Light wt. Rod ?

[Rob]

What do you think about using a light wt. rod like a 7.5 3 wt for large fish ? Like 20 '' + trout . Is it too hard on a Big trout to fight it very long. I know It may depend on water temp. and other things. I have a 7.5 3 wt and thought about using it on the Yuba. What do you think ? should I ?

Thanks in advance.
Rob.

[Adam Grace]

Rob, I would say that using a light rod for a larger fish like that would be fine if you intend to kill and eat the fish. If you practice catch & release I would say "not a good idea" to a novice or beginner fisherman. Only use a small rod like that if you can apply as much pressure as quickly as possible to land the fish. I have seen too many people over play a fish, release the fish, then watch it go belly up too far away to grab and revive.

There is a certian excitment that comes with light tackle fishing. I enjoy light tackle fishing but I don't go crazy and fish a 5wt for a 100lb tarpon :D

My opinion is "only use a light rod if you can land the fish without exhausting it to death" :!:

[Adam Grace]

Rob, I don't want you to think that my post is dirrected to you. I know how much you fish. I beleive that you have the necessary skills to land a large fish on light tackle without exhausting it. :)

Light rods on small streams for small trout is tons of fun. :!:

[Gregg]

Rob-

Is it the Echo 3 wt? If so, I have the same, and watched Adam land a healthy sized trout on the Yuba last week. It did take quite a while, and the fish might have been exhausted by the time it was released. I think Adam didn't necessarily feel comfortable playing the fish that long, he just happened to hook up and felt he could control the situation, breaking off the fish if it got too stressed... I haven't caught anything on it yet, but am pretty sure it will come in handy in the summer for the little guys.

Also, I think it may be a perfect rod for the Auburn spot (which I think we met at last summer?) I guess we'll see... :D

[Rob]

Just thought I would see what other people thought about using light stuff. I think Lee Wolf talked about using light rods.
My Rod has a real light action.
I don't think I 'll use it on the Yuba .
I don't think a fast action 4 wt would be bad.
Gregg
Was that You I met with Adam on the American River this last summer ? On one of the upper forks. Don't want to give away the location. :wink: Hooked this brown down there 4 years ago. Did not have my waders or shorts . Had to jump in and chase it down stream.
Used a green Zonker with a 18' leader and floating line. A real pain to cast but needed to get it deep.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/169DSCN1359.jpg


Take care.
Rob

[Darian]

Hi Rob,..... Beautiful Brown in that picture. Do you think could've landed that fish with your 3 Wt and released it in good condition?? :?: If so, then you might be one of the few people that are able to consistently use a light wt rod. 8) If not, you probably shouldn't use it.

For larger fish I just don't think it's a good idea unless you're fishing in one of those lakes where the fish are farm raised and you're gonna keep 'em. I'm with Adam on this one.....

[David Lee]

Rob , THAT is a fine Brownie !!
Light tackle is kind of personal .... If you know your limitations and those of your gear , just about anything is possible .
By and large , I think Adam is right - most people don't play fish ANYWHERE near as hard as they should . It takes a hell of a lot of pressure to break a good knot on any tippet . I've hooked (and landed) relatively large fish on very light tackle and don't feel any regret about it . As long as the "rules" are followed , the fish should be o.k. .
Rule #1 -gain line or lose line , don't let fish rest .
Rule #2 -a minute per pound is all it takes (within reason) .
Rule #3- make the fish fight you AND the current .
Rule #4- It's ALWAYS better to break off a big one than to play it untill its dead .
Rule #5- Take your time releasing the fish , wait untill it STRONGLY swims off .
None of this is pointed at you , Rob .... I know you're a vet of many years of chasin' fish . One more thing for anyone reading .... I believe in catch and release and practice it as much as I can ... BUT - fishing is a blood sport , sometimes fish die no matter what you do . D.J.L.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

If you can watch a Gary Borger video like "South Island Sampler" where he gets the fish off balance and keeps it off balance, you will se what I mean.

The secret is to pull so hard that you break fish off once and a while.

Turn the rod over side to side so you are pulling the oposite way the fish is swiming. Roll them over. Keep them from just relaxing out there.

You can run downstream below them at times and 'wrench' them right in.

