Looking At Adding A 4 Wt

[Ham]

I'm looking to add a 4 weight to the mix.

I love my St Croix LU's and part of me wonders why I would consider anything other rod.

But then I look at the price tag and remember that this is a part time use rod. Fly fishing is about 20% of my fishing and the majority of that 20% will be done with a 5 wt or 6 wt.

I'm looking mainly at a TFO Jim Teeny or the TFO Finesse.

I'd love to hear opinions of this especially anyone that has fished with any of these three rods.

[Chris Barclay]

I recently bought a 3 weight Redington CT that I really like - a nice smooth medium action. Bought it from Feather-Craft here in St.Louis for $129. It's similar to the Finesse (I'm actually going to compare it to my friend's 3 wt Finesse tomorrow, hopefully). It's a very high quality rod for the price and I would highly suggest looking into one of them. (FWIW, I also bought a Redington Drift reel to go with it and am equally pleased)

[jdmidwest]

Do you fish Dry Flies any?? If you don't, then you will probably need to stick with the 5 or 6 wt.

[Terry Beeson]

Do you fish Dry Flies any?? If you don't, then you will probably need to stick with the 5 or 6 wt.

I do a lot of nymphing with my 4wt and even cast soft hackles and small streamers (woolies, leeches, etc.) with it... A 4wt is not just a dry fly rod.

Anyway... There are as many questions as there are rods out there. Choosing a rod is best done by putting several in your hands. And it depends on what kind of fishing you plan to do with it. It comes down to, as I've said a thousand times before, what rod fits YOU best... Go to a local fly shop and cast several rods. Find the one that fits you.

In the price point you're looking at, don't rule out Echo, and for a few more bucks, Greys Streamflex.

[jdmidwest]

I do a lot of nymphing with my 4wt and even cast soft hackles and small streamers (woolies, leeches, etc.) with it... A 4wt is not just a dry fly rod.

Anyway... There are as many questions as there are rods out there. Choosing a rod is best done by putting several in your hands. And it depends on what kind of fishing you plan to do with it. It comes down to, as I've said a thousand times before, what rod fits YOU best... Go to a local fly shop and cast several rods. Find the one that fits you.

In the price point you're looking at, don't rule out Echo, and for a few more bucks, Greys Streamflex.

I was just fishing for the reason he wanted to purchase the rod. But you are right, he needs to try to buy.

[fishinwrench]

Ham: I love my St Croix LU's and part of me wonders why I would consider any other rod.

That was my exact thought when I saw who the originator of this topic was.

If you're wanting to spend less than a new one there are some fine used ones out there.

[Midge]

If your a st croix fan, why not try the avid? It has a nice medium action, made in USA, cheaper price tag than the Ultra.

[3wt]

I think for most non-tailwater trout situations you will make a 4wt your primary rod. Probably the best all around weight for the typical stream wading trout situation, so you might need to rethink the "part-time" rod thing depending on what you're out to catch and where.

Then asking what to buy is like asking what beer is the best...and the only answer is yes.

I personally am in love with the LU series. I have a friend that fishes the LU 4wt 8'6" (I think) and loves it. BUT I personally think I could avoid spending over $200 on a new rod ever since TFO, ECHO, Cabelas etc. started making real quality cheapish rods. It's a tough call but I honsesly would keep your primary rods higher end and fill in with the lower priced stuff.

[loo10]

I have a couple of 4 wgts that I would consider parting ways with as I tend to fish mostly 6 wgts for trout

and 8-10 & up for bass, muskies, etc. Frankly I like a fighting butt.

Each has been fished with maybe 2-3 times max...maybe not that much.

One is a Sage. The other I won.

Message me and I'd be happy to show them to you if possible.

[3wt]

Wanted to add that the finesse and teeny seem like polar opposites. I would first try to decide what I was going to use it for. For me, the 4wt would be an all-arounder, so I'd opt for the teeny. If you're mostly thinking that it would be fun to fish dries, small wets, nymphs - basically stuff with little or no weight - AND you like a slower feel and have a more open casting style, then the finesse might be your rod. I'd consider a RIO selective trout line or something set up for a slower rod. To me this would be a little more of a specialty setup that I wouldn't want to be my goto.

If you want to go all around, or do a lot of nymphing (Teeny is a nymph expert after all) then maybe the teeny. I think it would pick up the heavier streamers a little better.

I don't know just how fast the Teeny really is, but I tend to like mod-fast actions for all around. I like the TFO pro 4wt for the cost. But they I'd say figure out what you're going for, then cast them.