Most trout fishermen in Montana use either a 5 or 6 weight rod for all of their fishing needs. Don’t get me wrong, if you are going to have one rod for any situation either of these rod weights would be your best bet (I’d go with the 6 weight personally). But look at it this way, would you go to your local golf course with one rod and expect to shoot a good round? Not possible. Neither is trying to use the same fly rod to fish a tight brushy mountain creek or the Yellowstone River. It just isn’t feasible.

You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on every type of rod available in order to have every situation covered, but having a few options is of great value to any trout fisherman. Most fly rod companies have their all purpose freshwater rods that make up the majority of their business. However, many fly rod companies are starting to come out with specialty rods built specifically for certain types of fishing or even specific species of fish. Sage and Loop both build a Pike and Musky Rod, Echo builds a 10’ 7 weight rod that is a perfect nymph fishing rod, and almost all companies have rods designed to withstand the rigors of saltwater fishing.

Why would one of these “specialty” rods find its way into your quiver? It all depends on your style of fishing. If you find yourself fishing small streams for big fish with streamers, the Sage Bass rod gives you a shorter rod that you can still cast heavy streamers with. You can make casts in tight quarters and bushwhack a lot easier with a shorter rod. If you find yourself on the Yellowstone River in the fall throwing heavy sink tips with huge articulated streamers, the Winston SX or Sage Xi3 will give you the power and speed of a saltwater rod to cast all of the added weight. If you love pitching big hopper patterns in the late summer, a 7 weight rod might be the ticket for you. Or if you love nymphing, a 10’ rod will allow you to cover more water and will make mending all of that line a heck of a lot easier.

Again, you don’t need every weight rod with every type of flex in order to catch fish. A great way to go about filling in your quiver of rods is to skip a rod size when purchasing your next stick. What I mean by skipping a rod size is that, for example: If you own a 5 weight rod but want something a little bigger, don’t go with a 6 weight; jump to a 7 weight. Not only will you be able to throw your bigger dry flies and nymph rigs, you’ll be able to throw reasonably sized streamers and punch through our legendary Montana wind.

On the other end, if you want to get a rod for small creeks go with a 3 weight over a 4 weight.

Be Thoughtful of Other Fishing Styles
Recently we’ve been seeing a lot more saltwater influence in trout fishing. Like we talked about earlier, saltwater rods have been making their way to trout streams across the globe. These heavier weight, fast action rods are being used to cast large flies that are becoming more popular with trout fishermen. Likewise, on the other side of the fly line we’ve started to see a lot more saltwater patterns used to catch trout. One common source of food for both saltwater species and trout are small baitfish or minnows. Consequently, I keep a number of saltwater patterns in my fly box I use to imitate baitfish. The Micro Zonker, Bling Minnow, and Bush Pig are all saltwater patterns that are frequently used in the rivers around Bozeman – you have probably even used one yourself.

Besides actual saltwater patterns, people are starting to tie their own flies with materials designed and used by saltwater fly fishermen. Enrico Puglisi has a great line of saltwater specific materials that are being used by trout anglers across the country to tie up new and unique trout patterns.
Like saltwater fishing, bass fishing has grown exponentially in popularity over the years and fishing for these aggressive predators can be similar to targeting the biggest baddest trout in the river. For that reason many bass fishing tactics have been adopted to target trophy trout.

While it’s debatable whether “mousin” for trout came from steelhead fishing or from Bass fishing, what’s not debatable is the number of mouse, rat, and vole patterns that have come from the deranged minds that inhabit the Bass fishing world. Frog patterns are another staple in any bass angler’s arsenal and along with mice can be surprisingly effective for big trout.

Bass fishermen have also influenced trout anglers in how they tie and retrieve their streamer patterns.   Jig hooks and Jig heads are now common hooks used to tie streamer patterns. Using these hooks allows you to get the action that typical bass patterns get. Bouncing these along the bottom, along drop offs in lakes, and jigging them in front of structure can draw big fish out of hiding.

Change It Up
If you think about the fact that the majority of the anglers on the rivers in Southwest Montana are using traditional trout fishing tactics it makes sense that changing things up a bit can lead to catching larger fish – and more of them. Fish get big because they expend fewer calories to catch their dinner than what is actually in their meal. They also get big because they get smart. If they see that size 12 lightning bug bounce by their face every day, they may be inclined to sink their teeth into something a little more substantial with a few more calories, like a baitfish or a frog.

So when you’re looking for your next rod or combing the fly bins of your local shop for a new pattern to fish, don’t rule out any options that may seem weird to you. It may even become your favorite new rod, pattern, or tactic when chasing that trophy trout.

Jake Adelman is a fisherman from Bozeman. He can be reached at Montana Troutfitters where he works.