4 piece vs. 5+ piece "packable" fly rods

[zuren]

My buddy and I are toying with the idea of a bikepacking trip in CO that would involve riding into a fly fishing location. I have a few fly rods at home but none are suitable for packing in a backpack or on a bike (all of them are 2-3 pieces) so I'm researching a new rod. I have choices between 4-pc. rods and dedicated "packable" rods that are 5 or more pieces, so I was wondering if anyone has experience with rods that have more than 4 sections and how have they worked?

Thanks!

 

[thefishhawk]

They work just fine, just more to put together. Tenkara would be another option.

 

[dlh62c]

Tenkara gets my vote. Haven't used my western fly rod since I purchased a rod from TenkaraUSA.

YouTube has plenty of videos on Tenkara fishing.

 

[stevec]

How big are the fish you are targeting on this trip? I've not tried tenkara yet, but I have a little 6.5' Orvis 1-wt. rod that is 4 pieces, and packs up really small. Perfect for smaller trout!

 

[FJOE]

Eagle Claw makes the "Pack-It" 4 piece spin/fly combo. Nice little rod, available in several weights.

 

[rgregg08]

I'm not familiar with any 5 piece rods that are worth a darn. I would stick with 4 piece and no mater what price range you are looking at better re-sale. Sky's the limit on fly rods but you do get what you pay for, pretty good difference in feel and accuracy (assuming your a proficient caster). I'm a Scott and Sage fan but Echo makes decent sticks in the more budget minded category and so does Orvis.

 

[zuren]

How big are the fish you are targeting on this trip? I've not tried tenkara yet, but I have a little 6.5' Orvis 1-wt. rod that is 4 pieces, and packs up really small. Perfect for smaller trout!

I guess the question isn't so much the size of the fish on the trip I mentioned, but on any trip. I don't fly fish enough to justify a quiver full of rods covering every weight range. From what I'm reading, a 5/6 wt rod is the most versatile. I would like it to be able to handle a 1-2 lb. bass or a larger trout. What size fish does one tend to find in the Platte River in CO?

I'm not familiar with any 5 piece rods that are worth a darn. I would stick with 4 piece and no mater what price range you are looking at better re-sale. Sky's the limit on fly rods but you do get what you pay for, pretty good difference in feel and accuracy (assuming your a proficient caster). I'm a Scott and Sage fan but Echo makes decent sticks in the more budget minded category and so does Orvis.

I had never heard of Echo rods but they seem to get good reviews. I will be looking at them closer.

Tenkara gets my vote. Haven't used my western fly rod since I purchased a rod from TenkaraUSA. YouTube has plenty of videos on Tenkara fishing.

I'm not opposed to the idea of Tenkara but of all the videos I have watched, they are targeting very small streams and equally small fish. How large a fish can a tenkara rod handle? I would rather have a rod with more backbone than have to play a fish so long that it won't survive after release.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[thefishhawk]

what part of the platte are you thinking about? that's pretty much my home river. my all around CO rod is normally a 4wt but I have 2-6 wts depending on what I want to do. A 5 weight is great of course but the platte is really not a big river in any section. I think maybe the thought of bikepacking gave us the impression you'd be hitting small streams that you couldn't drive to.

don't get me wrong, 5+ section rods generally aren't the finest casting of any given line. the Cabela's ones seem to get great reviews but I never thought they were really all that great. They are going to be serviceable if portability is your main objective. I think Redington has a 6 piece line too. If you like nicer casting rods you might want to stick with a 4 piece. it's like any other rod buying decision, you might like the 2 piece vs the 4 in one line, but of a different length or make you might like the 4 over the 2 if you cast them side by side.

for lower end travel rods I would watch the discount sites like sierra trading post and steep and cheap/backcountry, you can usually find deals on Redington, Echo, TFO, or low end Sage's.

 

[dlh62c]

I'm not opposed to the idea of Tenkara but of all the videos I have watched, they are targeting very small streams and equally small fish. How large a fish can a tenkara rod handle? I would rather have a rod with more backbone than have to play a fish so long that it won't survive after release.

Big fish is what the Grand Teton Tenkara rod was designed for.

https://www.tenkararodco.com/products/the-grand-teton-package

 

[steelheadbum]

Big fish is what the Grand Teton Tenkara rod was designed for.

https://www.tenkararodco.com/products/the-grand-teton-package

Cool for fish that stay in the run, but I wouldn't use one for larger fish. Im Talking hit hard and take you for a run big.....

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[zuren]

what part of the platte are you thinking about?

I'm not certain where my buddy has fished but it was somewhere that the Colorado Trail crossed, along with a road that they used to access the river.

 

[zuren]

After a bit of thought and a weekend away to my family's cabin, I may change my approach a little. Over 4th of July, the wife, 2 y/o son, and I met my parents up north at their cabin on a lake. This was the first time I had ever tried to take fishing gear with us and my "eye's were opened". I barely got a rod tube (with my 2 piece spinning rod) in the car among the toddler bike, toys, beach bags, etc. So, beyond my desire for a packable fly rod, I'm now wanting a packable spinning rod.

I looked at some of the spin/fly combos commercially available but I really only want a rod; the reels in combo kits a typically lower quality and I already have reels, cases, etc. I have not found a rod only spin/fly rod. I have built a couple rods before so this has me wondering about using a 8 ft., 5 wt. fly rod blank and building the butt section with a handle setup that accommodates both a fly reel and a spinning reel.

I'm just curious if that any rod builders here on the forum or if anyone has seen such a rod?

Thanks!

 

[thefishhawk]

I think that would be super easy to do, the feet are essentially the same between a spinning reel and the fly reel so the reel will fit, you might want to add an extension butt to accommodate the bigger handle on the spinning reel. You could build one or retrofit an existing fly rod with one, they come in different lengths. In this case I would use a detachable extension that screws into the reel seat so i could take it off to fly fish. Some bigger weight fly rods come with fighting butts or spey or switch rods. Heck you could probably spin with a fly rod as is, have to try it to figure out if you liked it.

 

[zuren]

I think that would be super easy to do, the feet are essentially the same between a spinning reel and the fly reel so the reel will fit, you might want to add an extension butt to accommodate the bigger handle on the spinning reel. You could build one or retrofit an existing fly rod with one, they come in different lengths. In this case I would use a detachable extension that screws into the reel seat so i could take it off to fly fish. Some bigger weight fly rods come with fighting butts or spey or switch rods. Heck you could probably spin with a fly rod as is, have to try it to figure out if you liked it.

I thought I had seen removable fighting butts before, then started digging. Pacific Bay rod components make fighting butts, as well as the bare components for someone to create their own fighting butt. They make a post that is 5" long so that would work with a 6" spinning rod cork handle. Thanks for the idea.

I've read that monofilament is rough on wire fly rod guides so I could probably try a spinning reel on my existing fly rod to get a taste but it is longer than what I would ultimately want, and the rod needs different guides to handle both types of line.