Packable/ economic 5 wt setup recommendations?

[hiplainsdrifter]

Hi there-

I am new to your forum, and am in the market for a new setup. I am not too educated on gear. I fish primarily pocket water in the Bighorns. I occasionally fish lakes and larger rivers. I tend to hook into stuff <12 inches, as I am not too good at fishing bigger water yet.

I just ordered an Allen Trout reel, after comparing it to some of the lower end Ross reels. Now I just need a rod.

My current rod is a Redington TFF 8054 8 ft. 5 wt. 4 pc. I really like the size of this rod, but have never been too keen on the action since I bought it a few years back. It just seems too limp and noodly to get a good cast in tight spaces, or to cast for much distance. I can do short roll casts pretty well with my wife's cheapo Cabela's rod, but pretty much not at all with my Redington TFF. I guess I am looking for something easier to cast, 4 pc. or smaller, and preferably <8.5 ft.

Any suggestions in the <150.00 range would be appreciated- or, should I suck it up and learn to cast better on the Redington? I am looking for a quiver of one rod, as I don't want my fishing gear to reach the ridiculous proportions of my ski gear.

 

[Ard]

Welcome to the forum Drifter,

I will let those members who own rods similar to what you are seeking give you their feedback. Hope to see you become an active member here,

Ard

 

[oregonsteel]

Hi there-

I am new to your forum, and am in the market for a new setup. I am not too educated on gear. I fish primarily pocket water in the Bighorns. I occasionally fish lakes and larger rivers. I tend to hook into stuff <12 inches, as I am not too good at fishing bigger water yet.

I just ordered an Allen Trout reel, after comparing it to some of the lower end Ross reels. Now I just need a rod.

My current rod is a Redington TFF 8054 8 ft. 5 wt. 4 pc. I really like the size of this rod, but have never been too keen on the action since I bought it a few years back. It just seems too limp and noodly to get a good cast in tight spaces, or to cast for much distance. I can do short roll casts pretty well with my wife's cheapo Cabela's rod, but pretty much not at all with my Redington TFF. I guess I am looking for something easier to cast, 4 pc. or smaller, and preferably <8.5 ft.

Any suggestions in the <150.00 range would be appreciated- or, should I suck it up and learn to cast better on the Redington? I am looking for a quiver of one rod, as I don't want my fishing gear to reach the ridiculous proportions of my ski gear.

Dude! I ski and I flyfish. What fun is it if you dont have your super fat 140 mm wide skis for the pow, your skis for the groomer, your skis for the Bumps? Sure, 30 years ago people skied the deep pow, huge bumps, steep cliffs all on 240 cm straight skis, so it can be done, but what fun is that??!?!?

But instead of taking lessons and learning how to actually do the sport, why not just buy the coolest new rod or flyline that comes out???

That is what I did as a beginner, and ***, it never made me a better caster but it sure was fun buying all this junk!!

Do you want to cast better or do you want a travel rod? If you want to cast better, tell me where you live. Sometimes I have been known to do wonders (see the casting group)

If you want a smaller travel rod for $150 or less, wander over to the bears den, Bear's Den Fly Fishing Co., go to rods, then march brown.


Inspiring. This ever-ready companion is impeccably designed to prove worthy of its namesake. For less than the cost of a two-piece, experience a true high performance travel fly rod built using our same world famous, patented carbon blank! No other fly rod exists which boasts a better combination of cost and performance to give you the most bang for the buck. Built to last and built to fish extremely hard, this travel fly rod will endure through countless generations.

• Unbreakable, lighweight, woven carbon reel seaton fresh water models
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• Blackened and non-reflective stealth hardware with heavy duty single foot guides and enlarged tip

High Performance Travel Fly Rod Specifications:

• Lightest fly rods on the market for all-day casting
• Built using our own Elite Performance™, March Brown Ltd., patented carbon blank for unrivaled performance
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• Superior chrome single foot guides and enlarged tip
• Premium cork handle, hand-turned in Portugal and better than Grade A- “AA” for enhanced comfort and durability
• Refined, durability tested, matte finish which is non- reflective for stealth and the most challenging fish
• Innovative closed and coated loop design dynamically reduces-friction for long distance casting
• Fast middle to tip action and balanced taper for an effortless long or short range presentation
• Additional multi-layer, element protecting, outer coatings
• Elegant black velour pouch (included!)
• Free: Extremely rugged packing tube with carry handle, strap and name card holder
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March Brown Legacy LS905-6
$149.95
9'0"
5 wt.
6 pc.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

Dude! I ski and I flyfish. What fun is it if you dont have your super fat 140 mm wide skis for the pow, your skis for the groomer, your skis for the Bumps? Sure, 30 years ago people skied the deep pow, huge bumps, steep cliffs all on 240 cm straight skis, so it can be done, but what fun is that??!?!?

