Best rods for specific situations

[Nymphmeister]

Aaron- I think many forum users would be interested to know what rod configurations (length & line weight) you like for different situations- such as nymphing, dries, streamers, all around, light tippets, big rivers, small streams, steelhead, etc. If you have any personal preferences for rod actions & brands, those would be good to know too.

[AaronJasper]

i think for all around trout fishing you are best off with a 9' 5 weight rod. you can get specific if you would like. for nymph fishing i always use a 10 foot rod. i have both a four and a five weight. these rods are not very useful for dry flies. i would use a 9' 4 or 5 weight. i have a sage slt and winton bIIx in a 9 foot five weight. both are great rods. for lighter presentations, i have a 8'9" sage slt 3 weight.. hands down that is the best 3 weight out there. i like to use longer rods. i used to have rods less than 8 feet but i was never happy with them. i know some people like to use shorter rods. for streamer fishing i like to use either a 9 foot six or seven weight depending on the lines that i am using. rich has an awesome rod for steamers. its the 9' 6 weight sage tcr..... sweet rod. it throws streamers with ease.

[Delarock]

You ever use the TXL ultra light rods for dry's?

[AaronJasper]

i have actually casted those rods at hro. for thier size they have amazing power. if you are into fishing smaller streams with heavy canopy these rods would be great. i tried the two weight. it was particularly sweet. sage usually does a great job no matter what rod they make.

[Delarock]

I hear ya there. Based on what I've casted (not a lot at all, but i've tried a few samples from all of the big manufacturers), I really have no desire to cast anything but a sage. I have a 6 wt Fli (my first rod), a 4 wt Z-Axis, and a two-handed TCR. I only have one odd 9wt (an Orvis T3, not knocking it, but it's no Xi2). Looking to get that switch rod in the next few weeks, maybe a TXL after that and maybe one day replace the T3.

Do you do any saltwater fishing?

[AaronJasper]

i tried saltwater fly fishing for a year or so. it always seemed like the fish were out of reach and even when in the boat there were very few times when the fly rod would have been the right choice. i have fished saltwater since i was 4 with my grandpa. i have usually fished conventional tackle for saltwater. many of the spots that are good here in nj are best suited for that type of tackle. the only thing that i have done in the recent past is to scale down my tackle to see how light of a rod i can get away with. try using an 8 foot medium action rod for albies fron the beach or boat. almost the same great fight as on the longrod. also i use a lot of soft plastics like the same used for bass fishing. i very quicky sold my saltwater fly fishing gear. also i dont get to saltwater fish as much as i would like to so when i go i like to make the most of it by using conventional tackle. i fish for the bass a lot at night in the local rivers near sandy hook where fly fishing would be very hard and potentially dangerous to the human eye ;D

[YODA]

Hmmm.

Delaware and big rivers out west > dries/ nymphing 9' 5 wt Loomis Glx..
Same rivers streamers -- Sage XP 9' 6wt

Small rivers Beaverkill,Neversink,spring creeks,etc. 7'6 3wt T&T LPS (Disclosure:if waters are "high" use loomis on some of the smaller rivers)

[AaronJasper]

good suggestions. the xp is the 6 weight for streamers is still better than the new z axis. i would agree that a 9' 5 weight is the mush have rod for any fly fisherman. even someone getting their first rod should most definately have a 9' 5 weight.

[beadhead]

Arron, could you address your steelhead configurations. Weight, rod speed, and why you picked them? I am in the infancy stage of planning a winter steelhead trip to the salmon river area on New York. Thank you for any info you can provide, Todd.

[Troutbum from Griswold]

I am with Aaron on some of the rods he mentioned. This is a great question because I for one have a lot of rods and for, like the subject says, different situations. In a nut shell, for trout fishing, I like my 10ft and 9.5 wts for nymphing. I have the same Sage SLT that Aaron mentioned for dry fly fishing. Bar none, the best out there. I have 9ft 5wt SLT and 9ft 4wt Streamdance for nymphing, drys, streamers if I use just one rod. They can do it all. 4wt on small to medium rivers and the 5 wt on medium to large rivers. However, I have a tendancy to bring 2 rods with me at all times. One rigged up for streamers, the other nymphs. One maybe rigged up for dry flys, etc. That way I feel like I am maximizing my fish catching potential. I find switching spools, even though I have some rods with 2 spools, is a pain. I use my 6wt for stictly streamers. To me the 6wt is the perfect streamer rod as mentioned in previous posts. Now for saltwater, I stictly use fast action rods. Bar none the best rod for the salt. I love my 7wt for fishing flats, no to light winds, areas where the water is real clear, fishing for spooky fish, throwing smaller flies, etc. The 7wt can handle small fish but it can hold it's own with big ones as well. I have an 8wt which is like the saltwater equivalent of the 5wt. Can handle wind, small flies, big flies, small fish, big fish, etc. However, so can't the 7wt. I just prefer the 7wt over the 8wt for a light saltwater rod. Just preference. Now, I lOVE the 9wt and 10wt rods. They do it all in the salt. If you had to buy just one, I would suggest the 9 or 10. They can throw a ton of line, handle wind, throw big and small flies, handle big fish and the schoolies can still bend a 9 or 10wt rod over like it's nothing. Plus, they can handle heavier grain lines and work rips with ease. If your a shore salter, then the 9 or 10wt rods are perfect. I do a lot from the yak but the 9 and 10 is still the perfects rods in my opinion. That's the fun about having multiple rods. When you have a rod for different situations I believe it enhances your fishing experience overall.