7'6 Rod

pat raises a good point about the reel and line... if you use a two weight rod such as the 7'3" echo carbon, you'll need a light reel such as a a 2.2 oz forbes magnesium (ebay $80) and a a 3w line. this gear cant and probably shouldnt be used with big water, big fish, big flies, or in big wind. but you just dont run into a big brown trout on a small highly tannic PA brookie stream while fishing dries -- I never have.

On a small tannic brookie stream, there is no need for long casts, and hiking and casting with a long rod does not work as well. As long as you bring the fish in in the same quick manner, it is probably easier on the fish to use a lighter weight rod that will give a bit when you set the hook. I bring in fish just as fast with a 2w as a 5w, but it is fun to have the rod bend and feel the fish more. Scale the gear to the size of the stream and the size of the fish. I fish without barbs, and as some guys here have seen, I bring 'em in and let 'em go quickly, sometimes too fast for the guy I am fishing with to get a fish picture. I want to minimize harm to fish. However PA small tannic stream brookies are just not strong enough to extend the fish fight time with a 2w.

Everyone fishes in the way that makes sense to them, and I acknowledge that using lightweight gear has its limitations on casting weight, making long casts, and only being good for truly small streams. But I havent heard anyone on this thread say that they have fished really small PA brookie streams using dry flies with a 7'6" 4-5W and a 7' 2w, and that the 2w was not really more FUN.

 
k-bob wrote:
I bring em in and let em go quickly, sometimes too fast for the guy I am fishing with to get a fish picture.
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^ Yes, he really does!

 
thanks swattie ... I caught a really nice brookie fishing waaaaay out there with troubert, and got the fish swimming before TB could get there to take its picture. since you can catch a lot of brookies I think its good to try to minimize harm to the fish. may be less likely to launch a little guy out of the water with a rod that gives and sends less force to fish on hook set.

 
Stagger,

Yeah building a rod with supervison would be easy and a weekend project.

If you don't want to build find somebody who would do it for you.

Side note: my 6'6" 2 wt. cost me $35 and is a Pac Bay blank with a wood reel seat.
My reel was a SA from Walmart for $25 (on sale) and the line was discounted to $10.

$70 for a whole combo that will last a lifetime and has never had aproblem catching fish. To me that's way better than $200 on a rod and $100 for a reel.
 
I'm relatively new to small stream fishing but not to fundamental fly fishing. Whether your fishing small stream,large streams,rivers or lakes use what works for you and what your comfortable with not what the industry says you should use. For example I take a completely different approach when fishing small streams. I use a 6' or 7' 2wt rod UNDERLINED with 1wt line and have never had any problems presenting flies whether it be a micro bugger,dry dropper or a straight dry. It works for me so that's what I use. In Staggers case he is better off casting as many rods,reel and line combos as he can to see what he likes but knowing him and spending a few sessions with him working on his casting. He needs a REALLY fast rod to match his casting stroke.
 
I bought an eagle claw featherlight last year from wally world for like 20 bucks. (The yellow glass one not the crappy black graphite) Its a 7'6 5wt. Before I built a 7ft 3wt that was the rod I used for brookie fishing. A lil overpowered but enough backbone to fight bigger fish if I was on different water. May be something to consider.
 
Good stuff and I really appreciate it. I am going to try to cast a few early next month and see what i like .. going to go with a rod and reel.

Pcray .. that day on VC I used ur rod for a 10 mins when you were untangling and rigging me up. It felt comfortable .. what was the combo?

DD wrote:

In Staggers case he is better off casting as many rods,reel and line combos as he can to see what he likes but knowing him and spending a few sessions with him working on his casting. He needs a REALLY fast rod to match his casting stroke.
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What exactly do you mean by "Really fast rod" and I'm scared to ask if that is good or bad?


//FYI, guys who don't know me .. I spend most of my time on the newbie board where all dumb questions are encouraged 🙂
 
Stagger, I don't remember what I carried that day, actually. Most commonly on Valley I carry an 8 ft 5 wt, with 5 wt line. Bought that rod from k-bob. I sometimes also take a 9 ft 5 wt. Not sure which I had that day.

Valley really isn't a small stream, I'd call it "medium sized", certainly a tweener. For the mountain streams I'd want something a bit shorter. Again, 7'6" is a good length. There will be times when you wish you were carrying something shorter, and times when you wish you were carrying something longer, but for a jack of all trades small stream rod, 7'6" is my recommendation.

Fast vs. slow is the speed of the action. With a slower rod, the rod bends further down the handle, the pause between backcast and forecast has to be longer, and they generally throw more open loops with a softer lay down. A lot of beginners like slower rods because you can feel the rod load better, and thus time the forward cast better. A faster rod gives you better line speed, more distance, more accuracy, and throws tighter loops. You can simply put more power into it.

In general terms you can think of it as the stiffness of the rod, a ultra slow rod is like a wet noodle, an ultra fast rod like a broomstick (exaggerations of course). For small streams I recommend faster rods, tight loops are important in brush, and you frequently have to put a lot of power into a very short casting stroke. There are differing opinions, especially those into the fight, as you feel the fish more with a slower rod.

Light line weights are generally slower. They don't have to be but that's the rule of thumb. That's all fine and good when throwing size 28 midges and 26 tricos, but it's a disadvantage when trying to power a size 12 attractor through a rhododendron tunnel to fish that don't care about drag.
 
