Small brushy stream rod recommendations?

[nuchamps5]

I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations or favorite rods for small, brushy streams? Specifically, I'm thinking of the brook trout headwater streams here in the Driftless, so think lots of willows and deadfall, short casts, dries/unweighted nymphs, and comparatively small fish. But also lots of banging around trees and stumbling potential.

Basically, I'm thinking something 7' or less and 4 wt or lighter, but not super expensive, as I don't want to be afraid to fish it in these spots! Like, I'm sure a P.H. Young Midge would be outstanding, but I A) can't afford it and B) would be terrified to bring it in there.

I was thinking maybe a Granger 7030, but those are tough to find and don't come cheap these days. I'm totally open to suggestions. Contemporary or vintage builders fine, but given the streams, I'm looking sub $1K, and preferably even cheaper. Thanks!

[Webfly]

Orvis Flea is a favorite of many on this forum.

[Flykuni3]

My top-rated 7’ is the all-around Duracane, they come up for sale now n then. But the 7’, a good one, is usually pricey, you know this already. I fish tight streams, and I like my 6 1/2s a lot, but the 7’ is versatile. (If you can find a one-tipper the price will be lower, and fishing small doesnt put much wear on a rod.)

[nuchamps5]

Orvis Flea is a favorite of many on this forum.

Ah, I forgot about the Flea! A great suggestion, though the price seems to be fairly high for these recently and somewhat hard to find. But you're right, the impregnated cane would be nice to have on these streams.

[nuchamps5]

My top-rated 7’ is the all-around Duracane, they come up for sale now n then. But the 7’, a good one, is usually pricey, you know this already. I fish tight streams, and I like my 6 1/2s a lot, but the 7’ is versatile. (If you can find a one-tipper the price will be lower, and fishing small doesnt put much wear on a rod.)

Thanks! I've never fished a Leonard, but it's on my wish list. Do you find the 7' Duracane does well with a 4 wt on short casts?

[Cimarron]

My namesake stream can be quite overgrown in places and requires a lot of scrambling and short casts. I love to use a little Philipson Peerless 4 weight, a Mike Brooks Payne 100 clone or a Harry Boyd Perfectionist clone. All work very well and are well under $1,000.

[St Vrain Angler]

My small-stream favorite for the length, line weight, and size fish you describe: Orvis Seven/Four. However, it'll be at the top end of your price range--if you can find one--and despite being impregnated, not something you'd want to bushwhack with.
For an affordable 7' 4wt from a contemporary maker, I highly recommend Joe Balestrieri's (Redwing Fly Rods) semi-parabolic Type Speedcast. It's a delight to cast, fish, and admire. Or check with Jim Ifert (kentucky jim on the Forum); he can build whatever you want at a very reasonable price.

[Perry Palin]

You wrote that you don’t want a rod you would be afraid to use on your small brushy streams. You’ve got some good advice already. It is not necessary to have a name brand rod.

I have a half dozen cane rods from 6 to 7 feet, 3wt to 5wt, that were built in the Twin Cities especially for the streams in MN and WI. I got some of them used, and I've done some remodeling or refinishing on some of them. They have a variety of actions, and they all work. None of these cost more than $100. Most of these rods came from hobbyist makers or anonymously from garage sales or estate sales or tackle swap meets, or from members of fly fishing clubs. The rods are there if you look for them.

I also have two 6' 4wts that I cobbled together from mid sections of old 9 footers and new tips from a pile of unfinished rod sections a guy had in his basement. One is a slow, smooth caster, and the other is faster. Not real pretty, but nearly free.

Also, Root River Fly Rods in MN or Redwing Fly Rods in WI may have something for you.

[AlexP]

Continuing with the “Driftless’ makers”, Bill Critchfield currently has a couple rods for sale that fit your needs. Caneclassics.com and in the big auction site. His work is outstanding and in your price range.

Tight Lines

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

Orvis Flea or Seven Four would be great choices. If you already have a longer light line 3-piece rod, consider having a tourist handle made to use a longer rod in the scenario which you envision. Using the rod with just a tip and mid and custom tourist handle could save you big $.

Cheers,
Joe

[teter]

One of the first rods I fished on a stream with a low canopy of trees, the Connetquot River on Long Island, was a 6'6 Pennington Pine River. I still have it (well, one of my daughters does.) It was also the last rod I fished at Caleb Smith State Park, also on Long Island, before I moved to the West Coast. Inexpensive and well made, and a fine 3/4 weight. Since brushy creeks can take a toll on rods, the cost of the Penningtons ($300-400) is a plus.

