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Thread: Short Fly Rods for Small Streams

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Wheeling, IL USA
    Posts
    150

    Default Short Fly Rods for Small Streams

    After fly fishing primarily for warm water species in the Midwest, I've fished a few times in Southeast Wisconsin's Driftless region and I really like that type of fishing. Consequently, I've got bug to do a lot more fishing for trout in small streams. I have fished these small streams with an eight foot four weight rod, which worked well for most of the streams that I fished. I did find myself in some sections of streams where any type of cast was difficult to impossible to execute due to overhanging brush and lack of room to even do a roll cast. I'm considering getting a shorter fly rod in either a three or four weight to fish these tight streams, but I'm not sure how short I want to go. I plan on fishing with both surface flies and subsurface flies, so I want want something long enough to do at least some mending. Would a 6'10" or 7' rod be short enough to or should I go shorter than that?

    Thanks for your opinions.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Western Washington
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    2,036
    Blog Entries
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    Default

    BigA,

    A soft or slow action 7 foot rod works great on small streams and pocket water fishing. Bamboo is a great rod for that or a graphite that is designed as a true medium action rod.

    I did have a 6 foot 2 weigth rod once but found that a rod that short, for me, was not as effective for fishing, again, that was for me, but I would imagine that some people do very well with them.

    Steve Pennington makes a great 7 foot 4 weight bamboo rod. Some of us on FAOL have that rod.

    Larry ---sagefisher---

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Cresco, Iowa
    Posts
    230

    Default

    Sagefisher is right on. A number of years ago (20+) I used a 7 foot fiberglass rod on small streams and it did very well. I'm going the opposite direction as I now am going after smallies on larger streams and have gone to longer, heavier rods. I don't think you could go wrong with a slower action 7 footer.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Des Moines, IA
    Posts
    1,484

    Default

    BigA

    I fish small streams in NE Iowa's Driftless region which is very similar to that in SW WI. My primary rod is an 8 1/2' 4wt, but also will use either a 7' 4wt bamboo made by Steve Pennington or a 7'3" 3wt full flex graphite. I primarily stick with the 4 wts and find them more versatile. I'll sometime use the 3wt if I am fishing very small dry flys and there is not much wind.

    Dave
    " If a man is truly blessed, he returns home from fishing to the best catch of his life." Christopher Armour

  5. #5

    Default

    7' 4wt in glass is ideal for most such fishing. If you have a slower 7 ftr in graphite, in tight spots, it is often better to overline it with a 5wt line for better turnover in tight spots. Practise you bow-n-arrow casts with a piece of yarn on the end of your leader for dry fly type presentation.

    aa
    US Veteran and concerned citizen

  6. #6

    Default Related question

    I have seen a Lefty Kreh video where he suggests using a regular 8.5-9' rod for small streams. Lefty just used the top two sections to cast. As soon as he had made the cast, he would reattach the tip sections to the butt to complete the drift and/or fight the fish.

    I get the distinct impression that nobody actually does this. Am I wrong?

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