Kenny Klimes

Dave,

You might have read this already but I found this on the tacticalflyfisher.com site – Devon Olsen and Lance Egan site. They know their EURO!

I (Devin) was fortunate to fish prototypes of the longer rods during Joe’s development process and have fished the 10′ models as soon as they were available from the factory. Below is a quick rundown of my experiences with each model.

10′ 10″ 3 weight: This rod is very stiff/powerful overall but has just enough softness in the tip to protect tippet. Given it’s length, it provides very good reach and allows you to stay further from the fish. I like this rod a lot for floating the sighter methods where tuck casting is paramount. It is also excellent at fishing heavier nymphs and streamers. It does have swing weight that feels like most 11′ 3 weights so I suggest pairing it with a reel that is at 5.5-6.5 oz to provide balance in the cork. When I fished it with a lighter reel, I found it more difficult to make quick casts and hooksets and to hold the rod extended. With the heavier reel, it fishes much more comfortably.

10′ 10″ 2 weight: This rod very good for fishing micro leaders on wider rivers where reach is important but loading a cast with light nymphs is still necessary. It has plenty of power to fight large fish. So far, I have landed a carp of around 7-8 pounds and a rainbow that I taped at 25″ on this rod. The cushion in the tip allowed me to handle both of them on 6x tippet without much trouble. It is a very good all around nymphing rod as long as aggressive casts are not mandatory. The soft tip does recover slower than the 3 weight, and the shorter 2 weight, so I find I need to wait longer for the rod to unload on my back cast to maintain accuracy. This characteristic means that this rod also performs best in calmer conditions as it is difficult to punch accurate casts into the wind or to tuck cast with authority. Given its length, it performs better when paired with a reel in the 5.5-6 oz range for balance, but it does have a bit less swing weight than the 10′ 10″ 3 weight.

10′ 2 weight: For smaller rivers, this is a very good choice as an all around nymphing rod. It has more power than most other 2 weight Euro nymphing rods I’ve fished, and quick recovery, so it is possible to land large fish and accurately cast into tight quarters. I have enjoyed using this rod for floated sighter methods and dry/droppers on a Euro nymph leader on the smaller waters I frequent. It tuck casts well and is very light in the hand. With its shorter blank and light overall weight, a reel between 4.2 and 5 oz is sufficient for balance.

10′ 1 weight: This rod is a ton of fun for small water. I compared it to a couple of 10′ 1 weights that other friends have, and it has a lot more power in the lower end of the rod but still has a lot of cushion in the upper half of the rod. It protects light tippet very well and makes smaller fish a lot of fun on the line. It loads really well with lighter nymphs and propels them without a lot of effort. It does lack hook setting authority compared to the stiffer and longer models so it is not a great choice if you fish a lot of larger heavier wire nymphs and streamers. Similar to the 10′ 2 weight, it doesn’t need a lot of weight to balance it and a reel over 4 oz will probably do the job.

ESN rods – I am sure that the Echo Shadow is a fine ESN rod. I have had several now and have traded them out. I had the Redington and Moonshine but now own the TFO Stealth rod.

I like the TFO – good balance and light weight. My moonshine seemed to be “handle heavy”. The balance is important because you will be fishing with your shoulder extended most of the time. I recommend if you are buying it only for ESN to get a 10″6″ rod length. If you may think about changing out back to dry fly fishing or swinging small flies, I would think about a 10′ rod. My rod is TFO 10’6″ ESN rod. I only use it for ESN.

You should not have problems with the dropper fly coming off the dry fly (barbless) when a fish is on. Keep the pressure on the fish and it should not. Once you “release” any pressure on the dropper fly then the fish may come off with a barbless hook. I do not lose fish with barbless hooks when I keep the pressure on. Most fly fishers I see on the water do not realize the amount of pressure they can put on a fish and not break off. Break offs happen during the initial hook set (too hard by the fly fisher) or pressure is released slightly and the fish shakes it’s head or the fish jumps and spits out the hook again because pressure is released. My point is keep using the barbless hooks but work at keeping the pressure on (rod at approximately 45 – 30 degrees). I see many fly fishers holding their rod almost vertical when fighting a fish.  The more vertical the less pressure on the fish. See if that helps not losing fish.

Bruno

Glad to have you aboard! If you stick with floating line but want to get into “deep pools” I would advise buying a “sinking poly” leader to add to your fly line. It’s considered the poor man’s sinking tip line when you can’t afford a sinking tip line of just want to make a quick change. It will help get your flies down even though you are using a floating line. Then the leaded flies you would use can either be ones with bead or cone heads or lead wire wrapped around the shank of the hook if you are a fly tier.  As far as flies woolybuggers, sculpin patterns and crayfish patterns would do great. Check out our most recent smallmouth trip in our trips page. We used and were very successful with the fly called the meat-whistle.

Hope this helps!!

K

Well, if it’s the “bootie seam”. You may be out of luck and have to buy new waders. Almost impossible to fix the seam where the booties meet the waders. New special glue for that and not worth it.

Mike,

Thanks for the information. I have seen Davy Wotton’s presentation and it’s always informative. Keep us informed on the Sow Bug and other fly fishing events in your area. I have to get down there and soon. Save me a bed!!

Dave,

First, if you never have tried to “Aqua Seal” your waders I would do that first before I would buy new ones.

(But if that doesn’t work I always think it is best to save a few extra pennies and then buy a good pair of waders – waders of your choice but a good pair. Which could run you anywhere from $250 – $500. Yes, that’s a lot but my first pair of Simms I had for over 12 years – of course I had to repair leaks here and there throughout the years but the fit and quality are above and beyond other waders.)

Now, take you waders and figure out which leg was leaking. Turn the waders inside out. If both legs are leaking, then you will have to work on both but I recommend one at a time. I strap my waders to a ladder just so the wader booties just touch the ground. Then I pull one leg up and leave the other hang down to the ground. With a hose “in” the leg hanging down (remember inside out) fill the leg with water up to the crouch. Get a Sharpie and watch for any leaks – a pin hole leak could take awhile before it starts to drip. Circle the area with the Sharpie that is leaking. Then reverse the legs and do the procedure all over again – mark leaks with a Sharpie. Make sure your waders are dry and (still inside out) use a tube of Aqua Seal and an “acid brush” to smooth the Aqua Seal over the leak. You don’t need a lot of Aqua Seal – just enough to cover the leak area – and smooth with the acid brush. Let it dry. If you have multiple leaks be careful with the Aqua Seal and make sure it doesn’t touch anything for 24 hours – this means you may have to add Aqua Seal a little at a time and wait for it to dry, i.e. if your wader leg needs Aqua Seal on both sides just do one side (front or back) at a time.

Once dry then you can use your waders on the river to “test” them out. If the leaks are too much or the seams are coming apart – then it’s time to spend some money!