I have always been a fan of longer (8 foot and above) rods for stream fishing. They allow better line control and better drag control by way of highsticking. This weekend I fished my Flytalk prize on the Holsloot. The prize was supposed to be a 5wt Vision 3 zone but I managed to talk Sean into giving me the 2wt 6'6" Vision 3zone. I had fished it briefly a couple of weeks ago but with a 2wt line and wasn't really impressed with it. Yesterday I fished it with a old 3wt Rio Pocketwater line and the rod was transformed. The biggest advantage with this rod is accuracy of casts. I am not the greatest caster but can usually get my fly roughly where I want it and occasionally catch a fish. This little rod makes very accurate casts ! It also roll casts extremely well.

The second thing I found is that it handles the wind very well. With a strong wind blowing downstream, I still managed to fish a poodle RAB on a longish (10ft) leader, something which is not really possible when fishing a longer rod.

Finally it's one weakness which is length for highsticking, got me thinking about how I control drag. In general I highstick to control drag which works very well but has made me lazy. With this little rod I suddenly had to start casting properly to avoid drag. Casting over rocks and to the side out of currents, slack line casts etc.

Over the next couple of months I see myself using it more and more.

Your thoughts ?