considering the price , should I go for an 'all around" size and get a 5 wt.? I can throw buggers with a 4 wt. with no problem. I like fishing with the 'ultralight' mentality, hence the small rods I use. What do you think of the Sage XP vs Orvis T3?
 
#2 ·
"ultralight" mentality???

If that "floats your boat", go ahead...

But remember - fish can die from being "stressed" by being played too long, and especially during the warmer water of summer. Even when you revive them well and release, and they SEEM OK, within a day they may be "belly up". The old "rule of thumb" (and it's a proven one) is, for Atlantic Salmon, "play the fish for one minute per pound!" Now that's a good criteria for virtually all the trout/salmonids.

Go with the 5-wt., a 6-wt. is better, and a 9-footer, anyway. They will cast into the wind better (and farther), with more accuracy, and as far as giving fish the advantage, the longer rod gives them a longer "lever arm" to work with and put pressure on your hand.

If you go for chrome, get a long rod of sufficient strength to play the size of fish your home water holds.

BobK
 
#3 ·
The big question is, what size fish do you normally encounter, and second, what size flies do you regularly fish? Also, do you usually fish still waters (i.e. ponds, lakes) or moving water, and if the latter, what kind of currents do you fish in? Those are important questions to consider when choosing the most useful rod, such as you are attempting to do.

FWIW, the T3 is a very nice rod; I got to fish it earlier this Summer when I was out on the Kennebec. I can recall being impressed by the smoothness of the cast. The XP is a faster rod and favors a faster casting stroke. You might try a Sage SLT if you're looking for something "high-end" that's near the action of the T3. Thomas and Thomas makes some very nice rods with a similar action under their Helix line. Alternately, if you want a quick rod with a medium-fast action, the St. Croix Legend Ultra rods are nice. I have an 8' 3-wt. rod that can easily fish 3-, 4-, and 5-wt. lines. It's really a pleasure to fish in waters where the current allows landing fish up to 18" safely. Any higher than that and I switch to my 10' 5-wt. Horizon.
 
#4 ·
BobK,
You do have a point. I need to go try out the 5 wts. now. I've been testing the 4 wts.. One of my biggest fears was "what do I do now that I have a fish over 18" on my 1 or 3 wt.?" Either its going to snap my tippet or I'll have to fight him for a long time. I like the point you gave about lbs. per minute. Makes sense. Now that I'm leaning towards a 5 wt., has anyone tried out the Sage XP or Orvis T3?
 
#5 ·
flyfisha,
I was writing my response to BobK when you posted yours. Thanks for the reviews on the rods. The T3 is slower than the XP? I guess you have to read manufacturers literature with a grain of salt. I'll try out the T3's next week. What about craftmanship between Sage and Orvis?
 
#6 ·
The T3 certainly seems a bit slower than the XP to me, but I confess I was casting a 5-wt. T3 and the XP I have cast is a 6-wt., so I advise you to test cast them both for yourself. Both rods are very well made, I don't know that I would choose one over the other on that basis. Honestly, I can't think of many "high-end" rods, or even mid-priced ones, these days that aren't well made; there's simply too much competition out there to have that kind of carelessness. Rods made by Sage, Loomis, T & T, Orvis, CND, St. Croix, TFO, Winston, and Albright are all quite nice.
 
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