# 10ft. rods?



## Stevie (Jun 27, 2017)

Never cast a 10 foot rod except once single handed salmon fishing. Good for mending when stream fishing and deep water wading. Never seen a 10 foot rod used specifically in saltwater fishing. I would think the longer rod is not as good in the wind, bigger loops, higher elevation. I was taught that the sidearm low cast is best in the wind.


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Ditto to above. I have fished a 10' rod quite a bit. Its is a great tool for high stick nymphing like steelhead fishing. And they are probably a good rod for wading the surf. But for most saltwater fishing they are a disadvantage not the least of which is landing a fish. Stick with a 9' rod.


----------



## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Wading brings the back cast fly line closer to the water, the less tall you are the closer it comes to the water behind you. If I wade in shallow salt or fresh open water I like the 9'6" in 6 or 7 wt.


----------



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I like my 9 1/2' and as others have said longer rods are handy when wading in deeper water. You mentioned it was free so if you don't want it send it to me


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Like the others mentioned, 9.5 and 10ft rods are preferred for steelheading, salmon (great for mending) and wading, weather in the surf or the flats.

IMO, going longer doesn't necessarily help in wind. What it does do is help to hold the line up off the water while wading. Also, the action becomes more parabolic than 9ft rods, which is ok with your experience. Some rod mfg's compensate it by beefing up the butt section of the rod, to keep it from flexing more down in the butt section, which causes it to feel a little heavier on the swing. To help compensate for that, use a heavier reel than an ultra light reel to help counter balance the rod. Next, slow down your casting rhythm to help the rod fully flex. Also wait on your loops to completely unfurl. Most people try to punch longer rods on the shoot, contrary to what they should be doing. Letting the rod continue it's tempo without punching it will allow the rod to do all the work and make as long of a cast as you need. Hurrying the shoot doesn't help with a longer rod and sometimes will collapse the load on the rod and cause the cast to fall apart.

The Sage X has a bit more flow to the rod and more feel than some of their ultra fast models like the Method. However, it is still a finesse rod. I'd ask Danny Moody on this fly board about that particular rod. You can do a search on him and private message him, if he doesn't chime in on this thread, since he had a Sage X 8wt in a 9.5ft and can give you better feedback on that rod. Mind you tho, he favors ultra fast rods like the method, which you may not. Also, you can get feedback on the Washington Fly Fishing Forum http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/forum/ since there are several posters with that same rod, but uses them more for steelies.

If I were going 10ft, the 7wt is what I would pick. If I had the choice of going 9.5 or 10ft in the salt, I'd probably lean towards the 9.5 which can help to make the rod more multi-purpose.

I would also match that rod with a long bellied fly line that will take advantage of what a rod like that will bring to the table. For me, it would be the Scientific Angler's Mastery Series Expert Distance or a Royal Wulff Saltwater Triangle Taper. Also, I'd try to keep your flies light, like bonefish size flies or somewhat smaller size unweighted flies. If using weighted flies, no more than ex sm lead dumbbell eyes or a few wraps of lead wire. This will let you achieve really good distances with that rod and line, which is one of the benefits to a longer rod.

Good luck and have fun with it.

Ted


----------



## jonrconner (May 20, 2015)

I’m a wade fisherman in the salt and I’ve been using 9.5’ and 10’ rods exclusively for over 20 years. One of the things I like best about the longer rods is that you can pick up and aerialise line a lot faster when you need to get a cast off quickly, that first roll is much more effective. I currently use all 9.5’ in 6 through 9wt and used to have ten footers through 10wt, but I’ve got older and the 10’ rods are little tiring. Mostly I fish for striped bass in the NE and then get a DIY bonefish trip in every couple of years.
JC


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Here's the bottom line. Unless you are wading then there is no reason to go with a rod other than a 9ft.


----------



## SkiffsDoWha (Dec 23, 2016)

I had a 10’ 7wt Orvis Helios Zero Gravity that was the meow for making a high backcast with an intermediate head when casting with brush behind you. Of course it broke and was replaced with some other rod that was great for steelhead type fishing but crap the way I used it. Go figure.


----------



## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

I have Orvis H2 8wt rods in both 9' and 10'. I dig the 10' for wading or walking the beach, but I never take it on a boat. I don't think I would miss it if I didn't already have it. The 9' would definitely cover everything for which I use the 10', currently.

It's free, as you said. If you can think of a situation in which you'd enjoy using it, I'd say go for it. I don't think you'll ever be sorry you went with either option.


----------

