Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (cebfishing) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:32:39 GMT

For many years I used my 9ft fly rod regardless the size of the stream. Just could not afford another one, and I never knew anyone with more than one fly rod when I was growing up.
However now days I use a 6 1/2ft heddon #14 for real small streams. Still looking for a nice reel to match it. Until then I am using an inexpensive Browing 2145 with Orvis DT4F line. I don't expect to fight fish in those streams for very long. However I once caught a 14 inch brook trout in a stream I...

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (JJZ) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:37:28 GMT

I use a dream-catcher flyrod for my small-stream flyfishing. Both rods are 4wt's, 7'2", 6'3 respectively, and are built with the kind of attention we all crave for.

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (seattlesetters) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:39:01 GMT

Boonut wrote:
Small streams are the love of my life. I fish them 100% of the time, and I fish over 300 days a year. That's a lot of small stream fishing.

The rod I use is a copy of the Garrison 201e 7' 4wt. Wonderful rod for my Colorado Rockies streams. I use a peach line on it now, but i'm going to try a silk line this spring....

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (Boonut) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:01:12 GMT

WatercolorMan wrote:
Boo is that a 3" reel ? Who made it ?

Yes, it's a 3" reel. I didn't know who made it when I bought it. I just liked it's looks and it was cheap. Check this thread for more info.

http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/topic/18890

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (WatercolorMan) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:40:24 GMT

Boo is that a 3" reel ? Who made it ?

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (Boonut) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:58:04 GMT

Small streams are the love of my life. I fish them 100% of the time, and I fish over 300 days a year. That's a lot of small stream fishing.

The rod I use is a copy of the Garrison 201e 7' 4wt. Wonderful rod for my Colorado Rockies streams. I use a peach line on it now, but i'm going to try a silk line this spring.

I just bought this reel for it.

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (gofish60) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:39:50 GMT

The very light Leonard Fairy Catskills are a real hoot when I fish streams where a 12" fish is a rarity. A small brookie can really work the rod. Larger fish are handled quite well, also, but you have to be patient.
gofish

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (Trouter2) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:35:52 GMT

I Have two rods that I consider Midge or Banty rods, and they are just great on the small streams I fish in Oregon. My favorite is a 6'3 rod built by Winston Binney for a 4-5 weight line and the second is a 6'0 built by Jeff Fultz for a 3 weight ...both are wonderful tools for small stream fly fishing .... Paul

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (Jim Lowe) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:29:24 GMT

seattlesetters wrote:

CreationBear wrote:
Jim--

Thanks for the reply--I keep thinking of commissioning a light-line 3 or even 4 piece 7'9"-8-footer with the hook-setting characteristics you mention, but am afraid one of y'all will just hand me a Winston LT and tell me to be done with it.

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (cdmoore) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:31:13 GMT
I'm defining long, light-line as 7'6" or longer for a 3wt or less, with a few delicate 4wts thrown in the mix. Here are some I've enjoyed:

Jim Reams "Japan Special" taper...7'8" 2/2 3wt
Per Brandin 8' 2/2 3wt
Hans Schlecht Ontario 793...7'9" 2/2 3wt
Jim Hidy 4W80L3P...8'0" 3/2 4wt (very sensitive and flexible and superb/faster with a 3wt also)
FET 8' 4wt (Wet Fly)
Bjarne Fries (almost any of the...

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (CreationBear) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:25:15 GMT

I'll definitely look forward to the rod review, then--you no doubt have to handle larger fish than I do here in the Southeast, but I get a feeling our on-stream conditions can be very similar.

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (seattlesetters) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:24:14 GMT

CreationBear wrote:
Jim--

Thanks for the reply--I keep thinking of commissioning a light-line 3 or even 4 piece 7'9"-8-footer with the hook-setting characteristics you mention, but am afraid one of y'all will just hand me a Winston LT and tell me to be done with it.
I have a 7'10" 3/2 3wt on...

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (CreationBear) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:10:56 GMT
Jim--

Thanks for the reply--I keep thinking of commissioning a light-line 3 or even 4 piece 7'9"-8-footer with the hook-setting characteristics you mention, but am afraid one of y'all will just hand me a Winston LT and tell me to be done with it.

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (Jim Lowe) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:38:06 GMT
Favorite 8ft? I really don't have one or should I say I haven't made it yet.

8ft rods are really a new thing for me and I've been fishing a taper that is still in development. Its a funny rod. I'd call it medium fast but I seem to cast it at a faster tempo than most or so I've been told. Most guys have to slow down with it. Anyway, for the stream above I'd to make an 8ft 3wt version. It's basically a straight taper rod. The fish are on the tiny side and...

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (CreationBear) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:04:38 GMT
Jim--

Very good point about a rod needing a "positive set"--I'd bet most of us could get the fly to just about any lie with any old rod, but hooking up (or even getting the line back from downstream tangles) is another matter.

BTW, what's your favorite 8-footer for your meadow stream application? Surprisingly enough, floods keep most of my GSMNP streams so open...

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (ChuckB) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:27:42 GMT
Good point, Jim. Most of the ones I fish are the "tight" type, and occasionally more open. I really like the intimacy of the second type- my fave.

Chuck

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (Jim Lowe) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:43:55 GMT
OK. The fish are small but what's the stream like? What do YOU consider a small stream? Is it a small open stream? Is it brushy? Pocket water? Long runs?

For small open streams I like a longer rod, so that I can cast over stream side brush. A light action 8ft rod that's relaxing to cast and easy on the fish. On tight streams I like something that will roll cast with a flick of the wrist and that will bow and arrow cast well. Say a 7ft - 7ft 3in. light action rod that with a...

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (mtn) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:27:19 GMT
I've seen some very good responses and some nice outfits here. For my favorite small streams I tend use a heavier rod than alot of the othre posts I've seen being that I don't get alot of fish rsing to the surface and end up using bigger weighted flys, 75% subsurface. Most recently I've been using a F E Thomas wet fly taper 8' 4 wt with a 1 1/2 Peerless and a DT5 Thebault line. I also have a nice Gillum 7' 4/5 copy that I like either the DT5 Thebault with the...

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (SnooKen) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:53:33 GMT
I'm fishing Mike Brooks' version of the Leonard Catskill Fairy, a 7' 2/2 two weight with full intermediate wraps. Teamed with a Hardy Featherweight it is an absolute delight from aesthetics to function. Impregnated blank for durability and a light varnishing for the classic look.

Ken

Re: Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (CreationBear) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:48:27 GMT
Dugdan: very well put, sir. I've been absurdly happy lately with an old beat-up Fenwick FF70 and Pflueger 1492 1/2 on my streams here in the Southern Appalachias. Maybe it's just that I have to use so much "Kentucky Windage" to get my flies where they need to be that it doesn't matter what rod's in my hand, but that particular combination seems to promote the kind of...

Small Creek Rods & Reels

feeds@yuku.com (WatercolorMan) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:42:38 GMT
I have been reading everyone's post for years regarding your love of small light rods. I now find myself living in an area of California where I can get to 3 small creeks with lots of small wild fish within 1 hr or so of the house. When I say small I'm talking about the fish being 6" to 9" and once in a while the 12" to 14" pig.

I would like to know what rods and reels you USE and why, when you go to your small creek. What are you personal preferences....