[Shrimpman]

+1 on the Steve Pennington rods. I had a 2/1, 7', 4 wt. Pine River that would be a fine rod for crawling through brush with, especially considering the low price off ebay. They are nicely finished rods with inexpensive, but perfectly fine ferrules.

[henkverhaar]

I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations or favorite rods for small, brushy streams? Specifically, I'm thinking of the brook trout headwater streams here in the Driftless, so think lots of willows and deadfall, short casts, dries/unweighted nymphs, and comparatively small fish. But also lots of banging around trees and stumbling potential.

Basically, I'm thinking something 7' or less and 4 wt or lighter,

For that, I much prefer one of the 5'6" rods I have - not necessarily light line, unless there's only tiny fish. The Orvis prototype taper presented here some time ago (4-5 wt) would be a good candidate, if you build yourself, or can find someone to do that for you. Plus the fact that it is a 3-pc, as presented, makes it a very effective pack rod as well.

This type (length) of rod is what I use in the tiny stream in my backyard (literally), which has more large trees lining it than I prefer...

[GerardH]

I grew up in northern WI fishing for brook trout in small, brushy freestone streams and though much of my fishing now occurs on the northern Driftless rivers, I still have a passion for those northern streams. Last summer while fishing my 7'6" Perfectionist on my boyhood streams, I paid attention whether 15" would make a difference in those heavily canopied, tag alder lined streams and the answer I came up with was yes, in most cases it would have. Bear in mind that you give up mending to some extent, but small stream fishing is mostly a point-and-shoot game of short, accurate casts and mending is not a factor.

I'm meeting my rod builder in Wisconsin's Driftless this weekend to pick up the PHY Midge clone he built for me over the winter -- this is a rod I decided upon after careful deliberation, casting originals and copies (including a lovely original owned by a forum member who also responded in this thread), and a lot of reading of old posts on this site. I agree with the suggestions of Bill Critchfield and Root River Rod Company for custom made rods, their prices fall within your price point...I see Bill still has a finished Midge taper listed for sale on his website. Pennington Pine River rods have a great reputation and are very affordable, though Steve's now retired and it may be tough to find the rod you want. On some custom builder websites, you sometimes can find a great deal on a rod that they built and just want to move out of their shop. Redwing Rods mentioned in an earlier post has some real deals, but you may inquire about casting them before plunking down your Visa card. And then there's the option of the secondary market...sometimes you can come across an incredible deal through swaps, bamboo gatherings, and some of the internet sites.

Just go into this with eyes wide open -- I'm looking at my Midge copy as being a specialty rod, which I can justify since I still spend a lot of time on those diminutive rivulets where I grew up. Good luck!

[rsagebrush]

Member Tommasini here sells really nice bamboo rods he makes for a very fair price, I have a 6' 3pce 2/3 wt (I prefer 3wt) that works excellently for the waters you refer too.

[DrLogik]

To fish small streams in the Smokies that are covered with a canopy of rhododendron I take my 7 foot Thramer swelled butt taper rod as primary and my 7 1/2' custom convertible graphite rod as a backup.

[Hellmtflies]

Leonard 7' 4wt. green wrap Duracane
Winston 7' 3wt. "Leetle Feller"
Sweetgrass 6'9" 3wt. Pent
Blackburn 7' 4wt. hex
Orvis 6'6" 4wt. Flea

Any of these should work just fine for you. I currently own all of the above and I live for small streams and creeks. Any of these will work.

[Eric Peper]

I've got an Orvis 5'9" that I made from blanks many decades ago. It's still a choice on small water.

[cappy]

Not what you want to hear on a cane rod forum, however given your concern's I would look for an inexpensive cane rod you strictly consider a "tool" to accomplish a task and nothing more God forbid the worst happens, or get a 4 weight 7' glass rod that can take a lot of abuse compared to the other materials. After all is it about the "fishing" or the "rod".

[nuchamps5]

Not what you want to hear on a cane rod forum, however given your concern's I would look for an inexpensive cane rod you strictly consider a "tool" to accomplish a task and nothing more God forbid the worst happens, or get a 4 weight 7' glass rod that can take a lot of abuse compared to the other materials. After all is it about the "fishing" or the "rod".

Hah, very true! I mean, worst case scenario, I've got the $25 Eagle Claw 6'6" Featherlight, which is a hoot for sunnies. But I think you're right, something relatively inexpensive might be the way to go.