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