[GeorgeMcFly]

I always hear how you can never have enough 4 wts. and was thinking of getting one. what are the benefits of a 4wt to other line rods and what are they better used for? there are no natural trout here just gills and bass and stocked steelheads in the colder months with catfish thrown in. anyone got any ideas for my 1st 4wt combo? preferbly one under 200 bux and thats with line and backing included. I seen a redington crosswater for 100 some and there new red 2 fly rod combos for 200 or about that price. just wondered if anyone can point me in a good direction? I wanna get a quality rod this time and redington has a lifetime warranty which I like. so far I have the 3 wt bitch creek ($126)and 6 weight martin($28) plus the cabelas 8wt ($99). is it worth the money to invest in a 4wt?

[GeorgeMcFly]

checked out full creel and like the looks of the tfo nxt combo also. just wonder if the 4/5 model comes with wf 4 or 5 weight line?

[GeorgeMcFly]

noone with ideas? guess everyones asleep I noticed its late. I have been searching for a few hours now for rod combos and am just not sure yet. I was thinking of getting the 4/5wt tfo nxt combo from the creel. just wonder if its 4wt or 5wt line on it?? I wrote fishbones and asked him on his creel site. this seems like a good combo and I like the lifetime warranty and rod case and the fact that its a 4 piece. I am almost not even caring what size line comes with it as I can buy whatever size I want anyways. I will prolly just use whats on it tho. was also thinking of maybe giving my 6 wt martin 20 dollar combo away to my buddy since he seems to of taken to fly fishing and wants to go with me this year more but doesn't have any gear. although its hard cause its my 1st ever setup I got. maybe I will just spend 30 more bux and get him a new one haha. does that make me a bad guy? man I just cant seem to part with anything....... anyways I am gonna sleep on it and see what ya guys recommend and what fishbones says and I will make my decision from there.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Matt,

OK, you have a 3wt and a 5wt. I don't know what a 4wt would do that one of these rods won't do as good or better.

The TFO NXT would be a good choice but not what I would do. I think you are spending your money on really cheap outfits and if it was me I would save my money for a while and get a better grade of equipment. One of the best rods for the money is the TFO Professional. It is not a limp noodle like some lower cost rods. When you buy a combo outfit you end up with a low cost rod, cheap reel and cheap fly line. That doesn't make sense to me. That is a good way to start but you are getting more experience and a better understanding of fly fishing.

Frank

[shorthaul]

thats good advice Frank

looks like matt is hooked and cant escape

Hows about saving up for a really nice 7 wt to chase steelhead and smallmouth, this will give you more versatility and build up your casting arm--

you pretty much get what you pay for with flyrods---a good rod will take years to get tired of and a good reel will last a lifetime

looks like you have a trend collecting odd numbered rods keep it going---as Frank pointed out---you wont get that much more with a 4 that you cant do with either the 3 or 5

[Joni]

I know I am the one that says you can't have too many 4 wts. but I fish for trout and only trout. A 4 wt will work on any waters around here.
I agree with the other two, you have a 3wt for the small guys and a 5 wt. for just about everything else, I would go with a 6, 7 or 8 wt.
Maybe save up and get a really nice 5 wt or whatever weight you use the most.
I have a Fantastic 2 wt. but I got it for a song and a dance, the same with my 8 wt. I would NOT have paid full price for either rod, due to the fact I don't use them all the time.
Now 4, 5, 6 wt I use all the time so it is the Orvis Bamboo, The Zero, The Winston, and I love every minute of it!

[Frank Whiton]

Hey Matt,

Oops, for some reason I thought you had a 5wt. If your heart is set on a 4wt then go for it. I think you would be smart to upgrade your Martin 6wt.

Frank

[Joni]

I missed that also Frank. Too bad about the 5 wt, I just sold the Orvis Pro Guide (power matrix) in new condition for $175. Still had the warranty card and everything. Oh welll, nothing like rubbing salt in a wound LOL.
I got a nice little Tea Stick 7' 4wt LOL

[GeorgeMcFly]

alright thanks for all the advice. your right i'm addicted but I am also cheap as all of you know by now lol. ya the martin is a 5/6 wt but says it has 6 wt line on it. trust me its pretty cheap by all your guys standards but it gets the job done and can still cast a dry fly with a soft nice presentation. I would tell anyone trying out fly fishing at 1st to try it out to see if they like the sport. you are right maybe I should go with a 5wt since I use the martin always in the summer alot. so if I go that route that would give me a 3wt, a 5wt, and a 8wt not counting that martin outfit. now if I was gonna get a 5wt what would you recommend? I know you get what you pay for and that there are rods that are $300 or more but just can't see myself spending that much on just a rod so to me as long as its a good named brand with lifetime warranty and can cast way better than the 20 dollar rig thats fine with me. thats why I set my price to $200 or less. I also seen the echo rods for $140 or so but the hard case it comes with won't fit a reel attached and I don't know what reel or line to pair with it. I would have to go with a really cheap reel and line to keep it in my price range. just seen a tfo professional 4wt and 5wt and orvis mountain turbine reel combo with line leader and back for $188 also.

[plland]

George it does seem like you have a lot of inexpensive rods and maybe its time you invest in a really nice (or relatively nice) one. The TFO NXT combo would get you a good rod (though I don't know the action of the NXTs), but a fairly cheap reel and line. I do like TFO, though. Their rods consistently impress me, especially compared to $600 rods. A 4wt is a dry fly and light nymphing rod, in my mind, but primarily if would excel for dry flies. On some western tailwaters, like Lee's Ferry, people use everything from 1wt to 4wt rods for midge nymphing, but the heavier your nymph set up, the heavier the line should be to cast it a good distance. Also- when I say a 4wt would be a great dry fly/light nymphing rod, I'm thinking of trout primarily, natural or stocked. For steelhead and bass, I think you are covered with your 6wt and 8wt rods. Maybe you're looking for a dry fly rod for panfish with some serious backbone (faster action) so you can cast to the other side of a lake? Then I'd agree with Frank, the TFO Professional would be a great choice, you could even go lighter than 4wt for a panfish rod. I'm a big fan of medium action rods myself, but again when I think of a 4wt, I think of fishing for trout in streams, which would include a lot of in-close fishing. If you want a good 4wt rod so you can travel to places where there are trout streams, then you might take a look at the TFO Finesse, Orvis Superfine, and Winston WT/IM6 (the Winstons are way on the expensive side, but you might find some deals on ebay for used IM6s). Of course, the TFO Professional, being medium-fast action, would be excellent trout rods as well, particularly for big water.