It was a 6 WT two piece Hobbs Creek setup from White River (Bass Pro's fly line).
That was a great rod to start out with and I fished with it in Arkansas, Utah, Texas, and many points in between.
After I got used to casting I realized a couple of things:
1) I wanted a shorter lighter rod for fishing small fish and brushy trout creeks
2) I wanted a faster rod for punching through the wind and for distance
3) I wanted a four piece rod to travel with.
Last year I was able to purchase two rods:
A great 9' TFO TiCrX four piece 5wt
And
A sweet 6'9" three piece White River Classic 4wt.
I love both of these rods and use them for specific reasons. The 4wt is not just for brushy creeks (although it is perfect for that application). It can hold its own casting relatively small bugs even in the wind. I ended up putting an Orvis Barstock reel on it and a nice 4wt WF fly line. Like most things you learn as you go along - buy the best fly line you can afford.
The TFO is very fast - just what I wanted and can cast a long line in tough conditions. I use it for bass and trout and it can handle the big streamers and poppers with ease.
I also experienced a dilemma last year when my trusty 6wt Hobbs Creek rod "threw a shoe". The ceramic guide liner popped out of the stripper guide and I took it back to Bass Pro. They didn't have a replacement Hobbs Creek rod but they did have an 8'6" Classic 4 piece 5wt. I made the trade thinking that I would find a time to use the shorter 5wt instead of the TFO. Wrong!
I had never even taken the 5wt Classic out of the tube when I got a great idea.
I have been hitting the salt water for the past few months and have even been tying some flys to try my luck on a speckled trout or a redfish. I have no doubt the TFO can handle anything I'm likely to catch - it has a lot of spine for a 5wt rod.
The problem is that many saltwater flys are tied on a large hook and must be cast in some pretty windy conditions. I have been limiting myself to hook sizes 4-8 but want to try some clousers and decievers in a size 1 or 2.
I visited Bass Pro Shop this weekend and as my good fortune would have it, they were on the last day of a fly rod and reel combo sale. They had a Gold Cup setup marked down $100 off retail. I decided to see what kind of deal I could swing with some horse trading for the Classic.
They offered to give me full price for the 5wt Classic which was another "Benjamin".
I finally negotiated the final deal for the 7wt Gold Cup 3 piece rod, Gold Cup large arbor saltwater reel, fly line, case, rod sock, & reel cover for less than the original price of the rod itself.
The midnight blue IM-8 graphite rod uses Fuji silicon oxide guides and a premium cork handle.
The large arbor saltwater reel is anodized machined-aluminum construction and has a zero-reverse bearing and carbon fiber disc drag.
It's not a Sage but I would say not a bad deal for a nice, functional, saltwater outfit.
Lord willing, I will catch a redfish on a fly this year!
2 comments:
That rod looks sweet now its time to break it in. It has a lot of work to do to catch up to the U. L.
Now you have gone and done it! You sure are making it hard on me. That is a sweet rod and I just keep hearing those words ringing in my ears..."why would anyone need a 4wt?" DO NOT let me try this rod any time soon!
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