Small Brook Trout Set-Up?

[glamcaster]

Hello there! I'm looking to get back into fly fishing after a pretty long break(total novice here). I was fixated on fly fishing until a year ago--when I relapsed into spin fishing. Currently, my only fly rod is an Orvis Clearwater 2. It's 7'9" in length, and a 5 weight. It's been fine for tooling around Valley Creek in Chesco, but not the best for smaller streams.

I mainly go for native brook trout, and I'm curious what set-up recommendations people may have. I fish a lot of creeks that you can literally jump across. The largest brookie I've caught in Pa was 11 inches...and I rarely hook browns over 12 inches. So, what do you recommend for small stream fly gear? Any ideas on rod/reel/line/leader/tippet would be super helpful!! I would also appreciate any fly recommendations Thanks and tight lines

 

[Vtsalmon]

I prefer a fiberglass 6’6” -7’ 3wt for small brook trout fishing . I think you would be happy with a rod in these lengths I can throw dry droppers set ups , nymphs , hoppers , wets , and micro streamers . Also glass rods are more forgiving when you fall while scampering around those small brooks . My current brook trout set up is a JP Ross beaver meadow s-glass 6’6” 3wt that I built . With a old Martin 61 reel . I don’t run expensive reels for Brookies , I have slipped wrecked a nice reel and watched friends do the same . If you are not in a hurry you could look into building your own rod . So rewarding when you land a fish on a rod you built . The pics bellow are of my current set up .

 

[hooker-of-men]

What are you finding is "not the best" about your setup on these streams? That would likely help folks make recommendations.

Whatever specific issues you're encountering aside, your current 5 wt is a fine rod for the vast majority of small streams. I get by with an 8'6" 5wt in most small stream situations. If I'm confident I'll mostly be fishing dries, I'll use a 7'6" fiberglass 6 wt. That's, in theory, a more practical length for streams with lots of cover, but I honestly don't actually notice the advantage much.

The disadvantage, though, is it doesn't throw a bobber quite as nicely as the graphite 5 wt if I find myself in the depressing situation of having to nymph for brookies. If you go down to a 3 wt, for instance, I would guess you'll run into similar problems with the range of uses for the rod.

I'll fully admit that I tend to be a neanderthal when it comes to making whatever gear I have on hand work, but when you're only making 8 foot casts pool to pool with a short leader, fishing gear doesn't seem like rocket surgery.

 

[troutbert]

Hello there! I'm looking to get back into fly fishing after a pretty long break(total novice here). I was fixated on fly fishing until a year ago--when I relapsed into spin fishing. Currently, my only fly rod is an Orvis Clearwater 2. It's 7'9" in length, and a 5 weight. It's been fine for tooling around Valley Creek in Chesco, but not the best for smaller streams.

I mainly go for native brook trout, and I'm curious what set-up recommendations people may have. I fish a lot of creeks that you can literally jump across. The largest brookie I've caught in Pa was 11 inches...and I rarely hook browns over 12 inches. So, what do you recommend for small stream fly gear? Any ideas on rod/reel/line/leader/tippet would be super helpful!! I would also appreciate any fly recommendations Thanks and tight lines

I'm not familiar with that rod. But several times I have cast the Orvis 7 ft 9 inch Far N Fine rod, and that is a very nice rod for fishing brook trout streams. I wish I had one.

What I use is a 7 1/2 ft 4 wt. medium action Redington graphite rod.

The best rod I've ever cast for mountain stream fishing was a 7 1/2 ft 4 wt Loomis rod from back around 1990 or so, a model which is no longer made. It could cast much further than my Redington, but still had good feel for shorter casts. A perfect small stream fly rod.

There are probably 7 1/2 ft 4 wts with similar action made today, but I don't know what they are. Some modern fast action rods can cast a long distance, but they are too stiff for short to medium casts. That's not good. The rod should cast smoothly on short casts, yet have a lot of power for line speed and casting distance.

 

[jifigz]

I think that your rod sounds just fine. I would suggest using it and continuing to hone your skills with it. Any money that you would think about spending on another one at this point I would use to buy basic tying stuff and begin learning that process, if you haven't already.

I use a 4 weight for 99% of my trout fishing but a 5 weight is fine. For small streams I will use anywhere from a 6.5' fiberglass rod to a 9' graphite rod. The rod I reach for most often is probably my 8'6" Redington CT, however, followed by my 7'6" Orvis glass rod. It all depends on what I want to fish and have fun with. But your rod sounds fine.

 

[Dave_W]

Agree with jifigz ^ : the rod you have is fine.

