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3. 4 rods

My wife and I are new to the sport and starting to buy some gear. I recently picked up a 9' 6 wt rod for bigger water and a 7.5' 4 wt rod for smaller streams and alpine lakes. Since we will mostly be doing our fly fishing together, would it be better to match both outfits so that we are fishing with the same gear at the same time or would it be better to pick up 5 wt and 3 wt outfits to cover a wider range of conditions?

Ducfat-

If you picked out (or even influenced choice of) the first two rods, my suggestion is that your wife pick out a rod that she is really comfortable casting, and which is sufficiently versatile for the majority of your fishing. That way, you will mimimize the likelihood that she won't bail out on being your fishing partner. Does this make sense to you?

Hi---If your lucky enough to have a women that will spend time with you on the water, Buy her the moon if that what she wants.

JaD

...and don't have any kids.

-Shawn

2 weeks after I met Petunia at a slide show I was doing for TU in Pittsburgh, we ran away to the NC Blue Ridge for a week of fishing.

We got married about 18 month later.

In the interim, I had bought her that 8' 6wgt Orvis Superfine that was named after Mary Orvis Marbury. 300 bucks.

6 months after we got married, she lost all interest in fishing and it's been that way for the last 9 1/2 years.

If I'd known this was going to happen, I'd have bought her a 9' 4wgt.

I need one.

As it is, I'm stuck with this 8' 6 wgt. What good is a rod like that for anything except using the butt to unclog a vacuum cleaner hose?

I could become bitter and resolve that I will never listen to my heart again except if for some reason it should suddenly stop...:)

But truth be told, whether she fishes or not, Petunia is the girl for me and I'd do it all again and buy her a brace of antique Leonards if that's what it took to be near her..

Thanks for the good and funny advice guys, but does my logic of having 4 different rods of 4 different wts make any sense for 2 people. Fishing a 6 and a 5 together or a 5 and a 4. Have you run across water where thats a good tactic? Mostly fishing out west, UT, AZ, CA, NV. I have the feeling that my wife will be catching most of the fish as she usually did when we fished smallmouth back east. I see my self again doing most of the grunt and guide work, but that's OK! I'd much rather look at a picture of her holding a trout than one of me.

There's nothing wrong with having a variety of rods. For the fishing I do in the east, 4 and 5 wts are about all I need. I would like to get a small 3 wt sometime but it isn't really "necessary". In my humble opinion, the 5 wt is probably the most versatile rod. You can fish fine tippets and you can use it to drag pretty chunky streamers around too. I think the 5 wt would be appropriate for almost any condition you get into. There are some exceptions though, saltwater, salmon, etc.

On the other hand, as someone already said, if your wife finds a rod that really "fits" her, then go with that, but I would still try to keep that in the 4-5wt range. 8'6" seems to be a good compromise length.

there are two types of people in the world: those who need lots of equipment to fish, and those who don't. they marry each other. always. my Best Fishing buddy is perfectly happy with one rod for Eastern fishing and one bigger one for the West, and borrows my salt water rig when we're South. i have a 3, two 4s, a 5, a 6, and an 8, and a funny short little bamboo that lives in the closet mostly. BFB fishes what he has wherever we go. so do i, but it takes me much longer to choose just which is going to do the trick. we usually don't have the same weight rod on the stream; can't tell you if that affects the results or not. turns out trout bite the fly, not the rod.

here's an idea: spend a day with a guide who can take you to a variety of fishing and supply you with a variety of rods to try out. we've learned a lot about fishing and equipment this way. what's funny is how little you honestly need, usually!

im kinda like your buddy casey,
do you think i could go steelheading with a 7'6 3wt?

im kinda like your buddy casey,
do you think i could go steelheading with a 7'6 3wt?

I eat imago I think you might want a 6wt, I have no doubt you could land some , but you would disturbed any one around you.

John

guys, i have landed a 19" rainbow with my 7'6" 3 wt. really! 'course it was a stockie...and it helped that i never go lighter than 5x tippet--ever-- since i discovered that fly-eating trees don't like it and they let my flies go.

I would say go with variety, then let your wife pick which rod she wants to use whenever you go out.

CaseyP

You are in good company with your short rod, here is a story about Lee Wulf I found on the internet.

"Lee Wulff spent a lifetime pursuing larger fish on lighter tackle. He frequently used a one-piece, six-foot bamboo rod to catch trout and salmon up to 26 lbs!"

sure, steelhead on a 3wt. play em till they die!

my advice, is to use what you have. or fill that void with a 5wt. I'll get accused of not knowing what im talking about, but 3wts are useless. what can you do with a 3wt that i can't do with adjusting my leader on a 5 wt?

what can you do with the 5wt that you can't do with the 3wt?
1. 5wt handles the wind better
2. streamers and weight!
3. I'll argue better line control , but that might be personal.
4. easier time playing a big fish, better hopes of releasing it in good health.
5. bottom line.. versatility. 5 wt is not a specialized tool. it is a do all trout rod that will do the job in the right hands.

you guys got it all wrong- get a girlfriend that fishes, marry her, buy her a ton of gear you like, and have kids. then you will get all that cool gear when she loses interest.

happened to me!

Davez, your point is interesting. You are clearly an experienced married angler. Here's a bit of hard-earned wisdom for all the bachelors out there:

It's more important to marry a woman who LETS you fish than it is to marry a woman who herself FISHES.

(especially when you have kids!)

-Shawn

That is so true, Shawn.

Gentlemen:

Have any of you seen the girl that was advertised in the Hardy ads for fly fishing equipment? This mystery woman would blow your mind. I can't find her photos anymore and Cortland who runs Hardy in America isn't saying anything.

I bet you guys would like to go fly fishing with this babe. Anyone still have a photo?


gene
www.limestoner.com

Fly fishing is the most fun you can have standing up!


said by:

Arnold Gingrich late founder and publisher of Esquire
and friend of Charlie Fox and Ernie Schwiebert

then, if you are smart, when the next to last kid leaves the nest, and the last one is busy with football/track/cheerleading/scouts, you will ask her to go fishing again. this will keep her from losing interest completely, which is to your long-term benefit.

Gentlemen:

I hope no women read these posts.........to say we are sexist might be an understatement.... I can see us now all on TV fishing with NOW holding signs next to our streams!



tight lines and dancing nymphs

gene

There are trout rising somewhere..somewhere in the World. Maybe Chile, Maybe Argentina, Maybe on the Missouri but due to my lot in life I am unable to chase them.....This is the unfairness of life...and it pisses me off!

As for the last comment, Gene, yeah, if I were rich and retired, very little, if any, of my dough would go to fast women and fast cars--unless the fast cars would speed me to rising fish. I must be getting old.