Short Rods and where you use them

I own a 6'6" 3wt because I thought that I was supposed to have a really short rod.

I don't use it much.
 
I like the shorter rods well because I mostly fish on small wild creeks. I have a 6, 6.5, 7 and 7.5. Ranging in wt. from 2 to 4. With a lighter rod it isn't about the fight it's about the finesse of the lighter lines and the advantage of a shorter rod in the brush.

But when fishing spring and others that size were line control is a very big issue I use a standard 9ft.
 
I love short rods and fish them in any stream you can jump or when short or med casts are need (usually dry fly fishing small streams, streamer fishing 7'6"):

4'4"
4'10"
5
5'6"
5'8"
5'10"
6'
6'3"
 
I've got a 6' fiberglass rod built by Phil Baldacchino at Kettle Creek Tackle Shop. Great for small streams. You can get through the brush well. It's a four piece so can be broken down for packing in or getting through real tight areas. Down side is you loose reach to poke through and dapple a fly. The fiberglass loads easier than graphite so it casts easier than a short graphite.
 
I use a 7' for small stream dries and for almost all midges. This past fall I found fishing sz 18-22 on a 7' 3w was much more enjoyable.
 
I built a 5' 2wt on a Rainshadow blank and have a 6' 2wt TFO. The 5 footer is a lot of fun on small mountain streams for native brookies.
 
6' 6'' 2wt. or the 6-6 deuce for small, wild freestoners... when you are used to fishing 9 foot rods, this transitions is unbelievable.

my buddy fishes a 5 ft. 2 wt. and I think it's pure junk. It takes some talent to throw big flies any distance with it. If I'm fishing freestoner, I want technical, long casts and long hook-ups. Don't see the magic in dropping a nymph off the bank with a 9 ft rod for a small wild fish.
 
My smallest is a Versatex 6'6" 2wt. Havent used it much,but it is a nice little rod.
 
I have 15 rods less that 8', 6 rods less than 7' and 0 rods less than 6'.

I have never cast a rod less than 6' that I liked, but I would love to find one.

I tend to fish small brushy streams more than most people. For me the lower frequency of having to deal with my fly snagged high in a tree overrides any line handling disadvantages. All other things being equal a shorter rod will be more accurate than a longer rod. Also a shorter rod is more efficient once you have hooked a fish.
 
shortrod wrote:
Also a shorter rod is more efficient once you have hooked a fish.
Click to expand...

Actually, its inefficent but easier to use.

Rod is a lever, your hand is on one side and the fish is on the other side. The longer that rod, the easier it is to apply pressure and the more efficent it is, you give less and get more.

However, a long rod is certainly much more awkward to use, which is what I think you were getting at.

Ergo, you're 100% subjectively right but technically wrong. Heh.
 
I have 15 rods less that 8', 6 rods less than 7' and 0 rods less than 6'.
Click to expand...

Fifteen rods is a lot of rods at any length.

I have 0 rods under 7', but I would like about one 6 footer for certain places.
 
I feel like the odd man out. I own one rod. A 9' 5wt. Im a minimalist I guess. I make it work for whatever situation I am in. I have fished Penns and some pretty small wild trout streams, and rarely say, I wish I had something different. Not saying there is anything wrong with owning multiple rods, I just have a different perspective on equipment. The less I have, the easier my decisions are, I just grab my stuff and fish.
 
Its a lever, the bending of the lever also works in your favour as the bend helps exert even MORE pressure on teh fish, without requiring you to aim your hands 270o behind your head to acheive optimum angle.

Fishing rods are third class levers, the fulcrum is at the butt, fish is load and your hand is, of course, force. The longer it is, the less energy you will expend. Period.

Ease of operation, including landing and removing the fish, is a different answer. Its way easier to grab a fi sh at the end of a 6'6" rod than it is at the end of an 11'6" rod.
 
Actually, smart azz, in fact and not theory, the longer a lever is, ( such as a fly rod ), the more force that is required at the fulcrum(handle) to overcome weight or resistance on the other end. It's a pretty basic rule. You have it backwards Gfen.

