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Hey 'Thumbs,
The 2-wt. rod you got from Cabela's on Jim Hatch's advice: by any chance is it a 7-foot, 2-piece rod that shows a little gap at the center joint, and is dark in color? I handled a Cabela's 2-wt. that looked like that last weekend, and off the rack it felt great.
Finding myself thinking lighter, lighter, lighter all the time. (And shorter, too, in this case.)
Joe
"Better small than not at all."
Hey Joe,
I'm sure Thumbman will eventually wake up
and respond.*G* The rod was the Clear Creek
model if I recall. You can also get it in
lengths of 6' and 5' in 2 wt. They also
sell the 7' 1 wt model which is the one RW
uses. I believe that all of the Clear Creek
rods are $99. Warm regards, Jim
Joe - TFO has a nice 8' 2 wt in their "Pro" series. A friend has one and I used it a coupla days last summer. It's a nice rod and the extra foot is quite helpful allowing you to cast in more wind, farther overall, and [a real benefit for my fishing] - it roll casts great. He also has the cabelas 7' 2 wt and I cannot roll cast that rod over 10 or 12 feet! I fish a lot of small creeks for "creek smallmouths" and the 8' rod is much more useful there as a lot of my casting on the creeks is roll casting. There isn't room for a backcast regardless of how long your rod is. Cabelas stocks TFO rods; I was told by a CSR at Cabelas that "you can return ANYTHING you buy from them"; sounds like a good way to test 'em head to head. Just return the loser!
By the way, my 2 wt is now a Redington 8' RS2. It's a bit faster then the TFO, a LOT faster then the Cabela rod but the 2 wt was discontinued when Redington introduced the RS3 rods in late 2004. However, I got mine two days ago as an unexpected Xmas gift! I did use this rod last summer as my wife got it from the same friend that has the TFO. [I've been looking into a 1 wt lately and the wifie got nervous and went ahead and "gave" it to me early. *G*]
Just my .02 worth!!
Donald
Jim/Bead:
Thanks for the info, guys.
Jim, it probably was a Clear Creek model that I handled at Cabela's. It was a 7-footer. And yes, it cost $99, too, which I guess confirms it.
I can't quite yet sell myself on the need for a 6-ft. or shorter fly rod. That could change if I start fishing little creeks and narrow streams.
For now, though, I just want a rod that will do better at bringing out the best fighting qualities in bluegills, crappie and redear, since they are the fish I go for.
I'm hoping Eight Thumbs will report that his 2-wt. has a soft, fairly slow action. That's the kind of rod I want because it'll help me in short-range casting with larger nymphs (still my favorite weapon). Off the rack at the Cabela's fly shop, the rod I handled felt like it would be that way.
Bead, it sounds strange that you can't roll cast any farther than 10 or 12 feet using a 7-ft. rod. On your initial lift, are you accelerating the line toward you fast enough to pull the fly onto or barely below the surface, then pausing your lift at the top just long enough to give the main floating line time to develop a sag before you flip forward? That sag (which forms underneath and behind your rod tip) is the key; it transforms into the roll cast's loop during the rod tips forward motion.
Whatever the problem, I'll bet it's some tiny, minor flaw in your stroke. Might have somebody in the know stand off to the side and "spot" you sometime for diagnostic purposes. (Tip: promise 'em a 6-pack of the good stuff first, so they'll say nothing but nice things.)
I'm sure if I enjoy using a 2-wt. rod that a 1-wt. will be tried next. I'm hoping Santa will drop this Cabela's 2-wt. on me. At age 58, I'd rather Santa do it than the Tooth Fairy.
Joe
"Better small than not at all."
Joe
RW uses a Clear Creek 1 wt with a 2 wt dt line. Why not skip the 2wt and go for this set up? That way your fishing a 2wt and have a 1 wt rod.
Don't ya just love all this support you're getting?
Joe - I've always disliked rods under 8'; probably explains why I do poorly with them - just don't take the time to develop my technique with them. <G> You're right in assuming that the cabelas rod is fairly slow - at least IMO. My friend's 2 wt clear creek handles a 3 wt line very handily [sp?]also.
anglerdave - I just spent some time looking into 1 wt rods with various people who have fished them for a while. I found that just about all of the people with the 1 wts [with the exception of the Sages and the Orvis f&f] used 2 wt lines on them. It seems to me that if you have a 1 wt rod that needs 2 wt line you have a 2 wt rod labeled as a 1 wt. [whew - what a sentence!!]
