2wt or 3wt?

You know, I have a few streams where either a 2wt or 3wt rod is a great fit for the size of trout that swim there. That often calls for me to make a decision once the truck stops in a pullout by a stream. Which rod am I using today? I know. Everyone should be burdened with these tough decisions. Well, I'm retired and having fun, so there you go. That tough decision sometimes just depends on what mood I'm in for any given day up in Rainy Mountain. And then sometimes, it is based on how easy I want the rod to load for some of the tighter sections of the stream I'll be fishing. Truth is, it's much about nuance when determining the selection of a lightweight rod. But like I said, I'm retired and have the luxury of time, days, and years to make these kind of tough decisions. Yeah, as I write this, there is a smile on my face.

Last year I fished a 2wt rod most of the time up on Rainy Mountain (tied w/TMF). The nice thing about fishing my 2wt rod is how easy it loads the line for a short cast. I mean, I'm in some tight areas with stream widths that can be 10 to 15 feet wide at the most. In those streams, there are a lot of side arm casts and roll casts to keep your line out of the tree branches. Also, I will often over line the rod with a true-to-weight WF3F line to make my casts even easier and sweeter. It's just a fun rod that fits those mountain Rios so well for me. I must say, a tight line with a trout on a 2wt rod is the ultimate for me when fishing mountain creeks! So much so, that I find myself standing in the stream, by myself, chuckling out loud as a trout slips into my net. Fortunately, only nearby wild creatures can hear me.

Do I need to remind you that I'm a dry fly only angler?

When I'm at my tailgate and pull a 3wt rod out of the tube, it's when I have a "gut feeling" I will get lucky and hook up with an angry, chunky trout. And a 3wt also gets rigged up when I'm in the mood to work hard and wade up through the middle of a stream (where I have room) to cast a line up into the far pockets of water to unsuspecting trout...in other words, I'm wanting to have a day of casting a fly line instead of being totally stealth and hiding behind a willow tree while side slinging a line to the trout's nose.

Yeah, it's all about nuance. Mood. And, having fun in a beautiful canyon stream...with trout.

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