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"Building Time-Honored Sporting Traditions"
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Monthly Advice on Fly Fishing
This Month's
Feature: Choosing a Fly
Rod
Basically all fly rods have
the same components—the reel seat, grips, ferrules, and guides.
What distinguishes the rod is its design and the quality of the
material used in its manufacturing. Poor design and material
quality will cause a rod to wear quickly and destroy the fly
line.
There are four basic steps to choosing a fly
rod: - Selecting the proper line
weight
- Choosing the appropriate
rod length
- Choosing the rod flex or
action
- Selecting a rod series that meets your experience level and
specific fishing needs
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1. Proper Line
Weight
The line weight is used to determine the size of the fly you can
properly cast and the size of the fish you can expect to catch.
Line weight sizes are from 1 to 14, with 1 being the lightest. The
lighter the line, the smaller the fish. When fishing in saltwater
for larger fish, you'd use a larger fly and therefore a heavier
line. |
2. Appropriate
Rod Length
Small streams, brush areas, and tight space areas require shorter
rods. Larger rivers and saltwater fishing require longer rod
length, because a longer cast is typically required. In situations
where reaching and mending line are necessary, it is also better to
choose a longer rod length. Trout fly fishermen often use rods from
7 to 9 feet depending on the type of water being fished. Anglers
typically use a 9 to 9.5 foot rods for saltwater fishing. Some
salmon rods can be up to 15 feet. |
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3.
Flex and Rod Action
Flex and rod action are a matter of
preference. The rod action refers to the amount of flex in a rod
when subjected to stress. Rod action is influenced by the type of
material of which the rod is made, the taper of the material from
the rod butt to the tip, the length of the rod, number of sections
in the rod, and the size, quantity and distribution of the guide
placement on the rod. Generally rod action is described as very
light, light, medium, heavy, or very heavy. Others refer to the
same action as fast, slow, soft, or stiff. Orvis uses the Flex
Index System. This system allows you to tell exactly how the rod
will feel. The flex indexes range from 2.5 to 12.5 and include
full-flex, mid-flex, and tip-flex types. Fly Box
Outfitters also sells R.L. Winston and Temple Fork rods,
which use the slow to fast and super-fast action
indices. |
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4. Rod
Series
The rod series is typically based on the experience level and the
specific needs of the angler. Series typically range from handmade
bamboo rods to high quality beginner fly rods. Fly Box
Outfitters sells four series of Orvis rods- T3, TLS,
Superfine, and Clearwater. We sell all nine series of the Winston
Rods- WT, DL4, LT, LTX, XTR, BL5, DBSPREY, RETRO, and IBIS.
Additionally, FBO sells the Temple Fork's Western Series,
Saltwater, Haigh Performance Ultra High Modulus IM8, and the
affordable 2 and 4 piece IM6 rods. For the angler who demands
bamboo, Fly Box Outfitters offers fine bamboo rods
by R.L. Winston, Orvis, and Oyster Fine Bamboo. |
Contact us or visit our fishing store in Kennesaw,
Georgia,
for outdoor gear and fishing
schools about fly fishing and casting! |
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