10-11-2008, 09:08 PM
When I take a 7 1/2 ft rod to a small stream I wish I had my 9ft.
When I take my 9 ft or my 8 1/2 foot rod to a small stream I wish I had my 7 1/2 ft.
All the combo outfits I have looked at were all midflex rods. Seems like they all were 8 1/2 or 9 ft too.
The 9 ft generally works okay when I am standing in the stream but on small streams you always have to bushwack through the brush and brambles to get on and off the stream. Then the 9ft is in the way a lot. It comes in handy for dapping, also. That is where there is a small openning in the trees or over the top of rocks and you stick the rod over the water with only the leader or part of the leader out of the guides. You dap the fly up and down on and off the water with very short drifts in between.
The 7 1/2 works better when the overhanding trees are low or the width of the stream is quite narrow; those that you can almost step from bank to bank.
Bow and arrow cast is a good one to know for sure but it is ackward to learn. Worry about that on a furture outing. not on your first or second time out.
The roll cast. I think new fishermen would be better served being taught this one first. New people can easily make a roll cast as far as they can an over head cast.
Here is one that I use a lot when I have an underwater fly on (wet fly, nymph, streamer). How ever it works with a dry also. It is relatively easy to learn a little harder to describe. After the fly and your line has drifted down stream and your rod and line and fly are all stretched out and pointing down stream. The stream current is creating drag such that your leader and fly are creating a wake in the stream. Flip the rod forward and upstream. Thus you have just made a cast for your next drift. This is effective when you don't have back casting room. It is also effective when your weighted flies or tippet make it hard to get a good back cast going (either to your bad technique, or broomstick stiff rod) Learning where to stop the rod and how much wrist action will take some patience to learn for your accuracy. With an overhead normal cast you should not be using wrist movement as it will affect you learning long distance cast later but on this type of cast wrist movement helps.
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When I take my 9 ft or my 8 1/2 foot rod to a small stream I wish I had my 7 1/2 ft.
All the combo outfits I have looked at were all midflex rods. Seems like they all were 8 1/2 or 9 ft too.
The 9 ft generally works okay when I am standing in the stream but on small streams you always have to bushwack through the brush and brambles to get on and off the stream. Then the 9ft is in the way a lot. It comes in handy for dapping, also. That is where there is a small openning in the trees or over the top of rocks and you stick the rod over the water with only the leader or part of the leader out of the guides. You dap the fly up and down on and off the water with very short drifts in between.
The 7 1/2 works better when the overhanding trees are low or the width of the stream is quite narrow; those that you can almost step from bank to bank.
Bow and arrow cast is a good one to know for sure but it is ackward to learn. Worry about that on a furture outing. not on your first or second time out.
The roll cast. I think new fishermen would be better served being taught this one first. New people can easily make a roll cast as far as they can an over head cast.
Here is one that I use a lot when I have an underwater fly on (wet fly, nymph, streamer). How ever it works with a dry also. It is relatively easy to learn a little harder to describe. After the fly and your line has drifted down stream and your rod and line and fly are all stretched out and pointing down stream. The stream current is creating drag such that your leader and fly are creating a wake in the stream. Flip the rod forward and upstream. Thus you have just made a cast for your next drift. This is effective when you don't have back casting room. It is also effective when your weighted flies or tippet make it hard to get a good back cast going (either to your bad technique, or broomstick stiff rod) Learning where to stop the rod and how much wrist action will take some patience to learn for your accuracy. With an overhead normal cast you should not be using wrist movement as it will affect you learning long distance cast later but on this type of cast wrist movement helps.
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