Small stream rod

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (DarkstarCrashes) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:13:52 GMT

I have a Don Recker 7' 3 wt built on the F.T. Thomas "Fairy" taper that is awesome for the small brookie streams I frequent. It handles dries beautifully but also casts very well with a dry/dropper combo or a small streamer. It can really lay out some line too, I fished a local bluegill pond before work today and I have no problem casting a nymph out wherever I wanted it to go. It has quickly become my favorite rod.

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (Doublegun) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:51:43 GMT

I went to the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo yesterday (Warren, Michigan) and cast Pickard's "Midge" and his Dickerson 6611. Between the two the 6611 was closest to what I think I am looking for. Fortunately the fellow who built my "Martha Marie" rod just finished a blank for a 6611 so I may be off the the races.

BTW - as was the case last year and the year before, there were almost as many bamboo rods as there were graphite rods on display and available for...

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (orange caddis) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:08:52 GMT

Doublegun wrote:
One of my favorite types of water to fish are small streams 10' - 15' across and usually over grown by cedars and tag alder. I have been fishing a 7' 3-wt Scott "Fibertouch", which is a great little glass rod. No problems with that set-up but what would you experts recommend for a cane rod? Right now I have a Summers 275 (a little too nice for brush-busting) and a 7'6" 5-wt built...

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (cwood) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:26:55 GMT

Great! I will look forward to it. He sure makes a nice rod.

CWood

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (slate river) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:58:38 GMT

CWood,
My daughter home from college for Spring Break in 2 weeks. Her first chore upon returning home is to teach her Dad how to post pictures. The Wagner rod will be the first pictures I will post.
Bob

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (Cane Rods and Harleys) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:10:07 GMT

My 1st Bamboo rod was made by Walton Powell. It was a 6'5"- 7'3" 3/4/5 wt. Companion Rod with two tips & two butts. Shortly after I got the rod, I found a small VERY bushy stream in upstate NY that had brookies 7-9" & a few browns in the 12" range. The owner was kind enough to allow me access to the stream. After fishing it a few times, I wanted something a little smaller. I called Walton & asked his advice....

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (cwood) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:05:53 GMT

Hey Bob-

Any pics of that small stream Wagner? I'd love to see it. Thanks.

CWood

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (Tarheel) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:03:21 GMT

I have a 6'-6", 3/2, 4wt built on one of Wayne Cattanach's tapers that I truely love. It is a great small stream rod. I just completed a 7'-9", 3/2, 4wt based on a F. E. Thomas taper. I've only had that rod out twice, but I think that it is going to be my "go to" rod for small streams. It is more versatile than the shorter rod. It also has a slower action to help with roll cast. It also has some sentimental value: Dave Wallace (57clemson) introduced...

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (slate river) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:46:16 GMT

I have two favorites: A 6 1/2ft 2pcs. 2 tip 2 wt. Jeff Wagner and a Brackett era Winston 7ft 3/2 3 wt.
Bob

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (kwhauck) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:05:16 GMT

Something I learned from my Wagner 7'9" Patriot is: the amount of snake guides is what makes casting just the leader possible. My first rod, a blister pack South Bend Fiberglass from the 70s didn't have enough guides so if there was only 2"-3" of line out the tiptop, the fly line would sag between the snake guides and retrieve the fly. I'm sure more snake guides is bad for tournament casting but I can get the entire fly line airborne when necessary.

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (Doublegun) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:26:06 GMT

cwood wrote:
It's the Dickerson 6611, not a Leonard.

Thanks, cwood. I stand corrected.

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (cwood) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:28:11 GMT

It's the Dickerson 6611, not a Leonard.

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (Doublegun) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:23:18 GMT

Thanks for the thoughts, gents. I think I am going to talk with the gentleman who built my 7'6" 5-wt, a rod that I love, about building a rod for me. He has been looking for a project and a small rod may satisfy his itch. I guess we'll talk about tapers but my general inclination would be a 2-piece rod (maybe 3), that can handle a 3-wt line, probably taper with a soft tip but with enough in the butt to handle a bigger fish. Some of you have mentioned tapers like the PY...

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (marcusw) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:39:20 GMT

the Chris Bogart "Little Rose" is a lovely 7' - 2 wt that I find perfect for the small streams of Nova Scotia where 7" - 8" brookies are the norm - but it will handle the odd 12" with aplomb. It will chuck small muddlers as well as little parachute Adams, and at a pinch will not protest too much at a bead head nymph and strike indicator. I use a silk line which I prefer - but my old Scientific Anglers plastic line worked OK.

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (Canewrap) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:22:22 GMT

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the PHY Midge. I have one that Mike Brooks made the blank for and it will cast through a screen door, exactly the kind of conditions you describe. Its a 6'3", 3wt.

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (WatercolorMan) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:01:13 GMT

My best small fish catcher is a 3wt Leonard made by Mike Brooks. Its a 7ft rod and sets a hook so sweetly it hard to describe. Leonard cataloged this rod as the 3734 ACM. My other small creek rod is a 6'-8" FE Thomas Fairy 3WT. built by AJ in his classic series. This may be one of those perfect rods where everything about it is just right. The right size reel seat, grip and the perfect swell in the butt. AJ's finish on the rod is superb.

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (byrdog) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:09:35 GMT

Another advocate for the 6611. I also like the Payne inspired P149 taper, a 7' 3pc 4wt that comes a live with a WF4.

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (Soft Hackle) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:04:02 GMT

Quash,

I will keep my eye out for the Ranger , probably don't have to worry about seeing a Jaguar humming along Rte 9 @ 150 mph. I have only cast one original Young ( Perfectionist) and several clones. I live in W. Cummington on the East Branch and fish the Swift in Goshen where it is really small. Send me a PM if you are coming this way. It would be fun to hook up and I can show you some of my haunts around here. The E. Br. is full of large stocked rainbows until mid May and...

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (creakycane) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:16:48 GMT

If you like the F703 Scott, doublegun, you may like the current Scott F601 even more - which can handle a DT-3 very well for 0 - 25 foot casts with a light reel.

The good thing about fishing a Midge (PY, Summers, Pickard or similar) is the flexibility - I sometimes do fish one of my Summer's midges on very small Appalachian streams - what it does allow is that if I want to stop at a tailwater on the way home, I can fish the same rod acceptably there - they are pretty flexible in...

Re: Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (quashnet) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:40:38 GMT

If you're on the upper reaches of the Westfield or the Swift this summer, and you see an odd angler wearing patched old clothes and no fly vest - a cracked, plastic box of flies will be jammed in the front of his waders - and if you begin to wonder why this hobo is carrying a beautiful little mottle-flamed fly rod....

...well then, stop and say hello.

Oh, and my

Small stream rod

feeds@yuku.com (Doublegun) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:05:27 GMT

One of my favorite types of water to fish are small streams 10' - 15' across and usually over grown by cedars and tag alder. I have been fishing a 7' 3-wt Scott "Fibertouch", which is a great little glass rod. No problems with that set-up but what would you experts recommend for a cane rod? Right now I have a Summers 275 (a little too nice for brush-busting) and a 7'6" 5-wt built by a local fellow off the Martha Marie taper.

Thanks