Fly Fishing for Smallmouth with the
G.Loomis Shorestalker
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Date: |
12/30/09 |
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Tackle type: |
Fly Rod |
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Manufacturer: |
G.Loomis |
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Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 8.16 + EDITORS CHOICE!
Introduction:
G.Loomis has a long
history of producing quality fly rods and over the last few seasons has expanded
their offerings well beyond their original classic series. Like their other
conventional rods the brand’s fly rods have become increasingly application
specific. The offerings range from rods designed specifically for Salmon and
Steelhead to their Whisper Creek rods intended for fishing even the smallest
pools for trout. As fly fishing for bass has grown in popularity the company now
introduces the ShoreStalker series which is designed purposely to target warm
water species.
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G.Loomis
ShoreStalker FR1026-4 4PC 8'6" Fly Rod Specifications |
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Length |
8'6" |
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Line Wt. |
6 |
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Pieces |
4 |
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Taper |
Fast |
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Power |
Med-Stiff |
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Materials |
Full wells cork grip,
aluminum reel seat, light wire chrome snake guides, rod sock and rod tube |
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MSRP |
$325.00 |
Impressions:
Fly rod experts Dave
Whitlock and Flip Pallot both had a hand in helping G.Loomis develop the entire
series and the focus was on freshwater species like panfish, bass and pike. The
shorter rods were designed for working tighter loops and lower line trajectories
to properly present flies close to shoreline structure. The series is comprised
of five rods ranging from 5 to 9 weight and are designed to handle everything
from bluegill to Amazon Peacock Bass.
The G.Loomis ShoreStalker comes
with a protective rod tube that protects the rod during travel
The ShoreStalker rods are
instantly distinguishable from the rest of the G.Loomis lineup as they feature a
brownish-yellow finish. The color is more subtle than the gold finished blanks
utilized in the competing Sage BASS Series. Sage came out with their rods first
and offer three versions that handle bluegill to bass. The nice thing about
Sage’s offering is they pair each rod with the appropriate grain fly line from
their own branded series of lines. The combo does cost 75 dollars more than the
G.Loomis offering however, so if you already have a preferred brand of line you
do have a little more freedom with the ShoreStalker.
The G.Loomis ShoreStalker features
a full wells grip and a black aluminum reel seat that matches up well with many
reels
These rods are easy to
transport as they break down into four pieces and come bundled with a protective
rod sock and cordura lined tube. They feature a full wells shaped grip with high
quality cork and even though the reel seat is pretty no-frills it is surrounded
by grips finished with cork composite sections to give the rod a little more
personality.
Our testing ground was the stretch
of water where the Sacramento river meets the Delta, here there are many
smallmouth that reside under the trees along the rocky river edge
Real World Test: While
originally intended primarily for bass many saltwater anglers are starting to
adopt the ShoreStalker rods because of their easy portability on boats, relative
low cost and ability to handle shallow water species including snook and
redfish. We wanted to test the ShoreStalker with the rod’s primary application
so we head to the Delta and adjoining Sacramento and Mokelumne river systems to
see if we could get into some smallmouth bass.
Loomis silkscreens their fish logo
onto the top of the reel seat
Casting:
The FR1026-4 is built like a bass, short and stout. The rod is only 8’6” in
length and yet is easy enough to handle on just about any size bass boat. While
it does not cast as far as some of the trout or steelhead rods I am used to
fishing it does punch line through the wind quite confidently. The rod’s full
wells handle feels comfortable both when casting and stripping line. Like bass
fishing with conventional gear you are likely going to get pretty tight with
structure and make casts towards structure like rocks, weed lines, points and in
our case a whole lot of submerged trees and laydowns.
The full wells grip is comfortable
and the composite cork ends are a nice visual touch
Here short casts are more
important than maximum casting distance and in this application this rod excels.
I found that the FR1026-4 loaded extremely easily and the fast taper helped me
manage my loops so that I was able to keep the line low enough to drop flies
into key areas without tangling in the structure on the sides or in the
overhanging branches above. Of course the occasional snag with structure would
happen (I don’t claim to be a world class fly angler) but this rod is really
good at reducing the number of false casts necessary to put your flies into
play.
The ShoreStalker rods feature tip
over butt ferrules
Next Section: Strip some line and
vary that retrieve
