A Lighter Point of View from the Hills

By Michael A. Widener

South Holston River from Hickory Tree Bridge

Rainy Days and Sundays

A while back, I attempted to write an article on my experience with light line fly-fishing.  As is the norm with our New World society, I received both praise and criticism from friend and foe alike.  Most of the praise came from those like myself enjoyed the change of pace and who were catching all species of fish for the first time in their life on a regular basis.  The foes pointed out that fishing with lines at or under a three-weight was an abomination in the eyes of the Almighty, and that the use of lightweight systems suffer poor water creatures unmercifully.

Remember in the movie Smokey and the Bandit when Old Bandit said something like, “you are only as smart as where you happen to be standing?”  So, I will address my point of view primarily to those of us who live in the upper East Tennessee and the bumpy part of North Kackalacky.  Here on this side of the mountain, I have had to learn to contend with put-and-take mentalities, large groups of tourists who wade on redds, and new inductees to fly tossing that can run through seven miles of river like a Zulu warrior.  I should not fail to recognize Grandpa Poo who can throw a very large Rapala it seems two hundred yards to and through the pool that I always seem to be casting in. 

Needless to say, my trout and other species stay in a condition that would be best explained as clinically psychotic or near collapse from paranoia.  This general mental condition of my local fisheries has been developed from the fish being stepped on, depth charged, hammered, jet skied, and herded.  In short, I live in an area where fishing is hard.  I had to either adapt to the pressure or be very disappointed in my fishing success.  So, I am presenting a point of view supporting a lighter approach to fly-fishing.  Hopefully, this viewpoint supports people in situations like mine so they might increase their success if they lighten up a little.  All that is required is a review of what works and the tools utilized.

Rods, Reels, and Puppy Dog Tails

A review of my logs for the past few years fishing the rivers and streams (that’s Yankee for creek) of East Tennessee confirmed a trend.  Every time I have kept my approach simple and light, I caught fish.  This included overcast or sunny days, rainy or clear days, Canada goose days, grandpa days, or whatever.  It may be a single fish day or fish the size of what some would call bait, but I caught a fish on that day when no others did.  I believe that highly pressured fish can be taken providing one concentrates on presentation, matches the rod and reel system to the fish’s attitude, and has confidence based on a working knowledge of a particular environment.

I will assume that a 4-5 weight or lighter fly rod come to mind when one hears someone say, “I’m going light!”  Most writers and experts that I read tend to put the 5-weight rod at the top end of the light rods and the bottom end of medium rods.  There seems to be an increased interest in lighter rods and fly lines as manufacturing materials improve with advances in technology.  I personally think lighter equipment is the way to go to improve fishing success.  No Martha, I am not saying everyone should run out and buy a nearly $1,000 worth of a 2-weight system, but they would probably catch more fish if they did. 

My concept of fishing light is founded on solid fishing techniques (knowledge of the subject species), dependent on basics (knowledge of the principles of fly-casting and presentation), and knowing how to conduct myself on the water (the environment).  I have adapted my approach and equipment to meet my fishing requirements and conditions.  Since I cannot seem to find the “golden” fly rod that can cast mystic powers over trout to jump on a fly, this approach seems to be most logical for me.

As a beat to death and highly conditioned fly-fishing industry consumer, I feel that I have achieved Jedi-like mastery in my ability to make blunders.  Trying to learn or obtain the latest thing or trick in the wonderful world of fly-fishing does not work.  Yet, I love trying to break the code on what one thing brings a good system together.  I have concluded and feel very strongly that the fly line is just about the most important factor in creating the highly advertised and editorialized balanced system (I personally think this phrase-term is confusing to most beginners; I am still waiting to see someone balance a rod on their nose). 

I have noted on lighter weight-forward fly lines, generally 4-weight and lighter fly lines currently produced, with noted exceptions, have a longer front taper.  Being no expert and still trying to decode the concepts of fly line design, I would think this would provide more delivery control of the line to the water.  Also, the diameter of lines is decreasing.  Recently, I had to laugh when a cheap, mass produced 4-weight rod & fly line out-performed a high-cost consumer fly line of mine.  The result was the cheap line out-distanced and out-controlled the so-called quality ($) product with little or no effort.  I was extremely pleased and impressed with the light water entry of that cheap little 4-weight line. 

