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You can get either of those two rods now. I like the 11 foot 4 weight the most, with all of the ten food rods coming in second. The 11 foot rod is light and responsive. You'll have no trouble burying hooks in fish with that rod. It was designed very well.
I disagree that versatility is unattainable to a point,
A 9' 5 wt. will get the job done with nymphs, dries, and streamers it does what its designed to do well,
However there are rods that will do the job better for example a 9' 6 wt. is a very good streamer rod, a 10' 4 wt. is a good nymphing rod, a 9' 4 wt. is a good dry rod, but if anyone finds a perfect middle ground rod tell me please (:
Maybe a light weight 10'5" 5 wt with a nice soft tip, that you can buy for under 350.00 with a lifetime replacement guarantee.
All around,........ 10ft 5wt all day :)
Aside from the rod in my hand at the given moment(which is always the best choice), I would probably like a 10 or 10.5 foot 4 wgt. I would like it to be a mid flex action with a low swing rate. I hate the fast rods with the noodly tips and the faster rods period. That being said I dont put a lot of stock into the action of the rod...I can adjust but like a consistent action throughout the rod.
I have a 10 ft 4 weight helios, i love it. tons of power without the weight and has a nice tip not a noodle by any means but wont snap light tippet. It would be cool to have a 11 ft one thats not a switch rod
I casted the 10' 4wt Helios last week and I thought it felt like a broomstick and I love fast action rods I was very disapointed I felt like it deffinitely needed to be over lined . I also casted a 10' 5wt access that day and felt that the rod had a lot more feel to it than the Helios
Come to Somerset next week and real deal as far as nymphing rods are concerned! This is some serious stuff!
It's funny people consider longer rods as the ideal nymphing rod....
Yeah, a longish rod makes high sticking a lot easier as well mending a longer line.
Here's the clue: you need to get closer to the fish!
Get closer to the fish (gentle approach!) and you'll see you don't need to mend 30+ feet.
I fish 99% using weighted nymphs and I fish generally with rods shorter than 9ft. I'll use a 9ft rod if I can't get close to the fish because the current is too strong and/or it's too deep where I want to stand. I'll get as close as 10 feet to the fish.
Most important is the right rig: right amount of weight (usually a LOT more than people think) and the right length of the tip (depending on current speed 1.5-2x the depth you want to fish).
Often on streams and smaller rivers, I'll fish a 7-7.5 ft rod (#3-4). Yes, I often use a bamboo fly rod.
Larger rivers I'll use a 8.5-9 ft (#4-5) rod.
I have a 9', 10' and 11' 4 wt. I don't know if there is one ideal setup. I use the 9' for smaller water and flies and the 10' and 11' for bigger water where I can't wade as easily. But both the 10 and 11' rods can be used to fish right in front of me as well as farther away. I could get away with the 9 or 10' but the 11' rod makes casting so easy.