So I have decided to take the plunge and use my birthday as an excuse to buy a one weight at Cabelas. So you one weight tossers, do you find it preferable to overline by a weight on these rods? How much actual one weight line does it seem to take to load one of the Clear Creek one weights up properly?
If you’re thinkig you’re going to use a 2 wt line, then you should also consider the available “2wt” rods. A “1 wt” rod that casts better with a 2 wt line is basically a 2 wt rod. I don’t know if this is the case with the Cabelas. If you want a true 1wt rod, find one that that will cast a 1 wt line, like the Dan Craft or a Sage.
Incidentally, I’m going to build and sell a Dan Craft 6’-10" 1wt blank that I’ve had laying around. Email me if your interesdted, although it will be a bit more than the Clear Creek.
I have a Cabela’s Clear Creek 2wt - I’ve found that I can comfortably cast several different weights and types of lines with it. While I would say that it casts a DT2F Scientific Anglers XPS line the best, I can cast a 1wt line on it decently as well (Sage Quiet Taper works great, as well as Cortland Clear Creek). For times I want to use this rod, but the wind is a bit much to cast it well, I go up to a WF3F or have even used a WF4F with lot of success (What can I say, I like to experiment a bit with lines…).
But to answer your question, I think that a lot of us prefer to overline 1wt rods with a 2wt line simply because there are not a lot of choices for 1wt lines. I haven’t been looking at lines lately, but last time I looked at 1wt line, there was only like 3 choices (Sage Quiet Taper, Cortland Clear Creek, and Orvis Wonderline). There may be a few others now, but not nearly as many lines as you can find in 2wt. This lack of selection pretty much forced me to look for a 2wt line that I really liked. I’m not sure if you fish 3wt or 4wt rods, but if you do, chances are they have your favorite line in a 2wt as well, but more than likely not a 1wt. This is something to think about before selecting the 1wt rod. Look at me - I have an Orvis TLS 1wt that casts best for me with a WF3F line…Just couldn’t find a 1wt line I liked with it.
Personally, I do not think you can go wrong with one of the Clear Creek rods. Most of us have heard or experienced nothing but good things about them (Try searching for them on the boards if you already have not). If you do get the combo, I would recommend that you cut about a foot off the tip of the Clear Creek line. I don’t know why, but I didn’t like the way it turned over with the longer tip, but it works great now.
This post got me thinking again, so I quickly researched 1wt lines to see if there were any more makers/types. Unfortunately, still not a lot of choices. I could only find 5 that are available:
Rio Trout (both WF1F & DT1F)
Cortland Clear Creek (WF1F only)
Sage Quiet Taper II (WF1F only)
Sage Quiet Double Taper (DT1F only)
Orvis Wonderline (DT1F only)
Tons of 2wt lines out there though. Pretty much every manufacturer has at least 1. I was sad to see Cortland no longer makes 444 Peach in DT2F though…
I use the Sage Quiet Taper II 1 wt on my 1 wt Sage SLT. I love that rod. I do not understand the overlining thing but it appears tht some folks have done so to their advantage. Enjoy your new rod. 1 wt rod is not a toy no matter who disagrees. After a year of use I have no trouble casting with flies up to a #10. As far as the loading question, I just roll cast, pick up the line and false cast once and then let it go.
It’s amazing that you should be asking about this now. I bought the same Clear Creek outfit for Christmas and finally got around to doing the nail knots last night. I took it out this morning with the Cortland #1 weight line for a try out. WHAT A SWEET ROD! It laid out 30-40 feet of line with almost no effort at all. I’ve heard about people overlining the one weights but I can’t see why. I was also pleasantly surprised at how well the rod and line handled a steady, persistant breeze. From previous comments on this board, I had assumed that wind would terminate any casting at all. I wouldn’t want to try this outfit in a full gale but it did well in a good breeze.
The rod also added an additional thrill to a couple of medium size gills and a 10 inch bass. I am absolutely delighted with the Clear Creek #1 weight. 8T
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.
The only problems I have had was when a large fly was cast into a breeze with a ‘light’ rod. Then a bigger rod was called for. A light rod just is not intended to ba able to cast in all conditions. No rod size is.
Quite true. No rod can do everything in all conditions. If the wind picks up even a bit, the 1 wt starts to lose its effectiveness quickly. Then it is time to switch to a 4wt. As conditions worsen, we go to 5 or 6 wts. Flyfishers have to adapt to the weather, because it will never happen the other way ! If it wasn’t the weather, we could never justify owning all our rods !
Robin, call the Fly Shop at Cabelas before you go on over. When I bought mine from the store in Fort Worth, the guy in the fly shop said the 1 wt is on backorder much of the time.
Or give me a call and we can get together for a casting/lunch break near my office at 75 and Campbell across from the Richardson Hotel.
What JC, Buzz, and Richard said. I would never claim that one weights are the all purpose rod. Weather, water type (weedy, snag-filled, etc) and the type of fish you are seeking all place limitations on these rods. I have two four weights, a six weight and two nine weights that get very regular use.
Having said that, when conditions are right those one weights SURE ARE FUN! 8T
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.
I got the 1 wt from Cabelas and it works fine with the 1 wt Clear Creek line provided. I would not use the reel that Cabelas supplies with the outfit. The reel is classed for 3 to 5 wt lines and is much too heavy to balance the rod. It will work but it is a pretty strange combination.
I took it out a couple of weeks ago fishing shallow water gills and it really is fun. I was casting little foam poppers tied on a size 14 hook and small unwieghted nymphs and it worked fine. I will verify that you can land a 17 inch largemouth on it. Maybe not in the most graceful manner but it worked. You can not (at least I can not) turn a couple of foot long carp with it.
I live in Collin County in North Texas, just up the road from Dallas. There are numerous creeks, runoff ponds, tanks and similar small water that cry out for a small tackle address.
I have had such a blast with my three weight, I own a two weight and this just seems to be the next progression. I have two eight weights that may as well have stayed in the box. I keep them for trips to Texoma for striper.
I’ve had my Cabela’s Clear Creek, 7 foot 1-weight for about four years and fish with it most of the time. It handles beautifully for smallstream trout, panfish and smallmouth bass, mostly all I fish for lately. I have it matched with a Hardy flyweight reel that balances it perfectly with an Orvis WF1F Wonderline. In addition, I carry a spare spool for the Hardy wound with Cortland 444 DT2F Peach. This is a medium action, smooth casting little beauty that delivers everything I want from a rod, including not aggravating the arthritis in my right hand after 3 or 4 hours of casting. For $100 bucks I can’t ask for anything more.
Later, RW
“Maybe your stature as a fly fisherman isn’t determined by how big a trout you can catch, but by how small a trout you can catch without being disappointed.” <John Gierach>
I suppose a 1wt is going to be in my future sooner or later. For the last two years an 8’, 2wt rod has been my rod of choice for easily 75-80% [or more] of my fishing. My problem up to this point is that I like 8’ [or at least 7 1/2’] rods over the shorter sticks. And they are few and far between [and expensive] in the 1wts. I had hoped that Orvis would have their “25% trade-in” program this year and I’d be able to pick-up a far-and-fine 1wt [7 1/2’] but I guess they’re not running it this year & they are not listing the rod on their website any more anyway. I guess I’ll just have to keep looking or settle for the Cabela rod.
I have decided that I will get the one weight line that comes with as well as a two weight line for shorter casting.
Now I just need to decide upon a reel that is light enough, can swap spools and won’t break the bank. Man oh man, if I had only known all the decision making and hand wringing that would go into this fly fishing stuff…
