Matrix: What type of small stream rod do you fish?

**Chalkstream** · 03-05-2010, 05:34 PM

My small stream rig is a Sage TXL 7ft 3wt and a Danielsson Original Nymph reel. The rod is great but I think I'm going to have to overline it to get it to really work at close range, and I may 'have' to invest in a Hardy Glass rod :D - I'm rediscovering flex in rods after a while in the world of fast action, which frankly away from salt water leaves me a bit cold. And Mostyn's beautiful cane rod is getting me thinking of starting saving...

EDIT - 4wt line works a treat - it's staying on :D

Can't seem to vote on the poll on this thread???

**rayfound** · 03-05-2010, 05:37 PM

Sage TXL 00wt:

Pete-G · 03-15-2010, 12:23 PM

For any of you that know me from other forums and I think this forum. (was there another older version?) I have gone through a ton of fly rods. Graphite, glass, and bamboo. I was looking for something, but wasn't sure what it was. I felt that when I found it i'd know right away. I also fished many different types of waters. I kind of liked the Frying Pan, but the crowds drove me nuts. No to mention the 200 mile round trip.
I finally settled on small streams as my favorite kind of fishing. It put the biggest smile on my face, and it did it everytime. Ok, so that made picking a rod a little easier. Sort of. Again I tried graphite, glass, and bamboo, but now in shorter lengths. I love the looks and tradition of bamboo. It's what my grandpa used. Graphite leaves me cold. Even if they do cast well.(some) Glass is ok, but still not the tradition of bamboo and i'm not crazy over the looks.

So, it was going to be bamboo for sure. Not a hard decision, because I love bamboo. I looked for the perfect rod for my streams. I wanted a well known taper, because, well, tradition again. After much experimenting I settled on the Garrison 201 taper. It has a soft tip and will load with 1' of line out. It will also cast a good distance when needed. Farther than I can see the fly, and that far enough. I do fish a pond during runoff, and the distance helps. The rod does all I ask of it in my fishing, and puts a huge smail on my face everytime I use it. Which is everyday I fish.

My battle of buying and selling rods is over. I have no interest in the latest and greatest fly fishing gear. I love tradition and i'm comfortable back in that time period. Catching fish is a bonus.

**grayling** · 04-05-2010, 10:45 AM

I'm the other fiberglass smallstream guy here ... Steffen 3/4 wt 7 1/2', 5/6 wt 8'3" and McFarland 4wt 8'0", & soon 7 wt 8'6" for the occasional really big smallstream fish here. Break out the 75 and 79 Fenwick when i need to visualize fishing next to my dad again. Been known to sneak in the LL 3wts 5'6" and 6'6" plastic rods when i figure adam is not looking :D Started tenkara fishing in 1985 on Kauai ... only we called it oama fishing then (google) When I figured out i could catch redbanded trout in the Alakai swamp smallstream ... i died and went to heaven. Hurricane Iniki trashed the stream in 1992. So i transfer to AK in 1994. Recently picked up Ayu ... oh no !! i'm hooked again. I have my dad Orvis impregnated Madison and i assembled a Golden Witch Bamboo 4 wt 7 1/2' rod from pieces and parts. Most hardcore bamboo fishers probably don't consider them "bamboo" but it's all i know ... nice ... but i won't trade it for my glass. If i ever get a spare $2500+ laying around i'll get another airhead beemer bike before smoking some grass ... no wait i better put that another way ... but then maybe not ... retirement just aroung the corner :P

**ryan** · 04-05-2010, 07:48 PM

I have a 6' 3 wt. Chris McDowell bamboo that I fish paired with a Ross Colorado 1 for most of the small streams I fish, though if I'm hiking a long ways in, I'll bring graphite. I also have a Fenwick "flea-flicker" fiberglass that is only ~5' in length that I break out on a few select streams and an assortment of graphite in 1, 2, 3, and 4 weights ranging from 6'-9'. I've been curious about the resurgence of fiberglass with Scott, Hardy and the older Diamondglass series, but am less interested in getting more rods when the ones I have don't see the water often enough and suit me just fine.

**adam** · 04-05-2010, 09:05 PM

Grayling!

Easy now...

I love the LL's, those are just about the best plastik rods I have ever cast, beside my Seki Rei ? which is very sweet... So sweet, I will probably fish it more than bamboo this summer, ohhh

:D

I wish you would post more but hey, soon you won't have an excuse having retired and needing to get all those stories off your chest.

**cfr** · 04-28-2010, 05:53 AM

My fav smallstream rod is a Sage TXL #00 - brilliant little rod, with HUGE abilities!!!

Some pics of a couple of fish taken on the "Twin" - all in the Rhodes area, South Africa. The 1st pic was taken recently in Lesotho, and shows a fish of average proportions.

The good pics were taken by Darryl Lampert ...

**planettrout** · 05-14-2010, 09:36 AM

Winston, 7'6' Fiberglass 4wt. "Stalker", 2pc., San Francisco made...that my daughter, Ally, is hold in a side channel on the Madison River, MT...

PT/TB

**Grizzly Wulff** · 05-19-2010, 07:22 PM

I have a number of small stream bamboo rods that I like but the one I seem to go to the most often is a Steve Kiley 7 ft with a Hardy Featherweight reel loaded with a WTF4 that has the front taper trimmed back about 24 inches. This rod has been responsible for several of my friends bank accounts being diminished severely after they fished it and decided that bamboo wasn't "too old school."

**lawrenceh_w** · 05-21-2010, 04:58 AM

I've been using a March Brown Hidden Water 7-piece, 6'6" #3 rod this year witha DT3 line. I need to get a new reel (looking at an Orvis BBS I ... it just looks so ... right). The good thing with the rod is that the section above the butt can be removed (no rod ring) instantly shortening it to 5'6". Really handy for those tight little spots.

So far I'm very impressed with it. It's got a lovely mid to full flex action. Nice and matt finish as well. The cork handle fits really nicely in my hand as well.