What you gain is in the distance multiplied from the fulcrum (handle) to the other end (rod tip) when you pivot the lever (rod) at the fulcrum. This is your "mechanical advantage" with this type of lever. You are actually losing leverage as far power is concerned with a longer lever whether it is a bendy lever or not.

It's not even really a physics debate, more like 4th grade science.

The "mechanical advantage" gained with longer rods is in line speed, and of course protecting a tippet (since we are talking bendy levers) among other things like line mending given the multiplied affect of distance travel at the other end of the rod.
 
http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Sporting-Edge/Sci-Media/Images/Pivot-diagram-of-a-Class-3-lever
For a Class 3 lever the load is further away from the pivot than the effort. There is no mechanical advantage because the effort is greater than the load. However this disadvantage is compensated with a larger movement. This type of lever system also gives us the advantage of a much greater speed of movement.
Click to expand...

Snagged on a technicality, but I maintain correctness. Its not a force multiplier in so much as magnifies the distance moved, which in turn still allows you to put more force into fighting the fish by bending the rod down into the lower half and using the power of the rod blank.

Let's review:
smart azz wrote:
Its a lever, the bending of the lever also works in your favour as the bend helps exert even MORE pressure on teh fish, without requiring you to aim your hands 270o behind your head to acheive optimum angle.

Fishing rods are third class levers, the fulcrum is at the butt, fish is load and your hand is, of course, force. The longer it is, the less energy you will expend. Period.
Click to expand...

Perhaps I should've said, "the longer it is, the less effort you have to make." Energy expended was incorrect.
 
I'm a long time fan of tiny fly rods and love 'em for many trout fishing applications. I use fly rods under 6' year round for brookies and small streams as well as for limestone streams, esp in summer. I build almost all my fly rods now and routinely use a 5'6" fly rod for big trout. This tiny rod has a very small handle and is matched to a tiny fly reel. If nothing else, it makes fish next to it look bigger. :)

The photo below, when posted on this site 3 or so years ago caused a bit of a stir in that folks were incredulous. It's a big fish, 24" - but the tiny rod creates the illusion it's much larger.

Anyway, I think tiny, extremely short fly rods are something of an aquired taste. Certainly, in this day and age where fly rods keep getting longer, very short rods can be different and fun as well as surprisingly versatile under some conditions.
 

Attachments

  • Brown.jpg
    Brown.jpg
    238.6 KB · Views: 1
quote/Rod is a lever, your hand is on one side and the fish is on the other side. The longer that rod, the easier it is to apply pressure and the more efficent it is, you give less and get more./quote
look at big game rods and say-sorry Jake,you are right.
 
Shortrod:
Also a shorter rod is more efficient once you have hooked a fish.
Click to expand...


I understood what Shortrod was trying to say.

However I understand the complicated nuances of fly rods and understand Gfen in his defense given that both long and short rods are efficient in different ways.

The longer rod having the reach and multiplied action or movement at the tip from arm or wrist movement at the handle compared to a shorter rod, the shorter rod as pete mentioned is well suited for ultimate control over a large fish with less effort.

Fishidiot,

I think I saw that pic before in here and was like "Nah Aah!". I think someone else had also posted a micro fly rod with a quarter to half dollar sized reel. Pretty cool. I would totally start fishing for chubs every week if I had a rod like that.
 
JakesLeakyWaders wrote:
I think I saw that pic before in here and was like "Nah Aah!". I think someone else had also posted a micro fly rod with a quarter to half dollar sized reel. Pretty cool. I would totally start fishing for chubs every week if I had a rod like that.
Click to expand...

There's a guy in the ultra light forums with something he calls the "fairy rod."

Its a J Austin Forbes "Micro," http://www.jaustinforbes.com/micro.html, 34" rod and a reel the size of a quarter.

I'd love to own one, but can't fathom the ridiculousness of it or its uselessness in my meatpaws.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top