Bluegill fly rod

I live in Central Oklahoma currently have a Redington Classic Trout 5# and it is disappointing at best catching bluegill on it. I want them to be able to show off, but there is the ever present danger of 5lb+ bass taking my fly. I don't fish streams simply because they're all hourS away. Looking for experience/recommendations with something lighter that I can fish ponds and lakes for bluegill primarily. What really got me interested in a lighter rod was the Flyfishohio.com article 2wt shootout 2-Weight Fly Rod Shoot-Out Review, A Fly Fish Ohio Exclusive Look At 22 Fly Rods!
So I'm looking in the 2/3wt line rating and also wondering about length. I don't imagine I'll need to be making many casts beyond the 50' range so I was thinking something in the 7.5-8' length might suit my purposes well. Thanks for your replies, if this has already been covered on here, I apologize. I couldn't find it.



~J. Babcock

I'd suggest a 3wt rod and maybe put a 4wt line on it, depending on what size flies you'll be throwing. Many people throw poppers which cast much easier with a heavier line. I don't know what your budget is, but the Cabela's Three Forks 3wt is a good rod and goes for around $50.

FWIW, my first experience with a 2wt was not fun. I was happily catching fish with my 4wt, and another guy let me use his 2wt. Casting bigger flies was not pleasant, and I practically begged for my 4wt back. YMMV.

I have a 3wt you could borrow for a while if you want. It's not an expensive rod, but I enjoy it.
I could bring it back from the lake this weekend? Let me know.

Bab - I also have a couple of flyrods you can borrow to get the feel of (3wt, 4wt, 5wt.) They all do well on Brim or Crappie. But mine will feel different than yours. I am a longtime aficionado of quality fiberglass rods. Check out fiberglass flyrodders forum. I've been the graphite route over the years, and still have a couple for Czech nymph fishing, but always go back to glass. I don't use them as much now but still enjoy flyfishing when I do. PM me if you want to try one or two. It was easy to teach my grandkids with them.
Glass is classAttachment 267448
Floyd

added: BTW, when I still lived down at Eufaula I was preparing for an annual trip back to Colorado and took my 3wt down to the bank for a few practice tosses and what I thought was a bluegill sipped it under. Then it went airborne. Jumped several times until I brought her to hand. 6lb+ bass and it was on an old 2lb tippet. Loads of fun!

Thank you for the generous offers. I’m heading to Canadaweek after next so I’m afraid that with my preparations for that trip it willnot get any use prior to the end of the month. I am excited to tangle with somePike and hopefully Muskie with my 9# up there but I don’t think the 3# would beadequate for most of the species I will be hunting while up there. The smalliesup there put up quite a fight compared to our lazy warm water LMB’s. Againthank you for the offers, I will get back with you if I find myself in aposition where I can get some use out of one of your rods. I have been curiousabout the difference between graphite and glass, I probably will take you up onthat offer when I have time to take advantage of it. As for budget, fishingrods are tools for me. I understand that a tool can also be a work of art but Iam not looking to spend more than $500 on a complete setup (rod, reel, andline). As for size, I plan to stick with fairly small flies with this rod, Ihave the 5# for larger flies and poppers. I didn’t mention above, my biggestconcern when considering length for this new rod is the wind. It seems to bewindy 8 days a week, which is a slight improvement to the Kansas I left when Imoved here. I plan to use this rod from my canoe and the bank.
Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming.

okuma ,5 wt.

Might want to try different flylines.the advance on flylines today is unreal. Sounds like you already have a good setup.

I do not think there is a one size fits all rod for you. If you are looking to cast small flys for bluegills yes a lighter weight rod could be your answer. Also perhaps a slower action would give you a sense of catching a larger fish. However a 5 lb bass demands a heaver rod. Usually you will be casting bigger flys that require a heavier rod for bass. Second is trying to land a 5 lb fish with a 2 weight is not fun or practical. It can be very hard on the fish if doing catch and release.Small light weight rods are made for soft presentations with small flys and very light tippet. I do not think you are using size 24 midges with 7x? A good example is you will not use the same hammer to pound spikes as you do tacks! Blue gills and other small fish are what they are. They can be hard fighters but not in the same category as a 5 lb fish!

My biggest concern is using a 3wt to show off the bluegill's fight and then catching the bass that eats your bluegill. You could land the bass most likely, but it will take a while if you don't break off. If you have the set up right, the Tippett will break before the rod or fly line are damaged.

I use 7wt. Glass rods 8ft long with 5w line, works perfectly for me. I am a fiber glass man myself.

I read this thread yesterday and the Ohio Rod shootout on 2 weight rods was a wealth of Information on light Rods.