Old Yankee Rodsmith's 6' Canoe Cannon

Here is another 6' small stream rod from the Old Yankee Rodsmith, Andy Manchester. This rod is completely different than the rod I reviewed about a week ago (The Orange Crush).

This baby is a 100% fiberglass, 6' rod. The blank is neutral gray (my wife says it is Khaki) in color and has a dead matte finish. I broke this rod out at the local fly shop and the trouters loved the non-glare finish. Keep in mind these guys usually have nothing nice to say about anybody's gear, so Andy scored super points with this rod. These guys are like those two old Muppets in the balcony on the Muppet Show!

The guides (snakes) on this rig are a tad large (which I like) and the wraps are beautifully finished and really compliment the blank. Just a handsome and super functional rod.

We call it the Canoe Cannon because I use this bad boy in my old canoe. The length is perfect in a canoe, staying clear of the stomping feet of a 10 year old and it is easy to cast and land fish. So far crappies, bluegills and a few bass have be claimed by the Cannon...this year I plan to add a few smallies to the list!

Again, the Lawson Laurentian #1 Dry Fly Special (reel) balances this rod out perfectly. The reel is very simple, but it works perfectly and looks fantastic. Who would have thought a reel made in the 1940's would still function perfectly nearly 70 years later!

Another great rod by Andy Manchester! These 6' rods may seem wimpy with a line rating of 4/5, but they are far from that! These so called "small stream rods" have the juice!

Thank you again Andy.

Doug

First Outing of 2011!

Old Yankee Rodsmith's 5wt Boron Blend

We had our first super nice day here in Minnesota, spring is finally here! I was fortunate enough to get a custom 5 wt rod from Andy Manchester (Old Yankee Rodsmith) for Christmas. This is my second rod from Andy and I can't tell you how impressed I am with the craftsmanship and quality of Andy's work. The rod is a boron blend and measures out to 6'.

My boys call it the "Orange Crush" because of hue of the blank--I hope to CRUSH a few trout this year with this beauty. It is my first boron rod, so I wasn't sure how it would perform. After 20 minutes of driveway casting I found this rod to be more than I ever thought it would be. The flex of the rod is full and smooth making it a dream to cast.

The detail of this rod is second to none. Andy graduated the rod in increments up to 24", so no more guessing on the length of fish (see below). The snake guides are large and allow line to shoot perfectly with a DT 5wt line.

I love this rod. Many of you may think a 6' rod is not practical, but I encourage you to give one a try. If you are nervous about boron, don't be--it has a flex that is a joy to cast.

I will post a better review tomorrow after I catch some pigs with this rod. Look for fishy pictures tomorrow!

The one issue I had with my first 6' rod was finding a small reel that worked well. I settled on a Martin Model 72 "tuna can" reel and I have to be honest....I didn't like the reel at all. I shot Andy an email inquiring about a good companion reel for the rod and he told me about a reel I have never heard of...a Lawson Laurentian #1 Dry Fly Special? The Laurentian was made in Canada in the 1940's. Turns out Andy was dead on with the recommendation! The reel balances out both of my 6' Old Yankee's perfectly and looks great too!

Here is a great article about Andy from Joe Cornwall's online magazine Fly Fish Ohio.

The WIN-MOCK Streamer

I can't take credit for this stuff, these awesome flies were tied by JeffSod from The Bass Pond Forum. The article was posted by Armand (aka B52 Bugger). Armand said this article was published in 1973 by his friend Fred Bahnson. Here is a quick story from Armand...even trout like this one!

"Many years ago I was fishing with my then brother in law on Stafford Pond in Tiverton, RI. It was August my brother in law could not get out of bed early for morning smallmouth. About 10 am I noticed rainbow trout feeding on midges. What do you do with six pound leaders and no size 22 - 24 midges. It was a sin seeing these large rainbows feeding on small stuff, they should eat meat. I took off my Gaines Bass King put on size 2 Win-mock and cast to one of the bruiser. Scared everyone except this rainbow that wanted to fight. He turned and scoff the fly. It turned out to be a nice four pound trout - I have to tell you we ate him. Smaller size works on trout size 8 or 10. Enough said. To think I wanted to be the Bass King on the Penobscot - fat chance now the secret is out."

The Win-Mock is a very simple fly using materials almost every fly tyer has on hand, I love these old patterns. No need to run to the fly shop for crazy materials....

Click on the article below to read and print at full size.

Thank you Jeff and Armand this one is a winner!

