Need a new Pa small mountain stream brookie rod

[Paflyguy33]

This rod will be only used for small mountain streams. So versatility will not be the issue as I will have other rods on vehicle if I want to fish larger streams throughout the day. I want to get a 1 or 2 weight to have a more enjoyable experience. Casting distances will be from 5-30 ft a lot of tight over hanging branches but some open easy water also. I'm looking for a rod in length of 5-7'would prefer a smaller rod but I'm open minded now since I did take my old cortland cl 7' 3/4 weight out today and it performed great. I'm gonna give my top choices in no specific order and I'd like if you could give me a list of suggestions but put yours in top rated order. Can be any material. Thanks for reading and hope to see and read your suggestions.

#1 st croix imperial 6' 2 weight

#2 echo glass 6'3" 2 weight

#3 echo carbon 7'3" 2 weight

#4 elkhorn western 7' 1or2 weight

#5 hardy aln 5' 2 weight

#6 hardy flyweight 6' 2 weight

#7 orvis Clearwater 6' 2 weight

#8 redington butterstick 6'2" 2 weight

#9 temple fork finesse 5' .5 weight 6'9" 1 weight 7'3" 2 weight

#10 cabelas cgt 6'2" 2 weight

#11 wynchwood river and stream 6' 2 weight

 

[sarce]

I can't see myself ever spending much money on a brookie rod. Those places will beat the crap out of your gear. For me it would come down to cost. I'm not sure what all of those cost but I've been using a cheap Cabelas 5 wt for five years now and it has withstood a lot of abuse, far more than I would have expected for the price. Last summer I whacked it full speed into a branch on a cast, and only broke the guide that came in direct contact with the branch.

Not saying the other rods can't take it, but I wouldn't want to learn the hard way.

 

[Brownie101]

http://www.shu-fly.com/Short_Mid_Rod.html

For $100, you can't beat it. I have the 6'6 3wt. It can cast big, brushy dries, and it's really tough. I've hit it on tons of branches over the past year. I would recommend getting a feel for it though, because the one it comes with is pretty crappy.

 

[wgmiller]

I use an Eagle Claw 6'6" "Featherlight" paired with a Pfleuger Medalist for my brookie fishing. All totaled, under $100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EAGLE-CLAW-FL300-66-6-6-FLYROD-4WT-FEATHERLITE-6701-/281301666307?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417ee2ca03

 

[k-bob]

I have owned the echo, the imperial, and the elkhorn. all good, but I like the 6'9" tfo 1w better and it's really a 2w. a lot of info in the archives here:

http://ultralightflyfishing.com/forum/

 

[Paflyguy33]

I believe all rods listed are below 300 except for the hardy rods. Yes price is in my mind I don't want to spend a lot on a rod that could very well get broke easily. However I am a firm believer you get what you pay for. So I do want to find that middle ground. Where I can get a quality rod at a good price. If I have to spend a little more so be it but I will get a warranty with those higher priced rods so if I break it they will fix it.

 

[pcray1231]

Well, personally, none of the above would be on my short list. They're all 2 wts! Tight overhanging branches, small windows, etc. and light, finesse rods just don't go together.

(for reference, for brookies my main set up is a 4/5 wt and I often load it with 7 wt line).

But of those, the St. Croix Imperial would be my action of choice.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

If durability and price are your main factors,
Go with a short vintage fiberglass rod.

 

[Alnitak]

Along the lines of what salvelinus suggested, I was going to suggest the Orvis SuperFine Touch Glass rods. They often run sales on them. I have the 6' graphite version in a 3WT for those small tight spots. I love it.

 

[SlingerFlyRods]

not trying to make a sale or drum up business for myself (I am done for the year lol) but look into having someone do a custom build, or buy a kit to build yourself.

Just a thought.

personally I use my 7'3 2wt on streams the size you mentioned.
I use my 7'10" sage txl 000 wt. on wilderness and class A's. Everywhere else its either 8' 4wt. or stuff such as pine creek near where I'm located I go 9' 5wt.

find someone near you who builds fly rods and get a price on one. Can't hurt to ask right?

good luck

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I have a St. Croix 7'6" 2 weight "Avid". I do not use it on small streams ,it's a specialized trico rod. IMO the 2 weights don't have enough backbone for all the tight spots you have to cast into on a small brush infested brookie stream. I would recommend at least a 3 weight. My two favorite small stream rods are a 3 weight G Loomis GL3 6'6" and a Sage "TXL" 7' 4 weight. If you must go with a 2 weight though I would recommend the St. Croix 6' "Imperial".

 

[Van_Cleaver]

I think more along the lines of pcray in that I like at least a 4 wt. Don't get to do a lot of small stream brookie fishing but like my 7' Diamondback (3/4) especially since I won it in a TU contest.

 

[Stroup]

I can't imagine throwing a 1 wt--or even a 3 wt on the mountain streams I fish. I take guys all the time that have these little flimsy, soft rods that are designed to make a fight out of a six inch fish. Mountain fishing is a casting game -- not at all about trying to create a battle that isn't one in the first place. I have a video on mountain fishing on my site if you want to check it out. I use a 7 1/2 5wt. from TFO that costs $150 and has a warranty. I can move the rod about a foot and fish the next pool up and get a wulff under a laurel bush. Everyone has their own idea of what is fun, but I can tell you there is no place in the brush for a flimsy rod--you simply don't have the room for a long stroke. You have to punch the line and will the fly to the spot.

