R0D.com - I am looking into buying a new fly rod for an upcoming trip to Wyoming?

I am looking into buying a new fly rod for an upcoming trip to Wyoming?

I am looking into spending 150-250 dollars on a new rod. Any recommendations? Also, i am debating between getting a 4 wt or a 5 wt. What would you recommend, and what are the advantages of either, considering my situation. Also, what kind of flies should i tie to match the hatch. I will be going in July. Any help would be really appreciated.

Public Comments

well i no i'm not much of a fly guy, put i do no that you should use the lightest tip-it possible, and if you can, fluorocarbon, trout are very weary fish and will not fit a fly if they no it's a frod, so use light line to eliminate them being able to see the line, also just a rule of thumb, always match the hatch, so if it's winter you DON'T want to use a katydid nymph, a big wise trout would no it's a fake, because the katydids don't reproduce in the winter, they do in the spring. i like to use a 7 foot rod and a reel with as much line as possible. White River Fly Shop out fits always fit my expectation. So match the hatch and use light leaders and you'll be in the green!! ```good catchin```
I used to live & work in Wy. Where are you going? Yellowstone area? or Southern Wy, or Big Horn Mts. A 4wt should do you fine. If you are going to be going on a horse or back packing look for a good 4 or 5 piece set that comes in a good sturdy container. As far as flies go, been more than 20 yrs, but would hold out and see what is going on local.....will cost you a little more, but you will not end up with a lot of flies you can not use. A LOT DEPENDS ON THE HATCHES and at what elevation you will be fishing. Good Luck and I lived in Buffalo, Wy which is the door way to the Big Horn Mts. A rod like this that LLBean has, don't know about their fly gear now days, but they used to have top of the line gear. http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=double-l-four-piece-fly-rod&categoryId=54698&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=8089&cat4=1110&shop_method=pp&feat=8089-tn&np=Y And this is the kind of tube I was talking about. http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=aluminum-rod-tubes&categoryId=20885&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=4738&cat4=1110&shop_method=pp&feat=4738-tn&np=Y
It really depends on where in Wy you are headed. The hatches are going to vary from place to place. As others have suggested I would wait until I arrived to my destination to purchase flies. It sounds like your new to the sport and tying flies takes a lot of experience and expertise (and time) to be able to pull off a good replica. Its a lot less headache to shell out a couple of bucks for flies that you know are going to work, in my opinion. Just dont go overboard. I've made the mistake of purchasing flies in other areas than which I live only to come home with flies I cant use. There's not a lot of differences in a 4 or 5 weight rod. the 5 weight is going to be a little stiffer and the 4 wt. a little more flexible. Make sure your line weight matches your rod weight regardless. I would simply head to my local fly shop and test out a 4 and 5 wt and see which fit my tastes better. Length is probably going to be a bigger issue. A longer rod gives you greater distance, but are generally harder to cast. I would stay under 9' if your just learning. Again, any local fly shop should let you test a rod and reel with line to get the feel of the rod. Check out the Acsent series from Winston. They make excellent rods and have some in your price range. http://www.winstonrods.com/
Go with the 5wt. There is a difference. The first 30' of 5wt line has a standard weight of 140 grains, while the 4wt has a standard of 120 grains. The 5wt line in over 15% heavier and will be much more capable of carrying hairwing dries, weighted nymphs, beadheads, and dropper rigs. In addition, the rod required to cast that 5wt line will have the added power (in the same rod make/series) to deal with the wind that is an ever present issue on western waters. A 4wt rod/line will leave you wanting more; you'll be more suceptible to wind knots, have more issues with your fly hitting your rod tip, have less ability to reach out a few additional yards when you want to, and will be more often frustrated. If you wanted a rod for making delicate presentations on a quiet, windless spring creek back East, I could see the 4wt being your best choice. You pick your rod/line for the conditions. As for which rod, there are many to choose from. If you have dedicated fly shops in your area, go there and handle them and try a line on them. Casting in a parking lot doesn't simulate fishing conditions, but it does help compare one rod against another. Brands: Go with a reputable brand. Scott, Sage, Winston, Loomis, T&T, and others have been around for many years and each produce quality lines of rods that fall within your budget. For these, you will be looking to spend near the upper limit of your budget, but rods in the lower end of your budget are