Good rod specs for small streams, native brookies

SleepySheep

SleepySheep

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Joined
Apr 12, 2024
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Philadelphia
Good morning Pennsylvania!

My friend is going to be building me a custom fly rod, and I'm trying to figure out what specs I should go with. I'm looking for the right rod for hunting native brookies in fairly small streams with tight pocket water. Some example streams are the upper reaches of Bowman's creek near Ricketts Glen, Double Run by World's End, Rock Run near Old Loggers Path, and Hickory Run in the park of the same name.

Last time I tried to fly fish one of these places, I was using the 2wt version of this rod: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H70O632?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_22&th=1

However, I found the action to be a bit soft for actually getting a hookset on these little guys, and hooked up with about a dozen brookies, landing only one because I launched him onto the shore by accident. It was quite a frustrating day, and I've only fished for brookies on my UL spinning setup since.

In my mind, I'm thinking a 7ft 3wt with a fast action might be the right tool, but I'd love to hear opinions from veterans before I pull the trigger on this build. Thanks!
 
I use my 90s Sage LL 7'9" 3wt. I feel the little extra length is worth it when I encounter slightly larger pools, but it's not too long where I am getting tangled up with the shrubbery. but this is personal preference, I am not a fan of faster rods for this type of fishing but I know plenty of people who are.
 
Paul6.5 said:
I use my 90s Sage LL 7'9" 3wt. I feel the little extra length is worth it when I encounter slightly larger pools, but it's not too long where I am getting tangled up with the shrubbery. but this is personal preference, I am not a fan of faster rods for this type of fishing but I know plenty of people who are.
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Can I ask why you prefer a slower action rod here? Can you even feel a 2-3" brookie strike on that kind of set up? My last experience made me feel like I need as much sensitivity as possible.
 
I like a 7.5ft-8ft rod in a 4wt. I don’t think super short rods are the best tool for these mountain streams, because having a bit of extra reach is helpful for keeping as much fly line off the water as possible in order to prolong the natural drift. It can also be hard to cast a decent distance with a big bushy fly or a dropper nymph when fishing a light weight rod.

I’ve done most of my brookie fishing recently with an Orvis Superfine Graphite 7’11” 4wt and I love it. That said, I have snapped the tip once (though it was totally my fault).

If commissioning a build that will have sentimental value and would be difficult to repair/replace, I would go for a fast action glass to offer more durability than ultra fine graphite.
 
You are going to get LOTS of opinions...

I have no experience with any of the streams you mentioned EXCEPT Hickory Run but you know the others...

IMHO, Hickory Run rod preferences can be something much longer BELOW the mouth of Sand Spring Run where it is much more open versus above, but...

The first thing I'll ask you is, does "I was using the 2wt version" of the Amazon Maxcatch rod mean a 6'0" rod or a 6'6" rod?​
​
The second question is, Did the rod feel too long or too short any place you fished?​

In regards to length, I always like the longest rod I can get away with unless I just have a hankering to fish something shorter. At Hickory Run, my favorite rod is a 6'6" 3wt HOWEVER, I have fished an 11' and a 9' Tenkara rod there.

I also absolutely guarantee you that the 6'6" 3wt Winston Retro glass rod I have fished most often on the upper end of Hickory Run and a ton of other small streams is WAY, WAY slower than your rod...

And I have ZERO issues with hookset...

My suggestion to you is to keep at it with the Maxcatch rod a while longer before pulling the trigger on something new because the rod action is NOT the problem....

Good luck!!
 
SleepySheep said:
Good morning Pennsylvania!

My friend is going to be building me a custom fly rod, and I'm trying to figure out what specs I should go with. I'm looking for the right rod for hunting native brookies in fairly small streams with tight pocket water.
Click to expand...
When I got started assembling (not building) rods, one of my sons wanted a 6-1/2' 2-wt (four pieces). I liked the looks and feel of it so much that I made one for myself. I think the blank was one of the Batson Rainshadows (Unity?) and I got it from Hook & Hackle. H&H may still be offering a kit using a Batson bank or their OEM blank - which I've used for other rods with great results.
I haven't gone on any brookie hunts with it, but a different son took a solo trip to Pine Creek last fall and caught several trout from Slate Run with mine.
 
