How Many Rods in Your Quiver?

Keeping it simple these days. Three rods: A 4 weight 7'6" for small streams, a 9' 4-weight for larger water, and a 9' 6-weight for windy conditions on larger water. Have an 8' 6 weight Heddon bamboo that is just a 'museum piece' these days. Haven't used it in 20 years. Broke my Orvis 'Far and Fine' two-weight. It was 27 years into a 25 year warranty. Have no intention of replacing it. Go almost exclusively for trout.
 
I've more than enough equipment for myself and maybe another person or maybe even two to hit the water.
But I'm not a guide.
In the past I could anticipate using more of a certain build and fewer of some, but time has passed and I don't intend to build stock.
I do like to have at least two different rigs setup and ready to cast when I go. One for surface and the other for another surface or a deeper water setup. Maybe one with an ant and the other with an Adams, maybe a cranefly, but surface and deep setups ready to cast.

I still have the remnants of a 6' Silaflex 6wt that I beat like hell on small streams in high school. The top guide is heavily grooved from flyline cutting into it. Guides broke and were replaced. The rod broke just at the top of the ferrule and was repaired to keep it as a good beater rod.
Of the 10+ flyrods and at least a half dozen working fly reels that I still have and consider good, I have tested and labeled each one after determining certain characteristics and appropriateness for certain waters, techniques, casting distances, line weights, and, for some, the fly types.

A late friend of mine who was a long-time guide, had inherited his brother's rod and reel collection. His brother was not a guide but was heavy into flyfishing and maintained a good collection in order to be prepared for every opportunity. From the Bahamas to the Beaverkill, etc. And as is best for actually being prepared, he was a bit of a perfectionist with organizing.

My friend owned many flyrods over the years, but used everything hard. He used his equipment heavily with many clients and most days was on the water and at the vise.
Their father was a dedicated fly fisherman and fly tyer and had a good collection of fly rods, but also spinning and baitcasting.
(His father was best friends with George Harvey and after they died a lot of fly tying material and rods and other fishing equipment stuff ended up going to my friend. Then when my friend died it was recycled into the flyfishing world!)

When my friend had inherited the rods and reels, he said that each one of his brother's rods were already set up to hit the water. Reels, lines, leaders and tippets and ready to roll. Sizes from saltwater to tiny water.
My friend said that after he got those rods he had a total of 125 complete flyrod setups.

As a guide my friend usually had 25 rigs all set up and ready. Others he had for other excursions.
But he was all-in for flyfishing and guiding and he inherited some of the best equipment and materials anyone would want.
He was able to sell some of the rods that he would never use. But it was amazing for a while to know someone who had 125 fully ready to roll flyrods!


And now, to switch to the fly tying discussion part of this post, as far as tying, I also have a Thompson vise. It wasn't the first vise. It was my first nice vise. I like the cast iron post and the red spinning tightener.
Still good to use. Match the vise to the hook and the fly.
 
(FYI. In rereading my post I consider that describing having two different rods setup - one for a deer hair beetle rod setup and the other an Adams - equally ready to fish can seem to be nonsense because it would be easy to remove the beetle and tie on the Adams.
Yes. It is easier.
It is easy to switch out just the flies on the same leader and tippet setup but that reduces the casting control for those flies. The flight of the beetle is different than the Adams because of resistance. If the leader and tippet setup isn't configured a little differently so as to maximize control of the different fly constructs it can easily make it difficult to cast and pinpoint the flies for the best position and best float. The same with all subsurface flies. For example, the leader-tippet distances and diameters to night fish differ pretty much when fishing a deer hair mouse and a sculpin. They each need special construction to get the best results. The whole setup configured deliberately to fish a specific style of fly. Having them on separate rods ready to cast makes it a lot easier to get stream time. Especially at night.)
 
