[fishslap]

Looking to upgrade my 4wt. I currently have an 8' Redington pursuit that I picked up to keep in the truck for some warm water fishing, then I started fishing rivers and found the 4wt is my preferred weight but can probably do better than the pursuit.

I have a TFO finesse series 2wt for hop across streams.

I mostly fished weighted nymphs under a dry fly indicator all summer last year on the streams where the 4wt was in use. Not looking for a specialist rod.

Any suggestions?

 

[Oyey]

Well, first sell me your 2wt... then buy a 9' BIIx. Yes it's not the newest rod, but still the finest all around casting rod I have tossed. It's perfect for dry dropper, I mean perfect. Some folks say it's a tad slow for full nymph rigs, but I disagree because i tend to roll cast a lot and don't want a super stiff rod. Don't get me wrong, it's still a fast action rod, just not a stiff rod for making show off casts at 70'!

I am not a fan of ultra fast rods because they just don't fight fish as well as a slightly softer rod. The Scott A4 is a nice rod that is less expensive and has similar attributes.

The Sage Accel is a nice rod too. But if I were going to spend that money, I wold go with the Winston, without question. The winston is so light and fun to cast. I still prefer a 5wt in CO because of the wind factor, but if you are set on a 4, you must have your reasons.

The last rod I would look into is a less popular rod but one that I really dug was the G-loomis NRX 3 wt. That is the one rod that I wish I owned... It's plenty of rod for CO, fishes a bit more like a 4wt but is so damn fun to cast.

I know a lot of folks love the Orvis clearwater mid flex (same speed as the rods I have mentioned).

Last comment is try out a bunch of rods if you can. I know too many people that buy rods they have never fished and the real personality of a rod can't be felt in a shop or even on test ponds in my opinion.

 

[fishslap]

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking about the orvis recon or TFO BVK. I'll look at what you recommend. I like the TFO warranty and I'm very happy with the lefty krey finesse in 2wt.

 

[fcollinscatcher]

I have heard good things about the Scott G series but I am kind of partial to Scott as I love my Radian.

Have a friend who loves his recon and it seems to fit the bill for what I would look for in a 4wt (not as fast as the Radian). I've heard great things about TFO but have not cast one yet.

I think if I were to get a 4wt I would look at the 10' Helios 2, great for nymphing but still can lay down dries with ease.

Reviews on the new Mod seem favorable for a 4wt as well- pretty moderate action for dries and smaller droppers but my not perform as well in windy situations.

Of course all of the rods I mentioned are pretty dang pricey- I have a 7'6" 3 wt from Elkhorn in Loveland and I love it. Great price point, warranty and tons of fun to fish- I just wish it came in a 8'6".

I will likely be looking for a 7wt soon..might have to take a TFO BVK for a spin.

 

[fcollinscatcher]

Oyey- From what I have heard, the BII X is a sick rod, same with the Loomis NRX. Sounds like Winston's, as a whole, are a touch slower than the Scotts/Sages of the world.

Another rod to think about is the Loomis Stream Dance, if you can find one. I only fished the 9' 5wt but it was a ton of fun and I imagine a 4 wt would be just as much if not more.

 

[golden rod]

I have a 4 wt 9' Clearwater. I'm still fairly new to fly fishing but I love it. Prefer to my sage 5 wt....unless it's windy.

That dick hole Oyey, let me use his BII X .......smooth as butter , good luck finding one for sale though,lol. I couldn't find one anywhere at any price.

 

[fishslap]

Good info. What about dropping some coin on the BIIIx? The only moderately expensive (comparatively) rods I have are sage response in 6wt and 8wt. Other than the 2 and 4 mentioned, I have a wright & McGill boron xe in 3wt, which is my bluegill slayin' stick.

 

[dallasdb]

This is like reading a foreign language

 

[Oyey]

Good info. What about dropping some coin on the BIIIx? The only moderately expensive (comparatively) rods I have are sage response in 6wt and 8wt. Other than the 2 and 4 mentioned, I have a wright & McGill boron xe in 3wt, which is my bluegill slayin' stick.