New Ross FlyStik | Lamson | SA Smallmouth Rig

The Smallmouth Fly Box is very excited about it's newest smallmouth rig, the Ross FlyStik (8 wt), Lamson Konic and SA Sharkskin line setup. The rod came highly recommended by Joe Cornwall of Fly Fish Ohio and it is better than I could ever imagine.

I know the Redington Predator is getting great reviews, but I have been told by multiple people the Ross is a fantastic smallmouth rod. I have noodled both rods and really preferred the Ross because of my fiberglass roots.

This rod is graphite, but feels more on the slower, smoother fiberglass side. The Lamson reel is a fantastic mate for the FlyStik. Can't wait to get on the water with this rig.

This is what Joe Cornwall had to say about the Ross FlyStik in comparison to the Redington Predator:

The Predator is a nice rod, but the Fly Stik is better. Ross is a smoother caster, a tad slower and easier and more accurate in my hands. It’s a superb rod. If you already own a 6wt, I highly suggest the 8wt. While the 6 is a great rod, close to my Scott Warm Water Special in fact, it’s not the best choice for an all-around bass rod. Especially in Minnesota where you have a shot at pike (they’re everywhere), carp, larger bass and MUCH larger smallmouth. It tops out with about a size 2 fly – and not a deer hair bug at that. I’d consider the 8 an ideal rod for Minnesota (that’s where I fished it for the review) and it’s a true 8. Match it with a Headstart 8 or similar BB taper and it’s just a GREAT bass rod. And for $169 it’s about as painless as it gets. It’s great with up to a size 1/0 streamer and will handle a good sized cork or deer hair popper. There’s nothing else close to the ROSS. The Shore Stalker is a better rod at twice the price, the Sage Smallmouth or Bluegill is a better “bass” rod if you use it for topwater or shallow work but isn’t as versatile.

You can read a more detailed review on Joe's online magazine - Fly Fish Ohio.
http://www.flyfishohio.com/Ross_FlyStik_Review.htm

I don't know much about Lamson reels, but the Konic reel got 4.8 out of 5 stars from 42 reviewers on Cabelas.com. Should be fine for me.

Fly Box Hero - Craig Riendeau

I have been experimenting with Craig Riendeau's interchangeable weight system and I think it is outstanding. I emailed Craig in May 2010, sent him a check and he mailed out the black rubber "ringers" that hold the weight to the hook shank. Don't bother trying to find a source for the ringers, or try to use rubber bands - Craig has found the ultimate material....buy the ringers from Craig directly at driftsouth@bellsouth.net or at Rainy's Flies & Supplies online.

Watch Craig explain the concept and attach the ringer to the hook (and tie all of these flies for that matter) at http://www.flywranglerstv.com. Craig has a series of high quality, super informative videos on Fly Wrangler TV.

Craig is such an innovative fly tyer creating very unique patterns - the Crawdad Craig, Hairy Fodder and Hairy Fodder Lite, the Georgia Bullfrog...see images below.

Hairy Fodder

Georgia Bullfrawg

Crawdad Craig

All of these flies are fun to tie and super durable. The Hairy Fodder has a lifelike presentation in the water. The sili-legs, rabbit fur and krystal flash undulate in the water imitating anything from a bait fish to a crayfish - very versatile!

I have never met Craig in person, but he mailed my Riendeau Ringers out right away with a detailed instruction sheet on how to tie the Hairy Fodder. Based on the pictures I have seen online Craig is a real Fly Box Hero.

How about the toad he has in the picture above! I nabbed this picture from a site that claims that smallie was from my stomping grounds! The "Upper Mississippi" usually refers to Minnesota and based on the size of that bass it certainly appears to be from up here!

I contacted Craig and this is what he said about the picture above:

"...As for the smallie on your blog, that came from the Mississippi downstream from Brainard. I know where the Linder's hang out! Got it on a 1/0 all white, flashy Hairy Fodder while fishing with guide Kip Veth. He liked the Murdich Minnow on top but I thought going "in their face" with a fast sinking Fodder would get more strikes. I was right by out fishing Kip and my buddy three to one. The one picture pushed the five pound mark. Lost one a few casts later that made that one look small..."

Spirit River's Speckled Brown Mottlebou

You may have seen this material in the fly shop and thought "There is some funky marabou." Well....you need to pick this stuff up! This material is super active in the water and has very cool natural color variation.

I use Mottlebou in conjunction with brown leech yarn, Wapsi Palmer Chenille and brown/green variegated chenille on the Evening Scratch.

Give this material a try if you get a chance, you'll be very pleased with the look and action!