But instead of taking lessons and learning how to actually do the sport, why not just buy the coolest new rod or flyline that comes out???

That is what I did as a beginner, and ***, it never made me a better caster but it sure was fun buying all this junk!!

Do you want to cast better or do you want a travel rod? If you want to cast better, tell me where you live. Sometimes I have been known to do wonders (see the casting group)

Hahaha, that is funny. Unfortunately, you don't know the half of it. With two pairs of cross country, two pairs of vintage telemark skis, 4 pairs of all mountian/powder bias trad camber tele skis, one pair of fat AT skis, and two pairs of rockered deep powder tele skis, I don't think gear whoring is even a good excuse anymore. Thanks for the recommendation, looks like a good option. I don't really care if people think I am a good caster, I just wanna be able to get my fly on the water where I want it without spooking fish.

 

[Ard]

Well then, a Hardy Smuggler would make a fine rod for you. When I hear "Packable" I think Smuggler.

 

[MoscaPescador]

I am new to your forum, and am in the market for a new setup.

Welcome to the forum.

Any suggestions in the <150.00 range would be appreciated- or, should I suck it up and learn to cast better on the Redington? I am looking for a quiver of one rod, as I don't want my fishing gear to reach the ridiculous proportions of my ski gear.

How about get a new rod that fits your needs and get some casting help?

Do you buy your ski gear at a specialty shop, or do you buy it online? If you buy your ski gear from a specialty shop, why not visit a fly fishing specialty shop? If you prefer to have the expertise of a ski shop, you may end up liking the expertise of a fly fishing shop.

Try this for size. Bring your old rod with you, and show it to the sales guy. Tell him what you like and dislike about it, and have him pick a rod, or two or three that meet the criteria that you have established. Have him watch you cast, and let him be candid on what you can do to improve your stroke.

Since you may visit a specialty shop, why not ask the sales guy his opinion on what the right length of rod that you should be using. You said that you mostly fish pocket water at the Bighorns, so 8'6" may be too short.

This is just an opinion. An 8 foot 5 weight isn't the right rod as a first rod. In the hands of an unskilled caster, it may lack enough length for the caster to notice the load. With a 9 foot rod, the unskilled caster will have extra length to spread the line mass to get that load.

Regardless of which rod you end up with, you still will need help with casting. You can get casting instruction through a fly shop, guide, fly fishing club, or a fishing buddy.

As for rod recommendations, I'll let the specialty shop figure that out for you.

MP

 

[oregonsteel]

Welcome to the forum.



How about get a new rod that fits your needs and get some casting help?

Do you buy your ski gear at a specialty shop, or do you buy it online? If you buy your ski gear from a specialty shop, why not visit a fly fishing specialty shop? If you prefer to have the expertise of a ski shop, you may end up liking the expertise of a fly fishing shop.

Try this for size. Bring your old rod with you, and show it to the sales guy. Tell him what you like and dislike about it, and have him pick a rod, or two or three that meet the criteria that you have established. Have him watch you cast, and let him be candid on what you can do to improve your stroke.

Since you may visit a specialty shop, why not ask the sales guy his opinion on what the right length of rod that you should be using. You said that you mostly fish pocket water at the Bighorns, so 8'6" may be too short.

This is just an opinion. An 8 foot 5 weight isn't the right rod as a first rod. In the hands of an unskilled caster, it may lack enough length for the caster to notice the load. With a 9 foot rod, the unskilled caster will have extra length to spread the line mass to get that load.

Regardless of which rod you end up with, you still will need help with casting. You can get casting instruction through a fly shop, guide, fly fishing club, or a fishing buddy.

As for rod recommendations, I'll let the specialty shop figure that out for you.

MP

What shop do you work at? I have never been to Kienes, but have been to American Fly Fishing and they dont even have a spot to cast the rods. I think Kienes does. Have been to Fish First! in Chico and they also didnt have anyplace to cast a rod.

