MURRAY'S MTN TROUT ROD

[Lisa Stewart]

Has anyone fished with the Murray's small stream mountain trout rod?

[Chris Young]

I have one. It’s great. It’s basically an old Scott G blank. Unlike a lot of other small stream rods, it has enough backbone to toss a hopper-dropper or even small streamer.

[Lisa Stewart]

Thanks, I'm wanting a good small stream rod.  I've been to his shop a few times and spoken with him.  I know he's considered as a small stream trout guru.  Having the versatility to cast flies, droppers, and small streamers is important to me.  Haveyou taken his small stream trout class?

On Wed, Aug 12, 2020, 9:00 AM Chris Young <cdyo...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have one. It’s great. It’s basically an old Scott G blank. Unlike a lot of other small stream rods, it has enough backbone to toss a hopper-dropper or even small streamer.

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[Chris Young]

I have not taken his class but read his book on fishing in the SNP years ago. I remember it being pretty helpful at the time. He’s a great guy and very generous with info, even over the phone.

[Daniel Lazenby]

Lisa,

FWIW, I took his small mountain stream class in April a couple of years ago. There were 5 of us. The morning started out at Graves Mountain where Murray's son Jeff taught the class. It was very similar to the lecture Murray gives in his shop on Saturday's. Except Jeff has a different (less marketing) way of explaining things that worked better for me. From the classroom we went into the Rapidan WMA to fish the Upper Rapidan River. (Not sure if they always go there.) We stopped about a half mile downstream from the Rapidan Cabins. Jeff was very open to questions and clarifying things. Jeff did a short in stream practical demo and discussion in the stream. For me this demo made a world of difference in my learning to read water. Then Jeff spaced us out along the stream. He worked individually with each of us. I seem to remember he worked with me for about 45 minutes.

I was moving upstream to a new piece of water when he arrived.So I took the opportunity to describe how I was reading the water and my strategy for fishing the different parts. He offered constructive advice about how I was reading the water and made some suggestions about why I might want to consider a change in my approach to fishing the different spots. We turned over rocks and looked at  bugs. He watched my technique and offered constructive suggestions.

I'm always concerned I will not receive value equal to the price when I pay for fishing instruction/experiences.

For me, Jeff's on water demos and coaching made the class worth the price of admission.

Daniel

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[Lisa Stewart]

Thanks for that in depth description.  It helps with my decision making for the class.  I took the small mouth bass all day class this July and found it to be excellent.  The instructor was very informative and worked with me for quite some time as well.  I stopped counting after I landed 20 bass, and I came away feeling like I had learned a ton and ready to be successful fishing for SMB on my own.  And I have.  I would strongly recommend Murray's classes. 

Did you get a chance to fish with his MMT rod?  If you did, I'd love to hear your impressions of it.  I'm thinking of buying one.

thanks, Lisa

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[Lisa Stewart]

Thanks for the awesome insight on the rod.  I too think he is a wonderful source of information and gear that is targeted for the blue ridge and shenandoah streams.  I'm seriously considering buying one of his rods, but it seems a bit pricey for older tech. 

On Wed, Aug 12, 2020 at 9:00 AM Chris Young <cdyo...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have one. It’s great. It’s basically an old Scott G blank. Unlike a lot of other small stream rods, it has enough backbone to toss a hopper-dropper or even small streamer.

[James McCeney]

Hey, I rarely post on here but I think I’ve got some relevant info. I’ve never cast murrays graphite mountain rod, but I’m fairly certain it’s based on the original G series blank. A lot of people swear by that blank - it was in production for like 20 years I think- and were upset when it changed to the G2, and then evolved into the new G series. It’s one of the most popular series of rods in the history of trout fishing- even if it’s old tech, you can’t go wrong in my opinion. G rods are on the slower side and very smooth with excellent feel and accuracy. Ive only cast 4 and 5wts, but they felt extremely nice- I have heard the 3wt is one of the standouts of the line.

 I was in the market for a park Brookie rod about 5 years ago and bought a new Scott F2 from Murray himself. I didn’t bother casting his mountain rod because I was worried about durability in case I fell down a trail in the park- glass is a lot more resistant to trauma than graphite, and I’m not a graceful dude. The odd thing was, murray didn’t push me towards his mountain rod, even though it was directly in the spec for what i was shopping for. Not sure if that helps you or not.

 If you haven’t, I would recommend cross shopping the newer F series rods along with Murray’s rod, if you like the feel of glass. It’s not for everyone, but that 6’6” 3 weight is absolutely magical. 

- James

On Aug 13, 2020, at 4:44 PM, Lisa Stewart <stewart...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Daniel Lazenby]

Lisa,

No, I didn't cast Murray's mountain rod.

I already had a 6' 6" graphite rod with a small stream designed fly line. Like so many things my rod hasn't been in production for a couple of years now.

Daniel

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[Lisa Stewart]

Thanks James,

Your info did help a lot. I've been doing a lot of reading and talking to fly shop owners today, and I've decided that a 7'6" rod is more of what I'm looking for because of the line control it offers, and better roll casting ability, which I do a lot of in tight spots.  Because I already own a Hardy Sirrus 7'6" 4wt which is their glass hybrid, now I'm looking for a graphite 7'6" 3wt for those close brookie streams where the 4wt is a bit much.  I'm looking for something that will softly land a dry fly and also swing a small streamer or nymph.  The t orvis recon 7'6" 3wt looks like a good candidate and its a good price, and the Scott Radian also looks great but is considerably more expensive.  Any thoughts on this are welcome.

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[James McCeney]

Sounds good. A similar rod I use in the park on certain streams is the old orvis superfine carbon 8’ 4wt, but that’s discontinued. The superfine carbon was similar to the Scott G for half the price- orvis never came out with new slower rods to replace that line, which is a shame because they were outstanding (and sound exactly like what you’re after).

I had a recon 9’ 5wt that was a spectacular rod, and I still have a great 8wt for the shad run. My guess is the 3wt will have enough tip strength to let you roll cast well, plus you can use the tried and true SNP tactic of dangling a longer rod (7’6” in your case) out from hiding behind a tree and catching a drift. The recon is kind of fast and will punch way above its weight, so you might could even use it for bass if you were in a pinch. Perfect bluegill rod too. I love orvis stuff, and wouldn’t hesitate to get the recon. You can use the extra $300 on a new vedavoo pack or some patagucci wading boots (or both) for hiking up those trails. I’ve never cast the radian though, so I’m no help there unfortunately.

Good luck

- James

On Aug 13, 2020, at 7:52 PM, Lisa Stewart <stewar...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Lisa Stewart]

Ok, had to look up vedavoo stuff, and figured out patagucci! 😂  Neither one will I buy.  thanks for the input, I'll report back on my choice tomorrow, if I make a choice.

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[Rob]

Both of those rods are rather fast for that style of fishing. I prefer a slower rod with a delayed presentation than a fast rod with a whip like forward cast and fast presentation. The Butter stick, OlD Orvis superfine 3wt Tippett, blue halo, TFO big launcher, or similar. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 13, 2020, at 8:36 PM, Lisa Stewart <stewar...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Lisa Stewart]

Thanks everyone for the great input.  After doing some more research and casting multiple rods, I chose the new recon 763-4.  I've fished it on bull run above the stone bridge and it felt great. I practiced dropping flies onto the surface and it has a beautiful light touch.  I was able to cast a superfine graphite 763-4 at the same time as the recon, and I definitely liked the increased accuracy of the new recon. And I am definitely sold on the extra reach of the 7'6" over a 6'6" or 7.

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