FFIM

I'm looking at a new reel to pull double duty for my 9' 9wt and my 11' 7wt, and I'm thinking of an Orvis Hydros. But I'm looking for some insight on which size to get, I'm leaning towards the size 4(7/8wt) instead of the 5(9/10). I don't like a huge reel on the end on the rod, I used to run a 9/10 reel on a 10wt and it always seemed too big. I'm currently running a 6/7wt, size 2 LLB reel for both of these rods.

What size would you go with?

Perer

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"A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once"
Lee Wulff

Just went through this. I had the exact same idea regarding size...the clerk handed me a 4.5 for my 9 wt saltwater rod and I thought it was way too big. I opted for the 3.5 which is a 7 wt size and really like it so far, albeit limited usage. It’s a Lamson Liquid. I think it’ll be fine pulling double duty on my 6 wt when I want a full sinking line for freshwater streamer chucking.

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"It gets late early out there" - Yogi Berra

I have a size 4 on my 8 wt and love it. I wanted a size 5 for a spey rod setup, but they were on backorder at the time so did not end up getting the 5. If you want to check out a 4 in person- let me know Pete.

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"You never miss the water until the well runs dry" - traditional blues

Thanks Dave, I'll be in touch, it would be nice to check it out in person. I had the same thought that I might be better off with the 5 for the switch rod. That I would need more spool to hold all of that line, but looking at the specs it's only 1/4 inch bigger then the 4....

Do you have any time to meet up for a beer next week... or some evening fishing?

Peter

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"A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once"
Lee Wulff

May depend on how much backing you think you need, which depends on what you are fishing for.

I've had stripers take me into the backing, but not very far. More a series of short runs and dives into rocks and weed cover than long ones that end up 100 yards or more away. Albies or bonefish might be different.

I've found that balancing the rod for me was more important as towards weight. I've had rods and reel combos that were way off and it killed my shoulder. Thus making casting more like work than pleasure.

Ron

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The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of something that is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.

Sir John Buchan

I've got the 4 on my 10' 7 wt - love it! I'd try to cast them if I were you. 11' is a lot of rod and, if I were in this situation, I wouldn't want the 11' set up to feel too "top heavy". I'm away most of this weekend and next week - you're probably better off meeting up with Dave (for many reasons other than just the reel.....)

I'm expecting to use the 9wt primarily for stripers, smallmouth, and pike... I won't need a ton of backing for those. In fact I've only every seen backing once in my life, and that was about 6 weeks ago on a solid 30" striper... and it only took me 30 feet into the backing.
The switch rod is used for random things... sometimes stripers, sometimes smallies, sometimes trout and land locks... also don't need a ton of backing capacity there.
I mostly just need to balance it. Which my #2 reel doesn't do, but it isn't far off... I think the #4 is the best fit to cover both rods.

Thanks for the input, its always helpful.
Peter

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"A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once"
Lee Wulff