Looking for a new rod.......

[Pickle]

Here goes nothing haha, I live in north west TN. I fish MO and AR streams. Mostly the Spring River and White River in AR. I have a 9' 5wt Orvis Clearwater mid flex now. Love that rod. I'm thinking of getting a streamer rod. Maybe a 9' tip flex? Should I maybe go up to a 6wt to throw streamers? I would say I'm an intermediate caster. Still have a lot to learn. I was really just trying to find out what people were using so I could check them out. I'm hitting up a couple of fly shops in nashville in a few weeks to check out different rods. Thanks everyone for all the info. I'm overwhelmed by all the replies.

[moucheur2003]

Originally Posted by chi flyfisher

I've fished the Legend Elite last spring (my guides stick) in the 486 and didn't like it. Slower than my typical rod but adjusting the stroke rectified that. I just didn't feel that it had as much feel as I like - strange since it was slower than my 486 ZXL. Just goes to show you that slower doesn't equal "feel" and we all respond differently to different sticks. To each his own...

Cheers,
Mike.

Just goes to show, other people's advice is nice, but there's no substitute for holding it to see what feels right in your own hand.

---------- Post added at 11:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:25 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Pickle

Here goes nothing haha, I live in north west TN. I fish MO and AR streams. Mostly the Spring River and White River in AR. I have a 9' 5wt Orvis Clearwater mid flex now. Love that rod. I'm thinking of getting a streamer rod. Maybe a 9' tip flex? Should I maybe go up to a 6wt to throw streamers? I would say I'm an intermediate caster. Still have a lot to learn. I was really just trying to find out what people were using so I could check them out. I'm hitting up a couple of fly shops in nashville in a few weeks to check out different rods. Thanks everyone for all the info. I'm overwhelmed by all the replies.

You can fish streamers well enough on your 5 weight, unless you're throwing heavy weighted things that are really more like jigs than flies.

Having said that, I myself bought a 9' tip-flex 6 wt last year for streamer fishing and longer distance casting. So yeah, if you're planning to do a lot of that kind of fishing, a 9' 6 wt with some backbone will do the job a bit better than your mid-flex 5. I wouldn't recommend buying another 5 specifically for streamer fishing, though.

[plecain]

I'd take a look at St Croix's Bargain Room.
I've bought several rods there. This AM I bought a 10' 6 wt Legend Ultra for $185.
Plus, you can buy spare tips for $30.

[biggie_robs]

Originally Posted by chi flyfisher

I've fished the Legend Elite last spring (my guides stick) in the 486 and didn't like it. Slower than my typical rod but adjusting the stroke rectified that. I just didn't feel that it had as much feel as I like - strange since it was slower than my 486 ZXL. Just goes to show you that slower doesn't equal "feel" and we all respond differently to different sticks. To each his own...

Cheers,
Mike.

Interesting, even though there's a 4wt shootout out there somewhere that didn't care for the rod either, but the 486 I built on an SCV blank with an REC recoil stripper and recoil single foot guides and tiptop might just be my favorite rod. Love it.

[FrankB2]

Originally Posted by Pickle

Here goes nothing haha, I live in north west TN. I fish MO and AR streams. Mostly the Spring River and White River in AR. I have a 9' 5wt Orvis Clearwater mid flex now. Love that rod. I'm thinking of getting a streamer rod. Maybe a 9' tip flex? Should I maybe go up to a 6wt to throw streamers? I would say I'm an intermediate caster. Still have a lot to learn. I was really just trying to find out what people were using so I could check them out. I'm hitting up a couple of fly shops in nashville in a few weeks to check out different rods. Thanks everyone for all the info. I'm overwhelmed by all the replies.

OK.... I drove through all of Tennessee in November 2006, and was really overwhelmed by the scenery. We wanted to stop and fish, but only had 3 days to get from PA to San Antonio, TX.

I use a Sage ZXL 8'6" 4wt to cast Clouser Minnows with 1/40oz dumb bell eyes. The job is made easier by tying my own leaders. I'm a firm believer that knotted leaders perform much better than the extruded store-bought type. I also use 3X tipped whenever possible. While that rod casts a streamer fine in winds that are less than 10mph, it's not the best for fighting larger fish in strong currents. It's exciting, but tough on the fish physically, and my nerves.

A Sage Z-Axis will cast the same streamer just fine in stronger winds, and will also fight larger fish without turning my hair gray. A rod with a stiff mid and butt section like the Z-Axis will cast a line one weight heavier than it's rated for easily, and I use a 6wt line on a 5wt Z-Axis when casting heavy/big flies in strong winds. Of course you can overline any rod, but softer action rods will not want to cast heavier lines very far. If your current 5wt had a stiffer action, I'd say try a 6wt line on it. You could always use a heavier leader and a 5wt line with a head designed for throwing heavier flies. A 6wt would be a sure bet.