If you fish primarily small streams and rivers, a 8' 6" 4W is a good all around compromise fly rod for the Driftless Area. With it you can chuck bigger heavier streamers, but still have the finesse and accuracy to cast small dry flies on light tippet. If you fish bigger water, or seek bigger Trout/Bass/etc... consider a 5W 9' rod. It will have the muscle to handle larger fish and enough power to cast through heavier wind.

I have a 3W 7' 6" that I pull out every now and then. It's noticeably different than my 4W rods. Fun to cast, but much more difficult to turn bigger fish on the hook. A 12" Brown will feel like a monster on a 3W. Anything larger than a size 8 streamer will be difficult with a lighter rod and it will be tougher to cast in windy conditions.

If you can find one, an 8' 4W is ideal, in my opinion. You would think that 6" of rod length wouldn't matter that much, but a slightly shorter rod is much easier to work casts under and around obstacles. Longer rods can cast further, but for most of the streams I fish, I rarely need to cast beyond 20 feet. Accuracy trumps distance on almost any Driftless stream.


-Bill

No reason to shorter than 9'. A fast action 9' 3 wt will throw bigger and heavier streamers than most realize. You just need to adjust casting style a bit for both overhead cover and bigger bugs.

Edited by user Friday, September 20, 2019 2:14:24 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

When the water is clear I use 7.5' 4X leaders with tippet rings and an added length of tippet of the same size. On stained water, or later in the year when fishing hoppers, I go exclusively with 3X leaders. Unless you're fishing still clear water with spooky Trout, I see no reason to go with longer or lighter leaders. I've been using the heavier shorter stuff for awhile now and have noticed no drop off in the number of strikes or fish caught.

The big advantage of the heavier leader/tippet is that you can really steer bigger Trout away from snags or other obstacles without fear of breaking off. Or when fishing hoppers, you can rip them out of the grass.


-Bill

Edited by user Friday, September 20, 2019 10:15:17 PM(UTC)  | Reason: damned typos!

Yup, terrestrials should still be effective right though the end of the season. If it's dry, and you see grass hoppers jumping around, it's a sure bet you'll get a Trout to take a generic hopper pattern.

Always a good idea to check the Driftless Angler Fly Shop fishing report blog to see what the local stream conditions are and what is working best at the moment.

Good luck.
-Bill

If you can't decide which rod to go with, get them both, seriously. While I would love to have an $800 rod (they do cast quite sexy), I just don't see them as necessary in the Driftless. There are a lot of quality rods out there for less than $200. I have an Echo Carbon XL 8'6" 4 wt and it's great. I loved my previous rod, an Echo Carbon 8' 4wt, but I broke the tip on it (a tree attacked me from behind). Thankfully Rajeff sports replaced it for me for only $35, but they no longer make the original Carbon, so I got the 8'6". That 8 foot rod was perfect. For my short rod, I bought a Cabela's CGR (glass) 6'6" 4 wt. Those rods run at $69, but they frequently go on sale, so I got mine for $39. The 6'6" is a nice size for tight streams.

The two rods above are what I mainly use, but I have 3 others that find use in the right conditions. I have a 9' 5wt St. Croix for really windy days or night mousing. That rod I got for free from my brother in law who gave up on fly fishing after one season. I also have a 9' 7-8 wt that I use for warm water. That rod I won in a raffle. We also have one of the Echo Gecko rods that my kids learned to fish with. Designed for kids, but I still use it. I love the slow action and it really helps you learn/remember good casting habits.

TLDR version: Buy multiple, cheaper rods in the sizes you want.