Favorite Small Stream Bamboo Fly Rods

Here are four of my all time favorites:

Paul Young Midge 6’3”

Some small bamboo rods just have a presence and action that lends themselves to Brook Trout fishing. I’m not talking about just any fairy wand, but truly special rods. The first one is Paul Youngs Midge rod 6’3”. The first one I casted was around 1987 up in MI. It was the rod that really inspired me to get into small stream fishing. Since then I own two of them and continue to fish them readily. Parabolic rods lend themselves to wet fly fishing but I fish this rod with dry’s mostly. I find most of Paul Youngs rods great for larger stream situations and they have a lot of guts as far as casting distance goes. The Midge represents a softer side of PY tapers. It’s hard to find rod makers that really delve into small stream rods.

H.L. Leonard The Baby Catskill Model 36-3

With a beautiful swell in the butt section, this rod speaks volumes about olde world meets new casting styles. Casting this rod may just be like stepping back in time. A nice dry fly action in a tiny 6’ package. I fished this rod heavily one summer and really enjoyed it. Although being a 3wt. it had its limitations but nevertheless when a small stream just down the road why not grab a 3wt.

Chris Bogart’s Yellow Rose 7’ 2wt.

So when I take a trip to the Smokies this is my go to rod. Buttery smooth with enough umph to cast in a slight breeze, great for midging, and casting lil beetles. I typicallycast this rod with silk line, it eats it up.

Clint Bova Mad River Rod Co. Little Mecoche 6’9” 4wt.

I took a fishing trip across PA and a friend from Wilkes Barr loaned me his Little Mecoche 4wt. for a small stream walkabout. I wished I owned one. This all around is one of my favorite “small stream” rods. Although I used it on mid sized water and it casted and performed great as well. It loads in close and out far, buttery smooth, and I fought some large fish on it and it tamed the big uns. Its a beautiful rod to boot, I mean dreamy. A 6’9” just seems like it’s shorter than a 7’ but larger than a 6’3” so it’s got potential everywhere in the small stream network.


-Dave

From the West Virginia DNR

“The brook trout is the only trout species native to West Virginia streams.  Native brook trout live and reproduce in only the coldest and purest of our mountain streams.  These streams are generally less than 15 feet wide, well shaded, and have numerous pools.  Although these streams often support large numbers of brook trout, the trout tend to be small fish that average five to six inches in length and seldom exceed 10 inches.

Brook trout are characterized by a dark green back covered with lighter worm-shaped markings, bluish sides and a pink to scarlet belly.  The sides of the trout are profusely sprinkled with yellow spots, interspersed with red ones.  The lower fins are orange-red with a distinctive white stripe on the front edge. 

Given its beauty and the fact that the brook trout is our only native trout, it’s no wonder that in 1973 it was selected to be the official state fish.

Brook trout spawn primarily during October.  Their nests, called redds, are built near the lower end of the pools where the gravel is swept clean of silt and fresh oxygenated water is abundant.  Since these streams are generally low and clear during the fall, spawning activity can be readily observed in many of the small, cold headwater streams of the Elk, Greenbrier and Williams rivers, as well as Seneca and Gandy creeks. 

While there are 500 miles of native trout streams in West Virginia, the streams are small and represent only two percent of the total miles of stream in the state.

Brook trout are not picky eaters and feed on a wide variety of food items.  During the winter and early spring, much of their food consists of aquatic insects and other fish. The insects include mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies. 

In the summer and early fall, their diet changes to terrestrial insects.  These are insects like grasshoppers, Japanese beetles and bees that normally live on the land but become fish food when they fall or are washed into the stream.”

The WV DNR did a great job on this synopsis of the Native Brookie and its habitat and mentions Gandy creeks which have been hot lately.

~D

Winter Doldrums with Sam

Sam and I went to the river today. He hummed a bit, actually a lot, maybe even to the point of being annoying. I suppose he's just bored with the winter doldrums. He's tied just about every fly in the book and then some. He perked up a bit after receiving a catalog from Mad River Rod Co. saw one of Clint Bova's rods at a gathering last year and decided maybe it's time to bite the bullet and get one. That's something to look forward to...sam you paying attention? He fell asleep in my truck last week after work and his head bumped the dashboard twice before he finally woke up. I'm about ready to drive him straight to the Seneca and drop him off with his rod to get him out of his funk.

~D

Just Got My “Moluntha” 7'3" 4wt.

So I just purchased a Mad River Rod Co. 7'3"4wt “Moluntha”. this thing is a piece of art. Truly remarkable craftsmanship. Casted it in late November on the Seneca and its now my favorite rod of my quiver. Clint's attention to detail and design is awesome! Sam Carleton and Marty Barnes are looking to order a couple rods from Clint. Marty took my 7'3" to the Catskills late fall and loved it.

Can't wait to bust it out next spring for some Letort action.

Just finished booking the big trip to The Copper this summer Sam and I are furiously tying flies for the big Rainbows.

Cheers Dave

THE BLACKWATER RIVER

A brief commentary on the Blackwater River an all time favorite of mine
”Tucker County's Blackwater River is a study in contrast with the Cranberry and the Williams - not because it holds any fewer trout, but because of its unique nature.

The Cranberry and Williams are classic mountain freestone streams, tumbling from riffle to pool over stones worn smooth by their currents. Most of the Blackwater's stocked section flows quietly through Canaan Valley, a boggy wetland complex perched more than 3,000 feet above sea level.

In its upper reaches, the Blackwater is a small stream, sand- and gravel-bottomed, with deeply undercut banks. It meanders aimlessly through wet meadows, occasionally breaking over the odd beaver dam. Farther downstream, as it picks up gradient, it begins to look more like the trout streams most West Virginians are used to.

The most productive stretch lies almost within the town limits of Davis, downstream of an acid-treatment station built to counteract the effects of acid mine drainage.

From the treatment station downstream to the Blackwater's confluence with its North Fork, it is prime trout habitat.

The 3.5-mile section from Blackwater Falls State Park downstream to the North Fork is managed under catch-and-release regulations, but the rest receives heavy weekly stockings.

The Blackwater's headwaters and the segments near Davis can be reached from state Route 32. The middle section of the river runs through private land and the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and is accessible by secondary roads“

Hopefully this is a good description of the Blackwater and it's personality, location, and stream geometry. It is an all time favorite trout stream of mine and spend a significant amount of time on it during the fly fishing season. Sam is a huge fan as well.

~D

February Blues

I suppose today would be a great day if any so far this month to try and get wet. It will be warming up by mid-day so Sam and I are gathering our waders and rods to hit the Paw Paw. Brrr. Bringing some classic wet fly's with us wish me luck because I'm about to become an ice cube.
~D

WV Cane Rod Mecca

One of my home streams. A great location for a sweet 7' 4wt. to cast to a nice Brook or Brown Trout.
On a day like this the anticipation builds to bear the cold and do some casting to some very cold trout.
Brrr. Oh well I'm going to go stare at my new Clint Bova bamboo rod some more and dream about some nice fish. Armchair angling today...all day! Frozen river
~Stay warm Dave