Small Trout Rods

[tyler]

I'm looking at buying a 2wt rod but I'm not sure on how long of fly rod I should get .The rods Ive looked at are from 5ft to 9ft and everywhere in between. I'm just going to fish small creeks with it so i think smaller would be better.But not sure how it will cast. Any ideas?

[Michael Dell]

 

I have the Temple Fork 6 foot 2 weight. It works well for me. It cost about $95 at the Fishin Hole a few years ago.

 

My preference would be an Andersen 6 foot 2 weight split-cane rod which is an awesome rod to cast.

 

You are making short casts with small dry flies in this type of fishing so you don't need anything over 7'6".

[DennisS]

I have a sage 1wt 7.9 and handles very nicely.

 

So I think length is a crap shoot. It's what you feel comfortable with.

 

Tight Lines Always

Dennis S

[vince]

Tyler

 

For small stream use a take a 1 weight and a 3 weight...I don't like even number weight rods so all of mine or odd weights. Length is what is comfortable for you but I can tell you that I've gone longer over the years rather than shorter.

 

My 1 weight is 7'10 and I love it for really small water.

 

My 3 weight has been a work in progress. I started with a 7 footer, went to a 7'6'' then went to a 7'10. My current 3 weight is 7'10 and like my 1 weight I love it. Having said that, I am looking at adding an 8'6" just for those time when you need a bit more umph. My favorite at this time is the 7'10".

 

In addition to length also pay close attention to the fly line you put on as it will either make or break the action of the rod.

 

Good luck on your hunt.

 

Vince

[dave robinson]

A good cross section of advice here. I'll add my 2c worth.

If you are fishing very small streams (the kind you can jump over) then a 1 wt or 2 wt might work and the shorter the better.

However, that light a rod is definitely a special purpose tool. If you plan on moving around a bit during the day and will encounter slightly bigger water and the odd bigger fish, then maybe a slightly heavier rod would be a better choice. I have an older 4 wt 7' 6" Orvis "Brook Trout" rod that I built many years ago for just that purpose. Very slow action with a soft tip and an ideal length for working your way through brush but still cast a decent distance (30 ft) and handle a bigger fish (it once landed a 21" rainbow). Lately though I've found I use it very little. That's why I bought the 9ft 4wt Sage FLi a couple of years back. The extra length and backbone just gave me extra vesatility for the streams I usually fish. I find I now use it more than most of my other rods.

Vince's comment about line choice is also appropriate. If you're always working at close quarters, you may need to overline the rod in order to load it with a short line. And if you're never fighting big fish, then to heck with a fancy reel and backing. Get an inexpensive lightweight reel that balances the rod well.

If you are like Vince and want to keep your rod collection to staggered line weights, then chose one that fits a 2-4-6-8 or 1-3-5-7 sequence. I didn't do that and now have an odd mix of 4, 4 (short), 5, 6 (4pc), 7, 7 (4pc), 9 and 9(4pc). I use the 6 very little (its just a lightweight, inexpensive travel rod) and with the 4 wt, I am using the 5 wt less and less. My next purchase will likely be on the high end of the sequence having now had the experience of fighting a 100lb tarpon on a 12 wt. Talk about a different "kettle of fish" from a 2 wt. With that kind of fishing you can't make any mistakes and your gear has to work perfectly.

[DennisS]

Now Dave you went and stuck your foot in poopoo again, some points I agree on but I don't agree on what size of fish your restricted to. I've caught 20+ in. fish with my 3wt I haven't caught any big fish with the 1wt yet , but I would not be scared to put a 20 inch fish on it. And the reel, sorry again you just don't go cheap espeacially on small rods as you will be doing a lot of fighting from the reel so you want a dam good drag. Its like anything else different opions for different folks, and these are just mine. When you start to speacilize you don't go cheap, cheap.

 

1wt time coming soon.

 

Tight Lines Always

Dennis S

[Junior]

Tyler, you may be aware of this, but remember that any given rod will have a slower action the longer it gets. If I may use Vince as an example, he tried out a 3wt in 7'6" and liked it, so he ordered the 8'6" version of the same rod, because that length fitted a niche for him. But the rod that showed up was just a little slower than he was hoping for.

 

Dennis, just because it has happened doesn't mean it's a good idea. Lots of people would say it's unethical to knowingly fish waters with 20"+ fish with lightweight tackle. I'm a Lee Wulff fan, and if I had a big, wide open space to fight the fish and let him run, I'd agree with you. But in small water, with cover less than ten feet away, the only way I'll ever land that fish is with muscle. There's a few guys I know that are as experienced or more than you, who would never fish Stauffer with less than a 5wt.

