Northwest Fishing Reports

Currently I am shopping around and wanting to get a fly rod and reel... Fethastyx has two that i am having troubles making up my mind!

They have a 9' 5wt Trout Rod and a 9' 8wt. Steelhead Rod.

My target species most likely would be trout in the high lakes in the Cascades, but I may want to use it for Metal Heads.

Any Advise? Or assistance with making up my mind?

Forgot to mention anything about reels... Does anyone have any recommendations on Brand and Size? Sorry if I sound like an idiot but Im new to it and want to get some education before I lay some green down.

sage reels
ross reels
pm SAPIplate he would know

Definatly get the 5 weight. Fishing for high mountain trout with an 8 wieght is like hunting squirrels with a .338 Lapua Mag. A bit overkill. I'd get a moderate action so that it has atleast some backbone to throw larger flies and light sink tips a decent distance when fishing for steelhead. But be warned, I'd only use a 5 weight on smaller steelhead streams, like the Methow, Wenatchee, etc. Not just because of the smaller size of the steelhead being easier to handle on the lighter rod, but on Western Rivers like the Sauk, Sky, Skagit, and others you need heavier line and bigger flies,and much longer casting distances.A five weight would be a serious ***** to throw that kind of hardware over anykind of distance.

Anyway, onto reels. For a starting setup, I'd go with one of Ross Reels cheaper offerings. In the 5/6 wieght range. Also, Teton makes a good reel. I own one and love mine. Very dependable drag system. Galvan reels are pretty decent to.

Very nice! Thanks for the info and the advise! I"ll look into them.

also check out some Lamson reels. I'd also go with the 5wt.

SAPIplate wrote:Definatly get the 5 weight. Fishing for high mountain trout with an 8 wieght is like hunting squirrels with a .338 Lapua Mag. A bit overkill. I'd get a moderate action so that it has atleast some backbone to throw larger flies and light sink tips a decent distance when fishing for steelhead. But be warned, I'd only use a 5 weight on smaller steelhead streams, like the Methow, Wenatchee, etc. Not just because of the smaller size of the steelhead being easier to handle on the lighter rod, but on Western Rivers like the Sauk, Sky, Skagit, and others you need heavier line and bigger flies,and much longer casting distances.A five weight would be a serious ***** to throw that kind of hardware over anykind of distance.

Anyway, onto reels. For a starting setup, I'd go with one of Ross Reels cheaper offerings. In the 5/6 wieght range. Also, Teton makes a good reel. I own one and love mine. Very dependable drag system. Galvan reels are pretty decent to.

i'm pretty new at this fly fishing thing. only been doing it for a few months but from alot of controversy ive been seeing with steelheading, i wouldn't bother using the 5 wt for any steelheading at all. no matter how well you handle the fish, a 5wt is gonna exhaust the hell out of the fish after a long fight, risking it death incase you catch a native. atleast a 7wt...

If you are going for the small cuttthroat or brookies in the high mountain lakes and streams where they range from 8"-10", you may want to go with a 3 or 4 weight rod. You will have a much gentler presentation with a lighter rod. For Steelhead, you want to go with at least a 7 weight, maybe even an 8 weight. Remember, you are fighting a large fish and sometimes a swift river current.

Marc Martyn wrote:If you are going for the small cuttthroat or brookies in the high mountain lakes and streams where they range from 8"-10", you may want to go with a 3 or 4 weight rod. You will have a much gentler presentation with a lighter rod. For Steelhead, you want to go with at least a 7 weight, maybe even an 8 weight. Remember, you are fighting a large fish and sometimes a swift river current.

Thats what I wanted to avoid.. Needing more than one rod.. I want to get a rod that I can do it all with which sounds like the 5 wt rod. All good info to know and I appreciate you taking your time to educate me!

You can use a 5 wt. for both. The graphite rods today have a much wider range than the old fiberglass rods of the past. I have a friend that fishes the rivers in Alaska for the big Rainbows. He often uses a 5 wt., just for the thrill of the battle.

does anybody know when thegreen river opens/closes? email me if you have an answer

If you want just one rod, then go with the 5wt. The 8wt is way to big for mountain trout. When you use the rod for Steel head you may want to use a 6wt line. The reel should have a good drag system as you will need it when fighting a steel head on a small rod.It is your only defense when keeping a steel head from spooling you. Another thing that you may try is fishing for summer runs as they tend to be a bit smaller than winter runs. I built an 8wt Batson Switch-rod, same blank as a FethaStyx a few months ago and it only cost $129.00 on eBay. I was easy to build. I would say your choices are an inexpensive 5wt and and a better 8wt or a better 5wt and a great reel. The prices would be about the same. Another choice that is worth looking into is a nice 3/4 wt and a moderate priced 8wt with good reels and as time goes by, upgrade your reels. Good luck with your choices. :-)

So today I bought a 5wt rod today... I am searching now for a good quality reel. I know you guys mentioned some brands above... Any specific model of Ross reels or Sage reels?

Any info would be great for this beginner!

sellis_414 wrote:So today I bought a 5wt rod today... I am searching now for a good quality reel. I know you guys mentioned some brands above... Any specific model of Ross reels or Sage reels?

Any info would be great for this beginner!

sellis don't bother with the cheap sage model reels. Their cheaper line of reels are garbage. The Ross CLA is probably the best reel for price out. Some others to consider are Lamson konic, lamson guru, Ross evo lt, or some others like redington but Ross CLA would honestly be my top choice for that price. Fully machined and smooth as ever. The drag is great too.

if you're looking for a 5wt, you can't go wrog with the classics like Pflueger Medalist, Orvis CFO, Battenkill barstock, etc. Reason being is that you don't really need a robust drag. a 5wt reel, you're only using for the purpose of holding line so anything will do really.

the Orvis CFO is 30% on sale right now: http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx ... at_id=7642

I absolutely love that reel.