BUT! ... after finishing my beautiful little tiger eye rod last fall, a bunch of blood sucking leeches and one very nasty gopher prevented me from using it in real time. Until this week! We were able to run away for a few days and I had the opportunity to try out the new rod. What a delight!! It is the 7 foot 3/4 weight, and I rigged it for 4 weight. Wow. It took everything from weather to strange catches.
I fished a flies only area, and had a bit of luck ... nice sized rainbows. The probable illegal one was a mud puppy (sculpin) that took the fly, and as I tried to raise it to release it, a HUGE, brown trout, I mean to tell you HUGE brown trout, slammed out of the recesses and nailed that sculpin! As I raised the line, the trout let go, and then SLAMMED it agin! Before I had it totally out of the water, the trout grabbed hold and shook like a wild man, shaking the sculpin loose, and impaling himself, in the mouth, on the fly! I did land him. Holy schmazolie! What a sight! Rod bowed like crazy, but held the big guy! And, I released him, too. Should I fear for my image in fishing with live bait in a flys only area? Will the trout police come and search me down? Wish I'd had pictures, but everyone was laughing too hard to take any.
Think I have found my new go to rod for small streams!