Need Advice on Rod/Reel Specs

UncleShorty

UncleShorty

Active member
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
527
I own an 8.0 ft 8 wt Fenwick and a Made in the USA Pflueger Medalist. Got them for wiring a buddy's house in 1981.

That gear is being retired to the "Uncle Shorty Museum of Mis-spent Youth..."

I'm mainly a bream/crappie fisherman when I'm in TX, (The Guadalupe River Tail water is a 3-1/2 hour drive so rainbow fishin' is a 1 or 2 times/yr thing...).

I strictly, (for now), use nymphs, streamers and wetflies for trout in PA. I fish Central PA and Lycoming & Tioga Counties.

I'm pretty much a novice, although I'm getting more experience. I'm not an accomplished caster, by any means.

I've decided on a 4 wt rod/reel combination and I need some advice.

Rod length: 8.', 8-1/2' or 9'?
Action: Medium, Medium Fast?
Which would be easier to cast, not for major distance, but more for accuracy & presentation?
What about line mending?

What are your impressions, if any of the Temple Fork Outfitters Professional Series II Fly Rods Model: TF 04 86 4 P2 (8' 6", 4 pc., 4 wt.) paired with the Temple Fork Outfitters Prism Cast Large Arbor Fly Reels Model: TFR CLA 3/4 (3/4 wt.)?

I've read several reviews/websites but would prefer to hear from guys who actually fish PA waters.

Any constructive help would be appreciated. I hope to pull the trigger on a set-up in the next week to ten days.


 
UncleShorty wrote:
Rod length: 8.', 8-1/2' or 9'?

Since this is essentially your first general purpose trout rod just get the 9' and don't think about it further.

Action: Medium, Medium Fast?

Does not matter. Get whatever and then work on improving your casting. Too much fussing over action nowadays. Just go with whatever seems right to you and then stop thinking about it and focus on improving your casting. Besides, at the $150 price point of the TFO Professional II, you are not going to find many rods that have an action that would give a beginner trouble.

Which would be easier to cast, not for major distance, but more for accuracy & presentation?

The differences in those things between the rod lengths and actions you listed is negligible. The line, leader, and tippet will have more to do with presentation than the rod and the person doing the casting is probably the biggest factor. No rod will suddenly turn bad casting into good casting. A good caster can, however, make a bad rod look good.

What about line mending?

Longer rods generally make mending and line control easier. A 9' rod will make mending easier at greater distances, and thus be easier to fish bigger streams.

What are your impressions, if any of the Temple Fork Outfitters Professional Series II Fly Rods Model: TF 04 86 4 P2 (8' 6", 4 pc., 4 wt.) paired with the Temple Fork Outfitters Prism Cast Large Arbor Fly Reels Model: TFR CLA 3/4 (3/4 wt.)?

I am completely unimpressed by TFO rods. But, if you like them that's fine. I just think the quality is lower than other rods of comparable price.

As for the reel I think you can do better than a cast reel at that price range. Just shop around a little. Allen, for instance, offers a machined reel for $100. There are many other similar reels out there at that price. Also, there are usually some good deals on Lamson's too if you look around.

One last thing. I recommend considering a 5wt for your first trout rod. The heavier line weight is a little more versatile and the slight increase in line weight is a little more forgiving of bad technique. That said, 4wt will serve you well for PA trout.
 
What are the smallest and largest waters you plan to fish with said rod? That will help people make a suggestion.

An all-around trout rod for me is a 580.
 
Thank you for your thoughts, advice and for sharing your knowledge.

It appears I need to do some more research. Those Allen reels deserve a good look and I'll do some more looking for a rod.

Unfortunately I'm workin' with some budget constraints so that's a limitation, but I'll continue to look around.

Thanks again.
 
I have to disagree on the tfo's. I have 2 finesse 4wt's and a 3wt sage LL. I will put either one agaist the other, they both cast great, the tfo at a fraction of the LL! Its a medium/med-fast rod. Which imho is a great spot for a beginner. I can handle weighted muddlers as well as a 26 zebra midge. Both the tfo's are a 8'9" 4pc 4wt.

One thing folks have issues with on rods is not having the right lines. going under or over too much and you change the rod. As does using a wf or a dt line. I preferred a wf SA mastery line. Tried a rio gold and wasn't impressed this past year. going to run some barrio small stream lines this year.

I really like the SA 2L 5/6 reels. For the price they are a great reel if you can get your hands on one. They are not made anymore. There's a pile of reels and lots of good ones that are comparable. I have a handful of these reels and have 0 need or desire of changing. They can handle big fish and pa brookies as well, I've stuck a 40lb king on the reel as well. Though I wouldn't recommend it LOL! I was after the bows sitting behind them. 0 experience with the TFO reels.

I'm also into chasing crappies on a fly rod. loads of fun and they rarely turn down a bug! When my partners hit the lull on bait/gear, they keep biting bugs! if you can find a pearl scud they work extremely well!


Longer rods imho are easier to mend with. Longer rods are also a pain to cast in tight areas.

Too fast of a rod I think is a downfall to new folks. A medium fast or medium rod is a much better choice. I usually steer people to a mf rod as a good all arounder. I do prefer a faster rod when I'm casting big rods or big flies (pike etc) along with a heavy wf line (mastery pike/Muskie taper was a great line for this).

If you're around, I'll be down in a couple weeks with both the LL and the finesse rods. You're more than welcome to cast both and make your own opinion on them without spending a dime. I'll be on the water as much as possible!
 
Back
Top