 

[JackM]

Line weight and rod action are relative. I don't see why you cannot "punch" a 3-weight line, unless it is extremely windy, which it never is on small mountain streams. I am a mere amateur, however.

 

[pcray1231]

A heavy line simply carries energy better. A lot of it is about momentum. In casting you're powering through twigs and such. Also most casting strokes are short and overpowered, which is not a good way to lay out a light line. The same snap of the wrist transfers energy down a thick rope better than a string. And big lines also offer more resistance on water hauls.

But some like soft action light rods while acknowledging that they're less effective for this kinda fishing. And more power to em. It is about enjoying yourself. My sledgehammer to pound in a tack nail approach doesn't have to appeal to everyone. It does work, though.

These aren't finesse fish. They live in thick, gnarly places and aren't really drag shy. I save the 2 wt superfines for midges and tricos on bigger, more open water.

 

[outsider]

Paflyguy33:

If you look for the answer to your question by posting a selection of rods on a forum, you will find an almost infinite number of responses, most of them different.

IMHO, visit a number of fly shops and cast several rods, then you can make a more informed decision, or at least narrow down the choices. I've made a few mistakes selecting rods over the years by purchasing rods that were supposedly the answer. It won't happen again.

Cast it; if it feels good and does what you want it to do, you will have the answer.

 

[SlingerFlyRods]

pcray1231 wrote:
A heavy line simply carries energy better. A lot of it is about momentum. In casting you're powering through twigs and such. Also most casting strokes are short and overpowered, which is not a good way to lay out a light line. The same snap of the wrist transfers energy down a thick rope better than a string. And big lines also offer more resistance on water hauls.

But some like soft action light rods while acknowledging that they're less effective for this kinda fishing. And more power to em. It is about enjoying yourself. My sledgehammer to pound in a tack nail approach doesn't have to appeal to everyone. It does work, though.

These aren't finesse fish. They live in thick, gnarly places and aren't really drag shy. I save the 2 wt superfines for midges and tricos on bigger, more open water.

I really like that one. it makes perfect sense. For me personally its how my dad taught me growing up.. light lines, light rods, make a 7 inch brookie feel like a 15er.

Ill be going today and fishing a class A with my 1 wt while my fishing buddy will be throwing a 4wt. and undoubtedly he will be able to punch casts in spots I cannot.

 

[mattwolf]

Check out JP Ross Fly rods. I purchases one of his 2 wt 5' rods last year and love it. www.jprossflyrods.com. Or the Sage TXL-F, Orvis Superfine, or Orvis Glass, or the Sage Circa. All great rods.

 

[Cold]

I do a lot of brookie fishing, and for me, rod selection is a balance of a few factors, most of them necessitated by the crowded conditions on the streams I usually fish.

First, you rarely have room for a full casting motion. For me, that means fast action is the way to go. Something with a little zip that will let me (with the right line) shoot to double (or triple) my distance in a straight line, so that I don't necessarily need that same amount of room behind me.

Second, with branches overhead, you need to find the best compromise, for you, between a long rod that gives you reach and speed, and a short rod that is maneuverable and practical to use in the typical fishing conditions.

If it were me choosing the rod, I'd rule out all of the glass rods on general principle. For me, they require too much open space to be useful and fun on anything but the absolute largest, most open pools on a brookie stream, meaning I'd be passing up a lot of great fishing due to inaccessibility. From there, I'd be looking to get within the 6'6" to 7'0" range, with anything shorter not really suiting my personal casting style (yours may well differ), and anything very much longer being a pain to use effectively in tight conditions.

This being said, your list, for me, would drop to the following:

#3 echo carbon 7'3" 2 weight

#4 elkhorn western 7' 1or2 weight

#9 temple fork finesse 6'9" 1 weight 7'3" 2 weight

The 7'3" rods, while strictly speaking longer than 7'0" are close enough to consider them if price, looks, warranty, and handling are there.

That being said, I've never used an Elkhorn, so I can't comment there. I've used a few Echos, but mostly in the heavier weights. While that's not an ideal comparison, they seemed to be smooth casting, well made rods with a solid warranty at a competitive price. The TFO Finesse line is something I'm more familiar with, as a 6'9" 1wt is my go-to brookie rod. Obviously, I'd recommend them, but with a few caveats.

First, the factory build has a lot of "baby fat"...heavy components & such. Look into getting a blank custom built with the lightest components you can justify. I have mine with single foot recoil guides (eliminates nearly 50% of the wraps) and a cap & ring reel seat (eliminates the threaded metal sleeve on the reel seat, as well as the threaded band). I've also got this rig paired up with a Rio Pocket Water Taper line, which unfortunately isn't made anymore (I wish they'd bring it back)...which has a short heavy front taper enabling me to shoot line easily with only about 5-7' of fly line out of the end of the rod.

I also use a 7'10" 000wt, but it's too long to be much fun on thick brushy streams. Anywhere that I have the room, though, it's a ton of fun, and again, with the room, I prefer it to the TFO.

 

[pcray1231]

light lines, light rods, make a 7 inch brookie feel like a 15er.

If that's what you like, by all means. I gave up on 7 inchers feeling like 15 inchers long ago. If I'm after a good fight, brookie fishing just isn't going to be my thing.

Those open pools where you can cast. Yeah, any rod can catch those fish. There's no rod that's better than others. But the seemingly impossible casts. Those are fun for me. That's the challenge of it. And soft actions and light line weights are at a disadvantage there.