5 weight 10 foot - build or buy??

[FishWhisperer]

Im looking for a rod for the Vaal and also for still water trout fishing. It needs to be light, able to throw a long line and cost R1500 or less.
Im looking at buying a Vision 3Zone. My question is, is this rod the business or is there something in the same price bracket that is better. Or are there blanks/kits I could buy for slightly better rods and build one myself?
Your thoughts would much appreciated.

[Michael]

Im looking for a rod for the Vaal and also for still water trout fishing. It needs to be light, able to throw a long line and cost R1500 or less.
Im looking at buying a Vision 3Zone. My question is, is this rod the business or is there something in the same price bracket that is better. Or are there blanks/kits I could buy for slightly better rods and build one myself?
Your thoughts would much appreciated.

You will ALWAYS be able to build a rod that casts, fishes and looks better than an equivalently priced factory-rod. The question is, do you have time to build it? Or you want to go fish soon? etc etc. There is nothing like catching a fish on a rod that you built yourself, and it's unique...none other like it in the world, another bonus.

Word of advice...if you want an all-round great rod for the Vaal...go for a 5wt, 9 foot rod. Good for dry fly, CZN, NZ style nymphing, the lot. Plus, a good rod for stillwater trout, large other rivers, etc. I've fished the Vaal for many years, and fished 9 and 10 foot rods...my personal opinion is the 10 footer has no advantage over the 9 foot rod, not even when mending. Just mend properly, or move 30cm closer to your target area.

CZN a 10 footer all day long and you will get a casting arm like Popeye.

[FishWhisperer]

I've got the time as I only really need it for the end of the year. Im quite keen to build one to be honest but the Vision is lekker!
I'm thinking the 10 foot is the way to go as i have a 9 foot already and think that it will be an advantage in the drift boats with the extra height and longer casts. Im still open to the idea of building a really nice 9 foot though.

Any rods you would recommend looking for?

[Michael]

I've got the time as I only really need it for the end of the year. Im quite keen to build one to be honest but the Vision is lekker!
I'm thinking the 10 foot is the way to go as i have a 9 foot already and think that it will be an advantage in the drift boats with the extra height and longer casts. Im still open to the idea of building a really nice 9 foot though.

Any rods you would recommend looking for?

Why is it that everyone assumes a 10 foot rod casts further then a 9 foot rod? Anyone who tells you this is confused. I've seen a guy cast a full fly line with a 8 foot rod (standing waist deep in a river) and then seperate the two piece rod, take only the tip section (now 4 feet long) and cast a full fly line out again (and still not touch the water once on a back or forward cast). This was done specifically to dispell the myth of "longer rod...more ground clearance...longer casts" myth. Joan Wulf casts a 2wt full fly line out, and it's a 7' rod.

My reasoning is, a 9 footer is more comfortable over a full days fishing, and a better all round rod in most circumstances.

With regards to rod...the choice is wide open. I'd go for a St. Croix, Rainshadow, Forecast, Rainforest, Tradition, or similar brand. The Forecast blanks (Batson Enterprises) are very affordable and have very good actions.

[gkieser]

go for 10ft.

On a straight short line nymphing drift, you have a foot extra at the start and the end of each drift, so your flies are in the zone for a longer amount of time, ie they have a foot more to get down, and a foot more to be pulled up at the end.

No matter how many times you step 30cm forward, you will never get that extra drift time.

Yes it is harder to hold a 10ft rod for a full day than a 9ft rod of the same make and model, but that is the only disadvantage i can think of. The 10ft 5wt 3zone weighs a bit over 100grams. Tis not really an issue for me.

[Michael]

I say , go for a 9ft. As I said, I've been fishing the Vaal for nearly 10 years now...and fished both 9 and 10 foot. Even for CZN, the 9 foot is easier to fish, less strenious to fish, more sensitive to takes and bumps and just overall more versatile. The 10 footer is a b!tch to CZN the whole day, and just plain tiring.

That's my opinion...in the end, it's your choice.

[dlampert]

Im looking for a rod for the Vaal and also for still water trout fishing. It needs to be light, able to throw a long line and cost R1500 or less.
Im looking at buying a Vision 3Zone. My question is, is this rod the business or is there something in the same price bracket that is better. Or are there blanks/kits I could buy for slightly better rods and build one myself?
Your thoughts would much appreciated.

Hi Matt,

The Vision 3zone is a very good rod. In that price range I would also have a look at the TFO Pro 10ft 5wt or the 10ft 6wt - if you shop around you should pick these up for around R1500. You could also buy a 7'6" 5wt and just stand 2'6" closer ?

[Herman Jooste]

Hi Matt,

You could also buy a 7'6" 5wt and just stand 2'6" closer ?

Cheeky,

[Andre]

Hi Matt. As you can see, you are going to get several different opinions. For competition fishing on the Vaa, in the style of CZN and mono nymphing, there can be no doubt that a 10ft rod is going to give you an adge over a 9ft rod, however, you need to consider pulling power, which is better in a 9ft. Ask yourself why all salt water rods are 9ft, it's a compromise between casting ability and pulling power. For a competition on the Vaal, forget casting ability, as you will be fishing short, in rapids and runs, so the 10 foot theory seems to be busted here in favour of pulling power. However, the extra reach that a 10 foot will give you far outweighs the pulling power advantage of a 9ft. You simply have to fish them both to actually realise this. For the guys that are not too concerned about hooking every fish in a 30ft radius of your arm, I would say ya, 9ft, but in a comp, 10ft is an absolute neccessity.
The 10ft Vision 3zone 5wt would be an ideal rod. If you want something a little better, go for the GT4, but will cost a little more.

[FishWhisperer]

No chance they sell the GT4 blanks anywhere do they?? They look HOT!!