Nymphing/steamer Rod For The Bow

[birchy]

Guys,

 

I'm looking at replacing my 6wt Bow rod with a 4 piece. Been looking at some options.. one thing I know for sure is that I want something longer. My current 6wt is 8'6". I'm looking to go to a 9'6" or maybe even 10'.

 

Any comments on the differences between a 9', 9'6", and a 10'? I'm thinking the extra reach the 10 footer would give me would be nice. Is it pretty much just a personal preference thing? I plan on casting a few and feeling the difference, but similar to my 3 weight, I'd like to get some feedback from you guys to see what you prefer.

 

Thanks in advance!

[SanJuanWorm]

I have a 6wt 9'6" nymphing rod. I love it. For streamer I use an 8weight.

[maxwell]

my favorite rod for hte bow this year ahs bin a 11'2" 7wt one/doublehander for nymphing but half a fot and a fot are HUGE>.. they make mending easier, hookseting at distance easier and rollcasting a breeze i strongly recommend the extra foot or even 6inches.. wil make life much easier for you on teh bow i figure dude!

[headscan]

I recently switched to a 9'6" 7 wt as a nymphing and light streamer rod. The best thing about some extra length and backbone is that if you're throwing 2 or 3 nymphs and an indicator in the wind it has the balls to pick the rig up and get it where you want. The line you use for it is going to make a big difference too. I use a Loop Opti Stream line on it, which has a shorter head to muscle through the wind and turn over more weight. I mainly single hand spey cast though, so I don't know how much of a difference that makes. The short head, thin running line and extra rod length make mending super easy like Max says too.

 

Max, do you use the 11'2" for overhead casting much? I have a 10'6" switch rod and find that an hour of overhead casting it just wears my shoulder out.

[Gil]

Forgive my ignorance (all my rods are 9') are there disadvantages to going longer for a 6 or 5 wgt for the Bow???

[agbff]

I cant really think of any disadvantages, as headscan said overhead casting would be a little more difficult.... but i cant see it being much harder. More reach and longer casts is a definite advantage on a river the size of the bow.... Im still a beginner but that is what i think. I wish i had picked up a larger rod in both weight and length to fish the bow ( 9 ft 6 wt) but the bank account is almost bust with all the gear i have bought already.

andy

[PAV]

I've been using a 6wt. 9'6" XP for over a year & it has been my favorite rod for the Bow. Great for mending line and casts streamers, nymphs

and dry's just great.

[toolman]

I like rod lengths of 11'6" too 12' for nymphing the Bow, or any water 12' wide or wider ...

I can two hand overhead cast all day with little fatigue...Something I could not do with my 10' 6wt. single hander, which wrecked my casting elbow and convinced me to pick up a two hander, a few years ago. It took almost a year for the elbow to heal and almost two years to get most of the mobility back. Now, with my trout speys, casting is effortless/painless, in any conditions, tight against the banks, in the wind, with big tips and flys, long distances etc...I even use it for dry flys ...

And Birchy, if you plan on catching many fish on the Bow this winter, you had better be prepared to sometimes have to make 80'+ casts or be ready to wade up to your armpits. They tend to hold way the hell out in the deep winter holes, mid-river, a lot of the time...

[maxwell]

TM this aint a spey discussion..... we all know... thanks for bringin it up again... there are tons of spots that require much closer casts like 10 feet.. even hullswood.. most of the fish i rememebr u catchin lastyear were in that 40 foot from te bank mark

 

 

I recently switched to a 9'6" 7 wt as a nymphing and light streamer rod. The best thing about some extra length and backbone is that if you're throwing 2 or 3 nymphs and an indicator in the wind it has the balls to pick the rig up and get it where you want. The line you use for it is going to make a big difference too. I use a Loop Opti Stream line on it, which has a shorter head to muscle through the wind and turn over more weight. I mainly single hand spey cast though, so I don't know how much of a difference that makes. The short head, thin running line and extra rod length make mending super easy like Max says too.

 

Max, do you use the 11'2" for overhead casting much? I have a 10'6" switch rod and find that an hour of overhead casting it just wears my shoulder out.

only double overhand dude it is too much graphite too swing around all day single handed with a overhand cast...

 

flyon th only real disadvantage that i have found is on smaller streams it can be a pain in the ass and it takes a little more too get usto.. fatigue might set ina little early... like a hour or so maybe....... all depends on teh caster

[toolman]

This is a rod discussion in which I gave my opinion/input... Others, including you, gave theirs, without any negative comments from me...

Good luck with the new rod purchase, Birchy...

[chiasson]

my favorite rod for hte bow this year ahs bin a 11'2" 7wt one/doublehander for nymphing but half a fot and a fot are HUGE>.. they make mending easier, hookseting at distance easier and rollcasting a breeze i strongly recommend the extra foot or even 6inches.. wil make life much easier for you on teh bow i figure dude!