Anyway, just my opinion - which may, or may not, be useful. <G>
Donald
Donald
I have come to the same conclusion as you. I was hesitant to even mention that for fear of starting the whole overlining underlining debate all over again.
I just mentioned it to Joe with tongue in cheek. I guess I should have put a winky smiley face with my reply.
No problem here. I've overlined a couple of fly rod outfits in my short time in this sport. The reason I did it is because the heavier line forces a lighter rod to load more on the backcast. That extra rod loading adds a slight delay to my forward cast, which helps me in controlling my final delivery. (The benefit comes especially on the short casts that I generally prefer making; I fish out of a canoe and have the luxury of sneaking closer to my quarry to begin with.)
Overlining probably doesn't work for everybody, but it works for me on the stiffer of my two 3-weight rods. The softer 3-wt., I use 3-wt. line on it.
Not really sure how to line the Cabela's 2-wt. rod if I get one. Probably I'd go with matching 2-wt. line since the rod felt pretty soft anyway with only empty guides.
Joe
Anglerdave - I wasn't sure if I should try that sentence or not <G>. I didn't want to seem too heavy handed with my opinions - which my son says I can be at times. I kinda thought I could work out a "deal" with my friend on one of his 2 wts - after all, who needs 3 2 wt rods?!? heh, heh.
Joe - if you get the "kit" from cabelas you get either the line or reel free [whichever way you want to call it] so you have nothing to lose with the 2 wt line. Sounds like you've already got a size 3.
I fish out of a Hobie Float Cat much of the time. Don't really need to cast at all - just feed line out as I fin along! heh, heh. As a matter of fact, I often catch fish diretly below my fins. I like things EASY!
Spring will get here - sometime.
Donald
Hey Joe,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. It's dropped out of the news a bit but much of Upstate South Carolina has been without power for almost a week because of an ice storm. Jim had it down when he said I was asleep----actually hibernating with no power. The electricity still isn't on for everyone but I'm back in operation.
It sounds like you had the same Cabela's rod that I purchased. I got the whole outfit for around $145. The rod alone was right around $99. I don't know if Cabela's is going to do it again this year but last year they handed out $50 rebate on orders over $100 right after Christmas
Boy, am I glad to have the power back on. Heat is really nice at this time of year.
Better Loops, how are you doing? 8T http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif
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You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it's a real short camping season.
[This message has been edited by Eight Thumbs (edited 22 December 2005).]
8T,
Very sorry to hear about your winter storm woes. Man, did it go from Indian Summer to Hard Core Winter in a flash this year or WHAT?
We're having a warmer day in Kansas City this morning, but it's the first one in three weeks. We, luckily, haven't had an ice storm yet. I hate ice storms with a passion.
Well, if you're having a great time catching SC pannies on your 2-wt., then I'm sure I will, too (once I buy one). It just seemed many times during this last year's action that even with the softer of my two 3-wt. rods I was still over-gunned on rod strength.
Guess the business of catching bluegills and crappie with fly tackle is opening my eyes to why so many trout fishers prefer using short 1- or 2-wt rods.
Question: With a 2-wt. rod, would you recommend I go to a lighter leader as well? I've been using 4X tapered leaders (6 lb. test breaking strength), but I wonder if it's wise to stick with that. To protect the rod from snapping during a fight with a bigger fish, do you think it's better (or necessary) to shield the 2-wt. by using, say, a 5X or 6X tippet instead? Something that'll break under only a 3- or 4-lb. jolt?
Joe
"Better small than not at all."
Joe,
I've really enjoyed my Cabela's two-weight this season and really put it through it's paces. I've fished a lot of #12 Gurgle Pops on the two weight and find it has the backbone to toss them pretty well (with a bit of practice). I also go with smaller flies. Generally when fishing the Gurgle Pops, I stay with a 4X or even 3X tippet. You can never tell when a bigger fish is going to come along. Believe me, if you fish a two weight in warm water long enough, you will be badly UNDER GUNNED a couple of times each season particularly around brush piles but that's part of the fun. With smaller flies, particularly dry flies, I will go with a lighter leader.
As to breaking the rod, I've nearly had it jerked out of my hand a couple of times. It's so light you tend to grasp it lightly and can get taken by surprise when watching other non-angling activity---hawks are a special weakness of mine. Even with bigger fish, I never felt the rod was going to snap with 4x or 3x tippet material. They've got a lot of backbone and are suprisingly durable 8T http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif