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