Hi All

Newbie here, been browsing and snooping but am looking for a small lightweight stream rod.

I'm on a tight budget (yes, I'm married).

So . . . a short (six or seven foot) rod.

What about the Wychwood truefly 7' (I love my truespin by the same company)

Or a Ron Thompson "energetic" 7'?

I'm well used to worming for trout and would like to get into fly fishing on the same small river.

Am I right in thinking that the "#" or weight of a rod means it will cast that line weight or lower - i.e. a #6 rod will cast 3 line but not vice versa?

THANKS!

Cheap little rod here that should do the trick Shakespeare Odyssey 7.5ft 4/5#

Try a Shakespeare Odessy XT 7'6" in #4

Get a Shakespeare Alpha Large Arbor and a Weight forward 5 line from either the Pitsford Pirate or Mike Barrio, some backing to fill the spool and other than some flies and tippet, you are there for about £60.

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Just My Tuppenceworth!!

I have the 8' #4 truefly and I have to say I am extremely impressed. The finish is great and I find it lovely to cast, it seems to suit my slower style anyway. I believe it is slightly better at distance compared with close range but I am using a WF line which may not help.

Having said that, I would have no problems buying the shakespeare mentioned above, my very first fly rod was a shakespeare and I couldn't fault it for the price.

P.S. I would stick to the line rating for the rod, so #4 rod and #4 line.

One maybe,but i doubt a #3 line would have enough weight to load a #6 rod.Anyway as a beginner i wouldn't be looking into underloading rods

Neil

A #3 line will load a #6 rod but is of absolutely no use for short range casting.

The first 30' of a #6 line weighs nominally 160 grains, for a #3 line to load the rod (#3 weighs 100 grains for first 30') would require 50' of line.

For a beginner who intends to do short range casting on burns/streams, I would normally over line the rod (i.e. use a #5 on a #4) as this loads the rod better for short distance casting (i.e. less than 30' of main fly line) and give the beginner a better feel of the rod loading to help with their casting (plus has the happy effect of slowing the rod action down slightly as well).

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Just My Tuppenceworth!!

The Fladen 7' 3# is well worth considering .. outstanding value for money

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Nigel

"Rods are like women... we love them all...but the ones that do what we want are the ones we love most" (Adam Vigil)

I did say "doubt" and I'm aware of line weights,thanks.I should have put "if trying for distance it might be ok'',thanks for the correction.Ive tried a #4 on a #7 rod and even though i managed distance it felt cr@p so that was the end of that.Anyway like i suggested as a beginner i wouldn't look into under loading a rod

Neil

Whoa! Back up there a bit!

You've all lost me.

So there's the rod # which should be matched to the line # and the higher the line # the heavier it is, right?

And heavy line is good for long and/or powerful casting.

So at the one end of the range there's high numbered rods and lines for salmon and sea fishing and other end there's low nos for brooks and burns?

(Reservoirs come somewhere between the two?)

I understand a bit about tapered leaders (work like a whip, getting thinner and transferring the energy smoothly) and, of course, hook sizes (being a bait fisherman I already catch trout on 12, 14 and 16).

At that end of the line I've already ordered a 4x and a 5x from The Essential Fly shop and have some wet and dry flies, plus some nymphs and buzzers.

So I *think* I want a 7 foot rod with a 3 to 4 rating and matching line. Does that sound about right?

(The fish are anything between 0.5lb and 1.5lb. The stream is mostly about six to eight feet wide and of greatly varying depth and speed; some glides, pools and riffles. There's also the usual vegetation, overhang and so on. I guess short casts are the order of the day!)

Thanks, this a steep learning curve but one I'm keen to make.

Cheap Rod? But certainly NOT inferior in quality try the FLADEN VANTAGE 7ft, #3, weight.