7wt or 8wt fly rod; I have 5wt’s

Wapiti1

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2017
Messages
3,569
Location
Indiana
OP didnt say a price range, but if it's just a dedicated streamer rod...the Moonshine Rods - Drifter gets pretty dang good reviews for a fast action 10ft 7wt at $199. Even comes with 2 tip sections for that price.

I'm a big T&T Avantt and Exocett fan, but they dont offer a 10ft 7wt...if you go 9ft, look at T&T and compare to the top of the line Sage / Loomis offerings.

That is the rod I was going to suggest. I use one for pike and bass in an 8wt and it will shoot big flies well.

Great rods.

Jeremy
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
Messages
1,164
Location
Missoula, MT
If trout are the primary target, get a 7wt. An eight weight may fight the wind better, but it will be overkill when you have a fish on. If you plan on using it for saltwater, steelhead/salmon, bull trout, etc, then consider bumping up to an 8wt.

Temple Fork BVK and Redington Predator are two great fast-action streamer rods in the ~$300 range. Sage makes great rods and my primary trout rod is their One model, but I don't think you need to pay $800 or more for a rod when you are just chucking streamers.

For line, I like the Rio Versatip. It has interchangeable tips for different situations. I use the intermediate sink tip when fishing rivers, but you can switch to a heavier tip for deeper lakes like you mention.
 
OP
B
Joined
Feb 16, 2015
Messages
1,889
Location
Colorado
Thank again everyone, I went this afternoon to a fly shop and put a few casts on several rods outside and I walked out with a G Loomis NRX+ 9’ 8wt, and added a Lamson reel with some sink tip line.

I know the 7wt was the majority winner on here, but when I cast that 8wt the power and and control was awesome so I went up a size. I also tried the sage X and still liked the NRX better. Looking forward to throwing some double and triple streamer rigs with this setup.
 
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Messages
792
Location
Pendleton, Or
Very good rod, you’ll be happy with it particularly when you make it out to Bristol bay. That happens to be a Loomis 8 wt rod, Lamson reel, 11 year old angler and a nice sockeye. The rod is older than she is.
 

Attachments

  • C1167E67-BF13-4FD5-8A5B-EE258471D599.jpeg
    C1167E67-BF13-4FD5-8A5B-EE258471D599.jpeg
    404.7 KB · Views: 19

Riplip

WKR
Joined
Mar 12, 2012
Messages
560
Location
Colorado
Thanks. Google is telling me that Scott makes a good rod which I don’t own. My dad has a Winston 9’ 5wt that I will inherit someday as he will never get rid of it, and I have the sage one 9’ 5wt..:so maybe it’s time to try a Scott.

Scott has been producing some incredible rods the last few years. I own four of their Saltwater rods and two freshwater (5 & 7). They are coming out with an updated version of their Radian line so expect to start seeing some great deals on the current model. 8 weight is overkill for anything in Colorado. Just my $.02

If you like a more of a fast action rod the Sage X is hard to beat.
 
Top