Sunday, April 11, 2010

What Fly Rod & Reel do You Use in Relationship to Fish Size?

You hear the words “matching the hatch” in the fly world all the time. Anyone into trout fishing knows how important that slogan is. When one hits their favorite stream that is the first thing you are going to do, match the hatch. Usually, you never know what the fish are going to be taking at a particular time of day. So this is the reason we have so many flies in our fly boxes. Still, with all the flies in your box, it may not be the one that the fish are hitting that day. So I guess that is why a lot of us hit zero on some trips. The hatch factor holds true for warm water fishing as well. So this is the scenario an individual may encounter with just the fly/lure aspect of fishing.
  What about the equipment aspect such as the rod and reel? This is another decision you make before or after you get out on the water. I personally feel that a good quality fly rod and matching reel is essential for the angler to get the ultimate experience of landing a fish. I use a Temple Fork 3 Wt. with a G-Loomis free spool fast retrieve reel for the Elk and Sipsey tailraces. Both streams are stocked with rainbow, brookies, and browns. The 3 Wt is perfect for catching the 9” to 11” stockers. Occasionally you will land a trout in the 12” to 14” range, which is a plus with this combo. For me, the 3 Wt is the perfect “match the rod” with the size fish. If I am going to the Caney Fork in Tennessee I would differently opt to my 5 Wt. 8 ½ ft. Redington 4 pc. 5 Wt with the Battenkill Orvis reel. With this setup, I have the power to land a fish in the 16” and up range. This combo was actually given to me for my retirement a couple of years ago. It will always be a special rod and reel to me. Do any of you out there have a special rod and reel? For me, the most important aspect of fishing is matching the rod, reel, flies, nymphs, and line to whatever species of fish you are pursuing. I really enjoy rigging my equipment and getting my flies or lures ready for the next days' fishing trips. This is just another fun thing about this great sport we as fishermen love.

11 comments:

  1. Hello Bill, I agree, Matching your rod to the fish size is just about as important as matching the hatch. Maybe it won't improve the amount of fish you catch but it will make the fishing more fun and enjoyable (especially on the lighter rods). Great Article! I have added your blog to my blogroll. I would appreciate if you added AnglerWise Fishing Blog to yours. Thank you.

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  2. Since I only fish tail-waters, I stick with a TFO 5 wt Finesse and a Lamson reel...works great on the water I prowl.

    It can be a little bit of overkill on the smaller fellas...but the rod works like a dream when trying to subdue the larger hauls.

    The reel has been my best investment, simply for the drag system alone.

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  3. Hi William
    I have seen individuals at lakes and on stream that had combos that would land a fish weighting in at 20 lbs or more. Some individuals completely out match their quarry.

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  4. Colorado Anger
    I am looking at purchasing a 4 Wt 8 1/2 ft. to give me a little more length on my cast. With the 3 Wt., I sometimes lose distance. Of course I am going to purchase this 4 Wt. when I come into some cash. You might want to think about purchasing a 4 Wt. to give you a little more match with those smaller trout. If you are like me the money always seems to go somewhere else other than my fishing habit. Just a suggestion on the rod.

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  5. The size of the fish doesnt always dictate the rod wt. Other factors are the amount of weight your trying to get; how ever far in what ever wind, After the hook up I want the lightest rod possible you know, the one that bends the hardest and delivers the juice to the forarm.
    I run the Scott A3 4wt to get my big doses of that. The 5wt lets me get away with murder in the wind, also I keep an 8wt handy for Lake trout, largemouth, and carp!

    all of that aside if the line and the rod love eachother you can do stuff!!!

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  6. I hear ya, Bill...always something else that needs buying.

    Years ago I would use a 3 or a 4 wt, back when I was fishing the water in Utah. But since coming to Colorado, I've actually stepped up, given the nature of the tailwater out here.

    Now I do drop down when hitting brookies, though...gotta catch dinner when camping, you know!

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  7. Bigerrfish
    I think I have found the sweet spot as far as rods are concerned and it is the 4 Wt. 8 1/2 ft. This rod will give me the best of both worlds, the sensitivity and the distance I need. But first I have to come up with better than 100.00 bucks.

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  8. Colorado Angler
    I can see you would need a 5 Wt. in the areas out there. I envy where you live---some of the best trout fishing in the world.

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  9. If you love fishing then you will also need to make sure that you are using right type of
    fishing reel
    for this work. If you are not using the right reel while fishing then you are losing so many chances to catch fish.

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  10. Thanks for the read, glad the post was helpful

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