2wt Fly Rods for Bluegills

[Lee]

 Anyone else fishing 2wts or less for Bluegill/Bream/Bass???

 I decided I wanted to go a little lighter on my Bluegill/Bream rod I've been fishing 3 and 4wts so Saturday I ordered a Echo Carbon 7'3" 2wt flyrod got a heck of a deal because the 2012 models are on sale! Normaly $169 rod I bought it for $90 Sweeeeet! I hope the UPS man makes it here before this weekend :) can't wait to try it out!

[Donald Schmotzer]

Lee,  Echo makes great rods, you will like that one. One day I am going to break down and buy an Echo "EDGE". They make a 3wt EDGE / / / Fantastic rod. It is a little more expensive but the EDGE I borrowed made a believer out of me. ( I am partial to 3wt rods anyway). Good luck with your new rod and please give us some feedback.............Don in SC

[Ray Ditzenberger]

When I first got my 6' TFO signature 2wt I put a wt 2wt WF line on it. I did not care too much for the rod so put it in the corner and continued to use my 6' 5wt rod that I had been fishing for a couple of years. One day a very small light bulb glowed weakly and I picked up a 3wt DT ( this is the only DT line I own ) and and the rod came alive for me. I switched the 2wt with the 5wt and never looked back. The moral of this story.....If you do not like the way a rod feels; Don't be afraid to overline a rod and don't discount using a DT line. ......Fast rods have become a fad in this industry and companies have taken to under rateing rods so they can label them as 'Fast Action'. The folks that test rods have found rods that test as high 2 or more line weights heavier than the rod has been listed. .......In addition, the line manufacturers have taken to increasing the weights of some lines to keep in step with the 'Fast' rods. The only thing us poor slobs can do is try a line and if it does not function correctly for you trade it in for different type of line or heavier line ...etc. until you get a line that works for you. My almost local fly shop will trade lines until one finds the happy line for a given rod. 

[Keith Owen]

I've read most of the posts here and very much agree with the comments. Super light weight rods (I put 0-2WTs beyond light or ultra-light) are no more lethal to big fish than other rods if the catch is properly handled then resuscitated. Also, fishing with these wispy wands is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on! I first started fishing the Temple Fork Outfitters 2WT fun rod. I think it’s just less than seven feet. Then my wife got me the TFO eight foot, two weight… AWESOME!

I fish 3WT, weight forward, floating lines on both rods. Neither of these rods are boomers (what I call rods with fast actions that a lot of line can be cast with), then again that’s not what they are for. I have used the short 2WT for trout in pocket water in Wyoming and the longer on surfacing Sand Bass here at home. I’ve caught Largemouth Bass to 4 and 5 pounds and Smallmouth to 3 pounds, on the eight-footer. I even caught an Oklahoma Redfish (Freshwater Drum) that probably weighed 7 or 8 pounds.

Any quality manufactured rod will be great. I like the TFOs because they are a really good rod for a great price. Never had a problem with any TFO rod and between me and my wife we have seven or eight in different lengths and weights.

If you wanna spice up your fishing or test your fish-fighting skills, this is a great way to do it. Fighting a sizeable fish on a Super Light weight rod will have you pulling all your tools from your fish battling tool box. Angle and direction of pressure become more critical as the rod size goes down and the fish size goes up. I doubt I will ever get the chance to catch a Tarpon on a fly rod, but a 20 inch Striper on a 2WT requires the same skills.

Minimize your rod size… maximize your fun!

Best Fishes,

Keith