02-24-2015, 08:44 PM
One thing to ALWAYS keep in mind is that guides are often rep'ing manufacturers. This can definitely impact what the guides are telling you. Always throw the rods you are interested in while trying to simulate the most common fishing situations you would face. For example, you may find a rod that you lawn cast that blasts line out to 80 feet just to find out that on the water, you're only casting 25 feet and the rod won't load off the tip or it won't lay a small dry down softly. Additionally, a 5 wt that is just fine for nymphing in Utah may just not have enough backbone for the nymph or dry dropper rigs used on the big rivers in SE Idaho.
Another variable is your casting stroke. I've got a good friend who has a TMF. These rods are very slow compared to modern rods. Every time I fish that, I spend the first 15 minutes fighting that thing and overpowering every cast. My friend can make that thing sing.
tl;dr: throw before you buy. Test in real life situations if you can. Buy rods that fit your style - not just what is currently hot.
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Another variable is your casting stroke. I've got a good friend who has a TMF. These rods are very slow compared to modern rods. Every time I fish that, I spend the first 15 minutes fighting that thing and overpowering every cast. My friend can make that thing sing.
tl;dr: throw before you buy. Test in real life situations if you can. Buy rods that fit your style - not just what is currently hot.
[signature]