A fast rod has nothing to do with accuracy. It's the caster that's accurate not the rod.
 
Lots of people will tell you that the Cabela's Three Forks 7'6" is a super rod for the money. Can't get a better rod for $49 bucks and you'll fall in love with using a smaller rod. If you're strictly using it for small creeks, don't be afraid to put a 4wt line on it - will make tight casting even easier.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Fishing-Rods/Fly-Fishing-Rods%7C/pc/104793480/c/104764680/sc/105573780/Cabelas-Three-Forks-Fly-Rods/734547.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-fishing-rods-fly-fishing-rods%2F_%2FN-1104841%2FNs-MIN_SALE_PRICE%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253Bcat104793480%253Bcat104764680%26WTz_stype%3DGNU&WTz_l=SBC%3Bcat104793480%3Bcat104764680%3Bcat105573780

Guaranteed there will be nay-sayers, but hey, lots of people love them.
 
A fast rod has nothing to do with accuracy. It's the caster that's accurate not the rod.
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WTT .. so ur saying I'm f'd no matter what I get ;-)

 
Stagger_Lee wrote:
A fast rod has nothing to do with accuracy. It's the caster that's accurate not the rod.
Click to expand...

WTT .. so ur saying I'm f'd no matter what I get ;-)
Click to expand...
I did'nt say that you did. What I'm saying is a slow rod can be just as accurate as a fast action rod. It's ALL a matter of practice no matter what rod you fish with.
 
I like both slow and fast action rods, but on a really small brookie stream (10' wide) a fast action rod might be good to zip/sidearm cast under branches that are both ahead of you and behind you..
 
gosh there is not enough advice here so here's some more... it is good to cast in the yard for fun and to get used to gear, but take a tape measure out there if you will yard cast a brookie rod...

... the 10-25' casts you really use on small brookie streams look like nothing in an open yard, so gear that feels great on what seem like short yard casts, say 35', isnt really set up for small stream brookie casts..

the 15' small stream brookie cast looks like nothing in a yard. try sidearm short range casting under some branches in the yard, the branches are there on a stream..

and a 4pc rod is better than a 2pc rod to hike with
 
Or if you're too lazy to measure it out with a tape, drop a marker like a stick where you'll stand, then use your rod to measure off distances. 7.5' foot rod...2 rod lengths is 15ft, 4 is 30, drop the tip, note that spot on the ground, go stand there, drop the tip again and pace off the distance that way, that'll get you close enough. And definitely use the obstacles you have available to practice, small trees, shrubbery, picnic tables...
 
i have two trout rods - a 9ft 5wt that i use for big streams and streamer fishing and nymphing.

I also have a new bamboo 7ft 4wt now, which is going to be for dry fly fishing and small brooks.

the 9ft 5wt is just fine for both on small brooks - the long rod actually helps keep line off the water for short casts.

so i'd say that if you want to fish light or want to fish dry flies more then go for it.

i'd second the votes for Redington and Echo rods, and would add Greys to that list (made by Hardy).

check out flystorecloseouts they usually have some good deals.

i too would go for a slower action rod - hence the bamboo 😉
 
Agree on the yard casting thing. Neighbors look at you funny, but I kinda like the "eccentric" tag. 🙂

I have a large weeping cherry with branches that come down to below knee level. It makes a fun brookie course. Obstacles all around. Pick spot, try to hit it from farther and farther distances.

FWIW, longer rods do have one big advantage. Bow and arrow casts. As a general rule of thumb, the amount of line you can "cast" comes to about 2 times the length of the rod, as measured from the rod tip. So with a 9 ft rd, you can cast around 18 ft of line+leader. Including the length of the rod, it's roughly 27 ft from your hands! And you can do that accurately with tight loops and no backcast, it's great for putting it through "windows" in the brush.

With a 7'6", it's considerably less. 15 ft of line + leader, or only in the low 20's from your hands. The difference may not seem like a whole lot, but on stream, those few extra feet are often the difference between catching the fish and spooking it before getting a cast off.

So when it starts getting a little thick, shorter rods start working better. But when it gets REALLY thick, if you can manage to walk with it, a long rod regains it's advantage.
 
Just some food for thought.

Fast action (tip flex) rods are for shooting line and you won't be shooting much line on a small streams.

In tight places, you want to be able to load the rod without a back cast which is where a softer (mid flex) rod will shine.

Each has their place and everyone has their preference, too.

The Orvis Superfine series of rods is tailored to small streams and short casts. They have stayed around since the beginning of graphite rods because of that. I see used one for sale pretty often, too.

I think you will enjoy a short rod as a change of pace. I like the shorter lever length when casting. I like how the rod feels quicker than swinging the long timber. I do quite a bit of fishing with a 7 1/2 ft. rod for a 5 weight.

Good Luck,

Shock

 
I definitely agree with pat: longer rods make much better bow-and-arrow casts. There is a great discussion of this cast in the Orvis/Tom Rosenbauer book on fly fishing small streams book. This book is generally a great resource:

http://www.amazon.com/Orvis-Guide-Small-Stream-Fishing/dp/0789322250

Also agree with deltas comments above about a lot of this (fast versus slow rod, overlining, how much to use bow and arrow, etc) is just what different people want to do, how they tend to cast, etc
 
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