Like Nativetrout said, the Kenney 813 definitely has not gotten the praise it deserves. This is a very special rod, as is the Kenney 733 and all the rest.
I fished the 813 on Thursday on an upper tributary of a wild native westslope cutthroat stream. It's a big creek by almost any standards right now, but the water levels will drop considerably throughout the rest of the year. I caught a lot of cutthroat, including 5 big natives on dry flies that were absolutely beautiful. One of the finest days of fishing dries I've had in a several years, and the rod just blew me away.
This rod would fish smaller nymphs and even small streamers as well, but all I fished were dries and soft hackles. A versatile 3wt glass rod that is silky smooth. Wow!
* On a side note, I fished the Kenney 733 on a slightly smaller upper tributary of the same cutthroat stream on Friday. I caught a lot of cutthroat again, but most were on soft hackles, with only a few on dries this time. Only hooked one big native of about 18" and 2.5 lbs., but lost it when the hook pulled out. No fault of the 733, and it was very fun and interesting for about a minute there. Anyway, the 733 is also a fantastic rod. It is a total blast on smaller waters, but is also much more versatile than many would think.
A couple of great days of fishing with the Kenney 3wt's.
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nativetrout wrote:
My new Kenney 8'1" 3wt arrived today. WOW! This rod has not gotten the praise it deserves. this is an incredible, very versatile stick. An absolute 3 wt. that can throw a long line no problem and it cast extremely well, loads deeply and is very accurate. When you put a little "umph" into the casts, the loop tightens up and it still tracks very well. When I do this with my T&T heirloom 3 wt., the cast falls apart. Now I still love that rod but it is far from versatile. I bought the 813 from Larry with the hopes of taking it high into WY backcountry for some lake and stream fishing. During the year I waited for the rod I fell under the assumption that it would be a noodle and almost changed my order. I am so very glad I didnt. This IS the exact rod I had originally imagined and could not be happier.I cannot wait to land many cutts from the alpine country! Amazing finish work, and a very fun rod. high praise to Larry, well worth the wait.
Shane