Rod Suggestion

[pechelman]

Living closer to a river has been playing its toll on me and I find myself itching more and more to go fishing rather than go riding.

excessively long preamble

Current quiver

Sage VPS-L 486-3 4wt, 8'6, 3pc, med to med-slow action.
Absolutely slays stuff back east. Super easy to cast in ridiculously tight spots and makes fishing lots of terminal tackle a nobrainer with the slower action.
Great for casts 15-40ft with little to no wind. I find myself struggling a lot with this rod if I ever need to cast further or cast anything greater than about 25-30ft when theres wind, which is pretty much always the case on some of the more open rivers and in the tight canyons which seem to funnel air accross my line.

Sage DS 890-2, 8wt, 9ft, 2pc medium action.
T'was my first rod and got it when I lived in tampa and exclusively fished for largemouth bass and inshore species (ie reds, snook, trout, etc). Great rod to learn on, but I found I really need a faster rod if its windy. This rod really taught me how to fight wind and throw some super tight loops. Practicing with hula hoops at 50ft didnt hurt either.

Ive obviously got a thing for sage rods. They and their warranty dept have always been good to me, but now I notice they have a slightly different warranty policy (40$ fee), and no longer carry Lefty Kreh's endorsement.
Not that an "athletes" endorsement is everything, but Lefty's a pretty amazing caster, and literally wrote all the books on casting, so his word has got to be worth something. Which brings me to TFO. Never casted them, but that is on my list because of Lefty.

So yea, now the questions.

Since my primary concern is fighting wind and being able to cast 40-50ft as easily as I can cast 20-30 on my VPS-L, should I be thinking 5wt or 6wt?
Definitely thinking 9ft and preferably 3 or 4pc so long as it casts well. Id prefer a 4pc 9ft so if im in a tight spot I can ditch the butt section and use the upper 3 for a quick cast or two.

Ive got no doubt that 6wt is slightly overkill for the fish here, but maybe not for the wind?

There are always chances of me fishing some waters that hold larger fish, think back east with 20lb browns or maybe even a bonefishing trip in the future, but this will primarially be my go-to rod for out west.

Secondly, how fast is fast enough?
I had reccomended to me a TiCR-X, but Im thinking thats too fast, especially when fishing nymphs with shot. Same goes for the TCR line, I dont want a stick.

Current thought has me looking for a good deal on a discontinued Sage XP 590-4 or a new TFO TiCR 590-4. Or the same thing in the 6wt flavors.

So, in a nutshell
5 or 6wt?
Fast or Ultra-Fast?
Sage, TFO, or someone else?

or maybe a wildcard, like over-lining an ultrafast?
ie 590-4 TCR or TiCR-X w\ 6wt line?

[Free Range Lobster]

There are always chances of me fishing some waters that hold larger fish, think back east with 20lb browns or maybe even a bonefishing trip in the future, but this will primarially be my go-to rod for out west.

Thats where you'll use the 8.

Get a 6.

Btw, check the reel box, alot of reels the warranty is voided on if they go near salt water. So you may be getting a 2nd reel.

[mnflyfish]

6 wt, St. Croix Legend Ultra. Lifetime Warr, just fast not uber fast, and will handle the wind very well. Oh, and made by little old ladies in Park Falls WI so that has to carry some weight in the decision.

As for Lefty, I'm at a Fly Fishing Expo and the Winston rep handed me a few rods to go and cast. Head out into a large open area inside the hotel by their pool. I had tohurry because they were going to be having a seminar in a few minutes. String up this way too expensive 8wt and pull out some line. Make a few casts and start to get the feel for it. People are gathering and I'm getting a little nervous with allthese people watching me cast. So I think, ok one more and then I'll go give these back. Pull out some more line and throw the most beautiful cast I've ever dreamed of. As I'm reeling up this old guy next to me taps me on the shoulder and says "hey, nice cast". That old guy was none other than Lefty. Wow, I'm glad I didn't notice him standing there.

Jay

[Beder]

I like Sage too, and my favorite of all time is the RPL+. I have more modern models but I like none better. My impression is that 5 weights are becomming less desirable/common. Might be because the newer graphite is lighter? So why not have the power of a six weight which weighs what an old 5 would.
Look for a nine foot RPL+ 6 weight.

[Lonnie]

I met lefty a few years back in the SLC airport. (GO figure?) Super nice guy. "Hey, where does one catch a cab around this place?"

