Which Rod For Which Job

[@backpackingireland8624]

Guideline 7’6” No2 for small hard to fish rivers , 9’ No5 Vision Xtreme , absolutely beautiful rod for all my main river fishing. And yes Peter the allrounder. I have Loop Goran Anderson Signature 10’ No7 for big Lough, Stocky bashing and Grilse rod . Nowadays so much choice , all capable. Great explainer 👌👌🇮🇪 Regards Tony

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Nicely done…

[@terryllmonroe6903]

There's a fly rod formula that I follow for what I'm fishing for and what type of water I will be fishing and this formula has done me and others I have shared it with very well. I liked and agree with everything you said in this video. In the USA, where I live, the long 10' to 11' 3wts are becoming very popular for nymphing, but there's a lot of fun to be found in a 7'6" 3wt rod for trout in our Colorado creeks. And I also agree that the 4wt is the perfect dry fly rod. Wonderful and educational video sir, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the kind comment Terrell!

[@ashsahcash]

Thank you very informative video , would a 12 wt be ok for striped marlin ?

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment, probably… depends on their size, anything up to 100-150lbs is fine on a 12#, anything over and I would go up to a 13 or 14#…

[@ashsahcash]

thank you

[@charlespalmerii4299]

I love a 7 ft 3wt for small stream Trout fishing where you have to do a lot of weaving in and out of brush/trees... I like a 6wt for for streamer fishing in Rivers... thats my world... :) thank you for your video, great info, and great quality! :)

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment Charles, glad you found it helpful...

[@bobhenderson9357]

I have a 5wt, 6wt and a 9wt! Thank you for your wisdom!

[@glenmathews3399]

Your videos are helping my sanity during our lockdown. Thanks

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Fantastic Glen! That’s the idea! 😄👍

[@ricknelson7824]

I love to use my 5 wt for bonefish on calmer days and my 7 wt when windy. I have seen many use heavier wt rods where I fish and they often have issues. That being said my rods are faster action and have tremendous backbone. Any length between 7-10 feet will work for me and very little distance difference. I know many consider my rod choices odd, but my favourite guide in sian kaan looked very puzzled when I brought my 4-5 weight along and said it wouldn’t work well, until he tried it and then was convinced. He did tell me later that Lefty and the Rajeff boys would also use them when he guided them. His training came from Lee and Joan Wulff. Every time I see him he asks if I brought my 4-5 wt. Until he used mine he was convinced nothing less than a 7 wt was wrong.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Could not agree more… modern rods allow for far lighter line weights with more than enough power to subdue large fish quickly. I have been using a 6# for bones in Mexico and Belize for a long time… I go to a 7# if it’s really windy…

[@bobhenderson9357]

Thank you so much for your wisdom and insight! This has helped me tremendously!

[@thomasbickel5128]

Thank you. Great explanation of rod's and weights!

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment, glad it was helpful!

[@paulfennell01]

Just picked up a 10wt Penn battle combo for striped bass in NJ surf, wish me luck!

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Good luck! 👌👌

[@patsparks8731]

I like the 10’ 7wt switch Sintrix rod for Steelhead and 8wt for Bonefish and small permit. But some of my rods are older (like Sage RPLXi 8wt which was the Bonefish rod years ago). Tapers have changed so there are tons of options now with how you choose your line wt. it’s a great time to be a fly angler.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment Pat! Your right, it really is a great time to be a fly angler…

[@nkrille67]

Hi, very good video! I am going to Cook Island in the end of November for flyfishing. I am bringing a Hardy Zane 9ft #7 for Bonefish and a Hardy Zane Pro 9ft #11 for GT. Do you think that this will do or do you have any other thoughts?

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Hi there! I think that will do you nicely, although the 7 might be a bit under gunned as those bones can get huge….

[@andysfishingandflytyingcha2310]

Brilliant, concise explanation.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks Andy, glad it was helpful! 🙏🏻

[@kundetjenesten]

Then we have certain rod manufacturers who miss the mark by 3 or more weights. My Sage Foundation 5wt had a sweet spot of an 8wt line. Not a bad thing in itself as it could shoot line like crazy, but not what I bought it for... Yeah, that was when I learned to always try equipmrnt before buying. 🤣

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Agreed! 😄

[@dank586]

Peter.... Who makes the fly reel line winder you use? Thanks in advance

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Hi Dan, mine is made by Triangle, trianglesport.com/cms/

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

It’s a very old one though..

