enamored

[silverlaker]

Somehow I'm in this terrible situation where I have little choice but to buy a new rod. Last October I snapped the tip off my 9' 4 wt. XP-III. Sage has agreed to make a new one. Of course I have not sent it in yet... AND my brother is flying out here to hit the east side with me soon. I'm looking for something similar, yet different enough to justify the purchase. I have plenty of 5 weights and am not prepared to purchase anything heavier right now. I'm intrigued by the 10' 4wt. winston boron IIIx. I can see the benefits of a 10' rod. It would probably be used as much as possible, wherever possible. Most likely the east side and the kern. Any thoughts? My father in law thinks I'm crazy and and should be looking at the TFO. While I love the sensitivity, fast action, and backbone of the XP III - I'm looking for something to compliment the sage without competing with it. As if that were somehow possible. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

Tom

[fly addict]

You might want to check out the Winston forum for the feedback you want on the B11X 10’ 4wt. I have not used one so I cannot commit on it. You did not say what type of fishing you had in mind for the longer rod. If you want a long nymph rod, Sage makes a great new rod series called the ESN.
Hardy/ Greys also make a very nice 10’ rod. David in Bishop has them, and so does the Fisherman’s Spot in Van Nuys. Winston link, http://forum.winstonrods.com/forum/

Mark

[hpskiff]

I think you are on the right track going longer in the same weight, a spare rod without having to carry a spare reel is nice sometimes. However you could go to a lighter rod and/or a shorter one. I carry 2 3wts. a 6'6" Orvis superfine and a TFO 8'6". I fish some very tight streams so the short rod comes in handy, while the longer rod is better for open water like small back country lakes and nymphing. To be honest the TFO is really just a back-up and gets very little use because the Superfine just feels so nice.

I'm sure there are several people on here that may suggest going to a 1wt., 2wt. or even 000wt. for your next rod, and if you really want a "different" enough rod to justify the purchase that could be fun too!

As a final note, you mentioned you have plenty of 5wts. I get the new gear bug also, just dropped some dough at Marriotts yesterday in fact. However, in my humblest opinion, you don't ever need a 4wt. over a 5wt. So let your brother fish one of those . I spent years fishing with a cheap 4wt. then a couple years on the same water with an super expensive 5wt. now I fish the same waters with a slightly less expensive 3wt. The fish don't seem to care.

Mitchell

[planettrout]

Alternative to the Winston IIIX in a 10', 4wt. :

http://fly.hardyfishing.com/en-us/produ ... ds/zenith/


PT/TB

[rkfiske]

Alternative to the Winston IIIX in a 10', 4wt. :

http://fly.hardyfishing.com/en-us/produ ... ds/zenith/


PT/TB

Get a zenith! Then let me test cast yours. According to the Hardy guys the 9' 4wt is the rod they consider the best in that series. I know you want a long rod, don't know much about their 10 footers.

[WanderingBlues]

I'm real curious about that 4wt Zenith as well. I'd like to compare it to the Sage One 4wt is is also the 'Sweet Spot' weight in that line up.

[silverlaker]

wow -that was fast. Thanks Guys. I'll check out the Zenith when I test out the winston. I would never turn down a sage - but I have a few and am looking to diversify. As far as how it will be used, definitely nymphing. I'm also hoping the extra length will help me control the drift better when trying to reach further out water across current streams moving at different speeds. I'm thinking mainly of dry /dry dropper situations on a river like the kern. But hey, what do I know, I've never thrown a 10' rod. Most of my lighter rods are under 8 feet. Maybe I'll just grab more branches with a longer rod... Anybody feel strongly one way or the other about a 9' rod versus a 10' rod given how I intend to use it?

Thanks again -

Tom

[silverlaker]

I spent years fishing with a cheap 4wt. then a couple years on the same water with an super expensive 5wt. now I fish the same waters with a slightly less expensive 3wt. The fish don't seem to care.

Mitchell[/quote]

My father in law's point exactly - and I agree. But after fishing with a cheapo 3wt for a few seasons I picked up a winston 3wt, and you know what, I just enjoy it more. At the end of the day it has to be about the right action not the brand. Of course I don't really care if I break the cheapo 3wt...

[fly addict]

A 10’ rod will be an asset when nymphing on larger streams. Just keep in mind, what you gain in improved mending ability you lose in accuracy. The longer the distance from your hand to the tip of the rod, the less accurate a rod will be. Not a problem unless you are tossing dry’s. Most of the new 10’ rods were designed for Euro style nymphing, Here is a link about them that was posted a while back. viewtopic.php?f=22&t=7270

Mark

[silverlaker]

Mark, I appreciate the link. I see this topic has been pretty well vetted. I suppose I should have done a search prior to posting - just haven't been around as much lately. Thanks everyone for your comments so far.

Tom

[flyster]

Are sure you don't need an 11 footer?????????????

[silverlaker]

Thanks Craig - I'll definitely touch base with David before heading north.
That's pushing flyster. I draw the line at a rod that's half as wide as the river