LOOKING FOR THE BEST STILLWATER DRY FLY ROD? THE 9'9" #6 STILLMANIAC'S ABILITY TO DELIVER DELICATE PRESENTATIONS AND SENSITIVITY AT CLOSE QUARTERS MAKE IT NUMBER ONE!
There’s an awful lot to be said for delicacy and finesse. More and more of us are looking to embrace lighter outfits in order to glean that little bit more from our wonderful sport. The Vision’s Stillmaniac 9ft 9in 6-wt is perhaps the best stillwater dry fly rod because it allows us to adopt that kind of delicate approach. Coupled with the appropriate line, of course. It offers beautiful presentation, pin-point accuracy and can bring us sheer joy when it comes to playing trout on light tippets.
Best Stillwater Dry Fly Rod – Presentation
This lightweight, responsive rod is a pleasure to use in so many fishing situations and its forgiving blank allows us to get the most out of the more subtle forms of fly fishing.
The action isn’t as aggressive as its 10ft 7-wt counterpart. Dare I say it, will suit the majority of anglers’ abilities when it comes to casting and fishing.
Targeting trout in a style that suits the angler, and of course the venue, can’t always be done with the fast-action blanks many people favour. However, this beauty – a hybrid that crosses the divide. Between heavy boat rod and the lighter, shorter river rods – is built to do it all. Essentially, it offers a far more delicate way of presenting our flies.
Best Stillwater Dry Fly Rod – Versatility
It’s a kind of go-between outfit that enables us to fish a whole host of techniques and fly patterns. It’ll handle lures on a sinking line with ease. I’ve tried everything, and it does the lot. And it is an absolute godsend when it comes to small waters, or indeed bank fishing on the larger waters. When nymphing or fishing dry flies for surface feeding fish. It is the rod’s ability to harness the subtle nuances of these techniques on any venue that makes it so appealing.Â
It’s long enough to deal with high banks, something that can be a real bugbear when using nine footers. It also offers that additional reach when fishing the hang. Especially on venues with deep water close in (that’s the majority of small stillwaters). The additional length also helps with leader length. We like to nymph with long leaders, to keep our flies well apart. Not so easy with a nine-footer!
Being a 6-wt it obviously offers us a gentler approach with less disturbance on the water than with a 7-wt. However, it is still punchy enough to deal with problematic winds. We all know how windy days can be a killer when it comes to light-line fishing, hampering casts and turnover, but this 6-wt is up to the task.
Best Stillwater Dry Fly Rod – Fighting Fish
And as for playing fish on this Stillmaniac, you can’t help but smile! The ‘feel’ is so different to its bigger, beefier counterpart. This rod is super smooth, with the whole blank coming into play throughout all the key phases of the fight. It’s this ability to cushion everything, dampening the effect a strong trout can have on thin tippets and light wire hooks, that makes this rod shine.
This particular Stillmaniac allows you the option of going super-delicate, something that you just can’t do on your normal stillwater gear.
I have been fortunate to land some pretty impressive fish on this rod. A particular stand out is a rainbow on the north side of 8lb, taken near the surface on a syndicate water while fishing with 4lb copolymer and a size 18 CDC emerger. Nothing as big is stocked in this water so it was a grown-on fish and the fight was epic to say the least. The trout went nuts on the surface as soon as I pulled the hook home. After seeing it I wasn’t exactly confident it would grace my net but with some careful handling and the soft, cushioning action of this beautifully put together rod, it did!
The Vision Stillmaniac 9ft 9-inch 6-wt has been my number one choice on all venues lately. It has seen far more fishing action than any other rod over the last few months and I can’t see that changing any time soon.
Try it, and I’m sure you’ll feel the same . . .  Don’t forget you can get £100 off at your favourite Vision Dealer now!!!
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