A small gill test trip

Spent a little over an hour at lake Kedron this morning throwing rubber legged spiders on my 6’ 2wt TFO Signature 1 six foot ultralight flyrod, teamed up with my Orvis Battenkill 1 .
A test run of sort .
I was comparing graphite to glass in a 6’ 2wt rod catching small gills .
It passed the test .
The little rod made accurate short casts and would throw the size 12 spider over 50’ if I needed it to .
I love glass , but I like any rod that will give me a nice bend with the smaller fish . And will put my fly where I want it .
I’m thinking there may be a St Croix Mojo Trout in a 2wt 6’ in my future .
I’ve read some good reviews on them .
I’m also looking at the 6’ 2wt Imperial, but it’s getting a little out of what I prefer to spend on a new stick . And from what I’ve read , the Mojo is just as sweet of a ultralight flyrod.
I caught twenty three small gills this morning.
The largest and best fighter was a small redear .

Sounds like some nice fishing rods

Thanks for sharing you adventure and review!

I looked around and didn’t notice any JDM fly fishing gear except for Tenkara .
Anybody know of any ?

Thanks for the ride along, gill. Always enjoy hearing of your adventures!
Bob

Thanks guys ,
I plan on changing things up for tomorrow’s trip .
All graphite rods and longer too . Some haven’t been fished much , a couple may have never been fished , maybe once .
I’m planning on taking a 7’ 3wt St Croix Imperial, an 8’ 4wt. St Croix Rio Santos , and an 8’ 4 wt TFO Signature ii .
Going to try and make it back to the creek below the mill pond .
I’ve caught some bigger gills out of that creek a few years back . Maybe I can find a few of them .
If not , I’m happy with the small ones .

I got a late start this morning, drove to the creek at the millpond and was greeted with high muddy water. Somebody was releasing water upstream for some reason .
Left the creek and drove over to lake McIntosh.
I started off with the St. Croix Imperial 7’ 3wt paired with a Orvis Battenkill 1 and 3wt wf line .
It didn’t take long to find a nice little green sunfish that was willing to play and then a small redear that put a nice bend in the Imperial.
This combo was light in hand and fish a lot like my shorter rods but had a little extra for distance if needed , although the feel when I caught a small gill wasn’t the same as the one and two weights .
Next , I stung up the TFO Signature ii 8’ 4wt paired with a Wright & McGill Dragon Fly reel loaded with 4wt WF Orvis Green Mt. Line .
This combo balanced well and still felt fairly light I the hand , but could have benefited from a Redington Zero reel .
This combo would easily load and shoot line out . Roll casts were easy out to 50-60’ . This rod had a nice bend in it even with small gills but I couldn’t feel them like I do with the shorter rods .
Definitely a nice rod that would be nice out of a boat on some bigger gills.
Next , I strung up the SC Rio Santos 8’ 4wt using the W&Mc reel with 4wt line .
The Rio Santos is a nice rod but wasn’t quite as responsive as the other two rods . I had to work at making the same casts and roll casts I found easier with the other two rods .
The Rio Santos isn’t a bad rod , it’s fully functional fished ok , but not on the level with the other two rods . Just one little notch below the others .
Wished I’d had more time with the Imperial and TFO , but the heat started getting to me after about an hour and a half .
Caught sixteen gills total .

Too bad about the creek, ours are mudded up also but due to the recent rains. Nice shots, that one of the green sunfish stands out.

Great looking fish there and nice report on the different rods.
Bob

Nice fish. When you get mud I get movement from recent rains. When the river stops or slows waaay down the fishing is so much better. A good tropical storm or hurricane and it will be over til next dry season. Glad you could dodge the muddy water at someplace else and get some.