My Shortest Fly Rod

Anyone who ventures into some of my little Rios quickly learn the value of using a short fly rod. The streams are choked with brushy willows and in many sections have overhanging branches...sometimes making you feel like you are fishing in a leafy tunnel.

These kind of tight environments demand that I use a very short rod...well, that is if I want to catch any fish. And, I do. In most of these environments I can get away with a 6'6" or even a 7' fly rod, but there are a few places that are very claustrophobic where only a 6' or shorter rod will do. If I don't have that rod when coming up on one of these sections on the stream, I simply bypass the area and go on upstream where it is more open. But, when I wake up in the morning and I'm in the mood to bushwhack, I make sure to pack my 6 footer for brushy battle.

I only have one 6' fly rod and it happens to be a bamboo rod. It's a 3wt fly rod that has a progressive action and works quite well for its intended environments. I purchased this rod new several years ago for a measly $70 dollars from China (CODE G). That's where Tonkin Cane comes from and the cane used in making this little wand. It's maker is Zhus and doesn't have a good reputation from the bamboo afficiondos. But I didn't buy it to make any of them happy...but for me. Some of their rods I must say is pure junk, but this rod is quite nice, I must say. And, it works very well for the environments I like to fish from time to time.

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