I currently have 17 rods that all see action. Some fill a specific function like early season nymphing, or saltwater flats fishing, or favorites for specific waters at a certain time of year.
Others get rotated in , especially the rods when I expect to do a lot of dry fly fishing. I have a soft spot for 9' #4 weight rods.
I did have a LOT more rods once upon a time when I was guiding. Some of the guide programs were pretty ridiculous and for a broke *** early to mid 20's trout bum in the 90's I had a heck of a stable of now classic rods.
Almost all of which got sold along the way when I needed money here and there. The only one I still have of the original bunch is a 3 piece Sage SP 9' #5 weight. That rod will be buried with me.
Would sure love some of them back or another crack at some of those programs now.
I remember Winston's program specifically.....
Imagine one free rod per year , and any other at $160.
Man I had a stack of beautiful Green tubes! 😳😁
 
I have 10 ready to fish. Caught fish on all of them this year. I keep telling myself I have more than enough, but I keep thinking a 7’6” fiberglass 4wt would be a nice addition

Steve
 
Let’s see:
1. 10 wt Graphite
2. 8 wt Graphite
3. 7 wt Glass
4. 7 wt Graphite
6. 5 wt Graphite
7. 4 wt. 10 ft Graphite
8. 4 wt 8’6” Graphite
9. 4 wt 6’6” Graphite
10. 3 wt 10’6” Graphite Euro
11. 3. Wt 7’ Lamaglass
“….. shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That - that’s about it.”
If my wife sees this post, I’m going to try to tell her that I was exaggerating to impress others who are on this site.

PS I have several others on permanent loan to friends. Also not exactly sure how many reels it have.
 
2x 9' 5wt. (Orvis Helios 2 and Winston Passport)
1x 8'6" 5wt. (Orvis Hydros still brand new)
1x 8'4" 4wt. (Scott G2)
1x 7' 4wt. (Orvis Clearwater)
1x 9'6" 6wt. (Loop)
1x 11' 7wt. (Orvis Access)
1x Orvis Bamboo (BRAND NEW bought at a yard sale for $100!)

I haven't updated my fly rods/reels recently but they still work.
 
It's an addiction for sure, 1 turns into 15 quickly
I can quit anytime... no problem here..
Just picked up another glass rod, this one a brookie rod.
It works pretty well.

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Which Scott F Series?
The 5834 - 5'-8" 3wt 4pc
I bought it for backpacking, the 18" rod tube disappears in my backpack and/or doesn't stick up past the top of the pack when stuck in the side pocket.

The shorter length hasn't really handicapped me on the small brookie streams, my favorite type of water to fish.
 
Nice rod!!

I'm a fan of 6634 although I don't own one.

5'8" is a short rod (although I own a 5'0" & a 5'6") which makes balance a bit tricky, which CFO are you using?

FWIW - The first generation Hardy built CFO II at a stated weight of 2.0 oz comes the closest to the balance point I prefer.
 
Nice rod!!

I'm a fan of 6634 although I don't own one.

5'8" is a short rod (although I own a 5'0" & a 5'6") which makes balance a bit tricky, which CFO are you using?

FWIW - The first generation Hardy built CFO II at a stated weight of 2.0 oz comes the closest to the balance point I prefer.
that's the one, CFO II screw back with a 444 peach DT line.
the balance is a pretty good fit.
 
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75 rods: 42 Glass/33 Carbon Fiber. 11 Blanks neatly tucked in the basement rafters that still need to be built out.

Of those 75, I probably consider no more than 6-8 to be "in my quiver" and I reach for routinely.

I think I need to pull out some of my classic glass this fall . . .
 
3 wt 7'6 Echo Carbon X
3 \wt 10' Clearwater for "Euro"
4 wt Helios 3F 7'6"
5 wt Echo Trout 9'
5 wt Loomis NRX +LP 9'
6 wt Helios 4F 9'
6 wt Stickman p6 9'
7 wt Clearwater 10'

New 5 wt Stickman Ti5 9' on order
 
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