 

Max, is that rod a switch? I'm wondering how a 5 weight switch such as the 5110 z-axis would fair on the Bow for heavy nymphing and weighted streamers? It's the lightest in the series but 6,7 and 8 all seem to designed for steelhead and salmon fishing. I'm thinking of getting into a switch come spring.

[bloom]

I think there's definitely a disadvantage to longer rods, and that's weight. I have a 10' 3wt I use on the Crow in the winter time and that extra foot of graphite at the tip weighs a lot more than you think. If you plan on high sticking all day, you should try and borrow a buddy's for the day. My other minor problem is that with my 6 wt's, I like to leave them strung up in a case, and I can't find a case that will hold a 9'6'' strung up.

 

 

Sage makes some nice 9' 6'' and 10' rods

[headscan]

only double overhand dude it is too much graphite too swing around all day single handed with a overhand cast...

Ah, ok that makes sense. I don't double overhand cast much because I find it's a little awkward for me, but that's just a personal preference thing.

 

Forgive my ignorance (all my rods are 9') are there disadvantages to going longer for a 6 or 5 wgt for the Bow???

Long vs short rod has a lot to do with how much line you're able to lift off the water, overhead obstacles, and what's behind you. If you tend to wade deep, a longer rod is an advantage. There are some float tubers that use longer rods since they're waist deep. Try casting from the shore then waist deep with the same rod and the same amount of line on the water. You'll probably notice it's easier to pick the line up from shore. If you fish small creeks mainly from shore, then a shorter rod should work fine.

 

Obviously if you're fishing somewhere with a low tree canopy, a longer rod might be a disadvantage since you might end up with your tip hitting the branches or tangling your line in them. If there are low obstacles behind you, like 3 foot tall weeds and grass, sometimes that bit of extra rod length is enough to keep your back cast over it.

 

Fatigue plays a part with longer rods. Like I said, overhead casting my 10'6" 5/6 wt would be tiring to cast for long, but I don't notice any extra fatigue with my 9'6" 7 wt. I think the trick is to try a few different lengths and see where it is that you start to notice the extra rod weight. If you want to use longer rods without the fatigue, then it may be time to learn to single-hand or double-hand spey cast, but that's a subject for a different thread.

[lonefisher]

I have 2 10ft rods that I use exclusively (3wt and a 6wt) even on smaller stuff. I haven't fished them on extremely tight bushy water and I could see an issue there. However otherwise I don't see any disadvantages..... Even weight wise I have found them to be no more tiring then 9ft rods with regular casting..... highsticking my arm gets tired regardless of the rod length after time and maybe a tiny bit faster with a 10ft...... but I like that extra foot for high sticking as well so thats a tradeoff. I find they roll, and spey better and generally just love the length. I will think way harder about ever buying a 9ft again then about buying more 10's. 9ft is a great all around length for a first rod but I now find that I would either prefer shorter on the super tight creeks or longer for the rest..... but thats just my opinion. Good luck and test drive the G loomis stream dance HLS/MLS for your nymphing and streamering ect. Another great bargain the GL Eastfork in the 10' 6wt. Really nice casting rod...... But thats kinda my loomis bias. Lotsa great rods out there. (Dan craft FT in a 10ft)((had Cdone make me a 10ft 3wt FT and its something else))

[rusty]

I had 10' #6 XP that I used for the Bow quite a bit - but to be honest, it just got too heavy compared to the 9' over a full day. Yes, it was nicer for high sticking and streamer fishing, but I never really found that it caught you fish that you wouldn't have otherwise picked up.

 

I really liked the rod for fishing lakes because you could bomb 70' of type III fullsink with one false cast and you're only casting every 5 minutes. Fishing the river got to be a bit much though. The spey would be OK in that situation, but I've found that speying on lakes makes too much of a racket (though admittedly, I'm no hotshot spey fisherman).

[birchy]

Sage makes some nice 9' 6'' and 10' rods

 

 

Shhhhh!

[maxwell]

Max, is that rod a switch? I'm wondering how a 5 weight switch such as the 5110 z-axis would fair on the Bow for heavy nymphing and weighted streamers? It's the lightest in the series but 6,7 and 8 all seem to designed for steelhead and salmon fishing. I'm thinking of getting into a switch come spring.

 

yes its a switch dude the 11ft 5wt would be anice rod for tossing nymph rigs i would figure havnt cast it but i could make some nice underhand casts forsure!

[Conor]

I went to a fast taper/fast action 10' 6wt for my general Bow rod this year. It was a big step from my usual <9' medium to slow action rods; a bit too big, maybe.

 

It does the job very well, but I think it is more the backbone of the rod that gets me long mends and solid hook-sets than the length. The length does add a surprising amount of weight (not actual weight, but practical weight).

 

The extra foot is a bonus if you're willing to carry the weight.

 

If I were to make the choice again, I would have probably go 9'6" or went the spey route.

[darrinhurst]

Just in case you haven't seen it yet.

 

http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=6119