For many anglers, starting out with fly fishing can be challenging, and picking out the correct rod can be an issue. Jargon often makes decisions worse. For any price point, there may be five or six different makes and styles. To further confuse the decision, there is not a one-size-fits-all fly rod. A fly rod that works well for tarpon will not work well for trout. For beginners, the whole process of getting the right gear is often intimidating. In this article, I will try to make sense of it and break it down for you so that you can make a good decision about which fly rod is best for your needs and wants.

Components

The components of a fly rod are important. You certainly do not want to purchase an inexpensive fly rod. There have been far too many anglers thinking they would save a penny or two, only to come later to regret their purchase and realize that the adage “Buy once, cry once” has credence. Just because a rod is expensive, though, does not mean it is a great fit for you. The ideal rod meets your angling needs and is within your budget. As you consider what rod you buy, take time, and think about what you intend to do with the rod.

The proposed function of the rod will affect what kind of fly rod action your rod has. Items such as what type of grip your rod has will affect how you fish with it. Fly rods are also designated by their weight. This is not the actual weight of the rod. Rather, it is the fly line weight that the rod is designed to be paired with. Choosing the correct fly line will impact the way your rod casts. A slow-action fly rod would do poorly with an aggressive taper line, while a faster-action rod may require this. Likewise, you will want to consider what reel you will be pairing with the rod. Balance is key to avoiding arm fatigue and making long, accurate casts. Here are some brief attributes to consider.

Length

Most rods come in 9-foot rod lengths, but some ultralight rods are shorter. Likewise, Euronymphing rods tend to be longer. As a generality, the longer the rod, the longer the cast. Short rods are typically good for tight casting environments with obstacles to cast around.

Action

Tip-flex or fast-action rods flex at the top portion of the rod. These are powerful casting strokes and less forgiving and more apt for experienced anglers. Mid-flex or moderate-action rods load in the middle third of the rod. These tend to be more forgiving and most beginner rods feature this. Full-flex or slow-action rods load deep into the butt section and are designed for a more deliberate, delicate casting stroke.

Materials

The material the rod is made from will greatly affect the action and functionality of the rod.

• Graphite: Most rods are made of this today. Graphite allows rods to be lightweight, sensitive, and strong.
• Nano-Silica Resin: This technology is an improvement on graphite rods. By filling in around the carbon fibers with nano-silica particles, the rods are stronger and more powerful.
• Boron: Similar to nano-silica technology, adding boron to the graphite fibers increases strength and sensitivity.
• Fiberglass: This older style of rod is making a comeback in select areas. These rods have slower casting strokes and have the advantage of durability, and they load with less line out, making them ideal for ultralight setups.
• Bamboo: Historically, fly rods were made from this material. Bamboo has a quicker load recovery than fiberglass and is heavier, but for those who prefer a slower casting stroke, bamboo has a special place.

Grips

Smaller rods often have cigar-shaped grips which allow for finer control of the rod when casting. Half-wells are the traditional grips for most rods, and full-wells are often found on heavier rods, as it is easier to apply power on the casting stroke with this type of grip.

Multi-Piece

Traditionally, a one-piece rod casts the smoothest of all, and to this day, many guides in Florida still insist on using one-piece fly rods. For those of us who travel, fortunately, technology has improved and with new taper design technologies, multi-piece rods can be cast like single-piece rods and have the advantage of breaking down for more convenient travel and storage.

Guides

The guides will affect how easily the line passes through while casting. They also aid in line management while fighting fish. Stainless steel or plated wire guides are common, while higher-end rods will have alloys, such as titanium or nickel.

Reel Seat

The way the reel is secured to the rod affects how the rod is used.

• Uplocking reel seats are the most common. Here the locking nut turns toward the grip. This creates a space between the bottom of the reel and the bottom of the rod for a fighting butt to aid in fighting larger fish.
• Downlocking reel seats have the locking nut turn toward the butt. Because gravity helps hold the reel in place, this style is the least likely to slip.
• Slip rings are not that common on fly rods. Here, two rings fit over the feet of the reel to hold it in place.

Line Weight

Line weight is designated as the weight of the first 30 feet of the fly line in grains. The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) has then assigned a number ranging from 0 to 16. The larger the number, the heavier the line. Each fly rod has imprinted on its spine the weight of the fly line that the rod is designed to be paired with. This is important because using a fly line too heavy will overline the rod, causing it to have too much power, while using too light of a line will underline a rod, and the rod will not load properly.

