lethfisher Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 I thought it would be interesting to make a poll to see what kind of rods you guys use on the Bow. I made it multiple selection so you can check off as many as you like. Right now all I have is a 5wt... The results of this poll won't influence my decision on my next rod at all EDIT: Sweet the poll worked!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 7-5-3. and working on a 000 for those summer nights when you find abunch of 12" rising to anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 i like my 5 wt for the side channels and the larger 9wt spey for the seems that are just a bit out of reach for a regular rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headscan Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 9' 4wt, and 9'6" 7wt single handers and 11'9" 4wt, 12'2" 5wt, and 12' 6wt double handed rods. When the weather warms up the 4wt single hand is the dry fly rod and the 7wt is the nymphing rod while the double handers are the streamer rods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrinhurst Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Currently have a 9ft 5wt, and recently purchased a 7'6" 3wt. May use the 3wt on the bow for dries, but haven't yet. Bought it for the foothills streams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawgstoppah Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 10 foot 6 wt, and a 7 foot 3wt for dries. Spey... I dont really get it out much on the bow but I do like it for streamer fishing, and I use an 8wt TFO deer creek that toolman misses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashGordon Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 ^ hawg what kind of 10' 6wt are you using...is it a switch? 6 wts TFO 12'6 & TFO 9' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdangler Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 5 for Dry's & 6 for Nymphing, & playing with a Spey for Streamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SQUATCHER Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 been fishin the bow fer 18 years now. every year ive used a 9'6" 6wt. dries, nymphs and large streamers. i have never had an issue casting to any water from shore. which brings me to my question, whered the spey rods come from? is this a fad? now i do remember having troubles casting at a distance in my rookie years. do spey rods make casting easier, kinda like parabolic skiis make skiing easier? how far do you really need to cast on the bow? 60-70 feet max! i hope. any further and its just getting rediculous! maybe im wrong, maybe im missing something, but i was under the impression spey rods were built for tough fighting, 30 lb salmon, or surf casting? ive watched the spey casters on shore. and i give a chuckle when they pull in 18" bows on 15' 10 wt pole. whats the deal? somebody please tell me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladystrange Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 my go to rod is my 5wt but i have used a 3wt, hell of a fight on the 3wt. it was a lot of fun. of course there is always my 15ft 10wt spey, when i'm feeling lazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headscan Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 been fishin the bow fer 18 years now. every year ive used a 9'6" 6wt. dries, nymphs and large streamers. i have never had an issue casting to any water from shore. which brings me to my question, whered the spey rods come from? is this a fad? now i do remember having troubles casting at a distance in my rookie years. do spey rods make casting easier, kinda like parabolic skiis make skiing easier? how far do you really need to cast on the bow? 60-70 feet max! i hope. any further and its just getting rediculous! maybe im wrong, maybe im missing something, but i was under the impression spey rods were built for tough fighting, 30 lb salmon, or surf casting? ive watched the spey casters on shore. and i give a chuckle when they pull in 18" bows on 15' 10 wt pole. whats the deal? somebody please tell me? The beauty of fishing is that everyone is free to do it however they please as long as it's within the regs. Honestly, the topic has been done to death... http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=2386 http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=3253 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SQUATCHER Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 The beauty of fishing is that everyone is free to do it however they please as long as it's within the regs. Honestly, the topic has been done to death... http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=2386 http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=3253 i agree. go get a stick, tie on some mono, and go fish! thanks for the info headscan. do you live here? whippin out old posts so fast....weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish432 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 #5 for general fishing #4 or #3 for little dries #6 for steamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchy Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I only have 3 rods to begin with.. a 3, 6, and 8.. Haven't used the 8 at all yet. I use the 6 on the Bow primarily.. the 3 when i'm feeling adventurous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxwell Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 the rods ive bin using the most on teh bow the past few seasons are a 9' 4 n 5 wt, a 9' or 9'6" 6 or 8wts a 11' switch and a 12' 6wt spey and 11' 6" 7wt(soone too be back in my hands) spey.... all loops and a few custombuilds from g&l flycraft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lethfisher Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Well I am pretty impressed with the voting on this poll!! Lots of people which is awesome! Also interesting that there weren't more votes for the spey rods. I don't know why but I was thinking that there was going to be a ton of people with the spey rods. Pretty overwhelming victory in the 5 and 6wt category that's for sure. I thought that 5wt would be the lowest you would want to go and am surprised by the people using 4 wt and less for the dry flies. Thanks for all who voted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkk Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 been fishin the bow fer 18 years now. every year ive used a 9'6" 6wt. dries, nymphs and large streamers. i have never had an issue casting to any water from shore. which brings me to my question, whered the spey rods come from? is this a fad? now i do remember having troubles casting at a distance in my rookie years. do spey rods make casting easier, kinda like parabolic skiis make skiing easier? how far do you really need to cast on the bow? 60-70 feet max! i hope. any further and its just getting