The brookie streams I fish tend to be very dense with rhododendron and other vegetation and this, combined with my personal affinity for very short rods, usually sees me fishing a 4ish rod under 6' in length. For most beginners, this is not a good choice and something in the 7' range is better, especially for more open creeks with longer, flat pools.

 

[JeffK]

For a reference, back in the day the Fenwick 756 rod ( 7 1/2' 6 wt) was the hot small stream rod (note: I was too broke to afford one in the early 70's). I like rods no shorter than 7' in order to control the line on the water; casting distance not an issue with small streams. These days my small rod is a 7' 4 wt but I also like 7 1/2'.

I found an old Fenwick 756 cheap and bought it for nostalgia's sake. The heavier 6 wt line is out of favor for small streams but it has it's advantages. A shorter length of line can load the rod and it is easier to do the bow and arrow cast - the old-timers way to zip through the rhododendron thickets. ( Joe Humphreys had a great video on fishing small streams with heavier lines than people use today) Another old trick for short rods in tight spaces was to use a level line to load the rod more quickly - something that is way out of favor these days. Try to find a level line today!

 

[RLeep2]

I think a 7 foot five weight rod is optimal for the sort of fishing you're describing. But that may be because I do not own a fly rod lighter than a 5 wgt and I've done most of my small stream fishing with a 7 foot/5 wgt. for a long, long time. I don't know if anybody, outside of custom builds, is making these rods any more. This length and weight is probably best in either glass or older, slower graphite. If you could be OK with a used rod, here are a few to keep your eye peeled for. None are rods currently in production. All are 7 foot 5 weights. On the less common/more expensive end of the spectrum would be the Orvis Small Stream Special. This is older graphite from the late 80's or so. They are in fairly high demand and are not cheap.
If you can find one, the first generation Fenwick Eagle 705 was a very nice small stream rod. This was first generation graphite from the early 80's or so. A bit older and pretty uncommon would be the old Fenwick 705 brown glass rod. Very nice small water rod. Finally, I don't know the models but some of the older (70's) Cortland glass rods were good. They had a 705.

So, there's a few, just sticking to production rods.

Actually though, as some have noted, the rod you have is also a good tool for smaller water within reason (IMO). On tight waters, it can be a little like learning to eat at a crowded table. You just have to pay a little more attention to how widely you swing your elbows. It's a nice rod though..

 

[salmo]

I have a 6’6” 4 wt. flea rod for tiny streams. I usually fish it with a 7 foot leader. I do a lot of bow and arrow casting in tight spaces.

 

[JGR]

I use 6 or 6 1/2-foot, 5-weight rods for tiny rhododendron lined streams with low canopies. I've never wanted a longer rod while fishing bluelines.

 

[wildtrout2]

My little St. Croix 7' 3wt takes care of my needs for freestone natives and wild browns. As mentioned, the blue line streams are almost always on the small side, as are the trout, so this rod is perfect for this type of fishing.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

You've gotten excellent advice across the board here. 80% of my fishing is done on blue lines. For me, I take a 6'6" 3wt if it is a) going to be very brushy, and b) I know I'm throwing dries. My favorite all-around rod is a 7' 5wt because of the versatility to throw small streamers in deep plunge pools/higher flows if need be. On a bigger stream like Slate- I rotate to an 8' 4wt...sometimes an 8'6" 4wt for added distance if flows are low (spooky fish). If you are looking to purchase a brookies rod, you do not need to spend a lot of money to get serious bang for the buck. I have both graphite and glass rods...both have their place in my arsenal. If you need some rod brand recommendations, feel free to PM me. Cheers

 

[pcray1231]

I do a fair bit of small stream, rhodo tunnel fishing.

My main tool is a 7'6" Cortland in a 4/5 weight, and I throw 7 wt line on it. If the stream is a little bigger or the canopy is more open I use 5 wt line. For slightly larger streams I have an 8' St. Croix Imperial 5 wt, again either with the 7 wt or 5 wt line.

I've never been one for finesse on brookie streams. Finesse is for fishing tricos and midges on slow spring creeks with complicated currents. On a brookie stream I wanna throw a size 12 dry usually, under that thar branch, and a little micro drag is no big deal. I want some line speed and tight loops, but I also want it to load with just a few feet of line off the rod tip, and I want it to be able to roll cast and bow and arrow cast well. In my experience, a stiff rod with a softish tip, and a heavy line is the answer. I"ve considered adding something a little shorter to the arsenal, in the 7' range.

You're rod seems fine. Maybe a touch long for the thickest places.

 

[salmo]

Actually for brookie fishing a cheaper rod is recommended. Lots of places to break a rod. By the way, I’ve actually bought some great stuff at super good prices on this site from the swap forum.

