The Pocket Water from LL Bean offers a compromise between power and performance that seems ideally targeted at anglers who want a dedicated dry fly rod without changing their casting stroke or techniques.

The more robust taper of the Pocket Water rod blanks creates a much stiffer, faster-action rod than any of the rods in this class, without reaching the full fast-action performance. The tip section does offer significant flex, so presentation of small dries is smoother and softer than you’ll find with a true general purpose rod. Likewise, the shorter rod length helps control short casts in the tight quarters commonly encountered on small brush-lined streams. Both of these features give it dry fly and skinny water credibility and performance. But the faster action structure keeps it from being a master of the dry fly craft.

Casting Distance and Accuracy
The medium-action design potentially gives the rod power to move line on longer casts, but the soft, noodly tip destroys accuracy beyond about 35 feet for most casters. When fishing in close (within 30-35 feet) the rod can be cast accurately with a gentle presentation, especially with mid-sized flies (hook size 12-16) that turn over easily. Beyond that range, the rod works well when throwing weighted nymphs where accuracy and presentation aren’t vital.

Versatility
Within the limited range of casting accuracy, the Pocket Water serves anglers well whether fishing with small to medium sized dry flies, weighted nymphs or even heavy multi-fly dry/dropper style rigs. Beyond that range, the rod’s performance drops precipitously.

NOTE: We tested the 7’6”, 4-weight but the Pocket Water is also available in 3-weight through 5 –weight versions of various lengths.