Gear for small streams (rod length)

[jeffroey]

I usually hover around 6'6" to 7'6" with regard to rod length. Anything longer than 7'6" is just too much rod for me to manage on small streams.

Equally as important for me when SS fishing is my blank material choice. I have a mix of glass and carbon in my collection and I tend to favor glass most days but when fishing small streams, glass is a given - if for nothing else its durability.

Found myself blazing a few trails into some sweet spots this summer that required some bushwacking. Pretty confident I would've shortened several rods if they were carbon.

 

[rrt]

I have used a 6'6" 4-wt for many years. I have toyed around with the idea of putting a 3-wt line on it the next time my fly line wears out on it.

I imagine it comes down to personal preference. The short rod allows me to get under a lot of the canopy on the mountain streams I fish most often.

I have read books and articles where the experts tell us to use as long of rod as possible on these tiny streams. If I went over 7', I think I'd be tangled in trees and shrubs constantly, which would not be pleasant.

If I weren't so old, I might buy a new six-footer to see how that would work. But, at my age (nearly 71), I don't think it would be worth the money for all the longer I might get to use it.

Anyhow, 6'6" or 7' seems about right.

 

[salvelinus]

For small streams I use a 6'6" 2 wt. if there's no wind, a 6'8" 3 wt, and a 7'2" 3 wt for slightly larger streams. These rods are glass. I'd really like to find a nice glass 7' 4 wt.

 

[k-bob]

You'll get varying answers of course because people think of different streams when you say small stream. Also some people want to bow and arrow as in j Humphreys. Some like slow such bamboo or glass, I like fastish graphite. I also never fish nymphs or "dry and dropper" cause all I wanna do is fish dry fly... so I can use shorter rods and lighter lines. I do this in acidic streams or ones w barriers so 0 brown trout, dont need gear for a biggish fish that isnt there.

So for me, for tiny steep streams, I mean less than 10' wide, casting medium size dries to brookies w minimal bow and arrow, I like the 5' 6" 3wt 3pc bass pro classic small stream that's always avail online for

 

[k-bob]

I'm thinking of streams like 1st 3 here... 15' wide and open = different kettle of fish.

https://pfbc.pa.gov/images/fisheries/afm/2006/5x10_23lehigh_tribs.htm

 

[k-bob]

"Equally as important for me when SS fishing is my blank material choice. I have a mix of glass and carbon in my collection and I tend to favor glass most days but when fishing small streams, glass is a given - if for nothing else its durability.

Found myself blazing a few trails into some sweet spots this summer that required some bushwacking. Pretty confident I would've shortened several rods if they were carbon."

good point on durability of glass. I have broken 3 graphite fly rods brookie fishing, two by barely catching a small branch at the end of the rod while casting. snap!

jeffroey didnt know there was another delco brookie fisherman here ... pm me if you want to get an outdoor beer sometime...