characterized by lousy designs and poor quality components. Length: For general purposes, 8 1/2' will be great. Long enough to highstick nymphs and reach acceptable distances, but not so long as to be unwieldly on small waters in tight quarters. It will also be more useful on other waters than a rod considerably longer or shorter. Scott makes the A2 in a 8 1/2' for #5. The A2 is US made with nice components. Pleasant med-fast action. Good company. Great value. http://www.scottflyrod.smashingdesigns.com/a2/index.shtml Sage makes this same weight/length in both their "Launch" and "Fli" series. http://www.sageflyfish.com/dyn_prodlist.php?k=83548 Orvis has their TLS Power Matrix discounted a few dollars to $250. http://www.orvis.com/store/product_choice.asp?pf_id=9368&dir_id=758&group_id=759&cat_id=7906&subcat_id=7907 I'd steer clear of Bass Pro for fly gear. It's not their focus, and the quality and selection of their "White River" products are evidence of this. You might go as far as checking a Cabela's if they have a location near you. They do have a couple product lines that fall in your target range, appear to be of reasonable quality, and come with warranties. That's as "big box" as I'd go in fly fishing. You can contact fly shops near your destination to learn more about hatches and effective patterns on the particular waters you plan to fish. Some of the larger shops have websites that list this information, so google a bit. But since you already tie flies, no sense in spending money on general patterns when you get to your destination. With the growing numbers of hatches during spring and early summer, there's no reason not to take some general dry fly patterns with you. Humpies, Stimulators, Wulffs, H&L Variants, and other bushy attractors are not only good for passing hatchless midday periods (especially during the peak of summer), but they're great for suspending nymphs on droppers. The Adams, especially in parachute form, is always good. Downwing dries can be particularly good with summertime caddis activity. Consider Elk Hair Caddis, Hemingway Caddis, Lime Trudes, Royal Trudes among others. For subsurface, PT nymphs are effective at representing the nymphs of PMD, baetis and other mayflies that are present at all times. Hare's Ears, Zug Bugs, and Prince Nymphs, whether standard or beadhead, are always good for representing immature caddis and mayflies. Also Copper Johns, Fox's Poopah...and the list goes on. You don't need to take them all, but why spend money on general flies when you can spend that money on specific, hatch-matching patterns at your destination? Some hatches, like drakes and stoneflies, can be hard to anticipate. You should count on PMDs and caddis. You'll have both hatch periods and mating and egglaying flights with all. If you are familiar with tying spinners, you might wrap up a few in advance. Even if you don't hit a spinnerfall, or the spinners you tie are a shade or two off from the natural, they make effective attractors during non-hatch periods. You might want to include some terrestrials, especially ants and beetles since you'll be fishing soon after spring runoff typically ends. You'll be a bit early for good hopper fishing, but some of the hopper patterns make great indicators on dry/nymph dropper rigs. Check out the local shops for these when you arrive. Tyers have gotten very creative with foam and hair hoppers. On rich waters, like some spring creeks, hatches are the name of the game much of the time. On your typical freestone stream, they won't be as prolific. So don't worry about perfectly matching the hatch on freestoners. It can get very involved, and there is a strong chance you won't encounter hatches of Biblical proportions during your visit. Hope you have a great time on the water!
For fly rods in that price range I would recommend a Sage Launch, Cabela's LST, Echo or a Redington (owned by Sage). I am not a fan of Temple Forks and although alot of people like the Orvis Power Matrix, I do not care for them. Ross has come out with a line of fly rods, and if they are anywhere near the quality of their reels, they would be a good choice also - the Ross is the only rod I mentioned that I have not casted. All of the rods mentioned have a medium fast action. I would go with a 9' length for fishing out west. By all means get a 5 wt - and make sure you get WF line. Scientific anglers GPX and Rio are two good choices in flyline. The 5 wt will be better able to punch larger flies into the wind and it will be easier to toss wooly boogers and stone fly nymphs than with a 4 wt. You won't cheat yourself either because a 5 wt does a very nice job at presenting smaller flies on a longer leader with a 6x tippet. As for hatches, as mentioned it would be best to contact a local fly shop. Some I wouldn't be w/o no matter where I went would be a parachute Adams, Au Sable Wulff, CDC Blue wing Olives, tan and olive caddis for dries. Pheasant tail (of course) nymph, Hare's ear nymph, copper John and stone fly nymphs in black, brown and yellow. Wolly boogers in black, brown and olive. Hope this helps and tight lines