The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

You may (or may not) remember a question I posed a few weeks ago about purchasing a 3 wt. to fish in the alpine lakes and streams of Wyoming.

I received the ire of a few when I mentioned wanting a fast rod with a little extra backbone to target large out-of-reach trout in possibly windy conditions and also wanting to fish dries on small streams.

I've already got a softer Orvis 3 wt. that will serve as my second rod.

I settled on a G. Loomis 8'6" Eastfork, a new model. I've enjoyed Loomis rods, along with Sages and Winstons in the past.

I took the Eastfork to the city park this morning (the only place in town with green grass, excluding the golf course and high school football field) and practiced casting with a 3 wt and 4 wt rod. Sweeeeeeeeet!

There was a light breeze and the 3 wt. line didn't load well, but I did manage a 56 foot cast, which is far for me.

The 4 wt. line was terrific. The rod loaded well and with little effort I zipped by the 60 foot mark by almost 10 feet.

I certainly won't need that distance on the streams, but the lakes might be another story. And, the rod is SO light!

Later, I compared the Loomis to my favorite 4 wt., a medium fast Winston Ibis. I figured if the Loomis loaded with a 4 wt. line, then maybe it was actually similar to the Winston.

The Loomis is so much lighter! It's not as soft and is much thinner in the butt. I think it'll be a real kick to play a 20"+ fish with it.

The only thing left is to see how well it handles dries.

Bruce,

I'm shocked you would admit to only casting 56 feet with a three weight. I heard that real steelheaders cast at least 110 feet!

someday the spey will lose it's mystery to me, but right now I'm as good at two-handed casting as I am at differential equations...or at keeping my mouth shut

If he got a Helios it would have MAGICALLY made him cast 110 feet.

What I want to know is, how far can he cast that 3wt with a softball sized bobicator and jig?

and using a 3 wt with a big bobicator is like using a frying pan to put a nail in a 2 X 4

Bruce,

Glad to hear that you settled on a rod. Sounds like a FAST one. That will work well in the Winds, as most of your fishing will be on lakes.


Buzz

Thanks Buzz,

I'm also curious to see how it will do with dries and indicators and buggers on the San Juan. (97% of the fishermen on the Juan use indicators when they're not casting dry fliew, but streamers WILL work there.)

My impression is that even though fast, it's still just a 3 wt., so it's still light and will baby a thin tippet.

As to whether or not I can delicately place a dry with it rather than plop it like a blockbuster bomb, that still remains to be seen.

If you wanted to delicately place a dry, you should have bought a fiberglass or bamboo rod!

Good observation Buzz,
Although both fiberglass and cane are generally heavier than newer graphite rods, it's because they are more limber (or slower) that allows not only for delicacy but also for their ability to protect light tippets...but then, perhaps ham-fisted neophites can't be expected to understand the physical relationships that exist within the various objects and materials which exist between the fisherman's hand and a fish's jaw.

Paul

So, bottom line, you're happy with your new 4wt rod. Good for you, that's all that counts.

Since it's a new model, I'll give a thumbs up or down after it's truely tested, and maybe that info will be put to good use by other posters.

Well, Paul, as you know, the S-glass (12 million modulus) rods are amazingly light compared to the standard E-glass. My go-to Sierra stream rod is a Winston 3-weight (rolled by Fisher) made with S-glass circa 1985. It is a truly awesome fishing tool.

While there are a few mainline manufacturers still making fiberglass rods and blanks (Lamiglas comes to mind), the really excellent blanks and rods are being made by Mark Steffen (Steffen Brothers Fly Rods) and Mike McFarland McFarland Rod Company.

Of course, all that is not to say that other old rods are not fishable. I have a nice 7' 7wt Silaflex rod (pre-Browning) that is a lot of fun to fish, even though it weighs a bit more than a modern blank. And the Fenwick Feralites are excellent rods too.

I prefer the pace of fishing with these rods. You just can't rush your cast or you get into trouble. This, in turn, provides a much more relaxed day on the water, with a completely different appreciation of even the smallest trout. There is nothing quite like sneaking on hands and knees up to a slow-moving section of water, gently laying a cast on the pool in a way that does not send the fish skittering for cover, and tempting a trout to slowly rise up to take your offering. This is the angler's art in it's truest form, and very hard to accomplish with a telephone pole.

Buzz