Any Fans of ultralight flyrods ?

Although I love ultralight spinning, my first love has always been Flyfishing for panfish .
As I got older and arthritis has become a factor I went away from Flyfishing for awhile and developed micro jigs patterned after my favorite panfish flies and fished them with a weighted float and just recently discovered fishing them on a drop shot .
A little over a month ago I picked up the flyrod again , and the love is growing again .
Ultralight rods and reels , especially short fiberglass rods have enabled me to get back into chasing gills the way I love .
My lightest is a 5’9” Redington Butterstick paired with a 2/3 Zero reel . .

So, should I be posting my fly fishing panfish adventures in this section or keep posting in the Panfish section ?

Sounds like a very handy setup

I’ve got fly rods ranging from 2 - 10 weight. With a bum shoulder, the rods on the lighter end definitely get more use. Even a little bluegill puts up a fight on a 2 wt from a kayak. For me the lighter rods are best suited for shallower waters.


A friend once told me the problem with fishing a 2 wt for bluegill, is that 5 lb bass doesn’t know you are bluegill fishing. Larger fish on a 2 wt can be a handful.

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Originally Posted by Flyfisher66048

I’ve got fly rods ranging from 2 - 10 weight. With a bum shoulder, the rods on the lighter end definitely get more use. Even a little bluegill puts up a fight on a 2 wt from a kayak. For me the lighter rods are best suited for shallower waters.


A friend once told me the problem with fishing a 2 wt for bluegill, is that 5 lb bass doesn’t know you are bluegill fishing. Larger fish on a 2 wt can be a handful.

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I had a nice LM ; est. 5 pounder , eat a hand size bluegill while fishing with a 5’9” Cabelas CGR . I was using some four pound mono for a tippet and was surprised to land the bass .
Hooked into a grass carp once , no contest , an unbelievable quick run followed with a snap of my leader . Fun for the few seconds it lasted . ;)

Lowest I go is a 4wt. Tried a 2wt once but didn’t like it.

I had a lot of fly rods before my brother passed, and now have many more than I really need. I go from a 1wt to a 10wt with 4 different 5wts. My favorite is a 2/3wt my brother built for me. I only use the 1 & 2 wts where there is no chance of a LMB taking my fly. They are much too delicate to risk that. They are however excellent for Brookies in the Smokies.

Tight Lines

I’m happy to see there is some interest in UL Flyfishing.
I’ve ordered one of my dream rods , a 6’ 2wt St Croix Imperial. Although I do like fiberglass rods .
It’ll be fun comparing it to my 6’ 2wt TFO Signature rod and my 6’ 2wt Butterstick.
I mainly fish for small gills . Lately I’ve been on a quest to chase the green sunfish .
Here , the average green sunfish is less than six inches. Our state record is a monster 1# 6 oz . Probably caught by a bass fisherman on heavy tackle .

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Originally Posted by gillchaser999

I’m happy to see there is some interest in UL Flyfishing.
I’ve ordered one of my dream rods , a 6’ 2wt St Croix Imperial. Although I do like fiberglass rods .
It’ll be fun comparing it to my 6’ 2wt TFO Signature rod .

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It was scheduled to arrive yesterday, but FedEx sent it to the wrong hub in Ohio Saturday. Now it’s scheduled for this Wednesday. I don’t know how these people find there way to work every day .:banghead

I use a 1wt. And a 2wt for panfishing in Florida and New Hampshire. My favorite way to fish. Every fish puts up a fight!!


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Have 2 ---> St Croix Imperial 6'6" 3wt great for bluegill / bream fly fishing by & under trees.

gillchaser999, Howdy.

Sorry it took me this long to reply.

I grew up in Eastern Pa. where to get into small streams to fish there isn't generally much if any room to swing any kind of rod.
I found a nice Fenwick 565 fly rod. It's 5' 6" long and a 5 wt. Generally, I find myself shooting (bow-n-arrow), just mono leader
into small pockets for brookies. Have since moved out to the Western part of the country. That wee bitty rod still goes with me.
I have used it for panfish of just about variety. I've caught 5 lb. catfish, 4 lb. smallies 5-7 lb. LMB with that rod. I have 3 reels
that will work with it.
That nice slow action will absorb a huge amount of the weight that's on the far end of the line. I've flipped 1/128 oz. 'Cap Spiders'
up to 1/8 oz. jigs with it and it handled them all equally well.

hank

I purchased a couple of 3wt flyrods from a guy on another forum. I had never ever used a fly rod but thought I would give it a try. After practicing in the yard for a couple of weeks I hit the creek during the white bass run. I have been hooked every since.

I also bought a 3wt recently: a 7.5’ Redington Classic Trout. I used one on a guided trip to Colorado back in the summer. I decided then and there to buy one when I got home. LOL

What a sweet little rod! So far, I’ve caught some bluegills and small bass. Can’t wait to get some stocker rainbows on it!

I started fly fishing with bluegill in mind. I use a 1wt and a pair of 3wt's. I also target cutthroat with them.

I have mostly 4wt rods along with a couple of 5 and 6 wt. I always use the 4wt for panfish and small bass. My 4wt fiberglass is so handy