Rod selection advice.

[JACO]

So… I bought my first rod / reel combo in November. An Echo Traverse 5wt. Recently I took a casting lesson, and learned a lot. MBased on my form, my instructor suggested that I consider a more medium action rod when buying another. I have been considering an Orvis Clearwater, or perhaps a Sage Vantage or Foundation. I’ve been thinking either a four or six weight to compliment my 5. Today I visited a different shop, and the expert told me that I have it all wrong. He says I need a faster action rod. Im pretty confused.

Now I know that I need to consider where and what kind of fishing I’ll be doing. The honest answer is I’m not sure / all types. I have reservations at Lake Pearrygin near Winthrop, The Metolius, Deception Pass SP, The Yakima River, and I want to do some SRC fishing in the South Sound.

Is there anyone out there interested in steering me in the right direction? Perhaps I should just practice with what I have and try to fight my G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

 

[GLassguy2]

I totally agree with the thought process of the line impact on the rod. When recently purchasing a new to me.. rod, the fellow selling it, had about 5 lines / reels, for me to try to see how they (lines) responded. What an amazing individual to give that much time and effort to help someone buying a rod that was already an amazing deal and wonderful rod. I took that information learned and purchased the desireable line for me. I also found a line I thought was gong to be a better line for another rod I have had for over 10 years and struggled with, in honesty. I found that new (used but purchased from some individual on this site) line to actually make that rod come alive. It was like having a whole another different rod as it actually cast well compared to my previous line I struggled with for years.. What made the difference is the line actually loading the rod and also actually practicing and watching my casting stroke and gaining the confidence of changes in cadence and stages of steps in the casting process. That is where a casting lesson helps. I totally agree to the "use what rod you have and try a different line" and maybe even try seeing if someone has a reel with a few spools to allow you to see different lines and how they can affect the rod you have. I am not anyone with a HUGE experience pool but agree with what others have said. This is a wonderful group of folks on this forum and both my recent purchases were through this forum (and its previous format) and from guys who are so modest and wonderful all of whom are on this forum. This site...A HUGE asset compared to the idea to sell a person more and more. NOT .... what I think of when thinking of fly shops either.... Don't want folks thinking thats how I view shops. Its not.

 

[Scott Salzer]

The local fly club will be a great asset.

 

[Bagman]

Remember when you practicing your casting only spent about 15 -30 minutes at a time, as you get tired you start to get sloppy and bad habit’s are hard to break. I found that having my wife video me I could see what I was doing wrong and think about how to stop doing it wrong. I played sports for years follow through was very important, as was power. All the power needed is in the rod, and the stop is more important then the follow through. Don’t go fishing to practice casting, fishing time should be spent fishing and casting is not all there is to fishing.

 

[mems]

Muscle memory takes 1,000 repetitions to acquire. If you started as a spin fisher then you will break your wrist. If you are first time learning how to Flyfish then you can build good habits and not have to unlearn bad habits. A 5wt is the most popular model sold in flyfishing and it is very versatile. Practice false casting, shooting line and accuracy. If you are casting 40 feet then you can learn to single then double haul and it will open up more possibilities, like beach fishing. You should also work on different casts like roll, side arm, back hand and be able to still fish under different conditions. But again muscle memory takes 1,000 repetitions. Good luck have fun and don’t get frustrated. The more you fish the easier and more exciting it will become. Glad you have the support of a fishing club. Generativity is very prominent in fly fishing.

 

[skyriver]

Today I visited a different shop, and the expert told me that I have it all wrong. He says I need a faster action rod.

He told you that because, in general, a faster rod is more $$$. And he is also just wrong.

A beginner should use a Medium to Medium-Fast rod, just like your Echo Traverse. It's literally designed with beginners in mind. It might even be a bit too fast for most beginners. As someone else said, if you're struggling with feeling like you're not able to get any distance or the timing is just off, buy an affordable WF6F fly line on sale (there's tons of them out here) and try that on your 5wt. It's very common for WF5 lines to not load your average medium-fast 5wt rod, especially at beginner distances.

Did the guy mention a G Loomis, Sage or Hardy? Or anything else in the $700+ range? I would steer clear of his advice. He was hustlin.

 

[east coast]

SO, why not call your casting instructor and buy another hour telling him you want to try some different rods, He probably owns more than a fly shop?

 

[Wanative]

Remember when you practicing your casting only spent about 15 -30 minutes at a time, as you get tired you start to get sloppy and bad habit’s are hard to break. I found that having my wife video me I could see what I was doing wrong and think about how to stop doing it wrong. I played sports for years follow through was very important, as was power. All the power needed is in the rod, and the stop is more important then the follow through. Don’t go fishing to practice casting, fishing time should be spent fishing and casting is not all there is to fishing.

What Bagman said "all the power you need is in the rod".
It's taken me many years to learn this.
I've really beat up my right shoulder trying to use brute strength to cast for distance.
I've learned that timing the hauls in sync with your forward and backcast is where it's at. When it comes together its amazing the distance achieved.

 

[Buzzy]

Saturday, I had the opportunity to fish an Orvis 696 Helios F series strung with a Teeny T-series T-200 line. This rod/line combination casts so well it made me look like a great caster (I'm not). If I fished big rivers from a boat more often, I might be tempted to splurge.

