Fishing small streams is one of the absolute joys of angling. Often characterized by surface-oriented fish and easy wading, a day spent on small water is made even better with a specialized small-water fly rod. Luckily, there are lots of great options for small stream fly rods, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Keep reading to learn about our favorite small stream fly rods of 2025, and decide which one is the best for your creeking adventures!
The allure of leaving overcrowded and overfished rivers behind for more tranquil settings has piqued the interest of a new generation of anglers. The fly fishing industry has taken note, and The SR enters a growing field of fly rods designed for small stream applications. Going into this review, we questioned whether the rod offered anything different from others in its category. After all, $825 is a good amount for a specialized tool, and it is hard to reinvent the creek rod wheel. If you have similar questions and find yourself in the market for a new rod for your next blue line adventure, you will not want to miss this review.
We had the chance to take the Scott F Series 6′ 6″ 3wt out on the water the other day and thought we’d give you our opinion of the rod in a quick take format. Scott has been making fiberglass rods since the company’s inception in the 1970s. These rods feature beautiful construction, state-of-the-art componentry, and rod tech that’s been evolving with the times since the 70s. The newest version of the rod is a real pleasure to cast. Read on to find out what else we liked about this short 3wt fiberglass beauty.
If you’ve read our review of the Vapen, then you know about what I like to call “The New Redington”. If you haven’t, here are the cliff notes: the new Redington rods are fantastic. The Redington Butter Stick makes up one part of the awesome threesome.
Here’s the scoop. It’s fiberglass (the first rod made from “T-Glass”, whatever that means). It’s slow-ish. It’s cheap.
