Boatless Fishing Forum, Reports, Info

Does anyone ever fly fish with an eight wt rod in saltwater or freshwater. What is the difference in a 9ft verse a 10ft please, other than distance.

Another use for a longer rod is for easier mending...but I'm not too sure of how much that factor would help down in the sunshine state...I'm thinking more so in terms of some of the rivers up north for steelhead, etc...

Depending on what's behind you where you're casting, the extra length may help you clear some obstructions that may otherwise inhibit your backcast.

The flip side (that could be a negative or positive) is that the longer rods are often softer, if comparing different lengths of the same rod (I'm sure if you shopped around, you'd find a company that makes it in the action you're looking for)

Lastly, depending on where you're fishing (more specifically, the type of landscape), it could make landing fish more difficult

8 WT is a very good all around size for saltwater. Little heavy in freshwater but not overkill at all. 9 ft rod is the standard down here, I think longer rods might struggle a bit more loading into the wind.

The longer the rod, the harder it is to land a fish solo, just a heads up, you end up high sticking it too much and this can lead to a stress break!

-Swordfish