I've had a few typical streamer rods (9ft #6) in the past. All these rods cast amazing but the leverage of the 9ft length and the force generated by the rod on the wrist was really tiring. When fishing streamers you are making a lot of casts. The wrist gets quite a beating during a day. The typical streamer rod is not for me. I'll look for a shorter 6 weight rod one day.
Many years have passed and after much looking around I think I found a solution in a Steffen Brothers fiberglass blank: 8.3ft #5/6 in easy to travel 4 piece. Of course my friend George was the one to build it.The Steffen blank, the last one they rolled in the 4 piece configuration as they now only make 2 or 3 piece, is supposed to be a smooth medium action with a not too soft tip. A too soft tip makes casting large wind resistant flies like streamers difficult. Although I intend to use it as a heavy trout rod, I also would like to be saltwater ready for ultra light saltwater application when needed.
And grips! George and I had many chats about grips. And I'm really picky on grips. At first I thought about a snub nose grip, but it would probably feel too flimsy when chucking large streamers all day. How about a full wells grip? After a while I said I'm looking for a heavy trout rod rod with the looks of a mini bonefish rod. The result is a mix of a snub nose and a full wells grip.George did a great job on this. The rod is in transit right now, but I'll post an update after it arrives and give it a few casts.
