Thomas & Thomas LPS764
This is a beautiful little blank, described to me by a gentleman as "the perfect dry fly rod".
And he may very well be right.
I'd been looking for something that would fish well on the brush-choked, skinny water streams and creeks that you find in Arizona along the Mogollon Rim and in the White Mountains. I'd had an opportunity to cast the entire line of T&T rods, and thought maybe the LPS764 would fit the bill for me in this application. Necessary criteria were short length, easy to roll cast in tight situations, and able to handle large terrestrials on long, light leaders. This is the standard AZ Creek configuration. In test casting, the LPS loaded up easily and roll casted fairly well. But, that was test casting with a piece of yarn on a casting pond - not the most accurate representation of how I'd be fishing it.
If I can digress for a moment, I'd like to add something that struck me as unique with T&T. As I worked my way through the various models, I noticed that each series retained the same "feel" as the others. It's hard to describe, but the progression from slower action to faster action rods was an easy and completely familiar one. There was no "getting used to" or "adjusting to" the different rods. Sure, you had to speed up or slow down your stroke and apply a different amount of energy, but I found that I really liked that trait in their line. In other manufacturers' rods, going from one model to another can be a frustrating experience as the learning curve sets in. I've heard people say that they like one model from a company, but not another model from the same company, as it's a completely different beast. Now, of course, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something that stood out to me with the T&T line that I found interesting. The exception to this is the Paradigm series from T&T which is a slow action noodle. It definitely stood out from the rest of the line, and wasn't my cup of tea.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming...
I first fished this rod all day at Rocky Ford, using long, light leaders and tiny dries for most of the day, then switching to a large grasshopper pattern for part of the day. The rod cast both types of flies with ease. And after casting all day, I was not fatigued, something that I can't say with faster 5 or 6 weights.
The rod flexes down to the handle and loads/unloads smoothly in a predictable fashion. The rod does not like forceful strokes and is easily overpowered. Short, fast strokes will just simply result in the rod whipping, with plenty of tailing loops. Once accustomed to the slow action, you can cast a surprising distance, which allowed me to present to some large fish at the Ford. It seemed like the more line that went out, the happier the rod was.
With a Teton #4 Fly Reel, this fishes extremely light in the hand. In fact, after swinging around a 9' IM6 5 wt. for awhile, the T&T feels like a feather. When you first pick it up, it almost flies out of your hand, as you're expecting more "substance".
But, like I said earlier, I had intended this blank for the tight, short, roll casting situations on the small, choked Arizona streams. In my hands, this rod does not have the power in the butt section to pick the line up off the water for a short roll cast with heavy (for a 4 weight) flies. On the forward stroke, the rod bends down to the handle, absorbing the "snap" that gets the roll cast moving and straightens out long leaders that are overcome by things like a Madame X or large hopper pattern. To get a forceful roll cast, I think that a slightly faster action, heavier butted rod would work better.
When I was fishing the Methow River last summer, I also did not use the rod, as I was primarily nymphing in fast water with a "hopper dropper" and I didn't think it would have the backbone to pick up any amount of line out of the current. I didn't test that theory, however, and a more skilled fly caster might have a different opinion.
So, for tight brush fishing on the small creeks in AZ, I'll probably be on the lookout for something with a little more backbone. But this rod will continue to be my "go-to" on small, personal water where you can open it up and enjoy that laid back rhythm. Like any other tool, this blank has a specific application - and it very well may be the best at what it was designed for. I know I sure like it!
By the way, if you happen to be out doing the "try before you buy" thing at your local shop, or maybe even with a friend's rod, ask if you can use the same leaders, tippet and flies that you're planning to use in real life. It makes a difference. In fact, if you already have a reel, bring that too. It makes a difference. Before plopping down your hard earned cash, make the situation as much apples-to-apples as you possibly can. Tying on a piece of yarn with a 7.5 foot 3x leader is going to cast and turn over easier than a 9 foot 6x with a bushy size 8 Para Hopper. Nobody bothered to mention that, and I had never really thought about it before until my experience with the LPS764. Hopefully, this will be helpful to some of you out there.
Pics to come...
Build Specs