Saltwater Flyrodders

Ok peeps what's your call on the best all round rod for the swan river?

Currently I'm using an 8wt 9' batson rainshadow on windy days & a 6wt 9' Rs4 Redington when the weather permits.

I reckon the 8wt is a bit of an overkill on the river most of the time but with the seabreeze it does make things a bit easier. I reckon a stiffer faster actioned 6 would be a really great rod though I haven't had a chance to punch anything of the like into the teeth of the freo doctor yet.

What's everyone elses preferences? 9'6" for better distance? 4wt for those wily flats Bream?

I mostly tend to use a 9 foot 6 weight TCX in the river. I find that it is the best compromise for fishing light and for something that has enough power to cope with the wind.

Doug

Hi Mat
I'm personally not a fan of 9'6 rods. They generally tend to feel heavier in the hand and do not feel as crisp as the 9' version. For me, I mostly fish a couple of 4wts in the river. If the wind is blowing, I look for spots where it's a little more out of the wind, or use the wind to my advantage. A fast action rod is only good if you can master it. Get down to Bluewater or Flyworld. Bring a line down and have a cast before you make your mind up. If you like, send me a message and you can try out some of the rods that I have.

Went to see Chris at flyworld a few weeks back to try some 6wts out before I bought the batson- tried the zenith & the (last) loop opti.

What different beasts they were! The Zenith is just far too much rod for me- a real finesse presentation stick & very light in the hand.

the loop however was all about power- it's a punchy rod with very little in the of subtleness. Funny thing was it's a 9'3' rod which is a pretty odd size really.

Would like to see how a 4wt feels in the hand sometime Tony. We should go for a cast around the traps.

If anyone is interested a couple of mates & I are organising a cast & compare day coming up in the next couple weeks or so. We've got saggy rods, orvis, batson & redington to try with a variety of lines. Mainly an excuse to get together & play with toys really.

Sned a PM & I'll get back to you when we've concreted a date.