 

[PennKev]

Another vote for a 7' 6" 4wt. Perfect smaller water rod. Still plenty versatile.

 

[Bamboozle]

The definition of a "small" stream as well as what rod length is the best is subjective to the user & amount of cover in and around the water you fish so I'll leave that alone.

Three things I have embraced in years of fishing trickles:

• (1) If you want WHATEVER rod you choose to load at the short distances you will most likely be casting, fish a SHORT leader. I use about a 5-6' leader most of the time.

• (2) Carry less $#!+ 'cause you won't need it. Consider creating a separate "small stream" set-up. In my case, I use a small over the shoulder bag with just the necessities and ONE small fly box.

• (3) Brook trout are stupid so just about any fly you have will work just fine. I like beadhead nymphs and heavily hackled dries that float well on the choppy water often encountered on really small streams.

As far as matching the hatch and how that impacts how many fly boxes I carry, it never seems to be an issue except at small streams in North-central PA during peak times. When I fish there, I may take an extra small box with a few of the flies I expect.

Good luck!

 

[BradFromPotter]

Your rod is fine. Just practice. Don't waste your money yet.

 

[silverfox]

I'm partial to 7'-0" or 7'-6" glass rods in 3 or 4 wt myself for brookie fishing. My go to is a Scott F series pack rod. I've tried everything from 6'-0" 1wts to 9'-0" 2 wts and 7'-6" 3/4 just seems perfect for small 8 to 15 ft wide mountain streams, in my opinion. I'm building a 6'-6" 2wt glass rod right now just because I've started fishing some really tiny trickles.

Outside of glass, one of my favorite brookie rods is a Redington Classic Trout in the 7'-6" 2wt configuration. Their zero reel is a good click/pawl too. I can't believe I haven't broken that rod. I've had it wrapped around laurel so many times and thought for sure I broke it, but it's still like new.

No need for any of this though. As others have said, your current rod is fine, though the 5wt is a bit overkill in my opinion. You could play around with underlining it and shortening up the leader.

 

[jeffroey]

I do a fair bit of small stream, rhodo tunnel fishing.

My main tool is a 7'6" Cortland in a 4/5 weight, and I throw 7 wt line on it. If the stream is a little bigger or the canopy is more open I use 5 wt line. For slightly larger streams I have an 8' St. Croix Imperial 5 wt, again either with the 7 wt or 5 wt line.

I've never been one for finesse on brookie streams. Finesse is for fishing tricos and midges on slow spring creeks with complicated currents. On a brookie stream I wanna throw a size 12 dry usually, under that thar branch, and a little micro drag is no big deal. I want some line speed and tight loops, but I also want it to load with just a few feet of line off the rod tip, and I want it to be able to roll cast and bow and arrow cast well. In my experience, a stiff rod with a softish tip, and a heavy line is the answer. I"ve considered adding something a little shorter to the arsenal, in the 7' range.

You're rod seems fine. Maybe a touch long for the thickest places.

Tend to agree with PCR on a couple of points. My go-to tool is a 7' 5 pc 3 Wt I overline with a 5 or a 6. I like a seven footer especially until I've fished a stream and decided for myself if I should go shorter or longer the next time i visit. Looking back thru my notes from the past couple of seasons, I made 1 ref in ~ 75 small stream visits i explored that indicated i wished i had a shorter rod. Many many more refs indicating i couldve gotten away with a 7'6" (or 7'7" a la the venerable SA System 5) or even an 8 footer. Too often based on topography, you want to be in the lower level reaching up into the next level and having an extra 6 inches or a foot in rod lenght would've made a huge difference and well worth the extra effort of threading it through the rodo.

That and not a lot of need for finesse. If I slap a fly in a lie on a small stream, odds are im still enticing a reflex strike from a brookie. If not, I just move to the next riffle or hole.

I like the packability of a 5 pc and often wait until I get in before rigging up. (I use Jordan Ross' Muir (E) or a Bens of Holland (S) I built up from blanks. Both 5 pc 3 wts I overline. Both glass.

BTW wild trouter: I built up the same JPR 6'6" 3Wt Beaver Meadow (S) that you ref'd above but haven't fished it yet. I'm looking forward to getting it out.

My advice: stick with what you have initially. Consider overlining it if it doesn't do what you want to it to in the first 25-30 feet. Fish a couple of small streams and decide what works for you ... but ... consider glass for your next build or buy if for no other reason than the durability but because I know you looovvvveee the full flex, soft feel, and light tippet protection.

 

[glamcaster]

You all are awesome!! Thanks for the advice. I have a better understanding of how to fish bluelines on the fly now.