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3. Did I get mislead on first fly rod?

Hi guys! So I'm new to The forums and have very limited fly fishing experience and have only fished on my grandfather's fly rod when I was young. I put a rod on lay away, a 9'6" #5 Sage Accel. I thought I did enough research prior to putting money down on it but then when I got home and started looking around more I realized that a lot of #5 are more commonly 9'. I mentioned to the shop worker that I was completely green to fly fishing and when I decided that I wanted to go with the sage accel he mentioned that he only had a 9'6", me having no knowledge and trusting him figured that he was leading me towards a good rod length for a person with minimal experience. Did he wrong me or is a 596 alright for my situation?

Thanks for the help and responses are appreciated!
-Corbin

Hi Corbin,



I think the sales person wanted to make a sale and didn't care very much about your lack of fly fishing rod knowledge.

While I wouldn't say the 9' 6" is a pink elephant I would say very few stream and river fishermen have rods of that length. Guys who fish lakes from belly boats often buy 9' 6" and longer rods because it helps them keep their back casts from slapping the water behind them.

I have over twenty fly rods and none are 9' 6". I never felt the need for a trout rod to be longer than 9'. My only rod over 9' is a 10' 6" switch rod that I use for steelhead.

If you haven't used it yet I would ask for store credit or better yet get your money back because the guy, in my opinion, is unconcerned with new customers and wanted to get rid of that rod.

Corbin,

Welcome to TN, and ditto on what Matt stated- 9'6" longer than the 'norm' which seems to be 9'-0".

Apart from higher backcasts another benefit of a long(er) rod is its ability to lift line off the water at distance for a better mend, worth considering if you got this rod at a good price and a 9-footer- or shorter- would cost significantly more $.

Maybe the shop guy was trying to reduce old inventory...?

Anyway, welcome, again- a wealth of experience, wisdom and even humor on this site!

Roguerat

'Less is more...'

Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe

Corbin, I prefer a 9' rod for dry fly fishing, and a 10' rod for nymph fishing. I've fished dries on my 10' rods with good success when fish started rising, and caught plenty of fish with nymphs using a 9' rod when they stopped. A 9'6" rod could be a nice compromise if you got used to it. If you can't return it, fish it and if you learn on it, and like its action, you may have the best of both worlds in a way--a rod that is good for dries or nymphs. If you really take to fly fishing, you'll soon have more rods to play around with. I found one in my closet the other day that I've had for years, with the plastic still on the handle. :) --Louis

Corbin,

Louis wrote;



If this is your first fly rod why would you be willing to compromise for a rod that may in fact turn you off to just about the most fantastic pursuit you will ever choose in your entire life? I have fly fished for fifty-seven years and still love it as much now as I did when I caught my first trout on a fly in a little stream in New Hampshire.

I would wager if you asked fifty freshwater trout anglers (not bass or steelhead fly fishers) not more than 10% would say they owned a 9' 6" fly rod.

Here is a great rod you could of gotten with a 25 year unconditional warranty and perfect for your first good fly rod.

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=14S3&dir_id=758&group_id=759&cat_id=49052&subcat_id=49053

Hi Corbin.. All we really know about your "situation" is that you are just starting out in FF. We don't know where you plan to fish in Oregon, for example. If you're planning to fish, say the Deschutes or Crooked Rivers and the Cascade Lakes, a 9'6" #5, is actually a reasonable and practical choice in terms of casting distance and line management. Other places out there, like some of the smaller rivers, you may want a somewhat shorter rod.


So, no, I don't believe you necessarily got "misled" regarding this rod.


Nor do I believe there is anything about this choice that will automatically turn you off on the sport.

I'd fish the rod and see how it suits you on the waters you intend to fish. Everybody has a "gateway" rod that gets them started in this sport. Based on what little I know about your location, the rod you bought may well be a decent match for your waters. And if not, as Louis said, you'll soon have other rods to play with...:) That's the way this fly fishing thing works.

Good Luck!

Hi Corbin, I know people who wade fish big deep rivers that love the 9.5' rods. And if that's where you are fishing that rod may be fine. I would be interested in the size of the waters that you fish most often. And what kind of fishing you do most (dry fly flies, swinging wets, nymphing, streamers) To me the size of the rod is dictated by first the size of the water and second the type of fishing you will be doing. If you are normally fishing dry flies on small waters that are heavily lined with trees, that 9.5' may give you issues. But if you are on large open waters, and you like to nymph, or throw a long line with dry flies it might not. Also I applaud you for going into your local shop to buy a rod! Thanks for supporting a brick and mortar local business!!

Corbin,

RleeP wrote;



This is a very good comment. I have no idea what kind of waters you will wind up preferring to fly fish. If you are intent on fishing wider, say rivers 80' - 150' wide and want to throw various sizes of dries and wet flies (but not streamers) then the 9' 6" may be a perfect rod for you. It is pretty tough to throw and larger, #6 and bigger, streamers with a #5 rod and it is even harder to throw weighted streamers like coneheads or Clouser minnows with a rod lighter than a #6.

These are purely my opinions and I throw streamers very often fishing big trout rivers and rivers where I pursue smallmouth bass. Can it be done? Sure but it isn't a lot of fun. I'm not a golfer but it might be like using a putter when you should be using a Big Bertha driver.

gotta chime in here...
in Oregon you have some big rivers that demand a 9'6" rod. you will be happy you have it.
lately i've begun to wade fish for bass on the Potomac River in Maryland, and my 9'6" is just right. i can cast further with it, lift line better, mend better, and generally have a much better time
back before the Pleistocene era, when i was a beginner, i was given a rod too big for my little local creeks. i went to the local hunting/fishing store and bought a $20 shorter rod and put the reel from the longer rod on it.
i practiced with the longer rod when not fishing with the shorter.
by the end of the summer i knew much more about fishing and could go to bigger water with the bigger rod with some hope of success.

A nine-foot-sixer would make an excellent kayak rod. I've gone to using a 9' 5 wt. when fishing on lakes, instead of 8 1/2-foot rods or smaller. Extra distance on a lake or pond means you cover more water, which means more fish see your fly. I can attest to my success rate going up a lot after making this change, able to throw larger streamers which sink deeper and attract larger fish from a greater distance. Length is very much an asset on larger waters.

Jonathon