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IMPORTANT
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Fish & Fly at fishandfly.com
Choosing a new fly rod
Our January 2004 contribution from Peter Sutton
Choosing a new fly rod is an intensely personal and somewhat subjective exercise, a bit like choosing a new car. It is not possible to lay down a set of rigid rules to follow, neither is there one rod that is ‘best’ for everything. There are, however certain things to be aware of which should help you to make the right decision and I have attempted to set out those things in this article.
1. SIZE OF FLY AND WEIGHT OF LINE
The first thing to identify when choosing a new rod is the type of fly
fishing it is going to be used for and the size, weight and numbers of
flies which will be cast. Because the fly is carried out to the fish by
the fly line it is important to match the weight of line to the size and
number of flies being cast. Therefore casting large and wind resistant
flies to pike will require a considerably heavier fly line than casting
a single size 16 dry fly to trout on small rivers and streams. Below is
guidance for matching line weight to fly size.
- Very small flies of size 16 and under
(midge fishing) – lines of AFTM 4 and below.
- Dry flies, nymphs and wet flies of
size 10 to 18 – lines of AFTM 4 to 6
- Flies of size 8 to 14, flies which
are heavily weighted, and bushy wind- resistant flies – lines of
AFTM 6 to 8
- Large flies and lures of size 2 to
8 – lines of AFTM 7 to 9
- Very large flies such as those used
in fly fishing for pike – lines of AFTM 9 to 11.
The above information is intended only for guidance and there is considerable overlapping of fly size and line size. The size of fly that can be comfortably cast on any given line will also depend to a large extent on the casting skill of the angler using it. It is also necessary to take into account the number of flies on the leader; so whilst a single size 14 nymph may be cast comfortably on a line size AFTM 4, a team of three size 14 nymphs will be handled with considerably less aplomb. If you are a novice or an average caster, I would strongly advise that you select a heavier rather than lighter weight line because not only will this handle the larger flies more easily, it will also deal better with fishing in windy conditions.
2. SIZE OF FISH
As well as taking fly size into consideration when selecting what line
weight to go for, account should also be taken of the species of fish
to be caught and the likely size to be encountered. So, for example, whilst
most tarpon flies can be comfortably cast on an 8 weight rod and line
this tackle would not be adequate if large fish are expected, so a heavier
11 or 12 weight rod and line should be selected.
Having made the decision as to the line weight best for your needs you
need then to look at various rods designed to cast that particular weight
of line.
3. EFFECT OF ROD LENGTH
Next I think that the length of the rod and the effect that has on fishing
and casting with it should be considered. As a general rule shorter rods
are better for accurate casting but lack power and stiffness in the butt
section and longer rods give more control over the drift of the line and
are better for line ‘mending’. The extra length also means that
they have more power or stiffness in the butt section for any given line
weight. For instance, a seven foot rod rated for a 4 weight line will
have very little power or stiffness in its butt section and so will only
be suitable for catching fairly small fish, but a 9 foot rod rated for
a 4 weight line will have much more power and stiffness in the butt section
in order to support the weight of the tip, so it can be used successfully
to catch quite large fish.
Fly fishing often means that the rod is cast many times throughout the
course of a day and the rod is almost always held in the hand, not placed
in rod rests, so it is important that the rod is neither too heavy or
so long that it puts excessive strain on the muscles of the casting hand,
wrist and arm. It is a fairly popular belief that a longer rod will allow
the user to cast further but this isn’t necessarily the case because
the longer the rod, the more the weight of the line at the tip of the
rod is felt at the casting hand. This is easily demonstrated by taking
a house brick (or similar weight) and holding it in your hand and feeling
how heavy it feels, then tie the brick (or similar weight) to the end
of a long pole, such as a broom handle, and try lifting it off the ground
whilst holding the other end of the pole and feel how much heavier the
brick seems; the leverage is acting against the angler. To cast well you
must have good control over the rod and be able to rotate it quickly enough
to give sufficient speed through the air, a rod that is too long will
feel heavy and sluggish. A rod that is too short will rob you of some
distance and make controlling the drift of the line, and the runs of a
hooked fish more difficult. Here are suggested rod lengths for various
situations:
- For fishing tiny rivers and brooks
– 7’ to 7’ 6’’
- For average sized rivers – 8’
to 9’
- For small still waters and larger rivers
8’ 6’’ to 9’ 6’’
- For large still waters and reservoirs
9’ to 10’
- For pike and salt water flats fishing
9’ to 9’ 6’’
Again this is a rough guide and personal choice and special conditions
and methods have to be taken into account, as in the following examples:
- For traditional upstream wet fly on
rivers such as the Eden, or Czech nymphing a 10’ rod may well be
chosen because of the added control this allows over the drift of the
flies.
- For traditional ‘over the front’
fly fishing from a boat, on lochs and reservoirs a longer rod of 10’
or 11’ may well be chosen because of the added control this gives
over the action of the flies (and especially the top dropper) in the
water.
- For still water fly fishing from the
banks of reservoirs a fit strong man may well choose a 9’ 6’’
or 10’ rod but a very young, or elderly person, or a lady may find
this too much to cope with and will be much more comfortable with a
rod of 9’ or even 8’ 6’’.