You can us a light rod.

You should always use the heaviest tippet the fish will not refuse.

This can have to be 6x at times.

If you fish Fall River and other spring creeks on top that get "pounded" you might use some fresh 7x and a soft 4 weight rod.

[Hairstacker]

Very good points, David, especially the part about most people not playing fish anywhere near as hard as they should. My own experience has been that you can put an amazing amount of fish-fighting stress, short of high sticking, on most modern graphite rods. In any case, it seems to me if the rod is CAPABLE of applying the maximum amount of pressure just short of breaking off the tippet, and you're WILLING to apply this much pressure and stress on your rod, then the rod's probably ok for the situation. I suspect some folks, though, keep their drags set so they don't have to put anywhere near this amount of pressure and stress on their light rods and proceed to enjoy the "light tackle" feeling of a fully bent rod with a hopelessly dragged out fight. (Rob -- no trout, regardless of size, tolerates a dragged out fight well.) Therein, lies the danger, of course, in using 3 wts on 20+ inch trout. Goes without saying I've never fished with anyone here (except David), so this point is obviously not directed at Rob or anyone else in this thread. And I know better than to direct it at David -- just take a very careful look at that striper under his name, which he caught and RELEASED. :)

[Hairstacker]

Gee Bill, you must have posted while I was posting. Excellent point about tippets, well worth repeating. :)

[Adam Grace]

Nice Brown Rob :!:

I love my 4wt rod for a specialized lighter trout rod. A 4wt has enough power to quickly land a wide size range of trout. A 4wt is light enough to feel the smaller fish and also enjoy a deep bend when you hook a fish over 14".

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/flyguyag/fishing/yubaskwallatrout05.jpg

The trout above was caught with Gregg's 7'6" 3wt Echo rod. It was tired after Gregg netted the fish but not exhausted. That trout swam off just fine, it did not hang around or simply slide into the water and glide.

I would have enjoyed the fight more and landed the fish sooner if the loop to loop connection of my 12' leader was not hanging up in the guides making the landing difficult.

I enjoyed the light tackle, but I would have prefered my 4wt over the 3wt.

[Rick J]

If you know how to apply pressure similar to what Bill describes you should have no trouble landing relativley large fish on a light rod. Generally with a light rod you are using somewhat light tippet and I would say that you can apply enough pressure with any rod to break the tippet you are using so the limiting factor is not the rod but the tippet. If you apply pressure to just under the breaking strength of th tippet you should be able to land a fish relatively quickly.

I fish spring creeks (mostly Silver Creek) as much as I can and often use a 2 wt and never feel undergunned.

[Rob]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I try to put as much pressure as I can on a fish. 4x tippet is as light as I use on the yuba with dries and 2x - 3x with streamers. When fighting a fish I try to aim my fly rod down stream and toward the bank. My boys and I have been flyfishing for around 6 years now. When we first started we kept and ate a lot of fish, but know we keep 4-5 fish a year . The only time we keep more fish is on our Trinity Alps backpacking trip we go on every fall. The lake we go to is full of Brook trout. I have gained such love and respect for the trout we fish for.

Here are a few photo's of the Trinity Alps.

Take care.
Rob .

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/Trinity%20Alps/6cec7157.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/DSCN0001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/Trinity%20Alps/DSCN0032.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/Trinity%20Alps/04072551.jpg

[Rick J]

Rob - nothing quite like a pan fried brookie from a high mountain lake - I have been going to the Trinities since the early 70's and truly love the area!!!

Very nice photos!!!!

Best regards,
Rick J

[Rob]

Rick.
I'm with You. The Trinity Alps is the most beautiful place I have ever gone. My boy and I have gone backpacking there 7 times. We go in August or the first of September. I also like to Bow hunt with Traditional bows. Cody ,Jason and I use Recurve Bows and my buddy uses a longbow . So we Flyfish and bowhunt the week we go.



Here are a few more photo's from are Alps trip .The Sunset is Cody With his Bow .



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/Trinity%20Alps/8b480865.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/Trinity%20Alps/DSCN0040.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/Bowhunting/codysunsetdark.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/rgkempton/Bowhunting/DSCN0010.jpg