As promised, I am back with a look at the more inexpensive side of the StreamDance series, the Metolius. At the outset let me suggest that I was impressed from the moment I removed this little beauty from its case. By the way, the case for the Metolius is exactly the same as the one for its bigger brother, the GLX. That may be a little thing to some, but to me, it is a BIG THING. All too often I have witnessed the so-called lesser rod forced to live in something quite different from its more expensive brethren. Compare Green carry case against green carry case and the rods appear to be the same other than the thoughtful description inscribed in the cap.

Pull the rod from its case, assemble it, and the Metolius exudes the same fit and finish as the GLX. It is, without doubt, a very pretty rod. Nothing cheap here, nothing at all - pretty cork, lovely finish – in short, a package you can be proud of.

For this review, I chose the littlest StreamDance of them all – the Metolius 7-foot, 3-piece, 3-weight (FR843-3SD) with the Presentation Action (Med-Fast). Delighted with my choice? You bet! At the outset, be aware that this is one lovely little rod capable of great things and perfectly suited for the high country. Recall those beaver ponds with the gin-clear water and spooky trout? Or those small narrow meadow streams so hard to cast to? Or better yet, those high mountain lakes where the trout depend on the wind and terrestrials for their primary food source? If you were ever skunked, be skunked no more because this little Metolius is the rod for you!

The waters I just mentioned typically call for a 12-foot leader as a minimum. I wondered at how the little 7-footer would handle a long leader… Having recently reported on Scientific Anglers new L2L System, I rigged accordingly using two Scientific Anglers lines: a Mastery Trout WF-3F and a Mastery XPS Exact Presentation WF-3F. I couldn’t be more pleased with my decision.

I learned a lot! So much for teaching old dogs new tricks – this old dog quickly learned that the little Metolius handled both lines and their 12-foot leader connections with ease and, more importantly, produced tight loops and extraordinary accuracy. Prior to this event, I had not cast the XPS “exact presentation.” Now that I have, I know of no way to get a line upon the water more gently than with this rig.

Listen closely. If you hear moaning from above it surely emanates from the Ancient Fish Gods. And that, my friends, suggests your days of frustration in the high country are soon to end. Carry these two lines and my guess is your future will be blessed with strong hookups.

By the way, don’t think for a minute that this diminutive little 7-footer cannot cast a longer line. It can! Load the Mastery Trout and, with a practiced casting stroke, sixty feet is within its range. However, my experience suggests that you will be delighted with easy casting within fifty feet.

Quite frankly, gentle presentations require easy casting, tight loops, good turnovers, and accuracy are the secret to gentle presentations. The rig outlined above will help you achieve that goal. As I’ve said elsewhere, the L2L System is something to behold.

I think it’s worth taking a moment to explore what the differences in lines can mean to the fly fisher, particularly when the absolute requirement is for a very gentle presentation. Take a close look at the Trout and XPS series and compare the two in terms of their front taper, belly, and rear taper. I think you can see the differences are substantive and begin to explain why the XPS is capable of such gentle presentations.

Sum up these remarks and it seems obvious that G. Loomis deserves compliments for the advent of the StreamDance series without setting a clear-cut demarcation between the most costly and the least expensive. Seems to me that the differences in rods becomes strictly a matter of taste, not quality. The Metolius is a rod I think you will quickly learn to love, regardless of its lesser price. I find it difficult to think of a time when I would no longer want my little Metolius – I use it in demonstrations, on small waters, and one of these days, when my back gets better, in the high country.

For more information about the StreamDance, contact G. Loomis, 1359 Down River Drive, Woodland, WA 98674. Telephone: 1-800-662-8818.

To purchase the G. Loomis StreamDance Metolius Rod, please click here.