- In any situation where very large flies
and very heavy lines are called for a shorter rod of 8’ 6’’
to 9’ will be more manageable than anything longer.
- For fly fishing off beaches where there
is surf a longer rod is sometimes an advantage so something of 9’
to 10’ is usually required.
4. ROD ACTION AND PERFORMANCE
I see rod action as falling into one of the following three categories.
- Fast Action – this action is apparent
in rods in which the butt section is very stiff and bends only a little
whilst the flexible tip does most of the bending and unbending during
casting and fishing. This is sometimes also called ‘tip action’
or ‘tip flex’.
- Slow Action – this describes rods
in which the butt section flexes quite obviously and actively, even
during short casts and the tip is relatively stiff in order to drive
the action, or bend, further down the rod. This is sometimes also called
‘butt action’ or ‘full flex’.
- Moderate Action – this lies somewhere
between fast and slow and the butt section is neither obviously stiff,
nor flexible. This is sometimes described as ‘middle to tip’,
‘tip to middle’ or mid flex action.
Which action you eventually choose will be influenced by the type of
fishing you do, your individual casting style and your personality. If
you have a more aggressive, shorter, compact casting stroke you may well
prefer the tip action rod, but if you prefer a more relaxed, slower style
of casting and a longer casting stroke, then the easier action of the
fuller flex rods may suit you better. The only way to find out is through
experience but for a beginner, novice or average caster I strongly recommend
that any of the extremes of rod action are avoided and a ‘moderate’,
‘middle to tip’ or ‘mid flex’ action rod is bought.
No matter what action you decide upon, it is essential that it is fully
progressive. That is to say, the bend must move progressively further
down the rod as more load is applied, with no ‘flat spots’ and
no evidence of the blank ‘locking-up’ and becoming rigid at
any point. For example, some of the more poorly designed tip action rods
have tips which are too flexible compared to the very stiff butt and consequently
the tip of the rod can overload or ‘fold under’ when a powerful
casting force is applied which, often leads to a tailing loop in the line.
Another very important characteristic to consider is that of ‘feel’.
Some rods, whilst they cast adequately well, have a somewhat ‘dead’
or ‘vague’ feel to them and don’t communicate the feeling
of the cast to the angler, this makes it more difficult to get the timing
and the correct application of force right. In my view these rods are
also less pleasurable to cast and fish with because the sense of the rod
loading and unloading is part of the fun of fly casting; a rod that ‘speaks’
to you is a much nicer fishing companion than one that remains ‘silent’.
The only way to assess whether or not a rod has this ‘feel’
is to try it out and cast with it.
5. FITTINGS AND FINISH.
This, again, is another subjective area and each individual must decide
if the rod looks ‘good’ or not, but here are a few of my thoughts
on the matter.
- Glossy finishes on carbon fibre rods
add only cost and dead weight in as well as the excellent fish scaring
capabilities of a demented heliograph as they are cast and fished with,
so I like a plain matt grey carbon finish on my fly rods.
- I think it is an advantage if all rings
and fittings are as light as reasonably possible. For example on a light
trout rod I see no need for anything other than a simple butt cap and
ring for holding the reel in place. For a salt water rod all fittings
will need to be resistant to the corrosive effects of salt water.
- The shape of the handle is not critical,
but it mustn’t be too thick especially where smaller hands are
concerned.
- Rings or eyes – as a rule of thumb
look for one ring for each foot of rod length plus one or two, plus
the tip ring. The ring nearest the reel, or ‘stripping ring’
should be a robust lined ring of fairly large diameter. In the case
of heavy duty rods at least the first two rings should be lined.
- Wrappings should be neat and without
excessive amounts of epoxy sealer creating what I call ‘rugby balls’
around each wrapping.
6. WHICH ROD WOULD I CHOOSE?
If I were forced to fish with only one fly rod for the rest of my fishing
life what sort of rod would it be? Accepting that most of my fishing will
be for trout in still waters and on rivers I would most probably decide
on a 4-piece rod (so much easier and more convenient to transport), of
9 feet in length (long enough to deal with most situations but not so
long that it is too restrictive on smaller rivers and streams) rated for
a 5 weight or 6 weight line. If most of my fishing were on still waters
with only an occasional foray onto rivers, it would probably be the 6
weight, which could also be used for light salt water work, but if most
of my fishing were on rivers with only a few trips to the reservoir then
the 5 weight would make more sense.
With fly rods, as with most things in life, you tend to get what you pay
for but there are many rods at the budget price end of things which are
very good, just as there are one or two more expensive rods which are,
perhaps, not as good as they should be and there is absolutely no substitute
for a ‘test drive’. When testing a rod try to use the line you
intend fishing with, and make sure that it is clean, slick and in good
condition. Always ‘try before you buy’ is the maxim, by all
means read the opinion of others in rod tests and seek the opinions of
fly fishing friends but remember that you are the one who has to use the
rod so you must be happy with it. Trust your own judgement, and remember
there isn’t a rod yet built that will turn a mediocre caster into
a good caster and I would always recommend that money and time is spent
perfecting casting skills before large sums are spent on rods or other
items of equipment.
In this article Pete Sutton and Terry Lawton look further into what makes a good rod and how to tell a good rod from a bad rod. More...