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3. 1wt gear

New to this forum, hi everyone. I'm not an expert by any stretch. I took up fly fishing as a way to quit smoking. I'm addicted. My rod collection keeps growing. More and more I've been finding myself on these small mountain streams. Places I fish are bushy to wide open meadows. I absolutely love my 2wt 6' rod and 2wt reel set up. Even on some of the larger streams/smaller rivers and ponds and lakes I've been on it's my rod and reel of choice. I've landed some decent fish with it. There is just something about fishing with a more delicate set up that intrigues me. I see Redington has a rod called the Butterstick and they offer it in a 1wt 5'9" rod. I want this rod. I'm having trouble finding a 1wt reel that is in my ideal price range. Do I need a 1wt reel for 1wt line or can I use a 2/3 wt reel? I understand the obstacle of putting heavier wt line on a smaller reel, but the question is can I put lighter wt liner on a larger reel? Or does using 2wt line with a 1wt rod defeat the purpose? As I embrace this lifestyle of fly fishing these are the questions that plague me the most right now.

We have something in common.. The first time I quit smoking (took me 3 tries before it stuck), fly fishing was a part of the equation. I was sitting on a stream bank smoking a cigarette and changing flies. A deerfly buzzed me and I recoiled and swung the cigarette right into the fly line and burned it in half. That cured me of smoking for about a year..

Yes, you can put a 1 wgt. line on 2/3 reel. You might have to add some backing to take up any unused space on the spool, but unless the reel is so big it throws the outfit out of balance (which I doubt), it'll work fine.

Have fun..

There is really no written in stone correlation between line weight and reel size other than does the reel have the capacity to fully spool a given line. Therefore you may put a #1 line on a spool for your #2 rod/line set-up. If you have the luxury of buying another reel may I suggest the Hardy Flyweight. It is truly a tiny fly reel and is a classic fly reel in every way. I own many Hardy reels in the Lightweight Series.

Looking on Ebay, or other Internet sellers, you may find better pricing.

https://www.beartoothflyfishing.com/product/1323/Hardy-Flyweight-Reel-Up-to-3-Wt/

Another nice, but pricey, click and pawl small fly reel.

http://www.rossreels.com/shop/reels/colorado-lt.html

Thanks for your input. I think I know what I'm gonna do. But it's gonna have to wait. All this talk about 1wt gear and I just got a 586 rod. Probably won't get up to those smaller streams until spring. My questions have been answered thank you to Wbranch and RleeP.

A 1 weight rod? That I would love to see! I’ve only seen them go down as far as a 2, what would you be fishing for:Minnows ? Lol, just kidding. Seriously though, I wonder how much utility a 1 would have in trout fishing , I use a 3 wt normally for small streams and it’s plenty small and delicate , when and where would you use one then?

I guess it's just a phase I'm going through or some type of mid-life crisis. I fish a lot of small mountain streams in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. The fish aren't big. Click on my profile pic. And I agree, my 6ft 2wt is perfect for where I go. I don't need a 1 wt. I've caught plenty of fish with the set up I have. I just think it would be fun to go even smaller.

Here's the set up. I put a Redington Zero 2/3 reel on a Redington 1wt 5"9" Butterstick. The balance is perfect for this rod.

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My fishin' buddy likes it to!!!

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Nope,very cool,and your fishing pard looks like she is ready to start getting serious about this! I have a 3 wt. 6 ft. fiberglass rod I built for small streams, but I would go smaller, for the little river I fish. I see there is a rod builder on the fiberglass forums selling a 0 wt. Im intrigued, but Im also getting into streamer fishing for bigger fish here in Mi. I need a 7 wt. for sure, but keep us up to date on your fishing, and get that girl a rod!

I love my 2wt 6' setup. In some instances though I feel even that rod is too long. That's why I got the 5'9" 1wt. Most of the casts are sling shot casts into tight little pools, under tree branches, through a small opening. I've caught many a sticks when casting. I can't wait to get out there and try it out!!!

Thanks for this thread. I enjoyed the profile photo of the little jewel in your hand, and as the father of two daughters (now grown) could appreciate your little girl's grin. My girls fished some when they were little, but moved on to malls and boys. I'm OK with that, but perhaps yours will find the wand to her liking.

I'm taking my 1wt out this weekend on the Rio Puerco in the Jemez Mountains of NM. Perfectly timed of course with possible snowfall on Thursday. Hope it's not too cold, or snows too much.