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Upper D

I like my 9 1/2 ft 5 wt Z Axis. The upper D is big water and is one of the few places I like to use a cannon.
 
9 foot 5 weight for me. Nine foot 7 weight for streamers. I've used my 8 1/2' for 4 weight on nice days, but the average guy is tossing a fast action 9 footer in 5 weight or 6 weight for dries up there. It's almost always windy and you almost always need to make a big cast, and you almost always need to make a serious reach mend as your fly lands that long distance away.

Fail to perform those three things and you'll be partying with the black and white kitty. :skunked:



And double your average leader/tippet combo over Jersey waters. Or at least 1 1/2 times longer. I go with nothing under 12' and often 15' leader/tippet combo.
 
Rod length is more important than rod wt in my experience. It helps keep the line off the water while wading deep, helps with the reach cast, and gives leverage on bigger fish. I've used everything from 9ft 3 wt rods to 9ft 5wts. You'll want a 5 wt in the wind early season. As the wind calms over the year, a 4wt is fine, and at times more useful when touch and protecting light tippet is more important than power. For fighting fish, use side pressure and a 4-5 wt rod in 9ft will be fine, and even a 3wt in most cases, though a few fish did over power the rod at times. I've gone to a 10ft 4wt past couple years....really like that too, but 9ft is the norm.
 
On calm days or evenings, which are rare, a 9ft 4wt IM6 Winston; under more normal breezy to windy conditions, a 9ft 5wt T&T LPS- a cannon for the reasons Jeff mentioned.
 
i fish a 14 to 16 foot leader in most pa streams

Rusty Spinner said:
9 foot 5 weight for me. Nine foot 7 weight for streamers. I've used my 8 1/2' for 4 weight on nice days, but the average guy is tossing a fast action 9 footer in 5 weight or 6 weight for dries up there. It's almost always windy and you almost always need to make a big cast, and you almost always need to make a serious reach mend as your fly lands that long distance away.

Fail to perform those three things and you'll be partying with the black and white kitty. :skunked:



And double your average leader/tippet combo over Jersey waters. Or at least 1 1/2 times longer. I go with nothing under 12' and often 15' leader/tippet combo.
Click to expand...
 
Always fished a 9 ' 5wt but have recently changed up to a 9' 6wt much easier to cast in windy conditions. I am considering a Clutch rod in the 9'6" 5 or 6wt these rods are true cannons . I started fishing a 6 wt to over come the strong winds up there and have found when the wind dies down they are even more enjoyable to cast making 50' plus cast with ease.. I go the opposite direction on leaders though preferring a shorter leader 9-9 1/2' to have better control over fly placement in the wind to long a leader gets blown around,where a shorter leader is a little more wind resistant . Same even when there is no wind shorter is better when making long cast you will be ten times more accurate . It's personal preference try both ways and see what you like..Keep in mind a long leader means more slack to pick up on the hook set as well .. As a rule I use 3 & 4x tippet and the smallest I'll go is 5x and that is pretty rare usually when it's all I have left.
 
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Broadheadscreek said:
Always fished a 9 ' 5wt but have recently changed up to a 9' 6wt much easier to cast in windy conditions. I am considering a Clutch rod in the 9'6" 5 or 6wt these rods are true canons . I started fishing a 6 wt to over come the strong winds up there and have found when the wind dies down they are even more enjoyable to cast making 50' plus cast with ease.. I go the opposite direction on leaders though preferring a shorter leader 9-9 1/2' to have better control over fly placement in the wind to long a leader gets blown around,where a shorter leader is a little more wind resistant . Same even when there is no wind shorter is better when making long cast you will be ten times more accurate . It's personal preference try both ways and see what you like..Keep in mind a long leader means more slack to pick up on the hook set as well .. As a rule I use 3 & 4x tippet and the smallest I'll go is 5x and that is pretty rare usually when it's all I have left.
Click to expand...

You just need to learn how to cast:)


I'm just busting chops. Longer leaders do bring with them some downsides. If you cast a tight loop and have the right leader/tippet combo, it should roll out just fine. If it's really windy, I'll toss beyond my target on purpose and "slide" the fly into the correct drift lane. That takes up any slack and gives me a tight line between the rod tip and the fly and makes setting the hook on those 60'+ casts easier and gives you a much higher hook-up percentage, IMO.
 
