Smallie Fly Rod For Canoe

[Coldspring]

I’m interested in another fly rod (new to fly fishing) to take in my canoe. What I want is something that will fit well in the front of my canoe, not suffer greatly from abuse as in taking a little beating, cost less than $150…preferably a lot less, and handle smallies in streams no larger than Current River above Two Rivers. My 5 wt. 7.5 ft isn’t casting to suit me, but I do like the length. Curious what you might suggest?

[Gavin]

A 9' 7wt is my go too for smallmouth....I'd look at TFO, or St. Croix at that price point. Cheers.

[Zack Hoyt]

I did a 9' 6wt. One other option you might look into is a line with a tad heavier head. I know when casting from a setting position or from a boat, false casting can be your enemy. The heavier front head will allow you to "shoot line" a little easier and turn over flies with ease. I did the Rio outbound Short on my rod, but there are Clouser, Bass, etc lines. Also the extra length over your shorter rod helps with roll casting, setting the hook, and castability on a 9ft rod.

As far as rods, I am very partial to most of what TFO makes. Skimping on price on a rod might put you in a worse position than you are now. Just a thought.

[Coldspring]

I might had better add a few details. I've been out in the canoe twice since I took up flyfishing, a few months ago. The first time, I had a 9' 5 wt, and was doing okay with casting. I had to break it down in half so that it wouldn't stick out in front of the canoe. I had a little problem when I was standing outside my canoe digging through my gearbags for a snack...the canoe got swamped...I retrieved everything except the end half of my fly rod. It either would have broken or stayed with me had I been using a shorter rod that fit in the boat. 2nd trip, another 9' 5 wt, sticking out in front of the canoe, well, it didn't last too long. Luckily, I had my 7.5' packed away the second trip, even though I didn't see a single fish, other than a sucker, the entire trip.

I do have a 7.5' 5 wt. TFO now and am running 6 wt. line on it in hopes that it might shoot a little more. I might try some better quality line. I'm not sure what good the rod really is, I though it would make a great small creek rod and canoe rod, but I don't know.

Might have to just get four identical $50 rods from Cabela's or something, and pack them all along every trip. Warranties are one thing, but they don't do much good when you ruin a rod every trip!

Suppose I need to look at rod holder too, but I have a feeling that if I get another 9 footer it won't last long either. I've got too many things going on in the canoe to look after a rod constantly, maybe I'm just not coordinated enough.

[Zack Hoyt]

Let's take a step back......what part of your 7.5' rod's casting do you not like? Which TFO rod is it? What type of flies are you tossing?

In my experience, alot of TFO's(minus the TiCR series and Axiom) are a med. to med-fast rod. Over lining a med rod could really slow the action. If said rod doesnt have ample butt strength to begin with, it will fold during casting. Basically you wont be getting the smooth cast and landing you are looking for and also it will limit your distance. Also it will take forever for your rod to load properly.....compared to what you might be used to.

Just wanting to make sure we troubleshoot the basics before you jump into a whole new setup(lord knows we all need more rods ).

[Coldspring]

Zack, it’s a TFO Professional 4 pc. Model. I can’t get it to cast any fly like I wish to a reasonable distance….not saying I know how to cast, but I did a lot better with a 9 footer. It seems to really have trouble with the weighted flies, like the crawdads. Don’t ask me what size they are, I don’t really know that much about the sport yet. Hey, I'm here to learn some things, and I try to be humble about my incompetence.

I’m going to put a smaller reel with 4 wt line on for the next outing, and see how that does. The huge 5-7 wt. reel I have been using with the 7 ½ footer is a bit ridiculous looking, but I didn’t think it would matter a whole lot, being that I’m so amateurish.

I might even try the new 3-4 wt 8’6” rod I just got. I haven’t had a chance to use it, and am a bit afraid to take it in the canoe with my luck…I wanted to have something in reserve for when I go trouting, and I'm realizing that I probably need at least 3 backup rods of some sort.

[Zack Hoyt]

What size is the smallest ippet you use in your leader setup? Might be your tippet is too small to turn over your weighted fly....giving it a serious hinge effect instead of a nice loop. I rarely go smaller than 2x-4x on my tippets. When throwing lake flies I go a bit larger. Just a thought.

Edit: We are all amateurs.....whether we admit it or not. Fly fishing is a sport of opinions. What works for me might not do a thing for anyone else or it might help someone.

[Gavin]

Thats unfortunate, but I guess your gonna have to learn to protect your stuff alot better if you want to canoe and fly fish. A short fly rod isnt going to do you any favors in the distance department. I usually toss my fly rod tips under the front seat in my tandem, middle of the rod is over the thwarts, and the reel rests on the back seat...In my solo canoe...I run the tips out the back...but if your really clumsy..you might want to make yourself a rod holder out of PVC pipe..A 5' piece will do if you break your rod in half with the line on in-between stops. Cheers.

[Paola Cat]

I run the tips out the back .... never broke one in the canoe.

[Coldspring]

What size is the smallest ippet you use in your leader setup?

Been mostly using 3X and 4X leaders and tippets.

Thats unfortunate, but I guess your gonna have to learn to protect your stuff alot better if you want to canoe and fly fish. ...but if your really clumsy..you might want to make yourself a rod holder out of PVC pipe..A 5' piece will do if you break your rod in half with the line on in-between stops.

That's the advice I need right there, only needed to here someone else say it. Part of it is just training my brain and body movements to compensate for another variable while moving along. I'm not really that clumsy... I actually am quite particular about the way I arrange stuff in my boat, I don't want a lot of junk and disorder, and you won't see me going down a river with a couple of rubbermaid storage containers sticking out 12" higher than my gunwales, or a huge barrel size cooler, I have my pet peeves...I keep everything packed lower than the gunwales.

I found this guys PVC rod holders, and thought that might be a possibility.

http://www.derekspace.net/fishpic19.htm#rod

Being as particular as I am, I would have to paint the PVC, because I hate white PVC pipe. Or could some actual Cordura covered rod tubes be used?

And does anyone use a rod holder, like a Scotty?

http://www.scotty.com/fishing-gear-equipment/rod-holders/clamp-mount.htm