A new small stream rod...on the cheap.

[letumgo]

Ron - I was going to suggest one of the Lamiglas honey colored fiberglass blanks, but when I did a quick internet search, it appears they have stopped making them. I built one during the last financial down turn (when I was laid off for a while), and have loved fishing with the rod ever since.

[Roadkill]

Amazing buy Ron! Have fun with the short rod.

In 1992, I built myself a Lamiglas 6'6" 4wt for small stream fishing and enjoy it very much. On my wooded creek the main cast used is the bow and arrow and sometimes with a Poacher's Retrieve.

[letumgo]

“Poacher's Retrieve”?

I’ve never heard that phrase. Can you describe in more detail?

[Roadkill]

“Poacher's Retrieve”?

I’ve never heard that phrase. Can you describe in more detail?

I think I learned this trick from Tap's Tip's in Field & Stream back in the early 60's. Field and Stream or Outdoor Life provided most of my early flyfishing lessons outside of a few great adult mentors on the water.

First you need to picture one of those places where no amount of stealth can get you in position to fish a spot where the fish don't see you coming and flee.

Mine was a pool below a big road culvert in the middle of gold dredge tailings on a small creek in eastern Oregon. All sides of the pool were loose tailings and river cobbles which would slide at the drop of a hat. Fish had 360-degree visibility all around the pool. You could even wade through from the upper end of the culvert pipe to try and sneak up on the prime lie where the perched culvert water dove into the pool. You could not help but dislodge little cobbles in the current and they would announce you coming on the corrugated pipe. I could never catch the bigger fish here only some little ones with whatever I tried.

In the British Isles, Tappley said poachers would sneak out on the Lord's fishing waters and make a single cast to fish that fled when they were coming. Casts of 5-7 or more flies were used since the fishing itself was a crime and the object was to catch as many as possible in one cast and run. Then they waited quietly while the flies sank to the bottom unmoving and the fish slowly returned to their territory.

When the moment seemed right, they started lifting the inert flies off the bottom (almost a Leisenring lift) and they were often rewarded with multiple fish, before the Reward was put out for their capture.

After reading about this I knew this might be my solution to this fishing hole in the tailings. I approached the pool and watched the fish flee as I settled into the best casting position. I put my favorite fly for the creek right on the bottom of the prime lie and watched the fish return to normal with my polaroid sunglasses. One strip of the line caught me the biggest fish that I had ever taken from that spot.

P.S. My polaroids were a new secret weapon that allowed me to out fish my partner on this creek one day until I showed him how they worked. We were using the same flies. He finally asked me as we leapfrogged along the creek, "How come you seem to be catching a fish every time you stop walking and make a cast?"

[letumgo]

Thanks Bill. What a great reply. Glad I asked.

Polarized sun glasses have helped me catch a lot of fish over the years. I love my “Fitovers”.

[Boarmountain]

Ron - I have one of the bright yellow 5/6 weight Eagle Claw rods in the garage. After reading your message, I plan to try it out with my OPST setup. Should be a fun rig for smallmouth.

The 3wt sounds like a blast!

PS - My very first fly rod was a green Eagle Claw fiberglass rod. Caught my first trout on that rod. Been “hooked”every since…

Bright yellow fiberglass it is. For a cheap rod, I'm impressed with it's casting performance. Fit and finish...not so much, but for $15?

The local fly tying materials dealer has been after me to start building my own rods. I'm searching the interweb for a 6' to 6'6" fiberglass blank to build out as a Skagit set up. Hmmm, a 6'6" two hand rod? No, never mind.

I offer a 6' 2/3 wt blank. It's olive colored. PM me if your interested

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Ron - I have one of the bright yellow 5/6 weight Eagle Claw rods in the garage. After reading your message, I plan to try it out with my OPST setup. Should be a fun rig for smallmouth.

The 3wt sounds like a blast!

PS - My very first fly rod was a green Eagle Claw fiberglass rod. Caught my first trout on that rod. Been “hooked”every since…

Bright yellow fiberglass it is. For a cheap rod, I'm impressed with it's casting performance. Fit and finish...not so much, but for $15?

The local fly tying materials dealer has been after me to start building my own rods. I'm searching the interweb for a 6' to 6'6" fiberglass blank to build out as a Skagit set up. Hmmm, a 6'6" two hand rod? No, never mind.

I offer a 6' 2/3 wt blank. It's olive colored. PM me if your interested

Mike, you have a PM.

[billems]

There's a nice creek in Southern Minnesota with a goodly number of nicely sized browns. The "dean" of that stream is a farm boy who fishes that same Eagle Claw rod, only he sprayed it with flat black lacquer. Fishes with two nymphs only. He liked to show you the pictures of his catches. You had never even seen a trout that large on the same stream. And he wasn't Bs'n.

[thedude31]

I love my yellow feather lights but the crafted glass series is next level for only a few more quid. Grab any Eagle
Claw Crafted Glass you can find and stand by for some superb fly fishing. They can be had for less than $50 if you search around and cast like $300 rods.

[Terrestrial12]

Ron the 6'6" is indeed the 3wt. I have MUCH "nicer" and more expensive rods but I must say that yellow eagle claw I call the "mustard stick" is my favorite rod. Its what I do 90% of my fishing with! I bought it because I knew I wanted a glass 3wt but I was new to fly fishing and didn't know if I would be able to pick it up so I didnt want to invest in a butter stick yet. Since it's kind of vintage I wanted to pair it with an appropriate reel so I hunted down an old Pfluger medalist in like new condition. When I mes the guy he told me since I was just starting out I could just have it. Other than the Barrio line I think I have 12 dollars invested in my favorite outfit:) just wish it was 7 foot!