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Fly Fishing Rods - The Basic Choices
Your fly fishing rod is perhaps the most important piece of fly fishing gear that you will need to choose. Fly fishing may be a simple art, but it is also a precise one. When reading the riseform on a river trout, you will need a rod which you can depend on to cast a precise cast - not wide of your intended area, nor falling short. Another important thing you need to do know is that when you get in deep to the mountain streams, your fly fishing gear will not fail you and break down at that critical moment. Some may think that fly fishing in itself is simple in practice but even so, the world of fly fishing rod is not. The bamboo rods of your forebears are no more. When it comes to fly fishing rod engineering, the technology has exploded and there are now a plethora of choices you can choose from.
Most rods today are made from graphite. You want a rod that will precisely cast, that controls your line once cast, and lands your fish - often, when the fish are lionhearted fighters, in tough water conditions. Now that you have this information, how should you choose?
What are you fishing?
Top on the list is to know what type of fish you are looking for. A largemouth bass behaves differently than a brown trout when it is in pursuit of baitfish. Also, it fights differently. If it holds up for a small brooky, then it might not do well for a lunker on the line.
What water are you fishing?
Remember that telling you a lot about the type of rod action you should be looking for is the water you fish. If you fish mostly smaller streams, and are in need of precise, gentler, shorter casts, you will want what's known as a full flex rod. With this type of action, you will also be allowed to have a better feel for the fish on your line. Just like with walleye fishing with spinning reels, often a light and sensitive feel will land the fish that you seek.
On larger streams, or if you don't want (or you're budget won't allow you) to have several different rods for different purposes, a mid-flex rod will provide adequate strength to fight tougher fish, or fish landed on tougher conditions. It is not a fast action or stiff rod which is why you will have some sensitivity on the line but with a full flex rod, you can cast farther and more precisely. Out there, this is the most popular type of fly fishing rod.
Lastly, whether it is under heavier wind, on tougher waters, on bigger rivers (or ocean fishing areas), or with tougher, bigger fish, the stiffer rod or the fast action rod is the way to go.
Most rods today are made from graphite. You want a rod that will precisely cast, that controls your line once cast, and lands your fish - often, when the fish are lionhearted fighters, in tough water conditions. Now that you have this information, how should you choose?
What are you fishing?
Top on the list is to know what type of fish you are looking for. A largemouth bass behaves differently than a brown trout when it is in pursuit of baitfish. Also, it fights differently. If it holds up for a small brooky, then it might not do well for a lunker on the line.
What water are you fishing?
Remember that telling you a lot about the type of rod action you should be looking for is the water you fish. If you fish mostly smaller streams, and are in need of precise, gentler, shorter casts, you will want what's known as a full flex rod. With this type of action, you will also be allowed to have a better feel for the fish on your line. Just like with walleye fishing with spinning reels, often a light and sensitive feel will land the fish that you seek.
On larger streams, or if you don't want (or you're budget won't allow you) to have several different rods for different purposes, a mid-flex rod will provide adequate strength to fight tougher fish, or fish landed on tougher conditions. It is not a fast action or stiff rod which is why you will have some sensitivity on the line but with a full flex rod, you can cast farther and more precisely. Out there, this is the most popular type of fly fishing rod.
Lastly, whether it is under heavier wind, on tougher waters, on bigger rivers (or ocean fishing areas), or with tougher, bigger fish, the stiffer rod or the fast action rod is the way to go.
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