Bamboozle said:
You are going to get LOTS of opinions...

I have no experience with any of the streams you mentioned EXCEPT Hickory Run but you know the others...

IMHO, Hickory Run rod preferences can be something much longer BELOW the mouth of Sand Spring Run where it is much more open versus above, but...

The first thing I'll ask you is, does "I was using the 2wt version" of the Amazon Maxcatch rod mean a 6'0" rod or a 6'6" rod?​
​
The second question is, Did the rod feel too long or too short any place you fished?​

In regards to length, I always like the longest rod I can get away with unless I just have a hankering to fish something shorter. At Hickory Run, my favorite rod is a 6'6" 3wt HOWEVER, I have fished an 11' and a 9' Tenkara rod there.

I also absolutely guarantee you that the 6'6" 3wt Winston Retro glass rod I have fished most often on the upper end of Hickory Run and a ton of other small streams is WAY, WAY slower than your rod...

And I have ZERO issues with hookset...

My suggestion to you is to keep at it with the Maxcatch rod a while longer before pulling the trigger on something new because the rod action is NOT the problem....

Good luck!!
Click to expand...
It was the 6'6" rod I was fishing with. Even though a shorter rod seems better for tighter streams, it felt too short in a way. I had to have to have a lot of fly line out to reach any pocket without standing right over top of it, and ever time I'd start stripping the line in to land a brookie, they'd pop off, regardless of how solidly it felt like they were hooked. I was going to go for a 7ft, but maybe I'll go for a 7.5 ft.

I get that I should probably stick with the maxcatch longer, but I don't really get out to brookie territory more than once or twice a year, and my confidence with that rod is totally shattered. It honestly soured me on fly fishing for like a whole year, so I can't really bring myself to repeat that experience.
 
I have a similar soft action rod and had the exact opposite experience. Two solid hookups on a dry and both engulfed the fly deeply. I consider myself a quick hooksetter on average while using a fast action rod. Sadly I probably killed both fish. It just seemed too hard to get the line off the water for a solid hook set. I have used that rod since but mainly for stockies and not much for dry fly action. I fished most of my Life with a Fenwick Iron Feather of the same length which is 8 foot. I love it for streamer fishing and nymphing small streams but the rod loads poorly on small streams when fishing dries. I would split the difference and get a moderate-fast action blank of 7.5 or 8 foot. I love how the slower rods cast dry flies but the stream must be fairly open as you will hang up in the trees after missing a fish or freeing your line from a rock or low lying branch.
I assume you had the fish spit the fly out before you could get the hook in him?
 
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riverwhy said:
I have a similar soft action rod and had the exact opposite experience. Two solid hookups on a dry and both engulfed the fly deeply. I consider myself a quick hooksetter on average while using a fast action rod. Sadly I probably killed both fish. It just seemed too hard to get the line off the water for a solid hook set. I have used that rod since but mainly for stockies and not much for dry fly action.
I assume you had the fish spit the fly out before you could get the hook in him?
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It felt more like the hook was in (there'd be a solid few seconds of struggle on the fish's part), but spit out as I was stripping in the line in.
 
I just added a bit to the post you quoted. It doesn’t seem like the rods fault but that you failed to keep the line tight while stripping. That happens but the more you fish the more you will be aware of what you need to do and your execution will improve.
 
riverwhy said:
I just added a bit to the post you quoted. It doesn’t seem like the rods fault but that you failed to keep the line tight while stripping. That happens but the more you fish the more you will be aware of what you need to do and your execution will improve.
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No doubt. Unfortunately I get a only a handful of hours a year to practice on brookies. No other fish seems to present this issue for me.
 
SleepySheep said:
Can I ask why you prefer a slower action rod here? Can you even feel a 2-3" brookie strike on that kind of set up? My last experience made me feel like I need as much sensitivity as possible.
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Slower action does not always equate to less sensitivity in my opinion. I like the slower rod when I am dropping a dry fly in between laurel. I feel like I have more control. My 25 year old son would disagree with me wholeheartedly though. This is really personal preference
 
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