[@lg26us]

Hey Peter, great videos. I'm looking to get into fly fishing for Bass and Bonefish and your information was very helpful and insightful. What rod weight would you recommend for someone who wants to start Bass fishing, and also fishing for Bonefish and other saltwater species? If possible, I would like to only buy one rod to use between the two different types. I currently only Trout fish and use a 3 to 4 weight rod. Thanks for your help.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Hi there, thanks for the kind comment... if you are looking for an all round rod for both Bass and bonefish and other species as well which might be a bit larger then I would go for a 9#. This is what I use on the flats in the Seychelles when I can only carry 2 rods and it does everything from Bonefish, triggers, milkfish, permit and up to 50lbs bumphead parrotfish... however it had the fines to still make Bonefishing fun...

[@lg26us]

@@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing That's great, thanks Peter. Appreciate it.

[@bergthorjohannesson7819]

Here in Iceland most of us have been using #7-8 for salmon but many have gone down to powerfull # 6 weights as they can now handle larger fish and fly's than older rods can.. I mostly use a 3 # 8'6 for small trout ( charr. Browns.small Seatrout ) for salmon and larger seatrout i mostly use 2 rods a single hand 6 # 10' and a 12' 7-8 # two hander for larger rivers and if i need to go deep in fast water!

[@shanemccoy8058]

It may have taken me 5 years of fly fishing to get into the Hardy brand but I am more than happy with their current lineup. As for this year I have acquired these rod models; UL LL 10'2" 2wt UL LL 9'2" 4wt UL SR 3wt 7'0" The 2wt 10'2" is a fantastic and sensitive rod for tight-line and indicator style fishing. Even though though the design of the rod is for tight-line nymphing it is still quite good at chucking line and an indicator rig. The 4wt 9'2" is an excellent bigger dry fly rod for larger streams. I wish the 4wt 9'2" had more power and it is not at the forefront of my quiver for long range, that goes to the Helios 3F 9ft. 6wt, which I think is a better tool for long range indicator nymphing. It is a good pond rod too and slings an Orvis Pro textured line in the 5wt 140gr rating. The 3wt 7'0" is a phenomenal creeking rod. I am just coming off of a massive creek rod buying binge and this rod has taken the cake. Contenders that I pitted against it were the SAGE Circa 279, Epic fiberglass 476, Winston LT 4wt 8'3" 5 PC, and a SAGE LITTLE ONE 182-4. I have to get some better line for the 182 LITTLE ONE to conduct further testing as my RIO Trout LT does not have enough mass to really flex the rod. The LITTLE ONE is the closest contender to the SR 3wt 7ft. The 3wt 7'0" slings well on Orvis Pro Line 5WF (140gr).

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for commenting and in such detail… I too have found the 9’2” 4# excellent, but I fish it with a 4# Rio Tactical Trout which matches it perfectly and can’t say I have wanted for power with that line. The 9’9” 3# has been my go to small dry and nymph rod for some years now. My Brook rod of choice is the 7’6” 4# which I have found to be the perfect all rounder for the small streams…

[@dylanupdyke7124]

So can you compare double hand rods with single hand rods? Example: is a 8wt. 13'-9 double hand the equivalent to a 10wt 9' single hand rod? And so on...how would you compare the two styles exactly?? Thank you

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Dylan that’s a really hard question.... two handlers have really different actions and purposes... especially as switch rods have bridged the gap and we now have trout Spey rods. Faster action two handers are better for underhand casting or Scandi style shooting head systems.... as rough guide go off the line weights, but even that is hard now as many two handers are rated with grains. If you can give me a specific example I might be able to help more...

[@dylanupdyke7124]

@@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing ok, I have an 8wt that's 13'9 long and I have a single hand 10wt 9' long. Just wondering how similar the two are and what the difference in wt? Which is the ideal wt and length for salmon fishing from the two? Thank you.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Hi Dylan, the short answer is you could use both, but the 10’ 9# is going to be much harder work. If you are going to use floating lines then I would go for the 13’ 8# for sure. Double hauling a 10’ 9# all day is hard work! Funnily enough the only time I would use the single handed is for fishing really big rivers like the Skeena. In that instance the fish tend to run in the first 6 feet so casting long lines is unnecessary...

[@snagrbuster7343]

I don't buy myself anything .😃😊However I do buy rods for myself!! 😆😉 That of course, was a joke😃

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

As you should... :)