8" 4 weight

[nativebrownie]

Heddon - 1 1/2 ferrule... you get tradition, a 3 piece, a proven taper ( and value if you are patient...)

[Shrimpman]

For "delicate and sweet", and gently laying down small dries, more should give the Dickerson 8012 taper a try. The Stone blank rod I have is light-tipped and not full-flex. Considering that only two were made by Dickerson, I don't know if the numbers available would have been taken from one of those or extrapolations.

[ibookje]

So how does a few inches, 7.9ft vs 8 ft, make the action of a rod different?

[rosc78]

What is the "Catskill" book that is referenced in some of the replies?

[Kenneth]

Coming late to the conversation, but I'd like to raise a hand for the Granger 8040, with a nod to the Goodwin iteration, very sweet with a Terenzio artificial silk DT4F. I've got two 8040 Aristocrats, one Goodwin the other WM, and the WM one feels more like a 5wt, although admittedly it is 1/2" short at the mid.

Good luck,
Kenneth

[NEKexpat]

I’m not sure how many of them are out there, but my Constable Empress is a sweet 8’ 4wt.

[Steelnski]

Ya, 8’ 4 weight is tricky.The best I have cast was a Howells 5 weight and a TNT 8 #4 Sans Pareil.
The TNT is lights out….looks and casting- super caster.Kept it.I don’t know if all 8 #4 TNTs are this good, or if it was a special taper Sans Pareil.

[Eperous]

Just wanted to give readers an update on this...

I did order an 8' 4 weight Sweetgrass Pent, and it is SWEET GRASS, as the name implies... I love it!

It was completed in October as promised, and received it earlier this month... but, I've been busy and only lawn cast it today as snowflakes fell here in the Catskills... won't be fishing it till 2023 as snow has been falling of late...

Below are a couple, poorly taken digital images as snow fell...



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For personal reasons, I requested my wife's initials be placed on this piece of cane...



I turned 75 today and still trout fishing over 100 times a year, the Good Lord willing... and during my elongated lifespan probably owned over two dozen pieces of bamboo, including a Leonard, Winston, Howells, many Orvis', English built, old Heddon's/Grangers etc. plus modern day clones by AJ Thramer and Art Weiler and others....

This new Pent is truly sweet, among my favorite to cast...

My top three cane rods to cast would be this... a Thramer hollow-built Leonard Hunt 50 and a Thramer Payne 102...

Happy Birthday me!

Ed

[nativebrownie]

Wow, very nice - just enjoy - we know that you will - over and over and over again...

[Booman2]

The 8 footer for a #4 was, for a long time, Gary Howells favorite rod. He made it in both a (very rare) 1 piece and in a 2 piece configuration. I have owned both and they are fantastic. They can pitch a dry fly and also roll cast small soft hackles well.
WRT the 1 piece of that length and size, I think he made 2 of them. I bought one and the other had a scarf near the tip. When he died, that rod stayed with his wife, Roberta. Gary leased a spring creek with Tom Morgan and fished that rod there, as well as on other Montana waters, back when huge hatches of PMD's etc. happened.
The other rods mentioned are also excellent, I really enjoyed my excellent Granger 8040, although most take a #5 line.
In the 'very slow' category, a Leonard prefire 40L and the Orvis 8' #4 Nymph rod can't be beat in my experience.
Hope this helps, your mileage my vary....
Booman

[nativebrownie]

Yes, Tom Morgan talks extensively about a 8' 4 weight for spring creek dry fly fun. He states that he carried his glass designed 8' Stalker 4 weight for years as his favorite dry fly rod.
Agreed, the Orvis Nymph is distinctive and perfect as a dry fly/emerger #4....

[NEKexpat]

And let’s not forget the Constable Empress

[PYochim]

I have that rod in a five weight. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.

You stayed on target. If I start out looking for a specific rod (length & weight) I usually end up with something totally different.

[Peales]

The 8’ 4wt rod has been my go-to rod for the last couple of years. I have a number of classic examples. Collectively they aren’t the most versatile rods as they were built for a specific task, but they perform that task better than anything else!

[ffftroutbum]

Bill Blackburn makes a nice 8 ft 4 weight. I also have several really nice 8 foot ish 4 weight rods from Cris Carpenter.

[Eric Peper]

Agree on the pleasure the Granger 8040 gives, but I've also developed a real soft spot for my 8'3" Doug Daniel quad.
It's a little faster action than the Granger.

Eric

[billems]

The 8-ft Jenkins takes a four or five. Leonard 50 (not the Maxwell, though) is plenty delicate.

[creakycane]

Bill Blackburn makes a nice 8 ft 4 weight.

Bill Blackburn certainly does. And for a lighter action, try his 8’ 3 wt, which I fish with a 4.

[joep]

Bill Blackburn makes a nice 8 ft 4 weight.

Bill Blackburn certainly does. And for a lighter action, try his 8’ 3 wt, which I fish with a 4.

Didn't even know he made that rod. We spoke about a 7.5 3wt before but he never mentioned a longer one.

[creakycane]

Bill Blackburn makes a nice 8 ft 4 weight.

Bill Blackburn certainly does. And for a lighter action, try his 8’ 3 wt, which I fish with a 4.

Didn't even know he made that rod. We spoke about a 7.5 3wt before but he never mentioned a longer one.

Bill’s made at least one dark one and one blond rod in 8’ 3 wt 2/2, but they may have never made his regular list…..