Fly rod choice for freshwater and light saltwater

Clip · Post by **Clip** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 9:18 am

I don’t have all my Xmas presents. I still have some gift money left over and am trying to figure out how to spend it. I already have a Gatti and G. Loomis 8wts that are overkill for white bass and the sunfish/perch I've been able to catch at Canyon Lake. The Gatti is a 2 piece and the G. Loomis is a 1-piece and I’m looking for a travel rod I can keep in my truck and use along the Guadalupe and Comal as well as under the lights down at the coast for small reds and trout. I'm thinking of getting a TFO TiCr rod and I can't decide between the 5wt. or 6wt. Should I just toss a coin or are there other considerations I should take into account in choosing one over the other?

fishin' · Post by **fishin'** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 9:25 am

If your primary use will be the local rivers and streams I would recommend a 5wt or maybe even a 4wt. If the primary use will be trout at the coast then you might opt for the 6. If you don't know what you might use it for primarily, get the 5. :lol:

I use a 5wt as my primary rod for freshwater and trout under the lights. I would use it on the flats too if I had to. Lots of fun with all of the freshwater fish and can handle a large fish if needed. A 4wt on the rivers is lots of fun for small bas and panfish but throwing large bass bugs could be a problem sometime as well using it for saltwater.
My .02

fishin'

M-D · Post by **M-D** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:08 am

Clip,

Since you want this for pretty much a light, general, freshwater rod, occasional use under the lights, and not something specific, I'd opt for the 5 wt. I'm partial to 4 wt. for freshwater trout, but will use a 6 wt. when the wind is howling (like in Montana).

M-D

GoinCoastal · Post by **GoinCoastal** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:47 am

Clip...

I got the TFO Series I 2pc 4wt for freshwater for xmas. I really like it and it cost $90. I think the 4pc Professional series rod is $130. Cabela's is now carrying all 3 lines of TFO in their new FlyFishing Catalog ( got mine this week), TiCr, Professional, and Series I. There was a post on the salt board that in BLIND product testing of many different flyrods including the high dollar rods, the 5pc Cabela's Stow-Away rod finished 2nd!!!!!! I think it too would be an excellent inexpensive travel/freshwater rod.

I have been using a 5wt for freshwater for the past3 years. It is just fine for that and trout under the lights too. I wanted a 4wt becuase I wanted to fish for the rainbows with small flies and I wanted more FIGHT for the whites & those pesky perch. Hands down, I like that 4wt better than the 5wt. But thats a difference in the rods and not the weight rating......

Clip · Post by **Clip** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 11:22 am

Thanks for the replys. I was leaning for the 5wt already but was afraid I may have been overlooking something. If I end up doing a lot of freshwater fishing I can always get Barry to build me a 4wt. I used his Baston 4wt up in Round Rock when the wind was howling and I could even cast into the wind. Very impressive. You can never have enuff stuff.

Lefty Ray · Post by **Lefty Ray** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 11:57 am

Try the new Steamdance GLX from Loomis. The best one only comes in a 5 weight. I cast this one at the Southern Conclave and it is on my Valentine day list. It is the GLX MAX line sped. Gotta have one.

chavez · Post by **chavez** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 4:24 pm

Clip,

I just bought a TFO Professional 5wt if you ever want to try it out whenever you're in Austin. I wanted to get the TiCr but since I'm still a novice it was recommended I stick with a moderate fast rod rather that a fast rod like the TiCr. The couple of times I've cast with it seems to load nicely for me. I have to say though that it's a pretty rod so I'm not even sure if I want to pay the extra money for the TiCr anyways.