May sound like a silly question, but I've only fished it once. What would some of the more experienced Putah veterans call the perfect rod (weight and length)? I'm going tomorrow. Should I bring the 4, 5 or 6? They are all 9ft or better. Any more info helps. Thanks.
I like a 5 weight too that said I fished it for the most of last year with a 6 and I did fine. Fish which ever rod you are most comforatable with.
Cheers
Alastair
-- Edited by AfricanAngler on Monday 10th of May 2010 06:07:58 PM
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A 5 weight around 9 feet is a good all around rod for most trout in these parts. For the most part your going to be slingin weight so for putah a rod that handles weight is a good choice. No rod cast shot nicely but some do it better then others.
just bring one and get used to it then try another rule of thumb the bigger the river the bigger the rod like the yuba I always use my six wt  but thats all I have and its a good all around rod  but its a little light for steelhead season  . just dont forget to bring a rod  !
I've read a number of articles recently that go against conventional wisdom a bit but make a lot of sense to me. I haven't had a chance to field test it but the jist is that rod weight should be matched to the tippet you plan to fish. Conventional wisdom says that a lighter rod will cause you to over play the fish, but the articles made a compelling case that if you use lighter tippet on a rod designed for loading with heavier weight line you will break the tippet frequently on hookup and will be at risk of breaking off during the fight. If you choose a lighter rod weight to match your lighter tippet the authors say you can bring the fish in **faster** because the rod does a better job of protecting the tippet.  9' 5wt medium fast action is a great place to start and you may never need another rod, but if you consistently go to lighter tippets you might want to demo or borrow a 9' 4wt. Â
There are many rods out there to choose from. But for Putah during summer flows I would go with a 9-9.5 ft 5wt in a MEDIUM action rod. Redington makes a great traditional medium action rod call the classic trout. It will protect tippet down to 6x, never tried 7x, but 6x is not a problem. During winter months a 9ft 4wt can be really fun, and you can use a medium to medium fast action rod in the winter time. I have a 10ft 6wt Scott sts that i can put 5x tippet on and still be ok, so it depends on the rod. Yes a lighter rod will protect the tippet better than its bigger brothers cuz lighter rods have a lighter action, but if you can get a 4-7wt rod with a medium action it will protect that small tippet just like lighter rods can.
The Redington Classic Trout 9 ft 5wt would be my go to rod for Putah, put a nice reel on there and you will have a great all around rod that you can take on the Yuba yr round, American for half pounders, Little Truckee, and Big T, all throughout the Carson Ridge. A very good all around rod. And it would be to expensive.
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