I like the way the longer leader rolls out, but I don't always have the same confidence to let it loose on a long cast to a tight bank feeder when being long means a lost fly and likely a spooked fish. I think being accurate is just a matter of comfort though,...it even takes a few casts to get tuned in to the inch or two with a new piece of tippet sometimes if you go longer on the tippet than expected. Then there's the days when every cast is right on the money, landing perfectly under bushes, sometimes even falling out of bushes and drifting perfectly in lane with the fish, a truly "natural" presentation. Love those
 
flyI4 said:
I like the way the longer leader rolls out, but I don't always have the same confidence to let it loose on a long cast to a tight bank feeder when being long means a lost fly and likely a spooked fish. I think being accurate is just a matter of comfort though,...it even takes a few casts to get tuned in to the inch or two with a new piece of tippet sometimes if you go longer on the tippet than expected. Then there's the days when every cast is right on the money, landing perfectly under bushes, sometimes even falling out of bushes and drifting perfectly in lane with the fish, a truly "natural" presentation. Love those
Click to expand...

Been there, done that (and with you, as a matter of fact) :)
 
There are times that I like a longer leader, like fishing in complex currents where you have to make creative cast to get a fly to a fish in a tough lye . But like I mentioned it's a personal thing you can catch just as many fish on a long leader 14' + as you can on a short leader 8-10'. I know quite a few people that can't catch fish on 3 and 4x tippet cause the fish see it... ;)
 
9ft 6wt will be your best bet, even on the west branch. This way wind or no wind you are covered. It should be a med to stiff action. On windy days my Winston IM6 4wt feels like im trying to cast a noodle. But lately I have been using the rod in my Avatar that Broadheadscreek and Macfly use up there and it has been working great
 
I've built a ton of rods over the years, mostly 9' 5-weights. That was my standard rod length/weight until around twelve years ago. I now use 10' IMX rods I built in 3, 4 and 5-weight for just about everything. I over-line them and like the way they flex and load. The shorter 9-footers feel like toothpicks when I'm fishing big water. I also use extremely long leaders with fine tippets as I feel they enhance my ability to make good presentations.
 
Theres a wonderful book out there that covers this topic, and includes GPS coordinates as well to all of the top spots.
 
Trout Nazi said:
Theres a wonderful book out there that covers this topic, and includes GPS coordinates as well to all of the top spots.
Click to expand...


The top spots begin just below the Cannonsville and Pepacton dams and continue downstream at least to Callicoon on the mainstem with the exception of the EB from where the Beaver Kill enters it to Junction Pool in Hancock during warm summer months. :)
 
Rusty Spinner said:
The top spots begin just below the Cannonsville and Pepacton dams and continue downstream at least to Callicoon on the mainstem with the exception of the EB from where the Beaver Kill enters it to Junction Pool in Hancock during warm summer months. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, below the Cannonsville and Pepacton dams....
 
Like everybody else I use a 5 wt 9 foot rod. I try to stay with 9 ft leader 5x with dries. I usually fish dries quarterly downstream so the
fly goes over the fish before the leader.
 
I fish a 9'6 weight 80%of the time but drop to 9' 4 and 5 weights in the Summer. A six weight makes your life so much easier and the new rods are so light, my Sage One weight less than 3 ounces which used I be what a 3 weight weighs!
 
thats true...a 6wt now isn't a burden on the arm like they once were. Casted a 6wt loomis NRX last season and if felt like any other top of the line 5wt weight wise and had some nice touch to it as well. Its just tough to justify dropping 7-800 dollars on a rod anymore when the mid-range market has improved over the years. Not to mention the secondary market from the top brands makes buying a top of the line rod so much easier if you can wait it out a bit, no reason to drop the full retail price at the peak of the hype.
 
flyI4 said:
Not to mention the secondary market from the top brands makes buying a top of the line rod so much easier if you can wait it out a bit, no reason to drop the full retail price at the peak of the hype.
Click to expand...

Well said..

I reccomend that you go to one of the Orvis outlets (not the retail stores), you can get a 'Refurbed' Helios ZG for like 300 bucks.. Ive had mine for over three years and have never had any mojor issues. Even some Orvis dealers are having close-out sales on the Helios Zg's to make way for the new Helios 2.

Im careful and dont break a lot of rods, granted having a no questions asked gaurantee is a good peace of mind. But I think since I dont have a gaurantee on that rod, ive become more cautious with how i treat my rods now..
 
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