Another thread veered off into a consideration of long vs short rods. I thought I would throw in my own two cents on the debate though my thoughts are probably
worth less than that. I thought I would write about a fishing situation with which I am somewhat familiar---fishing pocket water on a small river like the
Savage (Md). Normally, this setting would seem to bias the discussion in favor of shorter rods but that is not my conclusion.
Long Rods
If you want to catch the greatest possible number of fish on the Savage I am convinced you are better off with as long a rod as possible (8'6 to 9 or even 10 if we are talking graphite). Why? Because the most effective way to catch fish is to dead drift nymphs, dries, or hopper/ dropper in a drag free fashion. This means having as little line or leader on the water as possible. The longer the rod the easier this 'high sticking' is. When you reach a pool or longer deeper run the line mending and roll casting advantages of the long rods is obvious.
Fortunately we do not simply aim to catch the most fish. If we did we would be chucking bait with Zebcos.
As John Gierach wrote in Fishing Bamboo:
I happen to believe that a lot of skill is required to nymph and fish wets and often this is effective, challenging and enjoyable. However, for me there is often not a lot of casting involved here (maybe lobbing and roll casting). I think bamboo enthusiasts sort of divide up into casters and fishermen. Those who spend a lot of time on lawns and in parking lots and those who spend a lot of time streamside. Some of us are both.
Short Rods
For me there is a unique pleasure in using a shorter rod. In fact, I almost always use a 7 to 8 foot rod on the Savage and favor my short Garrison 201 or my 7'6" Old Philosopher. There is something special about slinging a yellow humpy under the rhodos for an improbable 2 second drift AND trying to be ready for a strike should it come. The shorter rod does allow you to cast with greater ease on such streams.
My conclusion: longer rods are the more practical fishing tool and will generally yield better results. Nevertheless there is an intangible "feel" to a 7 to 7' 9" bamboo rod that gives great pleasure to fish. In practice, I lean towards hedonism rather than pragmatism, and so you will often see me with a shorter rod.
Long Rods
If you want to catch the greatest possible number of fish on the Savage I am convinced you are better off with as long a rod as possible (8'6 to 9 or even 10 if we are talking graphite). Why? Because the most effective way to catch fish is to dead drift nymphs, dries, or hopper/ dropper in a drag free fashion. This means having as little line or leader on the water as possible. The longer the rod the easier this 'high sticking' is. When you reach a pool or longer deeper run the line mending and roll casting advantages of the long rods is obvious.
Fortunately we do not simply aim to catch the most fish. If we did we would be chucking bait with Zebcos.
As John Gierach wrote in Fishing Bamboo:
We may not be dry fly purists but we'd like to be when we grow up.
I happen to believe that a lot of skill is required to nymph and fish wets and often this is effective, challenging and enjoyable. However, for me there is often not a lot of casting involved here (maybe lobbing and roll casting). I think bamboo enthusiasts sort of divide up into casters and fishermen. Those who spend a lot of time on lawns and in parking lots and those who spend a lot of time streamside. Some of us are both.
Short Rods
For me there is a unique pleasure in using a shorter rod. In fact, I almost always use a 7 to 8 foot rod on the Savage and favor my short Garrison 201 or my 7'6" Old Philosopher. There is something special about slinging a yellow humpy under the rhodos for an improbable 2 second drift AND trying to be ready for a strike should it come. The shorter rod does allow you to cast with greater ease on such streams.
My conclusion: longer rods are the more practical fishing tool and will generally yield better results. Nevertheless there is an intangible "feel" to a 7 to 7' 9" bamboo rod that gives great pleasure to fish. In practice, I lean towards hedonism rather than pragmatism, and so you will often see me with a shorter rod.
). I am on the Reams waiting list (only about 1 1/2 years to go) and I have
ordered his 8'6" 4wt precisely for Hat Creek. In some situations a long rod is really the best option. I did not intend to 'disparage' long
rods, but simply to state the simple fact that I enjoy fishing the shorter rods here in the mid-Atlantic despite some practical shortcomings.
