A lot of fishermen in the Smokies fish dropper rigs. Typically a bushy dry with a Copper John, Hare’s Ear Nymph, or Pheasant Tail on a dropper.
In all of the discussion about rod action, I wonder what type of rod casts something like this “better” (subjective term, I know). Understand that most casts will be inside 30 feet.
I have read that you need a fast rod to punch all of that tackle out there. I’ve also read that the smaller loops generated by a faster rod will tend to tangle a dropper rig more often. Any thoughts on which one is more likely?
Here in the UK many anglers use more than one fly on both stillwaters and rivers The traditional rod for river wet fly fishing trends to a bit on the softer side and longish. The idea is for slower casting with bigger loops so that you don’t tangle up your flies. Also a softer drop onto the water.
With loch-style fishing, the casting is short line but with a longish rod, only a few years ago a loch rod was 11.5ft quite commonly. Most go for about 10ft now.
As I said the soft rod is the safest way to cast a multiple fly set-up. The most common rod now-a-days on the river is a 9ft.
I recently decided to go back to the longer rod for soft hackles etc for river fishing. I bought a 10ft wt 4, which I have yet to try out. Only a few more weeks.
The above statement is only my opinion, no doubt someone will say they can use a 6.5ft rod to cast 16 flies nae bother.
This reason in particular why I upline and use softer longer rods. Granted most of it is done in salt water but the same principles apply. Salt water fish station themselves and feed in tidal rivers like trout do in freshwater rivers. Drag free drifts, swings, and greased line swings are great tools for salt water fish too. I will normally use 3-5 flies on a leader at once so tight loops and fast casts with fast fly turn overs are asking for trouble.
You need to be able to cast with large loops and slow fly turnovers and deal with wind or you will be picking out snots of fly and leader all day long.
No, large loops are not bad technique and form if that is what you are trying to accomplish, no matter what anybody states.
All those flies on the line also slow the fly line down no matter how fast you want to try and cast. I will routinely go 3-4 sizes heavier in my flyline to my rod.
The heavier line also helps load the rod while mending, where high line speed is not an option. You only have drag from the water and I find that it is not enough to load the rod without the extra line weight to pick up some line off the water and use the flex of the rod to shoot some line into a mend and continue your drift.
Generally I won’t have any more than 20-30 feet of backcast room, bridges with people walking by and hooking patrons of the bars and restaurants that I like to fish around wouldn’t be good to keep public access, and I need to be able to throw 30 - 70 feet reguarly.
For most of my fishing I like a ten weight line but hate 10 weight rods, too fast, stiff, heavy and mend like junk. Besides I don’t have to buy as many rods, fly lines are much cheaper. I just picked up an 11 foot slow to med action six weight to use with a ten weight line and it works perfectly. Feeling the rod load at night with quick pickups and single backcasts with a single double haul and shoot are the name of the game for my type of fishing. Leave the false casting and high line speed for experts on the lawn.
As with all things, you gotta try it yourself and be willing to learn something new. I like it others don’t.
Sage makes one but the one I got is a Cabela’s traditional. Can’t go wrong for 90 bucks. I had to modify the stripping guides though. There were two small ones that were too far apart. I just cut them off and put three larger ones on closer together. Makes the rod shoot a whole lot better.
I bought Davey Wotton’s “Wet Fly Ways” DVD and now I want an 11 foot 5 or 6 weight just for fishing wet flies. Actually, I don’t need one that long as I am guessing I am about a foot taller than he <BG>