 

Dave, as a Professional Engineer ($$$), I think your perspective on reels is a little skewed. Or maybe it's me (0.000$). Either way, when it comes to fly reels, I don't think "inexpensive" and "lightweight" usually go together.

[tyler]

do you guys think its better to go with a high end rod or a cheaper end rod. I tryed a sage loop and a TFO liked the loop but that is just playing with it in the parking lot out front of the store is it worth the money. I know buy cheap get cheap but do you get that much more out of a high end rod that is going to be used for 6 to 12 inch fish . Thanks for all the info guys

[dave robinson]

Rick and Dennis:

Unless you are planning on letting a fish get into your backing, for small light rods, all the reel really does is hold the line. You don't need to fight a 10" grayling or brookie from the reel. Besides, if you're in real small water if wait to get the fish on the reel, then you'l lose it in the snags.

If you are planning on catching fish big enought to require fighting it from the reel, then you need a heftier rod than a 1 or 2 weight. Yes, you can land a bigger fish on lighter tackle, but you have to play it to death to do so.

 

As to a lightweght reel being cheap, that's matter of perspective. You'll notice I said to balance the reel to the rod. with a 1 wt shortie, you may have to pay $$$ to get a reel light enough. But if it's a 3wt 9 footer, then maybe cheaper will do.

 

And Tyler - you can listen to Rick L and "Go Sage or Go Home" but that 100 lb tarpon Rick landed was on a 12 wt Temple Fork. In that case the reel (and backing and leaders) is a critical component and probably worth more than the rod. Or you can spend to suit your likes and dislikes in rod action and feel and to suit your pocket book. Im not sure that price is as important as weight, durability, warranty and service.

[RJL2]

Hi Tyler

 

To correct Dave the Silver King I landed was on a 10 weight Sage Xi2 (not a Temple Fork rod) with a Sage 3500D large arbor reel. Next time I go for Tarpon I will have a 12 weight.

 

As for an ultra light rod I have both 0 and 1 weight rods. Both are excellent for small stream use. The rod protects the 6X to 8X tippets so you can really put maximum pressure onto the fish and land them quicker than with a heavier rod with the same tippet. If you are using a heavier tippet then the rules change.

 

My suggestion is for you to do more research, Goggle "ultralight fly fishing" and read for yourself some first hand info on ultralight rods, reels, etc. There are a number of websites specific to fishing these rods.

 

When I first entered the world of ultralights I heard a lot of "info" that I have proven false over a period of time. You need to talk to anglers who have fished the 000 to 3 weights in a varity of situations.

 

 

Rick L

[vince]

Tyler

 

I was not going to comment beyond what I wrote above but I must. My thoughts run right along side Rick L. and do the goggle thing...you'd be surprised what you will learn.

 

Now, I'm pretty familiar with Sage rods and I have not run across one that is called a "loop". Are you sure it was a Sage?

 

Also and with all due respect to what Dave wrote about the reel...my thoughts differ somewhat. Buy the best you can afford because it will be worth it. Some people say the only purpose of the reel is to hold line and that comment is dead bum wrong. The start up inertia is criticala and I don't care if its on a 1 weight or a 12 weight...do you want to break a tippet on a fish of a lifetime because the cheap reel had a high start up inertia? What it boils down to is what dollars can you spend and then buy the best that you can afford. I could add a lot more here but I'll cut this short.

 

Vince

[canadagrey]

Is not one of the criterea for weight selection the size of fly you are fishing?

[vince]

Mr. Brian, your worship and getter of auction stuff

 

Without a doubt fly size that you are throwing is critical....goes without saying or perhaps it should be said. As an example there are small streams down in the Crow area that I would classify as small rod and very small fly water that one would say is perfect 1 weight water but there is not a hope that I would fish that water with anything less than a good 3 weight rod and reel. I know the fish that make those small streams home and fishing them with a 1 weight would be a sin. Common sense is an important element of fly fishing as well as knowing how to quickly bring in the fish you just hooked as well as knowing how to handle the rod in order to put the right amount of pressure to the fish while still protecting the tippet.

 

I love this sport of ours...so much to learn and so many opinions to consider and so much to enjoy...as they say "trout don't live in ugly places".

 

Vince