The Legend of Ultra-Light

The standard for fly fishing has always been a rod somewhere between 8 and 9 feet long. Or at least, that is the length that most retailers carry. If you were to go buy a starter kit for fly fishing, the rod would probably be 9', either a 4-weight or 5-weight, with some standard inexpensive floating line, and a handful of popular fly designs. Going out on the lake in a canoe in the middle of the summer would be a blast with your new fly rod, you'd probably find yourself up to your eyes in panfish in a matter of hours. But after you go feed your whole community with this mess of bluegills, your eyes will probably wander to a secluded blue line on a map of a national forest; a brook trout stream.

For this trip, you've probably gained a couple-hundred foot of elevation, and with that elevation, the game changes. You're staring up a channel between mountains so thick with brush that you can't even see the water 50 yards ahead of you. In order to even access the stream you had to crawl facedown through laurel thickets, reminiscent of the giant parachute game we all remember from elementary school gym class. You have a face full of spider webs, briars tore the crotch out of your pants, and if you still have any of your gear with you, you're a lucky man. Once you find a good hole to fish, achieving the right presentation is extremely difficult when you stay hung up in the brush 75% of the time. No doubt, the smallest streams are often the most intimidating.

A stretch of trail along a small overgrown brookie stream in the Jefferson National Forest. Wythe County, Va.

One of the biggest rules of fishing is to try and match your equipment with your surroundings and the species that you're targeting. Where I grew up in Wythe County, Virginia, it's almost considered cheating if you take any rod with you when you fish for native trout. You only take a couple small hooks and about ten yards of monofillament line. You find a sturdy little stick once you get to the stream, dig around under the leaves to find yourself some bugs for bait, and you're ready fish! This is the way it has been done for generations. I love the principle of giving yourself a handicap to make it fair for these little trout.

Anyway, back to the fly rod. I've had enough bad fishing trips with a 9' fly rod that I wake up in cold sweats at night. So today, all of that changed. Last week I ordered a White River Fly Shop Classic Ultra-Light rod and reel and it arrived in the mail today. Thank you Bass Pro Shops for being the only store to carry an affordable outfit for the southern Appalachian brook trout man. This rod is approximately 5' long and it's made for 3-weight line. The reel, weighing in at a whopping 2.4 ounces and having a diameter less than 2.5 inches, compliments the tiny rod perfectly. What's the difference between this rod and finding a stick by the stream to fish with? Not much, and that's exactly why I like it. Fighting an 8-inch brook trout is going to feel like a scene from the show "River Monsters."

Check out my new rod and reel!

The brook trout box was a nice touch.

The reel.

5' 3-piece rod. Perfect for stuffing into a backpack and hiking to a mountain stream.



I'll wrap it up; to anyone whose weater is permitting it, happy fishing! I'm watching it snow for now, but tying up this new rod in anticipation has boosted my hopes. Next week's forecast is slightly more optimistic, if I get to go, this blog will know about it.