Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: New rod/reel

i fished the potomac for years when my only rod was an 8' 5wt. You can do it, and for 95% of the fish you catch it's fine. As Rob said it's not always good for the fish, but i also think it's kinda ridiculous seeing people with their whole setup built around that once a summer 5lb+ bruiser.  It won't keep you from successfully bringing in the fish. However, it likely will limit your ability to catch. Whether it's the added distance (i generally can cast about 40% further with a 7wt, especially when wading or sitting in a canoe) or the ability to hurl bigger flies as Richie mentioned, a sturdier rod will give you several advantages on big water. When i'm in a canoe i usually have the 5wt rigged up with a #8 hopper pattern or something while fishing a big popper, crayfish or minnow pattern on a 9' 7w... Maybe cast the 5wt a half dozen times/trip...maybe. 

if you spend 50% or more of your time trout fishing... i'd definitely lean towards a multi-purpose 5wt. OR.... you can get two very decent rods, say a 7'6'' 3wt and a 9' 7/8wt  for under $200/ea at the local fly shops.  Maybe get two $25 crap reels off amazon (tho buy decent line from a local shop) and then get better reels for Christmas or something. 

On Tuesday, March 25, 2014 1:00:06 PM UTC-4, TurbineBlade wrote:

It sounds like most folks are in the 4-8 weight range for the river....and I'd imagine that most of the folks on the board could pick up anyone else's rod (with permission) and catch fish with it.  It's a lot of personal preference.  

To tell the truth, there's really no practical reason for me to ever use anything other than my 8-weight (TFO PRO II -- quite moderate compared to most 8-weights I've casted) for the river, regardless of the species and fly sizes.  The rod protects down to smaller than I would generally use for anything warm water, and it certainly permits me to cast in a wider range of conditions than my other gear.  Actually, there's very little disadvantage using it for most of my trout fishing, other than very calm areas that I don't fish often and really small flies that I like more flex.  

But practical = boring and if practical ruled the world, we wouldn't have movies about gambling or Toaster Strudels.  Light tackle is fun, and fun trumps everything in my mind.  So I don't argue with what people want to use -- it's pointless and I'll be dead in another 30-40 years.  

One guy I know on here had a lady jogging by in DC and saw him fishing and said "Don't you think it's cruel to just catch the fish, struggle with 'em, and then let 'em go?"  Of course, there's never time to explain fees collected from sportsmen via licenses, gear, etc. but the point is that there's a common enemy -- 

Joggers!   Well, and unleashed dogs.  

Gene

On Tuesday, March 25, 2014 11:40:29 AM UTC-4, Eric Y. wrote:

I like the bigger rods to deal with the wind but a good friend fished for a lot of carp and shad up here and now that's he's moved out of the area, specks and puppy drum down in Galveston Bay with an 8'6" 4wt (the $130 Lefty Kreh Signature model, no less). 

For reels, unless I'm fishing salt or a two-hander, I use a 60 year old click-and-pawl Cortland Rimfly that I found in my great grandfather's basement many years ago. There aren't too many freshwater fish that truly necessitate more drag than your palm can provide and nothing sounds quite as good as a fish pulling drag off a click-and-pawl. Plus, click and pawl is bomb-proof. 

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