Do You Have a 5 wt You Love?

[PatrickQuin]

Hello Folks! So we dont talk gear too much in here and maybe thats a good thing... but it seems im in the market for a new 5wt. I have been trolling the boundless reaches of the interweb looking for answers, and thought, hell maybe these guys that fish the same waters as myself have some good nuggets to pass on.
You see i spent 3 weeks driving out to Yellowstone and the outlying areas. I was lucky enough to have the brother in law of a friend graciously treat me to a float down the south fork of the Snake in his drift boat, he also not so graciously snapped my rod in two exiting the boat in a moment of haste. That little jewel was a functioning Winston Vapor 9 ft 4wt. I am now ready to hit the backcountry in the coming week and have no 4wt. So what better time to beef up the old 5wt stable. So i really rather like my Vapor, i may just buy a vapor 5wt. but that doesnt sound terribly exciting. Im looking in the 300 to $400 range. So does anyone have a rod they feel really gets the job done for them, a screamin deal they feel everyone should know about?...I'd love to put it to thought.

Cheers. Patrick.

[Jay]

I bought a Sage Launch for $110 off of sierra trading post about 6 months ago. Now that was a deal! I love it. Not as high end as you mentioned, but an awesome rod at retail, unbeatable at the price i paid.

[gary c.]

Your Winston has an unconditional lifetime warranty dose'nt it? In any case, a good site to to check is Fly Fishing Coseouts. I see where they have a Winston Vapor 5wt with a Lamson Radius reel for 372.99.

http://www.flyshopcloseouts.com/

[windknot]

The Vapor was one of the rods on my short list when I was in the market for a 5wt a few years ago. I ended getting a St. Croix Legend Ultra and really like the action. Think it's about $300 retail, I got it for much cheaper on Ebay. What are you looking for in a 5wt? Super-fast action? Responsiveness? Weight? Packability? Since all of us are backpackers here, I thought I'd mention the Redington Wayfarer (older versions came in 5 pieces, newer ones are 6-piece rods) and Cabela's Stowaway as inexpensive, decent backpacking rods.

Not really on topic, but I've found that I've begun to use my 3wt Stowaway in favor of the Legend Ultra almost exclusively now when I'm backpacking. A 3wt rod will still handle the odd 17"+ fish I'm lucky enough to hook, and it makes playing and landing trout under 17" much more fun than using a 5wt. If I get another rod, it'll be a faster-action 3wt since I could use a little more punch on windy days.

Matt

[oldranger]

Pat,

Have you checked out the March-Brown 7 piece rods? They were available at Sierra Trading post a few months back and there are specials at the MB website from time to time. I bought a 7 1/2' 5wt spin/fly combo for backcountry use and have used it exclusively for spin fishing but really like the rod.

Mike

[PatrickQuin]

Thanks for the info gentlemen. Yes, i do have a warranty on my Winston, the problem here is the rod is in the mail, therefore no 4 weight. And since i have a tendency to fish a 4 wt when the situation calls for five because my 5 wt is a roach, it is perfect time to pony up to a new 5. And unfortunatly Windknot brings up a good point, what i really want to be fishing with is a 3wt. But alas, one step at a time... Anyway thanks guys, im off to go throw around some line for those ever elusive grass carp.

[ChasingRainbows]

I second windknot's comments regarding the St. Croix Legend Ultra. I have had one for about a year and I absolutely love it; however, my preferred backcountry rod is my trusty 3wt. This probably is related to the fact that I tend to fish moving water more than stillwaters when in the backcountry, and my 5wt often feels like overkill when landing 10'' fish. If you are set on a 5wt in that price range though, you can't go wrong with the St. Croix Legend Ultra.