three streams today/new rod testing

[Eric82]

 

My Dad and I hit up the Little Piney, Mill Creek,  and the Courtois today. Tried out the bamboo rod I finally finished. My dad inaugurated the new glass rod I just finished  for him as well. We both brought some fish to hand. The LP and Mill creek were down but the Huzzah was blown out. Also tried out a new to me Garcia glass 7wt metal spigot ferrules and an abercrombie Banty 4'4". That Banty was fun and casted surprisingly well. Fun long day. 

[ness]

Nice! That's some sweet looking tackle!!

[Sharps4590]

Wow....and I thought the 6'6" bamboo I built last year was short!!

[Ham]

4'4" seriously?

[Johnsfolly]

Eric82 - Great photos and congrats on catching on your new tackle! Love to see those rainbows with the parr marks and the water looked fantastic. Were most of those rainbows from Mill creek? Thanks for the post.

[Eric82]

yeah 4'4" for real!! It actually casts pretty good. The trick is to use a 5wt line for which the rod was designed for.  Most of the trout came from the LP.  Mill was down at the time and Dad didn't want to wander downstream too far that day so i didn't make a trek of it that day.

[Johnsfolly]

Is the 4"4" mostly a nymph rod? I thought I saw a nymph in the corner of one of the fishes mouths. Did you dry fly fish and were they rising or just nymph fished?

[Eric82]

i was actually using soft hackles that day and my dad was using pine squirrel leeches.  As to being mostly a nymph rod it can handle other stuff as well. I was fishing a stream with Ozark character in northeast MO last weekend and i was catching fish on the banty using poppers and #8-#10 wooly buggers.  It can cast suprisingly well and farther than you would think.  The key is to get the rhythm correct and the heavier line. I have been able to adapt my cast pretty naturally to the rod since i mostly use shorter fly rods. Its a fun little rod and definitely not a toy... HAHA!

[Flysmallie]

I have wanted a short rod for a long time. I'd love to have a 6 ft. 5 or 6 wt. to cast gurglers for bass. One of these days. 

[Eric82]

you can get a 6 ft eagle claw 4/5 wt for about 30 bucks. i got one a few years back and still use it from time to time.