 

[Skol_Engh]

Sounds like you need a Sage R8. It will be perfect for your casting stroke and will make you better. Remember, in fishing you're only as good as you look!

 

[Jake Watrous]

Remember, in fishing you're only as good as you look!

Well, I’m screwed.

OP: If you can identify where your current equipment is holding you back, causing problems, or not getting the job done then you will have a good idea of what you need in a rod.

 

[Bagman]

Well, I’m screwed.

OP: If you can identify where your current equipment is holding you back, causing problems, or not getting the job done then you will have a good idea of what you need in a rod.

I know just what I need to make my rod work great, I need about 30 less birthdays on the books.

 

[Buzzy]

Sounds like you need a Sage R8. It will be perfect for your casting stroke and will make you better. Remember, in fishing you're only as good as you look!

Man, I think you’re right - I stopped at the Spokane North40 this afternoon - “we just got the R8 in”. @G_Smolt was present…

And looking good!

 

[N. Metz]

I own a 5 weight sage vantage and love it. However, it is more of a medium fast action than a true medium action rod.

 

[Bob Rankin]

Personally I don’t think there is anything wrong with having G.A.S that being said I would probably try and think about what you are wanting to learn and target, then go from there.

I’ve bought and sold tons of rods over the years with all different types of actions. Part of the journey is learning how to cast them and fish them. I don’t think there are any shortcuts. sure it can be frustrating trying to figure out a new rod, but isn’t that what drives us to be a more well rounded caster and fisherman.

Basically buy what makes you feel good and learn how to use it. If you don’t like it, sell it! Start over.

 

[N. Metz]

Bobs advice is spot on. Cast a bunch of different rods and buy what feels good. I generally like medium or medium fast rods in the lower rod weights as I use them to fish for trout. A medium action rod is more forgiving when I overzealously set the hook; keeps me from breaking off fish.

I don't fish for SRC much and I've never fished the Yakima. That being said, your 5 weight should be fine for those situations. If it's super windy on the beach you might wish you had a 6 weight. That being said, the better you cast, the less wind and shit like that gets in your way.

 

[Westelyea]

Lots of good thoughts here. I’d recommend a 4wt. Reach out to me if you’re in the Seattle area and you can try a few rods I have.

 

[Old Man]

Every time I bought a new rod. I just went and bought it because I wanted it. I just learned to cast all my rods by trial and error casting. I've turned into a pretty good caster. I can cast all my rods equally well. It's just something you do. You seem to know how to just cast a different rod differently.(this is just about as clear as mud)

 

[Bob Rankin]

Every time I bought a new rod. I just went and bought it because I wanted it. I just learned to cast all my rods by trial and error casting. I've turned into a pretty good caster. I can cast all my rods equally well. It's just something you do. You seem to know how to just cast a different rod differently.(this is just about as clear as mud)

100 percent agree!!!!!

 

[Buzzy]

100 percent agree!!!!!

I had to reread (parts) of this thread (five months old, I forget). Bob - I don't agree and I do agree. Let me share just one "buy without test cast" example. When I first started into the spey world, I bought a Sage 9140 in their original series, lined it with a Rio Windcutter. After sometime, I was actually able to cast this rod but then my buddy decided I needed to upgrade. He convinced me to buy Sage's latest 9140 (I don't remember the particulars, Euro action maybe?). I COULD NOT make this rod cast the Windcutter so I basically stuck the rod in the closet, I wasn't taking time to fish for steelhead anyway. Eventually I got the itch to fish for steelhead so I drug that rod out and went to play with it and once again, couldn't get the rod to load. I took it to Red's and asked for help. Craig lined this rod four times with his own gear and finally looked at me and said something along the lines of "what are you fishing for with this telephone pole? 50 pound Chinook?". The point being, I don't think I was ever going to learn how to cast that rod. It was too stiff (is that the same as fast?). That rod came to me via a fly shop, I didn't test cast it. My bad.

(Have I bought other rods that I didn't test cast? Yes - some I love and some I sold. At least for me, test casting is a better way to buy a new rod.)

 

[Bob Rankin]

I had to reread (parts) of this thread (five months old, I forget). Bob - I don't agree and I do agree. Let me share just one "buy without test cast" example. When I first started into the spey world, I bought a Sage 9140 in their original series, lined it with a Rio Windcutter. After sometime, I was actually able to cast this rod but then my buddy decided I needed to upgrade. He convinced me to buy Sage's latest 9140 (I don't remember the particulars, Euro action maybe?). I COULD NOT make this rod cast the Windcutter so I basically stuck the rod in the closet, I wasn't taking time to fish for steelhead anyway. Eventually I got the itch to fish for steelhead so I drug that rod out and went to play with it and once again, couldn't get the rod to load. I took it to Red's and asked for help. Craig lined this rod four times with his own gear and finally looked at me and said something along the lines of "what are you fishing for with this telephone pole? 50 pound Chinook?". The point being, I don't think I was ever going to learn how to cast that rod. It was too stiff (is that the same as fast?). That rod came to me via a fly shop, I didn't test cast it. My bad.

(Have I bought other rods that I didn't test cast? Yes - some I love and some I sold. At least for me, test casting is a better way to buy a new rod.)

I had that same rod. Mine was the Greenie! It was a beast! I had a Rio wind cutter on that and it was one hell of a rod. I wish I still had it, though I’m not sure what I would use it for. But I understand what your saying.