rediculous! maybe im wrong, maybe im missing something, but i was under the impression spey rods were built for tough fighting, 30 lb salmon, or surf casting? ive watched the spey casters on shore. and i give a chuckle when they pull in 18" bows on 15' 10 wt pole. whats the deal? somebody please tell me? a 15' 10wt is way overkill for the bow and all steelhead rivers. a 10wt might be good for chinooks but that is it. I will swing streamers with a 12'6 - 6wt (there are even 5wts) on the bow, it is super efficient - no false casts - no need for room behind. lets say i am fishing with a 2 hander and you are fishing with a single hander and we are making 50 ft casts ( fishing casts on the bow). you will need to make 2-4 false casts and then lay it out, i will just lay it out. At the end of the day my fly will have been in the water much longer than yours and therefor covered way more water. also lets say there is a high bank, trees, or bushes behind you now and you still need to get it out 50 ft, chances are after a few flies lost in the bushes behind, you move on forgoing the productive water you werent able to properly fish . (yes some people are amazing roll casters but) with a 2 hander i dont have that problem and can fish anywhere there is productive water. still use a single for fishing streamers out of the boat doesnt work with a 2hander. a fad? they are around and have been for a long time ( much longer than 18 yrs) they will not replace the need for single handers but definately a great addition to the arsonal. give it a go, arent you ready for a new challenge after 18 yrs. isn't part of the fun learning something new Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDoctor Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I often carry more than one rod, perhaps a Spey and dry fly or some other combo, depending on the conditions and hatches.. My wife says I should get an archery Quiver so I can carry more of hers. And by the way in addition to pkk's comments about Spey rods the thing I find is it's useful when therr is no room for back casting such as trees or banks behind you. The rod weights for Spey that I'm using are 4 to 6. I think you need more than own rod to fly fish, better a few specialty rods than one that doesn't do it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SQUATCHER Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 a 15' 10wt is way overkill for the bow and all steelhead rivers. a 10wt might be good for chinooks but that is it. I will swing streamers with a 12'6 - 6wt (there are even 5wts) on the bow, it is super efficient - no false casts - no need for room behind. lets say i am fishing with a 2 hander and you are fishing with a single hander and we are making 50 ft casts ( fishing casts on the bow). you will need to make 2-4 false casts and then lay it out, i will just lay it out. At the end of the day my fly will have been in the water much longer than yours and therefor covered way more water. also lets say there is a high bank, trees, or bushes behind you now and you still need to get it out 50 ft, chances are after a few flies lost in the bushes behind, you move on forgoing the productive water you werent able to properly fish . (yes some people are amazing roll casters but) with a 2 hander i dont have that problem and can fish anywhere there is productive water. still use a single for fishing streamers out of the boat doesnt work with a 2hander. a fad? they are around and have been for a long time ( much longer than 18 yrs) they will not replace the need for single handers but definately a great addition to the arsonal. give it a go, arent you ready for a new challenge after 18 yrs. isn't part of the fun learning something new thanks man, thats exactly what i wanted to hear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxwell Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 pkk nailed it..... 11-13' 5 and 6 wts are deadly on teh bow for fishing at distance.. even some 7wts are good choices for larger streamer fishin with the double handers! and leth fisher think of using a 3 or 4 wt for dryfly fishing when u want too save your tippet.. a longer softer rod like a 8 or 9 ' 3 or 4 wt will obsorb and bend more than a 6wt and take more impact reducing teh stress on light tippet.. so u can pull and stear the larger fish easier with less break offs compared too a 6wt....... and acually land them faster because u can apply more side pressure and ahve a tighter set drag........ im lookin at getting a 8' 8" 3wt thisyear.. gonna be a nutty stick!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawgstoppah Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 using a 3 or 4 wt for dryfly fishing when u want too save your tippet.. a longer softer rod like a 8 or 9 ' 3 or 4 wt will obsorb and bend more than a 6wt and take more impact reducing teh stress on light tippet.. so u can pull and stear the larger fish easier with less break offs compared too a 6wt....... and acually land them faster because u can apply more side pressure and ahve a tighter set drag........ im lookin at getting a 8' 8" 3wt thisyear.. gonna be a nutty stick!!!! Max, that's awesome. Ive used a 3wt on the Bow for dries for years.. and landed fish just as fast as anyone using heavier sticks, and also breaking FAR fewer off. The old FFA board used to slam me so bad for that. Good to see people are waking up these days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headscan Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Max, that's awesome. Ive used a 3wt on the Bow for dries for years.. and landed fish just as fast as anyone using heavier sticks, and also breaking FAR fewer off. The old FFA board used to slam me so bad for that. Good to see people are waking up these days Considering that I've seen guys fight a 12" rainbow on a 6 wt for 20 minutes, it isn't always about what weight rod you're using if you know how to fight them properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayjjones11 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 the biggest brown i know of being caught in alberta (in the last few years) was on a 000 weight...it's all about how you fight them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I use a 8wt , 3wt and two 5 wt. All single hand 9 ft . I only drift the bow so thats what i carry rigged up and ready to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alhuger Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I use a 15 foot 11 weight for my 100+ foot casts targeting the plentiful 6-7# monsters that hold in mid-river lies. That's right, 100+ feet, it's all in the Underhand folks. When I'm not fishing my big stick (which I do, at least 275 days a year) I *hit talk people and brag incessantly on FFC. It's a simple life but I enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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