28 April 2014

Jewels in the Stream (also rod review)

I was planning on doing a review on a recent purchase , i was needing a new loch rod  ,so with lots of praise for this brand   i bought a Flextec streamtec 9'6" #6 , and also a 6'6" #3 of the same model  . These are auctioned on ebay by tacklediscounts for a buy it now price of £79.99 or you can get them in the auction as i did for   £40 or less.
Streamtec 6'6" #3

 Today (now yesterday) i decided to give the wee 6'6" rod a go . My first impressions were good , it comes packaged in a tube and sock , and  looks strikingly similar to a greys stream-flex , only  obvious difference and a nice touch was the coppery coloured fly keeper which compliments the olive/brown blank , and ofcourse the price tag , the cork quality is very good, couldn't fault it cosmetically apart from a few bits epoxy on the snakes , which i removed with my nail.
    Now to the fishing . I decided to give the rod its first outing on a proper wee burn. Spoilt for choice i wasn't  sure which burn to choose , so decided to sample two local burns , the Murieston water and the Linhouse water.

Below the confluence

The Murieston water meets the Linhouse at midcalder and then meets the main river the Almond  perhaps only a hundred yards or so from there confluence.
The Confluence

First of all i fished the short stretch below where the waters meet , i used  a glister bug under a klink and it didn't take long for the stream-tec to break it's duck. A typical wee brownie.

At the cofluence i decided to head up the Murieston water first , what a smashing wee burn this is , with equally beautiful little trout.
Big pool on murieston water

Murie burn trout (smudged red spots)

After fishing a hundred yards or so i turned back downstream and fished up the Linhouse. The Linhouse is the bigger of the two burns , and perhaps the peatier of the two . It too fished predictably well producing many lovely little brownies typically decorated with lots of smudged  red spots.
Linhouse weir



Despite being near some major cities , the air is clean as proved by the presence of lichens , and its a great escape, in fact I'm sure some folks wont realise just whats on there doorstep, miles and miles of beautiful countryside. , and i was content breathing in the beauty and solitude the stream offered, enjoying a lunch by a rock after landing my best trout of the day.
Ginger beer and "mans chocolate"


The rest of the day continued in the same vain. As for the rod , really like it , it may not be every ones cup of tea though as it's pretty fast , but i can see myself using this rod a fair bit.  These rods present exceptional value for those looking for a new fly rod and have many differing sizes in the range  .

8 comments:

  1. Sounds like a nice day out, looks like you got a good deal on the rods. Know what you mean about people not knowing what's on their doorstep, met a guy at the weekend who had stayed by the beach for 40 years and had no idea what the little fish were in the burn on his doorstep or what the fish were rising in the sea. Don't know about that lunch BTW : 0)

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  2. lol , c'mon martin all the food groups are represented.

    good getting out in these environments , helped clear my head , i'm just back a from a wee op at the hospital yesterday.

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    1. Can't deny your prowess with fly. So your review has got to carry weight.
      Nice rod.

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  3. Looks like you had a grand day out Col, nice trout.

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  4. Nice day out Col, but I hate to tell you that type of Yorkie bar was made for woman.....lol.
    I've got the 9ft 6" which I bought about a year ago as a back up to my cane rods, I've used it twice and for the money I paid for it its a nice rod, I hope you enjoy it.
    all the best
    George

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  5. ill make sure i eat the blue one next time george. lol

    that comforting news about the 9ft 6" , looking forward to giving that a shot when i get on a loch.

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