I fish tight brushy places but these rods will also cast 40’ and handle bigger trout.The Scott F2 653 very fun and capable rod and my shortest is a 6’ Steffen 2/3 which I also use.I have a 6’6” Lamy which is a great pack rod but not as much fun as my other two........Aurelio

My only "shorty" is a 6'6" Phillipson blank, custom wrap from the 50's or 60's.

I obtained it from a customer of my former shop Tightlines in Tucson, a true gentleman named Don Owen, in a trade..but he basically gave it to me.

Don was an attorney from the Buffalo, NY area and a WWII Army Air Force veteran, who fished the spring creeks of western NY state and the Catskills before moving west.

It casts a 4 modern wt line well, and I fish it on small streams here in AZ and New Mexico..last time for Gila trout here in the Pinaleno Mts., though many of our Arizona streams have taken a terrible beating by fires and subsequent flood events.

My reel is an Orvis English-made (probably J. Young) also given to me by a friend, that a machinist buddy fixed up by soldering the the clicker that had worn out.

ps: tried to upload a couple of photos, but have been unsuccessful so far

I like to fish short rods and do most of my fishing with them even when a longer rod would be advantageous.

Some of the tiny brushy creeks I fish would be better served by long rods where dapping or just extending the fly to the spot would get the job done easier. But I like to cast the fly, so the shorter rod works to keep from hitting limbs on my back cast and when setting the hook, etc. Mainly those are the advantages I find with the shorter rod.

The main rods shorter that 6'6" that I fish are the Parametric 6'3" and Phillipson Master 6'0". Periodically I fish a bamboo rod built by Shane Gray which is sub-6' and is sweet.

I once had a Brusnell "Little Streamer" or some such name which was 5'3" and it worked well too.

Aurelio and Phil-A-Flex,
it appears you both spend a good bit of time in high elevation southwester streams? Ive never fished this kind of water, but as soon as I get tired of Wyoming its very high on my list of places to visit. I take it that these streams are small and very tight. wild trout streams in Ga are often the same..

Clint,
I fished my first rod (7'3" 3 weight) all over the dang place without knowing the difference for quite a while. funny how that works, huh? Glad you are still enjoying your FF605, it seems like a lot of guys remember selling those with more than a little regret.

WestTex,
what kid of fishing are you doing? trout? warm water? are your streams typically smooth and flat, or pocket water? I do like a shorter rod even on larger streams when warm water fishing because normally they are smooth and getting a good drift is either easy or irrelevant.

Bamboozle,
you're pictures look the most like home to me. The second shot is very reminiscent of the one and only stream I just couldnt fish with a 7' rod. that day was a big part of my choice to pick up the SFG 2wt. Based on what you're saying, that may not be short enough!

This is my all time favorite stream, partly because of all of the reasons we like a stream but partly because I caught my first Ga Brook trout in this stream. I feel comfortable here with rods in the 6'6" to 7'6" range but feel that any longer or shorter would be Limiting.


A fishing lesson with my sister on said stream


The locals love it here..


There really is something special about small creeks and little native trout. Ill always be on board to go wading ankle deep in search of these little guys.

I have found that a rod that is at least 7 ft long serves me best on small streams. It gives me just enough reach that I can remain undetected when fishing pools and pocket water. My favorite is a Lamiglas 7 ft 4 wt. On one very small nearby stream, I do take my 6'6" Lamiglas rod because 7 ft is too long due to casting and backcasting obstacles. Should I need to us a 6 ft rod, I have a 6 ft, 5 wt Fenwick that I like a lot, but I generally find I can get away with a longer rod, so I do. I once had the 5'3" Fenwick but sold it because it was pretty much a toy.

I do like the 6'2" 2wt CGR (3-section) quite a bit for some of the brushy coastal streams around here. I picked up a Moonlit 2wt 6'6" (4-section) which packs down smaller though, which can be quite handy when thrashing through thick brush. On these kinds of creeks a 30' cast is unusual -- more likely I am going to be bow-and-arrow or roll casting or other wacky "do what you have to do" maneuvres.

The shortest rod I personally own is the 5'9" 3wt CGR, which I don't use much. It's kind of a novelty for me; fun to say I own all the CGR's ... sort of like being able to say "I own all the (fill in the blank theme) Lego kits"

It's rare that I use my less than 6'6" fly rods. I like my 6ft Featherlight as a really small stream streamer rod but it's like owning 11 Iron in golf....very esoteric to specific situations on small water. Dito on my 5ft Featherlight. It's only useful or even fishable on very small, tight brushed streams in low flow conditions. Otherwise a longer rod is always preferred.

BrookieBoy,
A 2wt that won’t load with a 6wt line? Would that be a CGT rather than a CGR? My limited experience with Cabelas glass is CGRs are very soft, but I have a CGT 4wt that is stiff to the point that I’ve never fished it.

Yikes, sound like your 2wt CGR is a lemon I would loan you mine, but I suspect the postage would be crazy.

I actually have two 2wt Lunar's : the factory build, and a custom one that Pablo of Bejuco Flats Fly Co. built for me from a blank, which I like a lot more (pics on Rod Photos section somewhere). I use them with WF3F lines, similar to what I use on the 2wt CGR. I think I've posted trip reports where I used both the factory rod and the custom rod.

May 2020, factory Lunar 2wt

Here I think the reel is loaded with a WF3F Airflo River & Stream I found on closeout at Sierra Trading Post

June 2021, custom Lunar 2wt


July 2018, 2wt CGR


Pablo is based in Puerto Rico (so quick USPS shipping) and has an ebay storefront, so he makes it easy. You can choose hardware, thread wraps, etc.

I used to live back east, so I know what you are saying ... But I have fond memories of western NC and northern GA, and wish I'd been a fly fisher at the time I Iived in the area.

Mudfish, after using that Googly thing on my computer I appreciate what you're talking about. Given that it is saltwater fishing for a fast-looking species, what kind of lines are you using on those rigs to avoid occasional problems with the wind?

PampasPete. I don't have wind problems because being out with on the flats, there is always an area that I can get a fly out to, often with "wind assist." By back casting, there is even more water open to me. The calm days are always nice for easy casting, but the downside is that the fish are a lot more cautious. A windy day allows success at short casting range. I just use WF lines, often cheap imports and these do work well for me. My reels are set up with 150 metres of 15 pound braid backing which I find sufficient. I have yet to be spooled by a kahawai when using this amount of backing. I fish my #0 weight with a WF1F and it handles the line perfectly for me. The rod manufacturer states the rod will handle lines from 30 to 75 grains and I find the sweet spot to be the WF1F which is the same line I use on my 6'6" #1. Cheers

WestTex nice short rod water.......Aurelio