Enough has been written and argued about the best fly rods for the Smokies that I won't rehash everything here. My opinions on the subject are well documented, so check out that link for an old blog post if you're interested. For this post, I'm going to head in a different direction. While not exactly advocating for short rods, I am going to talk about how much fun they can be.
I've had a 6' 3 weight Redington Butterstick for a while now. It has produced some very memorable fishing experiences over the last few years. With time, it is becoming a rod I reach for more often than not. While not the effective tool for high sticking that a long rod is, it is a rod that pushes my skillset in positive ways and helps me to become a better fly angler. Having a ton of fun along the way is just a bonus, but it never hurts to fish a rod that doubles up on a nice mountain trout. The only downside to this slower rod is that some hook sets are missed due to not getting tight on the fish fast enough. A quicker rod fixes that problem, but isn't as much fun after you've hooked the fish and quite frankly isn't as fun to cast either. That probably is one of the main drivers of my long time affection for old Orvis Superfine rods (not the new ones with the ugly "label" above the handle).
Recently, we took a short family camping trip to the Smokies. These trips are all about getting the kids outside and enjoying camping, with any fishing fairly limited. I still try to sneak in 30 minutes or an hour here and there if I'm able to. We spent most of our time enjoying Cades Cove, looking at bears, roasting marshmallows for S'mores and all the other things that make camping fun. I did manage a quick session just after lunch one day and just before lunch another day.
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| "Blackberry blossoms on the stream" ©2026 David Knapp Photography |
One of the best parts of these excursions was taking my little ones and showing them some wild trout. They are still young enough that they won't stick to fishing for very long. Instead, splashing in the creek and getting completely soaked and dirty was more fun, but that's okay. They'll get around to fishing more seriously eventually if they decide it is something they want to do in life. The Butterstick turned out to be the perfect rod for my Little One to enjoy as well. Being small and relatively light was helpful. The price point was also good enough that I didn't mind if it got scratched or otherwise beat up a little. The slower action made it easy for a kid to feel the casting rhythm as well.
I kept things simple with a single dry fly for most of my (and the kids) fishing. The short rod is phenomenal for casting under and around structure and obstacles on smaller water. The trick is casting across many conflicting currents and getting the correct drift via timely mends and other line management tricks and tactics. Fish were willing, and one of the obvious advantages of the shorter rod was simple: it made me stay back further from my target and attempt things I wouldn't try if I was simply high sticking. Fish weren't getting spooked from me approaching too closely. Eats were frequent, but the downside was also obvious. The fiberglass rod flexed so far down the blank that I missed quite a few fish in addition to the ones I landed.
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| "Wild Rainbow and the Butterstick" ©2026 David Knapp Photography |
After seeing so many bears in Cades Cove, I was a little on edge. As I was fishing up a section with more rhododendron than most, I was stopped in my tracks by heavy rustling in the bushes. I finally spotted a deer in heavy shadows that soon spooked and disappeared, but my heart didn't stop racing until I got back to casting. The relaxing pace of the fiberglass rod was the perfect way to destress from almost being eaten by a bear, or deer in this case.
In addition to plenty of willing wild rainbow trout, I found another native gem as well. While I'm not out there trying to catch them, the warpaint shiners always make their presence known in the summer. If they grew as large as trout, I'm convinced they would be a prime game fish due to their willingness to rise to a dry fly. As it is, they are just an annoyance when the water warms up too much.
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| "Warpaint Shiner nicknamed the Smoky Mountain Cutthroat" ©2026 David Knapp Photography |
If you haven't fished short rods much, do yourself a favor and find one to try out. They aren't always the most effective fishing tool, but they might just be the most fun.
