Really not so different an issue than when you got your first single hand rod; you can agonize about whether to go with a 4wt, a 5wt, a 6wt, or whatever. The reality is that if you fish different waters for different species, and in different conditions; you will probably want more than one rod.
For Klamath half pounders a 4wt is plenty, though a 5wt or even a 6wt might be better for wind. In terms of length, it would likely be easier learning the Spey casting with a bit longer rod, and you could certainly be casting a bit farther with one, but it’s hardly “needed”. An 11’6” rod can throw a long ways with decent technique (or so I keep hoping)...
I really love casting, and fishing with a longer line and a longer rod, but I find that my switch rods still get an awful lot of use! My 2cents would be to:
A) pay for some lessons right up front. Don’t skimp, or skip this part!!!
B) buy the rod that’s ideal for what you want to fish now, rather than trying to buy a rod that can sort of handle a bit of everything...
And then end up buying two (or more!) additional rods to better suit specific needs.
I’d probably lean heavily towards a rod between 11-12’ in a 4 or 5wt now, then look into maybe a 12-13’ 6-8wt rod for winter steelhead. A 14’ 7wt would be pretty nice to have too at some point.... beware!
JB
"Lord help me to be the person my dog thinks I am"
- unknown
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