Finally Found the Right Ultra Light Fly Reel

 I did a post a while back on ultra light fly reels, and why I am interested in fishing with these little light items. I have discovered that fishing lighter than 4 wt. can be a rewarding experience. When I first started fishing with the fly rod I fished with a 6 or 7 weight, and thought it was the perfect rod for all species and all sizes of fish. Little did I know that the fight of the fish could be enjoyed more if the equipment was tweeted just a bit?  A couple of years ago I was fishing on a local lake near our home for bluegills and was using my 5 wt. and was having a time landing some monster gills. Upon leaving the lake that afternoon I ran into a gentleman who seemed impressed with my catch and the size of the fish I had caught. He told me he never used anything above a 3 wt. to fish for bluegills. He said that the lighter reel and rod would make my catch even more rewarding and challenging. He suggested a 3 wt. 7 ½ ft. rod for the small nooks in the lake with a matching reel for added balance. It only took me a year and half to finally get the right combination starting with the Temple Fork 7 ½ ft. 3 wt. and finally a Redingtion Drift Ultra light reel 2/3 wt. I can’t believe the balance of the rod to the reel. The lightness of the combo is amazing and the casting and false casting is effortless. I used the combo yesterday at a small park pond where I landed some small gills that were a blast. A big thanks to Chris Barclay at The Bream Bum Blog for putting me onto this reel. He is an accomplished ultra light fly fisherman and knew what he was talking about when he recommended the reel to match my 7 ½ ft. Temple Fork rod. Now all I have to do is get out to the tailrace and test it out on some of those rainbows.