Hey everyone! First post here! What weight/size fly rod would you use for trout fishing where most fish are in the 12 to 18 inch range with a few, not many, larger. I will be fishing the Little Red River here in Arkansas if that helps.
Just about anything would work, so a lot will depend on what you enjoy using. If pressed to identify the "ideal" rod for your situation, I think an 8'6" 4-weight would be tough to beat, and a lot of fun on those trout.
Best thing to do is get our with a guide or someone who has several models of rods and try them out...see which you like using.
Thanks Count. I have been there quite a few times but I was looking to purchase a new rod. I have been using the $20 set from Wal-mart I purchased it to get started to make sure I would enjoy fly-fishing before I bought anything more expensive. I have upgraded a little but now looking to upgrade again. I have no complaints about the Wal-Mart set though. It has actually been really good! Caught a 23-inch rainbow on it last summer. Got me hooked, not physically, but hooked on fly-fishing I would like to get into tying my own flies one day so I will probably be posting some questions on that.
To better answer your question, how wide on average is the Little Red River? And on second thought, that's not the definitive question. Since you've been fly fishing a while, you have some idea of your preferred style, which roughly fits one of these two categories:
1) Fishing the water; meaning that you're casting to work your fly through suitable holding water at whatever practical distance. Here the size of the stream matters, and tackle gets chosen to cover the normal casting distances. On big rivers, trout tackle can be indistinguishable from what steelhead or salmon anglers use.
2) Fishing over visable fish; meaning that they're either rising to the surface, or they're lying in sight, usually in shallow water. Here presentation counts, not distance; you're typically making accurate casts at twenty-forty feet, regardless of the size of the stream.
Take a look at the TFO Professional series of rods. Great value for the money is an understatement. If you want something faster (which I personally recommend) take a look at the TFO TiCr X 9' 5wt 4 pc. or the TiCr 9' 4 or 5 wt. TFO offers great performance for a great price. Great warranty from a service oriented company. They have some nice reels as well.
You should drop FlyFishAR a line. He's an Arkansas flyfisher too and an excellent guide. Check out his profile on the Members List and drop him a line to say hello - you'll be glad you did.
i'm no where near an expert on the subject, but im thinking a 4 or a soft 5 is going to be to light for that area. Not only is there a real possibility of big fish, but I hear fishing big sculpin patterns is a common practice. In my opinion a 4 wouldn't have the backbone for a weighted size 2-4 sculpin.
I'm not familiar with the water you are fishing, but I like a 9-foot, 5-weight, 4-piece for an all-round trout rod. If you're going to buy just one rod for a wide range of trout fishing, I don't think you could go wrong with that size.
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