Using the correct weight for the fishing you will be doing is important for a couple of reasons. Having enough power in the rod allows the rod to have enough energy to properly turn over flies. A 9-weight fly rod, while being able to cast a large, weighted streamer pattern, may be good for the salt flats, but it will not have the finesse to delicately drop a dry fly on the nose of a feeding trout. Conversely, a 3-weight rod can place the dry fly. There will be little water disturbance at all, but will not have the power required to cast the heavy fly. Likewise, there is a practicality to this as well. A 3-weight will not have the power to lift a 100 lb. tarpon. The rod needs to match the size of the fish as well as, more importantly, the size of the fly being delivered. With that in mind, here are some typical use cases:

Line Weight by Use Case

• Panfish: 0- to 4-weight fly rods
• Grayling: 3- to 5-weight fly rods
• Small Creeks and Streams Trout: 0- to 4-weight fly rods
• Trout: 4- to 6-weight (A 5-weight is considered the all-around trout weight. A 4-weight is better suited for dry fly fishing, and the 6-weight would be used on larger streams or throwing streamer patterns.)
• Smallmouth Bass: 5- to 8-weight
• Largemouth Bass: 5- to 9-weight (A 7-weight or 8-weight is considered the ideal weight, as this size rod can throw larger poppers with ease and can pull large fish out of heavy cover.)
• Peacock Bass: 8- to 10-weight
• Carp: 6- to 10-weight
• Steelhead: 7- to 9-weight
• Salmon: 8- to 10-weight
• Northern Pike and Musky: 8- to 12-weight
• Bonefish, Redfish, and Snook: 7- to 9-weight (Although some bull redfish are chased with larger rods, the 8-weight is considered the all-around saltwater weight.)
• Striped Bass and False Albacore: 8- to 12-weight
• Golden Dorado: 8- to 12-weight
• Permit: 9- to 10-weight
• Tarpon, Roosters, and Giant Trevally: 10- to 12-weight
• Mahi Mahi: 10- to 14-weight
• Blue Fin Tuna: 12- to 14-weight
• Sailfish and Marlin: 14- to 16-weight

Special Use Cases

There are some unique rods that anglers may run across. A complete discussion of them is beyond the scope of this article, but I mention them here as often new anglers are confused by them.

Euronymphing Rods

These are longer rods designed specifically for Euronymphing techniques. These rods need to be able to lift and cast heavy nymph rigs and have a sensitive tip to detect strikes. Likewise, they are longer to control the line better and extend an angler’s reach, as they must hold the majority of the line off of the water.

Spey Rods

Historically, these are two-handed rods designed to be used on larger Atlantic Salmon rivers, such as on the Spey River in Scotland (hence the name). These rods have gained popularity in the Pacific Northwest among salmon and steelhead anglers and in the Northeast saltwater fishery. They were meant to be used to cast large flies long distances to cover large amounts of water.

Typically, these rods do not require space behind the angler and are great for tight fishing conditions. Historically, these rods are typically 12–14 feet in length and are available in a 6- to 10-weight size. Now, with the new techniques, anglers can use trout microspeys, which are 1- to 5-weight in size and 10.5 to 11.5 feet in length. Short speys are great for medium-sized rivers and are typically 6- to 8-weight in size and 12–13 feet in length. With spey casting, anglers will need to choose between Scandi heads, which are used typically for dry fly presentations, and Skagit heads, which are used for shooting heads and swinging larger streamers.

Switch Rods

These rods are the new kids on the block and really attempt to have the best of both the two-handed and one-handed rod worlds. These rods have become popular with steelhead anglers, especially those in the Great Lakes region. They can be cast either with one-handed or two-handed casting styles, adding versatility to an angler’s fishing options. They can nymph fish, fish an indicator, cast streamers, and swing flies, and they are typically found between 5- to 8-weight in size and 10–12 feet in length.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, choosing the correct fly rod really does come down to what you intend to do with it. There is no one-size-fits-all rod. If you need help with your fly rod selection or have fishing questions in general, reach out to a Fly Fishing Expert here at Curated. We would love to help you out and answer any questions you might have. Tight lines!