I am looking for some ideas/ recommendations for a fly rod. I know this has been covered already, but I could not find it...

The setting is a moderately deep trout reservoir. The most productive end of the lake is shore to shore weeds, but where the old stream bed wound through is clear of weeds but full of snags from the trees that were not logged off when the dam was built. So you have this "stream" that is anywhere from 4' to 15' wide and we are guessing about 20' deep that flows through dense weeds. We are using wholly buggers and various killer patterns in sizes 8 to 12 fished on a sinking line or a floating line with very long leaders and a small split shot. In recent trips we have started using tippets that are made from 12-15lb mono as we have been losing quite a few fish on the strike with any lighter weight tippet. We are also losing trout that bury themselves in the weeds right off the bat. We are fishing out of small rowboats or a canoe. Fish range from 2lb to 6lb.

So I am contemplating a short rod that has lots of back bone and is moderately cast-able in a 5wt or 9wt range. I don't make long casts nor do "clean" cast seem to be an issue with fish that deep.

My logic is that I want something that is easy to handle in a boat and is capable of pulling a moderate sized trout of of the weeds. Budget is a concern and I would really prefer to not add another reel to my collection just now.

Recommendations?

Rodney

Rodney,
I only build fly rods - but have very little experience with short rods. But, on a whim, I did build a 2 piece 7'6" #6 rod on a CTS Affinity-MX. CTS will build anything you wish but sometimes they don''t get the rod wt classification correct on a "one-off" blank. I use that rod with a #7 or #8 line and it is a very powerful little caster. I have caught a number of striped bass up to 32" so I know it has backbone - but it has a nice easy action -casts great.

I don't remember the cost - but my guess is in the area of $150.
Good luck.
Herb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2011 10:01AM by Herb Ladenheim.

Herb
Ever do any 6' 2 piece blanks 3 wt

Bill - willierods.com

Herb wouldn't know what to do with a 3wt rod! Ha Ha. He casts 11 wts for fun and talks about them being nice and easy.

Lane

Buy yourself a popping blank ... something along the lines of the Batson Forecast RX6 SP841. It will work very well IMO and be priced exactly right.

A Rainshadow hot shot blank will cast well and has tremendous backbone. They make a versatile fly rod.

If I were you, I might first just try stepping up to a 7 or 8wt rod that is more in line with the 12-15 lb tippet you have to use. You'd then have a little more power to strip-line them and get um up a few feet away from the snags, before you put um on the reel. If they're 2-6 lb Trout, they'll still be plenty fun on the bigger rod.

I'd go with the 1 or 2 piece MHX HS9600. Built for steelhead , with just enough power for what you need and enough flexibility to protect your tippets and make a very nice fly rod.

Lane,
I wish there were smilly faces on this site. [:)] wait - there it is. Maybe I'll ship you the 8'6" #11 to try if I don't take it to the Cape. It would be a great big-red rod from a boat.

Bill, No - I received a #5, 9' blank from Gatti in error. I broke out in hives when I touched it.
Herb



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2011 01:13PM by Herb Ladenheim.

I agree with Jim, a ip841 or sp841 from Batson. I made a fly rod from a ip840 but it was too light for my intended use, it was like a 5/6 weight. The 841 might be like a 7/8 weight.

Greg

Rodney,
How does a 6'6" 8 weight sound ??
Your requirements are not for distance but you need to propel a weighted nymph with authority.
Try a 6'6" light spinning blank similar to the Cabela's GS 662.
Reasonable price even if only rated for 8#.
The shorter length may provide better leverage when used from a boat.
You will still lose some to the shrubbery, but the fish can win sometimes without taking away too much fun.

Bill,
You appear to need a very light spinning rod ( less than an ultra-light )
In a 6' length need an IM7 blank with a butt dia approx .21.
Pretty light for a spinning rod. You might consider an ultra light ferruled to an ice rod tip to decrease the rod stiffness and speed to assist in casting.

Eugene Moore

Eugene

That is why I am looking at these [www.mudhole.com] know any thing about them

Bill - willierods.com

Bill,
This isn't the correct thread for this discussion.
According to my numbers these are much too heavy for a 3 weight fly line.
Probably more suited to a 5 weight.
You are looking for a butt dia around .220 not .300 at a length of 6'

Eugene Moore

That is why I started another. The CCS numbers are the only thing that tells the truth.

Bill - willierods.com

Can someone fill me in on the difference between a SP 841 and a SB841-3? I realize that the -3 denotes a 3 piece and that is why I am interested. I am overseas and getting a 7' one piece out here is highly unlikely.

If fishing from a boat, why a short rod? If you are trying to get down 20', a 350 grain line or T-14 head system will do exactly what you want. 9' 8-9 wt rod is what we use for the Chesapeake Bay when targeting the 20' depths for stripers etc... 8-9 weight has plenty of backbone to pull fish away form structure. Lowest weight rod I would go would be a 5wt and load it with a 250 grain head. Just have to be patient when letting the fly sink and also plan for wind drift and/or current. Friends in NC use the 5's for reds in about 10-12' of water and they work well.