Weighty Decisions, or Between the Lines

[Pawww_Snap]

Good morning SOL, I’m looking for direction advice regarding an additional rod.

Background: I’m in central NC near Jordan and Harris Lakes, and work takes me right through Weldon and “Little” Washington weekly. Mostly wade/bank casting but also recently was given a canoe. Freedom! Typical Carolina target species: LMB, Crappie (“Craugh-pee?) panfish on the reservoirs, striper and shad in the rivers, and flats saltwater around Salvo when we can get out there. This year’s bucket list includes stalking carp, bowfin and longnose gar (see “Winter Gar” Episode of Carolina Outdoor Journal!) and maybe a musky if I can drag my canoe up to the mountains. 

Current Setups: 

I like Sage, not a frothing evangelical about it,  always seem to lean that way when it’s purchase time.

4wt 7’6” DS2- 21+ years and going strong! Trout covered for my interests.

9wt 9’ Maverick - second rod after Jim at Great Outdoor Provisions convinced me my 4 was maybe not the best 1/0 streamer chucker…

6wt X with fighting butt - the perfect mama bear for me.

 

 I Clousered the top section of the 6, and it’s out for repair - 4 month lead time currently. I’m looking for a stand-in to sort of cover this gap, but also don’t want a redundant rod when the repair is finished.
I prefer casting to mending, and only sporadically trout fish, so euro’s out. I trend towards bigger flies too. 
 

Contenders:

5WT 9’6” swiss army knife

7WT 10’ Shad slayer

Try 2 handed?
Just grab a beater 6wt and have a backup in the future? what would you do? 

Thank you so much! 

-Eric
 

[bloosfisher]

8?  Back up for salt, great for chucking big poppers for bass, bowfin and the like in cover. Heavily weighted crayfish if you get after smallies in the west part of NC.

Edited February 6 by bloosfisher

[JEFFSOD]

You don't want my advice as it would be to try em all

[stormy monday]

"Clousered" - great term! I was minding my own business last week when a guy was test casting an inexpensive Echo Carbon XL 6 weight and offered me a few throws. I guess it won the inexpensive category in the 6 weight shootout. I don't really need a rod but for $179 I'm thinking of grabbing one just for a backup LMB rod. Might be worth a look, or maybe a glass 6 weight for some variety?

[surfflyguy]

I love swinging flies on the two handers and I love glass one handed rods both serve a purpose 

[Pawww_Snap]

I haven’t tried glass yet! I’ll have to look into this.

[poopdeck]

I don’t own a single back up rod.  I buy rods to fish with. I don’t view inexpensive rods as merely back up rods since most fish just as well as rods that cost 2, 3, or 4 times the price they just don’t shine as brightly. I love my TFO signature 6wt. At $150.00 its a great primary rod. I would relegate the repaired broken rod to what I like to call son-in-law rod and buy a TFO in 6 wt and one in 7 WT. they are ugly though. 

[Pawww_Snap]

I’ve been staring online at a used 7wt 10’ Igniter. Anyone have experience with a similar config? Sounds like a great wind cheating big river/inshore rod, and I’d need to line it properly/do a serious come-to-Jesus about my casting ability. But that might be too much gravity to the hypermacho coke bro marketing blurbs. “Feel the power of a long seven, bruh! huh huh…” groan.
It’s starting to get pretty in NC! Crocuses are just peeking out and it’s hitting the 60’s. So, probably either a blizzard or The Pollening are gonna hit soon.
 

We’re spoiled for choice here. Word on the street is the Shad are starting to stack up near Kingston. 

[Suave]

A lot of good things have been written lately on Igniter rods in this Forum but I'm not sure if the rod you're looking at was mentioned. I think it would be worthwhile for you to do a search on "Igniter rods".

[TopStriperAngler]

Tough time to be a Sage owner. I broke tip on a Sage One this summer. Got it back 25 weeks after starting repair process. I am also thinking about a backup rod. I tried a Maximum Catch rod off Amazon too slow. If distance wasn't an issue it would be a perfectly good rod though. 

Edited February 7 by TopStriperAngler