I bought my dad the TFo TiCr (9wt) a few years back for X-mas. I fished with in last fall off Charleston. Not the prettiest girl at the dance, but the damn thing's a hand cannon....

What every you get, go with a 6wt. It's a lot more versatile....

[pechelman]

thanks for the suggestions everyone!
6wt was definitely my first instinct, but you never know.

Ive actually been looking for an RPL+ or SP series from sage as well, but those are fairly hard to come by.

and thats a great story Jay!

[DamRepublican]

check out gloomis streamdance glx, I have the presentation taper (med action) but the fast actions are very fast and super silky smooth. Also I bought my dad an orvis zero g, that thing will cast a mile but my dad wanted it for slingin nymphs (6wt) and pitching weighted streamers in the wind. So bottom line gloomis for fast and smooth, orvis for fast and far.

[Pow4Brains]

Not knowing what kind of fishing you do the “most” of pechelman, but given that you live in CO, I would seriously consider a Sage 10 footer in a 5 or 6 weight. I have found with a 10’ rod you get much better line control when nymphing and can really throw some line when you need to. I have “used” a friend’s (he might never get it back!) of mine 4 weight Sage for 6 months now and I am totally hooked. I can’t believe the difference it makes when fighting a fish with the extra leverage. Honestly, from roll casting to lake fishing, “you can’t beat a longer rod”.

[pechelman]

well as of late i havent been doing much fishing, but i want to make that change this year. My first year living here I made a few trips out to the platte around deckers, bear creek, waterton, and places close to the front range, but since got hooked on skiing and renewed my interest in mtb.

i had considered a 5/6wt 9'6, but not the 10, although youve now got me thinking about it. shit
now ive got more to think about and to cast.
the more im thinking about this, the more a longer rod is making sense, especially if its a 4pc and especially because ive got the 486.

besides being a bit tougher in tight spots, is there any reason not to go as long as possible? weight is not an issue for me as I grew up casting an 8wt all day fishing.

EDIT
complete wildcard here
any info on Powell Edges or Tiboron IIs?
I ask cause STP has them on ubersale.
Also albright tempest reels?
fuck i feel like such a jong
is there another good interweb resource for this stuff?
those 2 links posted in another thread werent much help

[schwerty]

Sage put out a great new stick this year --- the Z-Axis. It's ridiculously expensive but if you can afford to pay $600+ retail for a rod...DO IT. It's a fast action but flexes lower down the rod than most other fast actions, thus making it easier to cast. You can also throw a shorter cast!
If that's too much $$$...check out Winstons Vapor series. They are great rods!!!

[pechelman]

if theres one thing that can be said for fly fishing

there is most definitely not a shortage of options

id love a z-a, but dont want to spend 600 on a fly rod.

if the weathers nice, I might go and try to find a shop to throw some rods around

[Pow4Brains]

besides being a bit tougher in tight spots, is there any reason not to go as long as possible? weight is not an issue for me as I grew up casting an 8wt all day fishing.

I am pretty sure 10' is as big as you can get without going to a spey rod and any more would prolly be overkill. About the only place I would ever see myself using a spey rod would be for throwing a day's worth of streamers while floating on the Colorado.

[mac19]

Current thought has me looking for a good deal on a discontinued Sage XP 590-4

Stick to this thought but maybe take the 6wt suggestion for reasons of versatility. I cast anything that I can get my hands without prejudice and I prefer Sage and Winston over the rest, Just my personal preference. TnT, Loomis, TFO, St. Croix, Orvis, etc. all make great products of which I have experience with most of them, However I prefer Winston and Sage. Service has always been great with both of them. and from those two companies I prefer the XP series and the BIIx from Winston however I haven't fished the new BIIt. Both are light in hand and they both are canon's. I find the BIIx a little more sensitive and flexes deeper into the rod. If you are truly looking for distance get the XP. With the XP before you know it you'll lay down a long cast and find yourself with backing in you stripping hand. But in all actuality you need to cast them yourself if at all possible, and try to make the playing field even when trying rods by having a a suitable line for the rod. Quite often changing line tapers can give you a new rod.

[Jaxson]

I really like my 696-4XP. I use if for smaller steelhead/salmon when I can use a floating line...I leave the sink tips to the 8 wt. Also makes a nice light bonefish rod (in light wind of course).

If you go down to a 5 weight you may want to consider the 596-4XP.
Try and cast the rods if you can before the purchase. Good luck.