In mountain talk, fly lines are like bird-dog puppies to me.  Brittany puppies tend fly in general directions in response to the yells of their handler and seem to point everywhere (does your rod track straight?).  However, only one pup out of a litter will hunt well close and far.  Around this neck of the woods, choosing a good hunting dog from a pup is really difficult.  It’s real easy to buy a bad dog when it was purchased on the basis of pedigree alone (or be a victim of brand name tunnel vision). 

I would try to put as much research and trial into your fly line as you would into a rod, reel, or hunting dog.  I doubt if many of you would ever admit to making a statement like, “I went to Martha’s Fly & Bait Shop to buy a new rod & reel for my fly line.”  Yet, I have seen some friends here in East Tennessee run right out to buy a $600 rod with a supersonic $300 reel affixed based on a picture advertisement or something they were told.  When I ask them about the line, they usually can’t tell me a thing other than the brand name, the shop put it on, or that it was $55.  Worse, they purchased a complete system without trying it out.  If they did try it out, trials with different lines never entered their highly focused and consumer conditioned little heads. 

I highly recommend that any rod system should be thrown before the money is blown.  This is especially true if any high-cost, lightweight system is in your dreams.  Don’t just walk outside the shop and throw a well-tutored loop or two with your favorite salesperson.  Before I will spend the better part of a month’s salary on a highly specialized system, I want to try the weapon out my way.  I usually take my own lines to the shop to throw.  Ok, so I have beaten the obvious to death.  Then why do people and my friends do it?

A light 4-weight or lighter rod is an out of body experience for most.  My initial tendency to over power my 2-weight was great.  So, you still want a lightweight? Then I suggest that your rod choice meet old Major Mike’s three criteria:

Rule #1 – The rod must have a credible and working warranty

Rule #2 – Don’t forget Rule #1

Rule #3 – You, nobody else matters, must be totally satisfied with the rod for fish-ability, durability, and satisfaction

Don’t be mesmerized by the name on the butt section, or what you read in an article, or even that breathtakingly beautiful photo advertisement you saw.  Be objective and honest with yourself. 

When you're on the stream, does that supersonic system meet your requirements for casting control, water entry, and just general fishing appeal?  The Power Rangers among you can add distance control, too.  Ask for that demonstrator rod people! Don’t forget to take your reels or spools with loaded with different lines from multiple manufacturers. I recommend that you try fly lines designed for lightweight rods or in the smaller diameters with extended forward tapers.

What works best for me?  My primary desire is to have a system that I can control, enters the water with minimal disturbance, and must have acceptable performance in a moderate wind. Please note that distance did not appear as a priority anywhere in the last sentence.  In my mind, there is no difference between a 3-weight and a 5-weight if they both have equal water entry like a Mark 48 naval torpedo. 

I never thought of maximizing my favorite 5-weight rod for function and finesse. That was until I replaced a very popular, highly advertised line with a line that actual matched the rod’s behavior and my casting style.  The replacement fly line was a lighter, smaller diameter line with a belly that supported intermediate casting ranges and responded to the medium-fast action of the rod.  The change in line met my need for stealth and supported my casting style.  The result was that my level of confidence went way up, and I have become master (in my own mind) of everything within 35-40 feet.  This was acceptable to me since most of my hookups are usually at a distance of 20 feet or less.

Leaders and tippets have always been a fun challenge for rods under 5-weight.  Most situations around home are such that I am seldom required to continually change the leader/tippet size and length.  What am I trying to stay?  The stream’s current flows, or lack of it, wind speed, the stream’s bottom structure and depth, the food chain in the stream, and mental condition of my prey are fairly predictable in my home waters.  I usually do most of my East Tennessee fishing with a minimum ten-foot leader and a 6x or 7x tippet.  Again, this is based on the highly predictable gun-shy state of mind of a heavily pressured fish population (and who are very discriminate eaters).  I will only say the leaders and tippets shall remain that continual, every changing mystery for most fly-casters, and long and light leaders work well in East Tennessee.

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