Advice please! I have been searching for a new rod recently and have nearly made my mind up. But, deciding on length is now my problem. I like the idea and feel of a 9ft or 9ft6 8wt, but most Sea trout anglers go for a 10ft 8wt. How much difference does the extra foot make? Am I wrong in thinking the majority of the hard work is done in the Butt section of the rod? Any advice will be very much appreciated. I am leaning towards a 9ft 8wt. Mainly because when fishing on my own I find it easier to land a fish with a shorter rod,especially at night! Tim.

If your not going to be doing much boat fishing,then a 9' or 9'6'' will be fine. I use both a 10' and a 9'6'' 8# for my seatrouting.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I agree with the above. I find a 9ft better for seatrout fishing on smallish rivers like ystwyth, aeron, rheidol etc... you get a slightly better angle for casting under the trees.

The vast majority of my ST fishing is done with 9ft rods as the Camel and Fowey lend themselves to it. I'll only use the 10ft 7wt when wandering off to bigger rivers, and would go all misty-eyed at the possibility of using the 12ft double hander. We like them compact down here.

I mostly use 5wt where the lures aren't too big or for the surface lures, but tend to use my 9ft 8wt rod for the larger flies.

I haven't got out for weeks now due to work and home, but the last seatrout caught was a 4.25lb one using a surface lure on the 9ft 5wt on the Camel. There was never any danger of not landing it quickly as long as the hook held. a 9ft 5 wt will do for most and an 8wt will be well up to even the monsters. I tend to use 8lb leader or 12lb earlier in the season or if the shrubbery looks like being an issue. Have also landed an 8lb salmon on the 5wt with no bother. If the river offers up 10+ ST on a regular basis then go with a 7 or 8wt for sure, but you'll feel over-gunned once the summer schoolies come in.

If you're on a small river then a short rod will serve well, but for control you'd normally use as much rod as appropriate to the size of river. You can steer the fish around obstacles without having to reach as far if you use a longer rod. However with a longer single-handed rod you'll need to exert more pressure from the wrists, due to the action of the longer lever working against you. You can play a fish harder for the same effort on a short rod, but the long rod will absorb smashes and sudden pulls better. So if you're fishing a shorter rod, use a stronger leader than you would normally. This isn't really an issue fishing at night as there's much of a muchness between .2mm and .23mm in the dark.

Thanks guys. Answered my question perfectly! Looks like 9ft6 7/8 weight it is then!