I prefer a 10' 5wt but thats just me. It's a little rough going through putah brush sometimes, but it's sweet when your high sticking in pocket water. Everyone has there preference.

I also recommend using a 9 ft rod.  I use a 7.5 ft rod on smaller streams and occasionally on Putah.  For most of fishing, though, I use the 9 footer.

easy way to put it

THE LONGER THE BETTER

I use a 10ft 4 wt for high sticking, it is a little difficult getting through the brush tunnels but is has a delicate tip and the extra length is good. And with a big fish, so awsome. I use this on the upper sac as well and have never had trouble bringing in a big fish in an appropriate lenght of time. I don't use it during the high summer flows.

For indicator fishing I use a 9th 5 wt.

Ted

I use a 3 wt 6' 3" Sage SLT. It is fantastic and you can double haul the **** out of it is you really need throw distance - however, i am fishing a dry with a dropper which is probably a good way to go on the putah due to the slime growth. I have gone there with 9 ft rod, and keep getting my line tangled, etc. its so much easier to creek fish on low flows with a ultra light rod - you can certainly precision cast between rocks when the conditions are like this is right now - had hella fun yesterday while fishing ...I mean "working from home"

Most Western fly fishers use a 9' rod. For mending, for roll casting, for high sticking, and because everyone else does.

Everyone else, tends to use 8-8.5' rods. The East Coast guys, the Mid West Guys, the Winston Guys like 8-8.5'. I don't think you really need a longer rod unless you are doing a sepecific type of fishing.

10' for high sticking/czech nymphing.

7-7.5' for small streams and brush choked banks. Or if you're using cane.

But I can cast my Winston BIIx with a Rio Selective Trout DT 3 line as easily and accurately as my Sages and Scotts I fish with. Faster action will supposedly give you more accuracy, maybe....But a soft tip will proctect those light tippets we fish out on the creek.

But when the hell am I throwing that much line? I don't fish the flats.

I catch most fish within 40' of me. Experiment for yourself, we all have our own favorites!

Greetings Captain - you are totally right, in winds a 6' rod is not the best weapon of choice - but I am as tall as this rod - 6'3" and weigh too much - so I can counter light winds but in general can whip this short rod around with purpose. it is pretty much the only way that I Can catch fish on narrow sections of the creek - maybe cause of the cover, I don't get too much wind there. Besides on Putah, most fish I catch can't be more than 15-20' away tops.

My other 3. rods are an 8' 5wt Browning (yes, classic glass Big5 Sporting goods rod), a 9' 5wt Sage SLT, and a 9.5 5wt Sage ZAxis. For lakes, etc, and shooting, the ZAXis clearly - that with 40Plus line and you can throw a dry easily over 100'. But its so pointless on Putah (maybe good for the open water areas, but I don't fish them). Probably the Browning would be best for the creeking sections but to being full flex soft rod and only 8'. So I saw a deal on Sage SLT's on EZFlyfish.com (its still on right now) and I bought my 6' for 35% off.

Last 2 times I went to putah it went down like this - 3 pm get desire to go to putah - leave san francisco, and sit in traffic - arrive at putah (after numerous stops) around 5:30. Tie up numphing rigs, and attempt plan to walk through brush. Nymph rig gets caught up in what witch-hag type brush that grows around the river. Loose multiple nymphs in said brush, swear, drink a few beers, and then keep pushing towards the river. At that point, retie 3 nymph rig, and get that caught up in brush (again). Swear, drink more beer, and accept the fact that it is not too dark out to tie up a third rig. Swear and drink more beer, make it back to the truck, and head back home...I felt completely defeated by that river. My last trip was as good as these were bad though - partly because I now use a short rod, but also I spent 1.5 hours surveying the entire river between #2-4. The 14" trout that i caught took me about 10 mins to reel in with a 3 lb dropper- it was so much fun. 2 others I lost - my dropper snapped off 2 times. 3 hours of fishing without loosing a single fly to the brush vs. loosing 6 before I even make it to the water. My point is that I really don't seem to have much of an option on a creek like Putah - I am too clutsy or brutish to fish with anything else.

Lefty must use a 3wt for a reason.

by my calculations 10 minutes for a 14" fish, if we go by inches it will take him 33.6 mintutes to bring in a 24" trout or by weight, about 45 minutes. hahaha

Landing a 24" trout on a 3wt can be done.  It just takes a little bit of skill and a whole lot of luck.  If the fish runs for fast water, you've lost it.

I'll have to admit fishing with a 3wt is tons of fun.  If I had a better reel, I might use it more.  I had some major problems with the reel this summer on my McCloud River/Burney Creek trip.  I'm looking to cash in on a gift certificate I got for my birthday, so I might have a better reel soon.

Captain,
I can't afford it, otherwise I'd go for it.  I'm looking at the Teton Tioga.  I have one for my 5wt.  I didn't like it at first, but it's grown on me.

Teton Tioga reels aren't all that light, but they're as tough as nails.  They have an unconditional lifetime warranty, and for the quality of the reel, you can't beat the price.

Yeah, but I'd have to sell my car to buy one.