Kind of like going to a ice cream shop and not being able to taste the ice cream before you order. Fly shop employees are usually fairly knowledgable, but alot of times they are only knowledgable about what they have to sell to you!! And often it wont be what you are looking for. MP, how many 6 -10 piece rods are you familiar with? How many have you cast?

Now MP is on to something, fly fishing shows have been the best experience for me to try rods out, like FFR in Denver.

To the original post, where do you live? We may be able to direct you to a fly shop, or there may be a consumer fly fishing show near you soon.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

Thanks for the ideas of checking out the shops. I may do that, but in answer to MP's query, I NEVER buy ski gear locally. Shop owners tend to just push some product, whether it is actually right for you or not, and selection tends to be rather limited. I have a pretty thorough personal knowledge of ski gear, so I can do some informed online shopping and typically pay 56-60 percent of what I would at local shops. I am all about supporting local business, but when you are talking a difference of 50-100.00, common sense prevails with me. But you are basically right, I should handle some different rods myself, rather than just ask for opinions online. Hmmm, you think 8.5 ft. is too short? That may be. I like the shorter rod for bushwacking. When your stream width is 10 feet, and you have to squirm through a willow jungle to get there, it seems like a shorter rod is nicer. But you think longer would be better?

 

[bloodhound]

One option that i have heard others on the forum do is, Buy a rod lets just say a scott A3 4pc and play with it if it is the magis stick you were looking for cool if not sell it on ebay and continue buying and trying, a few people on FF'ing forums have said they actually made a few bucks getting a good deal on the likes of sage, winston and g loomis then getting about MSRP selling them. so if you have no where to go pick up a rod and let line fly then there is always this option. P.S. i used a 9' 2 Pc. on the north tongue in burges junction WY. worked fine for me and sound exactlly like the waters you are fishing.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

Ha, good advice Bloodhound, I have actually done that a bit with skis. Of course, it requires a pretty good familiarity with the gear. I would actually consider the North Tongue to be really easy access as far as the Bighorns go, although the willows do get pretty thick in spots. I typically hike over 2 miles to fish over rough terrain where it is really nice to have both hands free, hence my desire for a pack rod.

 

[oregonsteel]

One option that i have heard others on the forum do is, Buy a rod lets just say a scott A3 4pc and play with it if it is the magis stick you were looking for cool if not sell it on ebay and continue buying and trying, a few people on FF'ing forums have said they actually made a few bucks getting a good deal on the likes of sage, winston and g loomis then getting about MSRP selling them. so if you have no where to go pick up a rod and let line fly then there is always this option. P.S. i used a 9' 2 Pc. on the north tongue in burges junction WY. worked fine for me and sound exactlly like the waters you are fishing.

10 feet wide? Heck you could easily get by with a 6 foot rod. (not that I would advise a beginner to learn how to cast on a 6 wt)

For a bit more money ($300) from the bearsden.com you can get a march brown hidden waters convertible. A 4 weight that is both 7 ft or 6 feet, or a 3 wt that is 6 and a half feet or 5 and 1/2 feet. And both are 7 pieces

 

[bloodhound]

check out the orvis frequent flyer, sounds pretty reasonable and orvis makes ok stuff i guess. on the tongue i always take the road lest traveled because it is so heavely fished along the road, love the area you fish though great as long as no moose around to maul you into the river bed.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

Bloodhound: I think I know exactly which road you are talking about . When I fish the North Tongue, I usually do the same thing. Next time you are in the Bighorns, you should check out some of the canyons, I think they are more fun, although significantly harder to get to.

Oregonsteel: Totally. I often dont even pull my line out past the end of my rod when stream fishing. The only thing is that I do want the rod to work well on lakes and bigger rivers like the Bighorn and the North Platte too.

Thanks for the advise all, I ended up ordering a March Brown Legacy, sounds like just the ticket (other than being a little long).

 

[bloodhound]

lol thats funny, coolest place i fished out west was (I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the river) but it would have to be the hole in the wall canyon, from what i was told it was the spot that the hole in the wall gang hid from authorities after their hiest's, about a half an hour to walk/crawl down the canyon and almost twice that to get back up but the stream, the cave they supposedly hid in and the fish were just the most amazing thing ever, then at the top where you can tent camp you go up this small hill and it looks like something from the movie True Grit.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

That is called Outlaw Canyon, which is the lower canyon of the Middle Fork of the Powder River. Shhh. We try not to tell people about that one. Definitely an exceptional place with great fishing, even for a lousy fisherman like myself. I just fished there last weekend, and caught some great action off of a stonefly hatch.