2wt advise

N

nOObmaster

Active member
Joined
Jul 24, 2023
Messages
81
Location
nepa
last summer i was mainly bass fishing with 6wt (9') rod. in fall i switched to 4wt (8'4"), and i haven't touched my 6wt since.

i have been fishing rivers and creeks with my 4wt (8' 4"), while it is great on small rivers, i find it to be a bit too long for smaller creeks making maneuvering in tight spots harder. it is also making a bit of splash and seems to spook the brookies [it could be due to my inexperience and probably have to work on my casting].

since i own 6wt and 4wt, i am thinking of getting a 2wt just for smaller creeks and streams. can someone who owns 2wt recommend/comment the pros and cons? get a really nice one that will last a while vs get cheap one like cabelas etc? or should i stick to what i have?
 
Orvis Superfine Glass 6'6" 2wt is a nice rod.

I like short rods for small brushy streams, not everyone does. I prefer full flex rods for those streams, not everyone does. Glass is tough and perfect for that environment. It's a nice casting short rod. IMO if you can find the original 3 PC vs the newer 4pc I would go that route.
 
I've also heard good things about the Echo 6'9 2wt river glass.
Lots of options out there
 
I’m in the don’t waste your money on a 2 wt group. It might be a small group, I don’t know. I have never owned a 2 wt so I’m kind of disqualifying myself from your question but I have fished tight mountain streams and I do own a 7’9” 3 wt which is my least used rod. My days of manuevering around mountain laurel and such are about over and everybody has their own definition of tight places. In tight places, I did more dabbling, flinging, slinging and penduluming then what could be defined as casting so a super short rod does not really bring more to the table. I agree with the cheap glass rod for the conditions and would go with a 3wt over a 2 just because it’s a little bit less of a niche rod, or perhaps it makes the niche a little bigger. I’ll have to ponder that one.
 
sixfootfenwick said:
Orvis Superfine Glass 6'6" 2wt is a nice rod.

I like short rods for small brushy streams, not everyone does. I prefer full flex rods for those streams, not everyone does. Glass is tough and perfect for that environment. It's a nice casting short rod. IMO if you can find the original 3 PC vs the newer 4pc I would go that route.
Click to expand...
What he said! ^
 
Orvis makes the Recon in 7'6" 2wt. and they also have a Glass 2wt

Redington also has a Classic Trout in 7"6" 2wt

I have an Orvis Glass 7'6" 3wt and I really like it. It sets flies on the water super soft - and fish feel great on it. Only con if you would consider it one, is I only use it for dries or a very small dry/dropper set up. Maybe you can throw smaller nymphs and small streamers with it, but that wasn't my intended use for it when it when I got it.

Honestly at some point I may try and pick up the glass 2 wt for the cabin and the very tiny blue lines up there.
 
I own one 2wt rod and it is noticeably different in action than anything I have in a 3wt or 4wt.

Most 2wt rods in shorter lengths are considerably faster than you would expect, even in glass. I feel this is because rod makers market to people who are more hung up on whether is says "2 wt" on the rod blank versus whether it will LOAD with a true-to-weight 2wt line without 30 - 40 feet of line in the air.

Bottom line, most 2wt rods aren't going to load the way you expect at the short distances you will cast on small streams unless you overload them, and that means you ain't fishing a 2wt... ;)

If you want a SHORTER rod, go for it but look at a 3wt or 4wt which are much more versatile, can buck breezes better and throw a larger range of fly sizes.

I have 3wt & 4wt rods from 5'0" up to 7'0" for small stream work and all of them will cast as short as 5 feet if I need them to with a standard line and sometimes that's what it's all about on really small streams.

Bottom line, lighter lines don't necessarily mean a more delicate presentation and in all honesty are not necessary, especially at the distances you are casting on small water.

That may explain why I only own ONE 2wt, and would never consider another...

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
The best 2wt is a 4wt.

For as often as you might "need" a 2wt for delicate presentation, you'll want a heavier line that can cast a fly with some authority 10x as often.

6" fish don't "fight better" on a 2wt rig. The rod just wiggles a little more.

The idea that a short light line rod is a small creek rod is flawed IMO. Light line rods are midge rods and not much more. They are a specialty rod or specific situations and they are not the match for small water that they may first seem. The reality is that small water usually means fishing normal sized flies (or larger) at short ranges in tight quarters. This requires more punch than 2 and 3wts offer.

I went through a light line phase and ended up progressively getting heavier line weight short rods for small stream fishing. I started with a 6'6" 2wt. and ended up overlining it with a 3wt. That wasn't cutting it so I got a 7' 9" 3wt. The length was nice but still lacking for real, actual fishing. Then I got a 7'6" 4wt. and settled on that and have had a handful in that configuration. Also, had a 7'6" 5wt for a spell that I sold and regretted it. This configuration became extremely uncommon and I finally located a decent blank so I'll soon have a 7' 6" 5wt again.

