Weenie Trout Rod
John McKean

The tall, lanky fisherman sidled right up beside me, his expensive 11’ noodle rod firmly in hand; not especially good angling etiquette, but I couldn’t complain due to typical overcrowding at the beginning of Pennsylvania’s trout season. Previously he’d observed me from the far shore while rocketing casts well out over the small, popular lake to show off his “salmon gear.” Seems the hotshot just had to eyeball up close and personal how this little old man with the most unusual outfit could so easily surpass his casting distance.

I’d venture to guess that Mr. Long-rod wasn’t particularly enjoying my one fish after the other action, either. He finally spoke, with the standard feigned nonchalant query, “Whatcha usin’?”

“Green Weenie,” I barked back.

Puzzled and perturbed, after watching three more fish come my way, he huffed and trudged away to impose on someone else’s spot.

You see, a preferred trout fly is the unusual, but highly effective, local creation known as a “Green Weenie” (more on it later), and my favorite fly rod is the “weeny” thirty-two inch long Emmrod Stream Master. To top off my “outside the box” technique, I use the small Emmrod open face spinning reel clamped down at the base end – fly reel position - of my shirt-sleeve length pole. The spool is loaded to the brim with the thinnest diameter 4# test mono I can find, and sprayed with silicone for further ease of flow.

So where do my extra-long-range heaves come from? Do the Stream Master’s extra limberness and coiled steel springs really supercharge casting that much? Well, sort of.  For lakes and wide rivers. I enjoy chucking out flies with the aid of a clear plastic bubble, the type that can be opened and filled with water. However, when fished, these bulky bobbers are so neutrally buoyant that extra shot weight is needed inside to instill even a modicum of sinking to the fly. They end up weighing over an ounce, and fling a country mile! In fact, the first time I let loose with my Stream Master, I actually smashed my bubble on rocks of the opposite shore – a distance I can’t recall ever achieving in over 50 years of fishing that particular small bay! These 1 ½ - 2” oblong water balls are, in all actuality, too heavy for any standard trout rod, but a perfect match with any of the rugged Emmrod series!

As mentioned, my fly of choice for bubble-putting is the semi-famous pattern known as a “Green Weenie.” Like its name suggests, it is tied solely in chartreuse chenille material and looks like a miniature, moldy hot dog! Devised by a couple of veteran Western Pennsylvania fly tiers, the unique name was inspired by their favorite baseball club, the Pittsburgh Pirates, waving a furry, green foot-long ballpark frank (the official Green Weenie!) to hex opposing teams. Their extremely visible inch long nymph soon proved to produce wary trout when absolutely nothing else worked! These days it has a vast following, except by purists – because it takes NO skill to tie one! Just tie a loose ¼” loop of chenille at the back end of a long shank # 10 hook, then a tighter wrap around the shank up to the eye and knotted.  It merely resembles an end section of a green pipe cleaner - the simplest fly possible, yet one of the all time deadliest and virtually all that’s needed for effective bubble fishing.

The reel positioning at the extreme rear of the rod handle seems odd at first to spin fishermen. Five minutes into its practice, though, you’ll question why you ever fumbled in the past with a cold reel stem between your fingers! Especially with the Stream Master, a forward grip gives PERFECT BALANCE to the outfit, leverage being such that it feels as if you’re carrying no weight whatsoever! One’s hand also relishes a delicate hold on nothing but the comfortable cork foregrip. Feel of a strike, of course, is magnified in this position, and hook setting, not that much is ever needed with any Emmrod, is greatly enhanced.

After lobbing the bubble out over trout-holding structure, let it gently take your Green Weenie into the depths. Establish an approximate sinking rate to count it down to a specific fish-holding depth, as the waterlogged float always takes its good old time to seek bottom. Be alert for a cautious bite at any instant, because trout just love to inhale a helpless critter drifting down toward cover! If a bottom-crawling retrieve is desired (a standard by many nymphers), wait until slack line indicates that sinking has ceased, then wait a bit more (the weightless Weenie, with perhaps a 3’ leader, is still going down!). Simply proceed to alternately reel and pause in tiny increments. A trick here is to allow line to flow over your extended index finger while retrieving to instantly determine any tick or stoppage of the bug.

Want to acquire the reputation this season as a fly launching distance wizard and a virtual trout magnet? Try the truly professional-quality tool aptly named the Steam Master fly rod (but it’s great for lakes, too!), get yourself some clear plastic casting bubbles, and put your Weenie into action!