Ultimate Bamboo fly rod for small creeks

Above: “Little Mecoche” 6'9" 2pc. 3wt.

For over 18 years, this rod has proven itself in small creeks around the world. I make this rod in line weights 2-4, and all three weights use the same reel seat configuration. A blued nickel silver double slide band with a mortised spacer and a flared butt with a blued butt end cap. It's a lively, spry little rod that has personally caught me fish up to 25 inches and is very accurate in close-quarters combat. Like the “Little Engine That Could,” this rod paired with a DT line is deadly with small dry flies and pulls its weight.

As one of my personal favorite rods, I pair it with a Terenzio Half Tail silk DT. The reason I use a Half Tail is that I can easily load a Hardy Flyweight with ample room for backing. A Half Tail in 2-4 weights. Another great line option for this rod is RIO LightLine DT paired with a 50" shorty furled leader. The LightLine has a short head about 5' followed by a body taper at around 8'. This ensures the quietest, most delicate presentation I've seen for any synthetic line. I've always been a big fan of this line for short rods and weights, DT0 ~DT3. This line will also not overload cane rods like many synthetic lines will do. It's a very, very “quiet” line for the most wary Browns in shallow, vodka-clear water. Again I load this line in my Hardy Flyweights with ample room because the total length of the line is only 70'.

Above photo: One of my “root beer” colored agate strippers 

standard on my “Little Mecoche” rods

This little gem of a rod loads very quickly and is meant for short to medium casts in tight water. Whether you are fishing for little Brookies on Hazel Creek in the Smoky Mountains or stalking weary Browns on small freestoners like Rock Creek in the High Sierras, this little rod pairs tremendously with these types of environments.

This is the rod I use on Big Spring Creek, Spruce Creek, and the Letort, as well as in the Smokies every year. Customers have asked me in the past to make them blonde versions using nickel silver paired with my stabilized spalted koa or maple. It's a rod that has created a lot of memories for me over the years in pretty tight situations, especially in Tennessee. I showed up at Blackberry Farm many, many years ago with this rod and left with three orders in my pocket after fishing their private waters. I suppose it was this rod's big debut in the public eye after bringing in a 19" rainbow in the first three minutes and a very memorable midging afternoon. Later that night, two other fellow fly fishers gave me deposits at the hotel restaurant. From then on, this little rod kinda caught on.

                    Thanks for letting me share~Clint                            www.cjbovarods.com