TLDR: Which 8ft 2in – 8ft 8in 4wt would you buy for $350 or under? 90% single dry fly, walk and wade, biggest rivers around the size of upper Yak (Easton)/middle Metolius (Wizard Falls), experienced angler who is used to midrange/premium rods, needs to be able to throw longer casts (50-ish ft) very occasionally, not super-fast though. Not interested in glass.
I know these "what should I get posts" can be annoying, so feel free to ignore
but I'm bored in the winter so cut me some slack. I've tried to give relevant info on experience, water size, fish size, and technique--again, feel free to ignore 
I’m daydreaming about getting a 4wt shorty, under 9’ over 8’, but have a limited budget ($350 tops) and specific criteria. Wondering if anyone here has thoughts. I tend to fish medium rivers and always on foot. I started fly fishing in my early teens and after a break have been back at it for over 20 years. I lived far from good trout fishing between 2008-2022, but still typically got let’s say 14 days a year in, with most of those days being 9+ hours of fishing. Not an expert caster but can do most of what I want to do.
My current main rod is a 9’ 5wt Sky G, backup 5wt is an old Orvis Trident TLS 8’6” tip flex. My creeking rod is an old 3wt 7’6” Winston Ibis, and I have a Vision Nymphmaniac 11’ 3wt Euro rod. I’m good on 3wts! Before the Sky G, I used a 10’ 4wt Helios 2 as my main.
General applications: Small flies, trout between 14” and 19,” realistically. I don’t need this rod to fish indicator rigs or streamers. The occasional small Perdigon (16 max) from a 14 or 12 dry maybe. I rarely need to exceed 40’ and don’t need to make huge mends.
Why a 8’ 6”(-ish) 4wt? I’m into light tackle (not afraid of 6x tippet), single small dries (let’s say 14-22), and decent presentation. I’ve fished long 4s and short (older) 5s, but never a short 4wt so I’m wondering if it might be my sweet spot. At the same time, I don’t want to sell the Sky G and the two non-Euro rods probably have negligible value, so the budget for the short 4wt is what it is.
Further considerations: Aesthetics aren’t important, but it’d be nice if it doesn’t look like complete sh*t or at least if it had reasonable build quality. Warranty isn’t really important to me at this price, and TBH I’ve only ever had one rod break in 25-ish years. Ideally, the rod would hold a little value for 2-3 years if I decide it’s not for me or really want to upgrade. At this price point, there’s only so much value to be held of course, but I imagine a used Maxcatch rod will be worth almost nothing. Weight isn’t super important either and obviously you’re not getting ultralight at these prices.
A note on the inevitable “go to the shop and try them” comment: The closest legit fly shop to me is over half an hour away. Legit fly shops typically only carry one budget brand, and it’s almost always Echo around here. So yes, I will test cast a Carbon XL and the Orvis Clearwater. But I’m not sure any fly shops within an hour even carry the Aetos, for example, or Greys rods, etc. So even though they’re not obscure rods, I’m unlikely to find them in person.
Following are rods I’ve looked at. As noted, only a few of them will be test-castable so I’m interested in hearing if anyone owns or has used any of them.
I know these "what should I get posts" can be annoying, so feel free to ignore
but I'm bored in the winter so cut me some slack. I've tried to give relevant info on experience, water size, fish size, and technique--again, feel free to ignore I’m daydreaming about getting a 4wt shorty, under 9’ over 8’, but have a limited budget ($350 tops) and specific criteria. Wondering if anyone here has thoughts. I tend to fish medium rivers and always on foot. I started fly fishing in my early teens and after a break have been back at it for over 20 years. I lived far from good trout fishing between 2008-2022, but still typically got let’s say 14 days a year in, with most of those days being 9+ hours of fishing. Not an expert caster but can do most of what I want to do.
My current main rod is a 9’ 5wt Sky G, backup 5wt is an old Orvis Trident TLS 8’6” tip flex. My creeking rod is an old 3wt 7’6” Winston Ibis, and I have a Vision Nymphmaniac 11’ 3wt Euro rod. I’m good on 3wts! Before the Sky G, I used a 10’ 4wt Helios 2 as my main.
General applications: Small flies, trout between 14” and 19,” realistically. I don’t need this rod to fish indicator rigs or streamers. The occasional small Perdigon (16 max) from a 14 or 12 dry maybe. I rarely need to exceed 40’ and don’t need to make huge mends.
Why a 8’ 6”(-ish) 4wt? I’m into light tackle (not afraid of 6x tippet), single small dries (let’s say 14-22), and decent presentation. I’ve fished long 4s and short (older) 5s, but never a short 4wt so I’m wondering if it might be my sweet spot. At the same time, I don’t want to sell the Sky G and the two non-Euro rods probably have negligible value, so the budget for the short 4wt is what it is.
Further considerations: Aesthetics aren’t important, but it’d be nice if it doesn’t look like complete sh*t or at least if it had reasonable build quality. Warranty isn’t really important to me at this price, and TBH I’ve only ever had one rod break in 25-ish years. Ideally, the rod would hold a little value for 2-3 years if I decide it’s not for me or really want to upgrade. At this price point, there’s only so much value to be held of course, but I imagine a used Maxcatch rod will be worth almost nothing. Weight isn’t super important either and obviously you’re not getting ultralight at these prices.
A note on the inevitable “go to the shop and try them” comment: The closest legit fly shop to me is over half an hour away. Legit fly shops typically only carry one budget brand, and it’s almost always Echo around here. So yes, I will test cast a Carbon XL and the Orvis Clearwater. But I’m not sure any fly shops within an hour even carry the Aetos, for example, or Greys rods, etc. So even though they’re not obscure rods, I’m unlikely to find them in person.
Following are rods I’ve looked at. As noted, only a few of them will be test-castable so I’m interested in hearing if anyone owns or has used any of them.
- Taylor Dynamix 8’ 6” 4wt
- San Juan Frying Pan 8’ 6” 4wt
- Fenwick Aetos 8’ 6” 4wt
- Orvis Clearwater 8’ 6” 4wt
- Echo Carbon XL 8’ 4” 4wt
- Redington CT 8’ 6” 4wt (hesitant on this one due to distance issues)
- Redington Vice 8’ 6” 4wt
- TFO Dispatch 8’ 6” 4wt
- TFO Blue Ribbon 8’ 6” 4wt
- TFO Pro III 8’ 6” 4wt (hesitant on this one due to distance issues)
- Douglas ERA 8’8” 4wt
- Greys Lance 8’ 4wt (too short?)
