The past couple weeks I have spent several mornings fishing Little Prickly Pear Creek upstream of Wolf Creek before work. I have been trying out the new Fenwick Fenglass fly rods that we recently got into the shop. In my opinion, small stream fishing should be about relaxing and having a good time. The rod, reel, and line combo that I’ve been using (described below) has been a blast to fish with.
Fenwick Fenglass Fly Rod
When I first started fly fishing, I used old Fenwick Fiberglass fly rods that I inherited from my grandfather. Although I still use those rods at times, I was excited to try out the new Fenwick Fenglass since there have been a lot of innovations in fiberglass rod manufacturing in recent years.
The Fenglass rod that I have been using these past few weeks is the 7’6″ 5 weight. However, the rod comes in sizes ranging from a 6’6″ 3 wt to a 8’3″ 8 wt. These medium action rods incorporate “unidirectional glass construction” that increases their accuracy. This means that all the glass fibers go the same direction so the rod tracks better. While fishing on Little Prickly Pear, the Fenglass let me put each cast right where I wanted it. The Fenglass comes with a limited lifetime guarantee. Prices range from $199.95 to $249.95 so the Fenglass doesn’t break the bank either.
Pflueger Medalist Reel
For a reel, the new Pflueger Medalist is an awesome pairing with the Fenglass. If you started flyfishing with a fiberglass rod, you probably also started with an old Pflueger Medalist. The new Medalist is fully machined from aluminum and incorporates a click and pawl drag system. It looks awesome with the Fenglass and together they are super fun to fish with.
Rio Light Line
To finish off the rig, the new Light Line by Rio is awesome on this, or any, slower action rod. It is designed specifically for this purpose and the ease of casting this line on the Fenglass exceeded my expectations. Most modern lines are heavier and built to “overline” fast action rods. The Light Line is not. It has a short front taper that allows it to load well at close range. However, it also has a sweet spot when making casts around 40 feet. I have used it to throw everything from small dries to large chubbies, big rubberlegs, and small streamers. I really like this line.
Small Stream Trout
Here are a couple chunky resident rainbows from Little Prickly Pear that were caught on this new Fenglass rig. Both the fish pictured below ate a big chubby. There were quite a few golden stone shucks clinging to some of the larger bank-side rocks. The fishing hasn’t been super fast lately, but the point of fishing small streams is to slow things down, relax, and have fun. That’s what it’s all about, and, let me tell you, this Fenglass rig is super fun to fish with.
