One reason I take a 6wt out west is that the dates are set and I can’t pick and choose conditions. Locally, if the 3wt water is gonna be blown out, I can shift gears; maybe to 6wt water, or that home project that keeps getting shoved down the priority list.

Isn't this the truth. I heard it mentioned above, but every time I do go out west to visit my son, I take a guided trip on the Poudre. I had a guide tell me one time about this great indicator rig he was going to rig up for me. I told him to turn the car around right now.

If looks could kill. I explained that it is summer on a high altitude Rocky Mountain River, we will be fishing a single dry, and if we find that unproductive then I could be talked into a dropper. We went on to have a wonderful day of fishing, and I have since fished with the guide several more times.

I think that guides get so many new to the sport, or are under so much pressure to put fish in the net that they go with soulless strategies.

I now use the guide I mentioned as my preference when I visit my son. I usually take a day's of guided fishing every time I visit him, which is a few times a year. He is a young guide, a local kid going out of state to college. He comes home and guides for the summer. He is very very fishy, just knows where they are never guesses at it. Every piece of water he points out holds a fish.

Once he understood that I could fish, and that I liked to fish the dry fly it was on. We fish like fast friends. He did tell me that it is mostly tourists with no or limited fishing experience who wanted a western experience.

If 5wt , then probably a job for Dustys classic western glass 865-3 , or maybe one of his hybrid configurations (?) or even better yet , give Dusty a call ???

A 7'9" 5wt. will be able to handle most of where you are about to fish. IMHO.

Just a quick update to based on my recent experience on a Montana tributary stream (link here): If you want to keep it simple, I think I agree with Hellmtflies - a 5wt glass rod 7.5' to 8' in length will be able to handle the streams and fishing you describe you're seeking. Honestly, your 4wt will probably be just fine, too. This assumes that you're focusing on dries and dry droppers from shore (as opposed to dredging deep water with a multi-fly indicator/shot/fly/fly rig or euronymphing). I have to say that a 5/6wt glass rod that was "only" 7ft long was easier to handle than a longer rod from a bushwhacking perspective, and I never really missed the extra length. I do like my ********* 8'9" 5wt Western Glass rod. I'm not completely sure, however, that the extra foot in length buys me enough to outweigh the cost of the extra weight (including a heavier reel to balance out the longer rod). I think that I can maybe get a little more natural drift distance in waters with complex currents. The stream I fished and the waters I looked at in Montana were simpler in structure than, say, the McCloud and the Sierra waters that I usually fish.

Don't let this discourage you, however, from getting made-in-Montana rod for a Montana trip. That could be an awesome memento...

So true!!!!!!! I was on the Mighty Mo latter half of June and all I had read was how great the dry fly is the last two weeks of June. As soon as we got in the boat I’m handed a nymphing rig and we used it all day. We did catch fish so I can’t complain but next time I’m going dry fly regardless of my success. As far as rods I recommend the Red Truck 5 weight. It was very good to me in Montana and Wyoming this Summer.

the Kabuto 765 or 764 would definitely fill the bill...there are lots of great 765 rods but the Kab is my favorite by far