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Hey guys I just got a beater rod, actually my most expensive one so far - an Eagle Claw Featherlight 7' 5#. I was playing around with it and tried casting with just the upper half. It performed quite well, and casted the line with ease and amazing sensitivity. Has anyone ever tried making a very small stream rod from the top-end section of an old beater rod? I hear of plenty of 5 & 6 foot 2#'s, but this is more like a 3.5ft 5#. Wouldn't a three foot rod perform beautifully in those tiny mountain streams? Any thoughts?

The legendary Lee Wulff did that eons ago to much fanfare. Not with beater rods either. He performed his hat trick with high-end bamboo rods.

Cool! -...but "hat tricks"?

It's a stunt. You need to move line to fish. A 3ft rod is a serious handicap.

Ah, I see. But how much line do you really need? -Mind you, I'm talking about for those teeny tiny mountain streams you can jump across. I think anything much longer would be a big nuisance, but then again I've never fished a stream this small before. I plan to this year, though. (Just as soon as that calender catches up with my excitement!)

I've gone as short as 6ft. But I've never tried a 3. I have one -a practice rod I made. Might try it for grins. But keeping line off or over offending currents helps a lot and a short rod means you have to be closer to the fish. And rod length helps in hook-setting too.

I have a 5'6" #3 sage LL that is really nice for small tight streams

I think you meant 6'6" or 6.5...A 5 foot rod is pretty short there...I do love my Sage Light Line though...Mine is a 9' for 5wt and works for me in so many situations...It's a monster when I float.

A good friend of mine wrapped the rod and was going to use it for out west. Instead he sold it to me and is still pissed I won't sell it back to him...A mutual guide friend of ours says its subtle but can be a rocket launcher when you need it to be.

Spence

No it's a 5'6' #3.

Why am I so stupid that I can't post a photo?All I see in my browser a box with a question mark in it! When you click on the box it goes to the photo. Anyway Spence, The LL series are really my favorites. (I have several) But I will say that the new Sage ZXL come pretty darn close if not even better, its hard for me to judge because the ZXL that I have is in a length/weight that I do not have in an LL. A few years back sage was willing to build matching tips for existing rods. I did that with a couple rods!

I use Photobucket. Easy set up and then you can post anywhere using the "img" format. On this site you must change case though: IMG (as it copies in from PB) to img.

Erik -

You're not dumb. Though I haven't tried it, I believe the only place you can post a photo directly from your computer is in the Photography board. In addition, I'm pretty sure this only works when you create a new topic.

Paul -

Others have said the same thing, but I don't seem to have that problem. I just right click in the HMG code box, left click to open the actions window (while leaving the cursor in the code box), and then left click on Copy. Then I just type {link} in the post and paste to the right and finish up with {/link} (square brackets though). Haven't had to mess with cases. Weird...

Thank you very much gentlemen! I certainly do need assistance now and again! In this case it doesn't really matter, Spence didn't believe me that I had a sage 5'6" LL for a 3 wt so I was just trying to show him that I hadn't totally lost my mind.:)I was just trying to post a link to the photo on my website, I guess that doesn't work.
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There you go Erik

http://www.riseformsflyfishing.com/Riseforms_Fly_Fishing/Photos.html#0

Thanks!

Ah! there it is...

Yep, a 5 1/2 footer all right. If Lee Wulff were alive today, he'd take on 20 lb. salmon with that little guy.:)

Eric,

I stand corrected. Now how do I get you to the Au Sable with it so I can try it out? :) That is an interesting little wand you have there. My shortest rod is a 6' 6" 3wt Loomis...There is a spot below a dam where I used to fish for bluegills that had slipped over the dam and set up house downstream. I had caddis hatches there in the evenings that had they been that thick up north I may never had made it home. :) Those gills on a 3wt were a lot of fun.

I have an 8'6" 3wt LL Bean from a long time ago and I think the blank was made by Loomis. Maybe Matt could confirm this...I love that rod as well but haven't fished it as much as I used to.

Anyway! Nice looking rod.

Spence

You're welcome. By the way, from what I've seen that little gem is rare and worth a few bucks.


Kurt, given the chance so would I and you and you and you........Except Paul.

Ha! How true, Al.:).... Except for Paul.

Sorry...gotta be contrary... I would NOT want to catch a 20lb salmon, or 20# anything, on that rod. Now a healthy 11" male brookie in 54F water is another story.

Hey Lee Wulff caught a 10# salmon without a rod once -flyline sans rod. Remember that?