So you want to buy a fly rod. Maybe you have been fly fishing for years or perhaps this is your first rodeo. No matter what, selecting a rod that works for you can be the difference between frustration and happiness on the water.
Comfort and confidence in one’s fly rod is akin to a lacrosse player’s need for a good stick or a batter’s need for a good bat. Sure, you could realistically pick up any fly rod and cast it. However, when you find the one that works for you, you can make magic happen on the water.
With so many options on the market, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. This guide will help to narrow your scope and focus on what it is you truly need from a fly rod.
What Are You Fishing For?
This is the most important question to ask yourself when you are looking to buy a fly rod. Fly rods come in various lengths and weights designed for different types of fishing. Trout fisherman typically employ a two to six weight rod. Those rods will run between 7’6” and 9’. A saltwater fisherman will look to go heavier from seven to ten weight 9’ rods. Lastly, a bass fisherman will likely use a six to eight weight rod at 9’.
There are various niche types of fishing that may require the use of unique rods. However, if you can identify target species and water type (freshwater, saltwater, rivers, open water), you can narrow things down to the rods mentioned above.
Choose The Action On Your Rod
Fly rods typically come in fast action, slow action, and something in between or medium action. The action on your rod dictates how quickly the rod loads and subsequently how quickly you will shoot your line.
Action is important because it can substantially affect the ease of casting. Fast action rods are more difficult to cast than slower action rods. This is because fast action makes it difficult to feel the rod loading. It takes an experienced caster with excellent timing on their cast to load the road effectively. Try and shoot line too quickly or too slowly and the road will not have enough power.
Slow action rods are great for less experienced casters, but they often do not have the same potential for distance as fast action rods. Slow action rods require a slower cadence on the cast which makes it easier to settle into a rhythm. However, when a fast action rod is cast perfectly, its potential for distance will almost always exceed that of a slower action rod.
It is worth noting that most of us anglers are not going around try to win casting competitions. Slow-action rods can make all the same casts as a fast-action rod to catch 95% of the fish you would ever target in a given situation. Take note of your own casting ability and choose a rod accordingly.
Budget Considerations
We all want to know how much a rod is going to set us back. Just like anything, fly rods can be purchased on the low or high end of the market. This is another opportunity to assess your casting ability.
Does a top-of-market fly rod markedly increase the casting ability of a beginner? Not exactly. There are plenty of rods in the $200 to $400 range that will work perfectly for any casting level.
High-end rods such as Orvis, Sage, and Thomas and Thomas are reliable and proven options. If this is a hobby you are going to be doing for a long time while committing a lot of time to it, you may consider opening the check book. However, other rods such as Lamson get the job done just as well if you are just looking to get started.
It is also worth noting that you may want a high-end rod, cast several, and find that none of them work for you but that a mid- to low- end rod does. That is completely fine. At the end of the day, the rod needs to work with your casting style. It does not matter what the price tag is.
Pair It With The Right Fly Line
Not every line works for every fly rod. When you go rod shopping, it is prudent to cast multiple different rods with various different lines. Fly lines can be tricky and overwhelming, but putting the time in to select the right one can pay dividends. Check out our guide to picking a fly line here.
The fly line acts as the weight during your cast. Therefore the line needs to match your rod and the type of fishing you plan to do in some capacity.
The most common fly line type is the weight-forward line. As the name suggests, the weight of the line is forward which makes it easy to load the road and cast great distances. These types of lines work great with all rods and are especially good for beginners.
Two other common lines include the double taper and the shooting head.
The double taper again as the name would suggest is tapered at two sections of the line. It is thick in the middle and tapers towards the two ends of the line.
Shooting heads have a very heavy end portion of the line. It is similar to a weight forward line, but is much thicker and heavier towards the fly.
Double tapers are sometimes difficult to cast because of the awkward situation of the line’s weight.
Shooting heads are a great way to bomb huge casts way out in the distance. However, they require that you understand timing of casts very well and are not great for small water and stealth fishing. Additionally, they can be tricky to cast because they act much like a fast action rod.
Each of these three common line types has various models that may work well with one rod and not so great with another. Additionally, they may be impacted by your casting style. You should spend an hour or so in a fly shop casting various line and rod combinations to truly get this section right.
Ensure The Rod Works For You
As alluded to throughout this article, nothing matters as long as your rod does not work with your casting style. It is true that the most experienced casters can pick up any rod and throw it with most lines. However, even they have rods that work better for them.
Piecing together each part of this guide should allow you to get to a point where you are throwing the perfect line for you. Otherwise, it is not worth fishing if you are going to be miserable all day.
Take good care to get this right. Once you have your rod, you can spend your time worrying about everything else.
