Choosing a Fly Fishing Rod

Knee deep I stand contorting my neck as I stareACTIONRod action refers to the flex and feel of
into the rosy red light desperately trying toa rod. Most rods can be classified as slow,
differentiate my fly from the foam bubbles andmedium or fast action.
the late afternoon Caddis hatch that litter the
water's surface. No matter how hard I squint, ISlow Action RodsThese rods are typically quite
just can't figure out which fly I should be focusedsoft and can flex almost all the way to the cork
on."Maybe if I adjust my position or take thesehandle. They are best suited for anglers who have
sunglasses off?""That didn't work.""Put those backa wider, slower, more open casting stroke. Slow
on, how about another cast?"I accelerate the flyaction rods tend to be a good choice in the small
line to halt in the calm air behind me, and onceweight range. They work well at casing short
again focus on the line, then the fly, as it passesdistances and chasing small fish.Medium Action
by in a rush to land softly on the water's surface.RodsMedium action rods often flex in the upper
My eyes are locked on the fly as it lazily driftsthird of the rod and are most common for the
down the eddy line. I'm so excited that I almostbeginning angler or those looking for medium
forget to raise the rod tip as my fly is engulfed inlength cast. These rods are an excellent all around
a froth of white."Set the hook you dummy!"Therechoice to fit most fishing situations.Fast Action
are literally thousands of fly rods to choose fromRodsFast action rods allow anglers to cast tighter
but which one will help you in creating memories?loops (back cast and forward cast) that increase
The following is intended to give you some of theline speed and distance. The higher line speed also
basics in, weight, action, size, and price thatmakes these rods very capable of casting in
hopefully will put you on the right track to fly rodheavy winds.
ownership.CASTINGBefore going into the details
of rod construction let's cover the basic premisePIECE SIZEBy now you probably have some
of fly-casting. Unlike gear fishing where the lineideas about which weight and action rod fits your
weighs nearly nothing and lead weight or a stealneeds. Now let's cover 2-piece rods verses
spoon provides the weight to load the rod, the4-piece.2-piece, 4-piece or even 5-piece rods are
art of fly casting is in the ability to use weightedall available in today's market. Most often, the
line to load or evenly flex a rod on the back cast,fewer pieces a rod is the cheaper the rod. This is
then unload and propel the line and fly on thejustified by the amount of engineering it takes to
forward cast. Therefore, picking a fly rod is allprovide a reliable, even flex as you add joints to
about matching your casting stroke with the rightthe system. I prefer to go with 4-piece rods
rod and line weightbecause they are easy to store and travel with.
combination.WEIGHTDetermining where you will beThese typically break down to be around 2 1/2
using this rod the majority of the time will helpfeet in length and fit in many different style travel
you decide on the appropriate weight. Will it bebags.PRICEPrice might not be such an issue with
that small creek not far from home, standing onrods if all you had to buy was the rod, but that's
a local beach strewn with cobbles as the wavesoften not the case. You need a reel, fly line and
lap the shores, or maybe on your nextbacking. If this is your first rod you are also likely
backpacking trip to your favorite alpine lake?Flyto be buy a whole lot of other fly fishing garb
rods are given a weight, which has nothing to dosuch as, tippit, fly boxes, vests, flies, etc. So
with the actual weight of the rod. It's the numberwhere should you spend the bulk of your hard
that best describes a fly line that will properly loadearned cash? The rod, hands down. The rod is
the rod on both the forward and back cast. Flythe most critical piece to the puzzle. Besides skill
line manufactures alter the diameter and density(which you learn through practice and instruction)
of line producing a variety of lines given numbersthe rod has more to do with your ability to make
from 00 through 12+ that are then matched toquality presentations to eager fish than any other
the rod weight that best suits your fishingpiece in the system. Not to say a cheap rod isn't
environment and desired casting length.In general,capable of making quality casts, but often they
a rod with a small weight number will cast aaren't as consistent and can be much harder to
shorter distance and require lighter flies. If this islearn or improve your casting ability on. So with
going to be your only rod, I would recommendthat said, I spend most of my money on the rod,
picking a rod weight that represents the largest,buy the best line I can afford, then whatever
heaviest fly you plan to fish. Here are somemoney I have left would go to the reel.Cast
generalizations that describe fly rods by weight:ItWhen buying a rod make sure you take some
time to cast it before you buy it. I've picked up
00-3 weight rods are designed to cast up to 40some amazingly expensive rods, cast them and
feet or so and are best suited to small dry flies inknown right from the start I liked its cheaper
the 24-14 size range. They are most commonlycounterpart better. Have a knowledgeable sales
6-7 1/2 feet in length and are best suited to smallperson work with you to find the rod that fits. In
streams or areas with heavy cover behind thefact rod manufactures like Sage are now
caster. 4-6 weight rods are designed to cast upoutfitting some of there retailers with a casting
to approximately 70 feet and are capable ofanalysis tool that break your cast down into
casting most dry flies and nymphs up to size 6.section give you tips to improve on and help you
They are typically 8-9 1/2 feet in length and arechoose the right rod for your casting stroke.Ask
the workhorse trout rods used on most mid-sizedQuestionsAsk some question about what comes
rivers and streams. 7-8 weight rods are capablewith the rod. Is there an unconditional replacement
of casting up to 100 feet with heavier and larger/ repair warranty? How about a rod tube and
flies. They are typically 9-10 feet in length and aresleeve? Details like these have a way of leveling
best suited to fishing larger rivers or saltwaterthe playing field when it comes to price. My
beaches for large fish like Salmon or Steelhead.experience is that many of the cheaper rods
9-12 weight rods are designed to cast "yourdon't come with these items, which are all things
kitchen sink" (well, not really) but they can throwthat I've found to be really useful in the long-term
some huge flies up and over 120 feet. They canownership of a fly rod.You should now have the
reach lengths of over 14 feet and are typicallybasics of choosing a fly rod. Find a good instructor
used for large game and are designed more forto help you with your casting stroke and you're
landing fish than casting.on your way to years of great memories.