The BIIIx is faster, and I am not a big fan of it personally, but that's just me. Alex at The Drift in Pueblo has a BIIIx and I'm sure he would let you test drive it. I have a BIIx and would do the same if you wanna fish the tailwater some time. Casting a bunch of rods on the water before buying a friggin high dollar rod is the absolute best thing you can do. Have some patience and try 4-5 that you think you will like. If you like super fast rods, try a few of those... if you like super slow, like your Finesse series... you will get a huge rise out of a Scott G2 (my favorite big fish rod)...but it's not nearly as versatile as the others.

 

[golden rod]

I have a Sage 5wt response. Clearwater is a lot slower than that fast stick.

 

[pistoldog]

I have a Sage 5wt response. Clearwater is a lot slower than that fast stick.

Have you considered trying a line like the Rio "Grand" series on the Sage G.R.?

They are rated at weight plus half IE: 5 1/2 weight. Sometimes the extra weight loading the rod up a bit more helps make them more pleasant to cast.

 

[fishslap]

Have you considered trying a line like the Rio "Grand" series on the Sage G.R.?

They are rated at weight plus half IE: 5 1/2 weight. Sometimes the extra weight loading the rod up a bit more helps make them more pleasant to cast.

I use Rio Powerfly on my 8wt, which is a heavier line and good for slinging bit stuff. For my 6wt, I have one reel with some basic trout line for throwing midge dries/pupa at lake slimers, and another reel with the Rio Grand for warm water. I like the Rio Grand on the 6wt Response. Both the 6 & 8 wt response cast better with slightly overweight line.

 

[golden rod]

Have you considered trying a line like the Rio "Grand" series on the Sage G.R.?

They are rated at weight plus half IE: 5 1/2 weight. Sometimes the extra weight loading the rod up a bit more helps make them more pleasant to cast.

I just started using the SA MPX line that is a 1/2 wt heavier. Still a fast stick.

 

[smellzalilfishee]

The Hardy Zenith are on sale. It's fast but one of the better rods IMO.
The NRX has been mentioned but I would suggest the LP version. Its my new dry rod of choice and would have no issues with weighted nymphs under a dry. Expensive though.
I'm also a fan of the Stream Dance from Loomis. I believe they are phasing them out and you may be able to get a solid deal on one.
Both the Zenith and Stream Dance would be a better rod than paying for similar rods like the Recon and the light swing weight of those rods make them an absolute pleasure to fish with.

 

[rmalling]

10 ft Helios 2 4 wt was what I threw on the San Juan last month. Did great fighting fish as well as reaching across riffles to nymph the seem on the other side. Mostly accurate with dries but the longer length took some getting used to when laying down a cast. All around it was a fun rod for big fish until it snapped on me. Yup, snapped a $1,000 rod that I borrowed from a friend. Maybe it was the 10 degree weather, maybe it was the way I fought the foul hooked fish I was trying to net. Felt sick to my stomach for 15 minutes until I recalled the Orvis lifetime warranty for $30. Hoping that works out for my buddy.

 

[fishslap]

Thanks for the info guys. The wife and I were out and had some time to kill, so we stopped by the Laughing Grizzly in Longmont. I did not intend to buy a new rod today. Well...they had an 8'6" Winston GVX 4wt. I took it out to cast it and it felt good to me. Apparently it's discontinued and they gave me 20% so I pulled the trigger and paired it with a lamson guru and rio gold. That happened fast... I'll put it to work in March.

I handled a sage accel and sage circa also.

 

[dennisokey]

I am hearing issues with the recon breaking in tip section. Anyone else hearing issues?

 

[fcollinscatcher]

That's why I by high end! Yes, it is cringe worthy when you break a $800 + rod, but when it happens, send it in! My friend has broken his Helios 2 five times and they send him a new one every time, no questions asked.

To the OP, congrats on your purchase! Though, I don't know why you would wait until March to try it out.

 

[fishslap]

That's why I by high end! Yes, it is cringe worthy when you break a $800 + rod, but when it happens, send it in! My friend has broken his Helios 2 five times and they send him a new one every time, no questions asked.

To the OP, congrats on your purchase! Though, I don't know why you would wait until March to try it out.

This

 

[golden rod]

Though, I don't know why you would wait until March to try it out.

HAHA! I was wondering the same thing. I assumed you were a fly only kind of guy. Nice bucket mouf.