ryansheehan
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2015
- Messages
- 2,583
^this is some of the best advice anyone can give you. Even on the same stream know your low water/high water locations.
Custom rod for small creek and smart fish
- Thread starter Peyton
- Start date
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Totally agree. As Swattie has mentioned a couple times, it's "conditions, conditions, conditions".
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
Nice!
How did you take him?
The advice given about conditions is good. Of course the best.
My advice given is when conditions are not ideal.
We don't always get to choose when we can fish or even where, especially later in life.
You go when you can, where you can and if it's low and clear, you better have some tricks in the arsenal to have success.
Last edited:
Nice brown there too. Now which one was more fun to catch, the crick tarpon or the brown?
Why not go to a 7' rod? Less problems with overhead trees and power lines. Yet it is still an effective for nymphs & dries to a #12 and smaller streamers & bugger type flies to maybe a #10. I have successfully fished a 7' cane rod in small Montana creeks and landed many wild fish to 20".
gulfgreyhound
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2007
- Messages
- 6,324
Monic Fly Line.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Power lines are one obstacle I haven't had to deal with. 🙂
- Joined
- May 3, 2011
- Messages
- 6,600
Just on the hike (climb) out of a certain tannic favorite right? 😛
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Yes, although they are rather high up. 😉
- Joined
- May 3, 2011
- Messages
- 6,600
I once hiked out of there with a Tstorm approaching. I was jogging (as much as I could manage after the climb portion) once I hit the end of the maintenance road. To say I was scared was an understatement.
I like a 6'6" 4-wt. that I bought years ago for fishing small stream. The short length seems to help keep me out of the tree canopy above me, and it delivers dry flies nicely, using a 9" leader tapered to 4X and then an addition of perhaps 2" of 5X tippet. As old as I am, I probably won't need another line for it; but if I do, I may drop to a 3-wt. just for fun.
I have another 7' 5-wt. that I also use on small to medium size streams, esp. when fishing with nymphs. (Last season I started using a Weiler bamboo of this length, weight; and I like it for this kind of fishing.) I use these 7-footers on medium size streams when fishing dry flies sometimes, they work well for this, too.
Your finances might determine what rod(s) you use.
I have another 7' 5-wt. that I also use on small to medium size streams, esp. when fishing with nymphs. (Last season I started using a Weiler bamboo of this length, weight; and I like it for this kind of fishing.) I use these 7-footers on medium size streams when fishing dry flies sometimes, they work well for this, too.
Your finances might determine what rod(s) you use.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Not the place to be during a Tstorm. On certain days you can hear those lines buzzing. There's some serious juice running through them!
Used a wooly bugger, he hit it three times, and went airborne every time. Last week he would spook before you could see or cast to him.
definitely the brown, if the fallfish went airborne to eat my fly, then it would be more fun. Couldn’t see the Fallfish until he was on my line. Watched the brown the entire time.
The Fiberglass Riffle 7' & 7'6" rods from Phil at Kettle Creek are super. Shorter glass rods excel on small creeks.
.
Catalog
Kettle Creek Tackle is your one stop tackle shop. Specializing in fly fishing. We are Pennsylvania's Largest-Most Complete Fly Shop. Shop online today. Whatever you may need Phil is sure to please with the best service in the fly fishing business.
kettlecreektackleshop.com
.
beadhead2
Well-known member
I have a 9'3wht Diamondback, never been used still has the plastic on the handle, I also have n 8'3wht Native Custom rod and an Orvis 6 1/2 ft 4wht rod for sale
Silent Ocelot
Well-known member
I wouldn't go under 8ft in length but that's just me. I subscribe to @pcray1231's idea of as much length as you can get away with. IMO, once you go under that length you lose a lot of line manipulation abilities and the trade-off of being able to cast in more confined spaces doesn't really pay off. It's impossible to cast through those rhododendron canopies, though a shorter rod would help working around those kind of hazards. People often forget that even short rods require room to cast unless one is roll-casting, dapping, or bow and arrow style casting. There are very extenuating circumstances where I would employ a 6'6" rod, actually only one creek I can think of where I would use a rod of that length, and on that creek I doubt using 8' rod vs say a 6'6" rod would make much of a difference, though I use the 6'6" rod to justify buying it.
My rod for the creek you are fishing would be my Winston 4wt 8'3" for indicator nymph fishing and my dry or dry/dropper rod would be my SAGE Little ONE 1wt 8'2".
My rod for the creek you are fishing would be my Winston 4wt 8'3" for indicator nymph fishing and my dry or dry/dropper rod would be my SAGE Little ONE 1wt 8'2".
Silent Ocelot
Well-known member
I've heard great things about Diamondback but have yet to play with one. I hear their nymph rods are quite nice. They look good.
sixfootfenwick
Well-known member
See I agree in part but disagree in part.
It really depends on the creek. Yeah, you cant manipulate line as well with a 6'6" rod but I don't see a massive trade off deficit like you do.
The vast majority of pa wild trout streams don't require long casts and multiple mends to make drifts to wild fish.
Otherwise I do agree, always pick the longest rod you can get away with.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Spot on. ^
Silent Ocelot
Well-known member
What you have said is true, however I like a longer stick as I said it can better manipulate/control line after a cast is made. Even if I had just a leader out of the rod I prefer the longer rod as it is easier to guide the flies. It's also easier to negotiate in-creek boulders with a longer stick.
Long casts aren't typically required but I like the capability just in case. I could probably cast all my small creek rods the same distance as there isn't much variation in say 1wt to 4wt with rods ranging in the moderate to slow action class, at least that is the way it is in my quiver. Funny enough, my SAGE Little ONE 1wt probably has the least amount of range capabilities out of all the rods I own. I can cast my 2wt SAGE Circa 2wt 7'9" farther than the Little ONE. The Circa is a slow action rod, the lowest rod I own. It seems (at least to me) the Little ONE was designed to make very short and accurate casts with a good bit of line speed. It's a putter, a Cameron Scotty putter, but a putter non-the-less. So far I have yet to find a rod that is as dialed in as this rod is. It may be the best rod in the small creek category where 0-15 feet casts are required, but I'm sure opinions on that notion would vary greatly.
As always, we can pick and choose rods based on whatever reason we deem necessary.
@Peyton, why don't you track down a Little ONE and make that your small stream creek rod?