I will say that I think there is a niche for a very short 4wt in the 6' 6" length or maybe even shorter. I've fished a bit with a banty cane rod that is really just the top two sections of a 6wt-ish rod. The super short length sometimes comes in handy. I wouldn't mind having a proper rod in this length.
 
My 7'6" 3 weight Redington Classic Trout is my favorite small stream rod and I love it. If I don't have room to maneuver that rod, I'm simply not fishing there. And I've used it on plenty of rhododendron- choked blue lines, so that's saying something. My only 2 weight is my Syndicate 10' nymph rod, but it's my mainstay, I fish that rod 75% of the time even if I'm not high sticking. I love the extra reach and it does a lot of things well. I've floated dries, dredged heavy tungsten euro jigs, cast indicators and swung weighted streamers on that rod. Never tried it on steelhead (yet) but I've landed 6 pound trout on it. I don't believe one rod will ever do everything perfectly, but this one does lots of things very well, imo.
 
The Redington Classic Trout 3 weight is a slow /moderate action very comparable to the older Orvis full flex rods. If you enjoy that kind of action, it's a real delight to fish. My other favorite slow action is a dirt cheap China made rod (Piscifun) 8'6" 4 weight that was sadly discontinued. At one point I imagine I had "sold" a few dozen of these rods to friends and acquaintances who were all impressed with these rods for the unbeatable price. Only the 4 weight had that magical, delightful action. The 5 weight rod was much faster and nothing special. I bought it originally as a cheap loaner rod for my kids and rookie friends to use and I ended up falling in love with the damned thing. My son eventually shut the tip in the truck door. My FIL and quite a few buddies bought them (after I pitched it to them) but none of them will sell it to me. 😁 I still check Amazon from time to time and even emailed the manufacturer but they don't seem to plan on bringing it back. If they ever did I would probably buy 10 more of them.
 
I have an Echo 2wt Riverglass. It’s a fun nice little rod but somewhat of a novelty in my opinion. As some others have said, for practicality, you’re better off with a 3 or 4wt.
 
nOObmaster said:
last summer i was mainly bass fishing with 6wt (9') rod. in fall i switched to 4wt (8'4"), and i haven't touched my 6wt since.

i have been fishing rivers and creeks with my 4wt (8' 4"), while it is great on small rivers, i find it to be a bit too long for smaller creeks making maneuvering in tight spots harder. it is also making a bit of splash and seems to spook the brookies [it could be due to my inexperience and probably have to work on my casting].

since i own 6wt and 4wt, i am thinking of getting a 2wt just for smaller creeks and streams. can someone who owns 2wt recommend/comment the pros and cons? get a really nice one that will last a while vs get cheap one like cabelas etc? or should i stick to what i have?
Click to expand...
I have an Orvis Clearwater 61/2ft 4 wht for sale $150.00 plus shipping, if you want to see some pictures ,let me know
 
I bought a 7'9" - 2 weight shortly after they first came out years ago.
I used it on spring and fishing creeks, along with brookie streams

It was a fun novelty to use for awhile.
But its not very practical in most places.
Got tired of struggling to make a decent long cast on larger pools that you inevitably come across - even in small streams.
And I rarely use it anymore
 
I use a 7 1/2 ft 4 wt for small stream fishing. Most of the time it's just fine. Sometimes I wish I had a longer fly rod, like an 8 ft rod, to make longer casts. It's very rare that I wish I had a shorter rod. Only in a few places where the casting is very tight because of rhododendron or alders. But where streams are real thick with those, I've come up with an ingenious solution. Go fish somewhere else.

Where streams are lined by normal trees (not rhodendron or alders) you can learn to cast with some practice with a 7 1/2 ft or 8 ft rod. There are certain casts that work well on small streams. You will pick this up with experience. Learn to use side arm and backhand casts.
 
I was in the market for a small creek rod a couple years ago and started looking at 2 weights, but didn't find a lot of choices in the sub $300 price point. Couldn't really justify spending a ton on a rod I would only use for a small subset of my fishing, but I love fishing small creeks so it was still a big want. My previous small creek rod was a 7'6" 4-weight, and I wanted something lighter and 7ft or less. I ended up with a Redington Butter Stick 7' 3-weight and have loved it from the first day out. My first glass rod, and was definitely the way to go for small hike-in creek fishing. I would say let your desired rod length guide you rather than sticking strictly to line weight.
 
See what troutopotomous said above. I fully agree.

My lightest is a 3 wt. which I seldom use. I have several 4 wts. It is my favorite. I have a 8'6" Sage, Orvis Flea 5'6",and a St. Croix 7'.
 
salmo said:
...My lightest is a 3 wt. which I seldom use. I have several 4 wts. It is my favorite. I have a 8'6" Sage, Orvis Flea 5'6",and a St. Croix 7'.
Click to expand...

I have a Flea too (bamboo) but mine is 6'6".

Is 5'6" a typo or is there another length out there?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top