Hi
Looking for suggestions for 1 or 2 smallmouth rods. Main rivers are Susquehanna and Delaware in PA.
Thanks Dave
Dave;
One suggestion would be the TFO BVK 6 wt. with fighting butt. Great rod for about $250.00
Another suggestion would be the custom made Sage RPL 6 wt that’s on the for sale board now. I own two Sage RPL rods one 5 wt and one 7 wt and they are really nice rods. Not too fast but still able to push a big bushy fly out there with ease. Great rods!
Jim Smith
go to midwest custom rods and have him put one together for you they are just outstanding and the price is even better
I would look at the Bob Clouser rods by TFO. Bob fishes and guides on the Susquehanna, so I think he has a pretty good idea of what a smallmouth rod should do.
For smallmouth, I fish both a St Croix Legend Ultra 9’ 6wt and the Bob Clouser 8’9" 8wt.
You said it! Steve made a rod for me that is easily my favorite rod…not just because it looks great, but because it hands-down outcasts all my other rods. Tell him what you want, and he’ll get’er done for a very reasonable price.
The Ross Flystik is a good rod at a reasonable price. I picked a used one up from another FAOL member and have been extremely satisfied with it.
I recently got a TFO BVK 6wt (w/o fighting butt) and I have been very pleased so far - and the warranty is the best
As Jim said ealier, you can’t go wrong with an “RPL” I love my 5 wt. for most bass situations.
Elkkhorn traveller 6wt. is a favorite of mine. Great rod for a good price, excellent warranty service.
jed
Prior to the TFO connection, Clouser worked with St. Croix. My primary warmwater rod is the St. Croix Clouser 8wt. Believe it or not, paired with a Clouser line you can pitch a small housecat into a 20 knot headwind. Pretty good setup for bass.
That is also my primary smallie rod. I should have clarified that in my first post. It is also a great rod for the salt.
Dave
I got to cast the TFO Clouser at the Va Fly fishing Festival during a class I took with Mr. Clouser, himself. Very nice rod, medium action (Bob said it was a “progressive” action), and very, very nice looking rod. I picked the BVK instead mainly due to the weight difference. Also, casting from my nucanoe I thought the extra length may be helpful.
If you’re on a budget (like I am), Scientific Anglers makes a nice 5/6 wt rod. That’s what I usually use for smallies here in TN. They run around $35.00. I also like my Eagle Claw (I call it the Yellow Peril) 6wt. It is very tough and casts really nice, probably not like a $500.00 rod, but good enough for me. They cost about $25.00.
I’ve cast both the BVK and the Professional. I think both rods would make great smallie rods in either a 6 or 8wt. The BVK is lighter but also faster.
There are lots of good rods out there. What you get depends upon how much that you want to spend and if you have a requirement to test cast the rod rod before you buy it. I would be reluctant to buy any rod without test casting it unless I had no choice. There are lots of excellent rods out there, but the trick is finding out what rod feels best to you and how the rod casts with the type of lines that you want to use. You are not going to know that unless you test cast the rods, preferably with your fly line or a fly line that is similar to what you will be using.
I can tell you you that I have cast the Temple Fork BVK six weight, and it is nice casting rod. I have also cast several Echo rods, and I like the way that they cast better than the BVK’s although they do not feel as light in the hand as the BVK… If you are willing to spend more money, you should test cast the Orvis Hydros rods and Legend Elite Rods.
If your will be buying two rods, get a six and and eight weight. If you want to use just one rod for smallies, then get a seven weight
If you are getting