Tailrace Trout Below Smith Lake Dam

Today I made the trip to the tailrace below the Smith Lake Dam. I encountered numbers of fly fishermen around most every bend. Some were landing trout and some was not having much luck. I managed to land one rainbow, which was a stocker in the range of 9 to 10” length. I was there about 30 minutes, and was not surprised the generator horn sounded, which means you need to make your way to the bank. You have 10 minutes to get out of the river and back to the bank, before the water level raises 6 to 7 ft. and this can happen in a matters of minutes. I was assuming I would have most of the morning to fish but it didn’t work out for me. Sorry to say I forgot my camera and didn’t have a chance to take a photo of the trout I landed.
  I discovered today that I need another fly rod to fish not only the tailrace but the lake above the dam. I am looking for something in a 3 or 4 wt, with the length being 8 ½ ft. I have a 5 wt. 8 ½ ft. Redington rod, but I feel I need something with a little less power for the size fish I catch below the dam and above the dam. I was using a 3 wt. 7 ½ ft. Temple Fork today and found at times I could have used a little more distance. I know I could get the distance I am looking for in a longer rod. There is a big difference in my 3 wt and my 5 wt, but I really don’t know how much difference there is in a 4 wt as opposed to a 3 wt. With all this said, I would like anyone out there to give me there opinion as to what rod I should purchase next. I don’t want to pay over 150.00. So if you have a suggestion just give me a comment.