FLYMPH FORUM

Have been thinking about rods lately and thought I'd ask you all what length and line weight rod do you like to use when fishing flymphs and soft hackles? I could add fishing traditional wet flies to that question. I know there are variables to what rod you might prefer like fast or slow water, length of cast, size of flies, etc. Add to that personal preference.
Do you like graphite, fiberglass or bamboo? I prefer traditional materials but that's me. Any comments? Thanks alot.

Doug J.

My favorite is a Sage 490 LLB that I built years ago! But I am happy to play with an assortment of rods fiberglass and old grass included depending on the waters to fish.

Almost impossible for me to answer. For brush choked streams here in Maine, I like a 6'6" 3 or 4 weight graphite rod with an Airflo line or a 7'6" bamboo 4 weight with a silk line. For a bit more open water I go for a 4 or 5 weight 9' Hardy Zenith rod, usually matched with a RIO Gold line. For really open water and larger rivers I usually opt for a Meiser 12'6" two hand rod in 3 or 5 weight. The two handers are usually matched with an OPST grain appropriate Skagit head and tips and a mono running line or an Airflo Scandi line with a selection of tips and poly leaders. All of the single hand rods also have a spare reel loaded with an OPST Skagit head and tips in case I got into situations where I have limited back cast room.

Oh, I haven't fished a dry fly in over 30 years.

All I have ever used is my Redington Hydrogen 4wt Switch rod. Fortunately, I fish streams that are pretty open so that 11-6 length hasn't been an issue. I use a 200 grain SA Scandi line and T-8 MOW tips. Working for me so far. Going to Montana and Yellowstone in September. It will really get put through it's paces then.

Ron Eagle Elk wrote: ↑Sun Jul 02, 2023 7:45 am For brush choked streams here in Maine, I like a 6'6" 3 or 4 weight graphite rod with an Airflo line or a 7'6" bamboo 4 weight with a silk line.

Ron,

Like you I have a 6'6" 4wt graphite rod that I built in 1992 for one of my favorite brushy creeks in eastern Oregon.
Love the bow and arrow cast!

Bill

Doug,

A 9' Heddon with 2F ferrule is a good choice. I fish mine with a Hook and Hackle DT-6F line. A Cortland Peach DT-6 would pretty much be interchangeable. I have also used a Cortland Sylk DT-6. I dream of acquiring a Heddon Model 60, but for now, I'm using a Model 10.

Tight Lines- Ken

Roadkill wrote: ↑Sun Jul 02, 2023 12:37 pm

Ron Eagle Elk wrote: ↑Sun Jul 02, 2023 7:45 am For brush choked streams here in Maine, I like a 6'6" 3 or 4 weight graphite rod with an Airflo line or a 7'6" bamboo 4 weight with a silk line.

Ron,

Like you I have a 6'6" 4wt graphite rod that I built in 1992 for one of my favorite brushy creeks in eastern Oregon.
Love the bow and arrow cast!

Bill

Bill, While I do have a standard line for my little 3 and 4 weights, I usually fish them with an OPST Skagit head (150 grain) and a 5 foot 30 grain floating tip. I use 30 pound Amnesia for a running line. It's nice being able to make longer casts even with overhanging branches and no back cast room. A sidearm snake roll cast will let me put a fly out to about 40 feet. I only need about 5 feet of back cast room and a clear 4 feet above the water. Nice accurate cast and it looks cool as all get out.

If wade fishing, I try to work a river upstream. Then I can swing wets down and across as I return to my vehicle.

My Syndicate 10 foot 3 wt is ideal for this. It has a sensitive tip, and protects my tippets very well.

If my intentions are geared towards fishing soft hackles all day, I use an 8 foot Blue Halo 5 weight, fiberglass.

I rarely use any line except WF floating. I am not loyal to any one line company, but I seem to buy Rio more times than not.

My 10' 6" Cortland 3wt with a 5wt single hand spey line by Rio gets used much like Dubbn. Fish it upstream with a variety of nymphing methods, depending on the river, then back down with soft hackles. I also have a 10" 4 wt Loomis rod that gets the same treatment on areas of the Deschutes. Same line works on this rod. I do a lot of single hand spey casting on both the Crooked and Middle Deschutes...no real reason, just fun to cast this way... Like Ron E I will put on a dry fly if I absolutely have to, and then it won't stay on long,

Here in far off northern Maine, we have alder choked streams that are better suited for a Popeil's Pocket Fisherman than a rod of indeterminate length. My favorite small stream flymph rod, these days, is a vintage 7' 4wt. Orvis Trout Bum. I've got a first generation Helios 7' 4wt., but it really doesn't pump the sunshine up my tookus. After that, the 'larger' streams get whipped to a froth with 9' Scott and St,Croix 4 and 5 wt.s

I'm pretty sure I need a 10' rod, I just haven't pulled the trigger yet (waiting for my wife to look in the other direction).