What kind of rod do I need?
This depends on a number of things. Usually lighter line weights are used in smaller water with smaller flies while heavier line weights and larger flies. I do most of my fishing for trout in both streams and lakes using flies from #26 up to weighted bead head wooly buggers 2” long. I have found that a 4 or 5 WT is perfect for this. A 4 or 5 WT is soft enough to protect my 2lb tippet from the 2 foot long trout at my local trophy lake but I can still get the distance that I need on my casts.
Rod action plays a big role in protecting light tippets. Rod action is defined as where the rod does most of it’s bending. A fast action rod mostly bends in the top ¼ of the rod where a slow action rod tends to bend fairly evenly for the whole length of the rod. Other actions are moderate, moderate-fast and extra fast. Faster rods tend to give you greater distances and slower rods tend to help with stealthy presentations. I prefer the slower rods for myself as I rarely have to cast more than 35 feet and light presentation is a must in the ultra clear waters that I fish in. One of my favorite rods that I built was from an Orvis full flex blank. It has very slow action. It is by no means a rod for a casting competition but it is a great rod for tossing tiny flies short distances without making big splashes. If I ever get interested in casting competitions I will build myself a rod from a Sage blank.
Rod length can be important too. Longer rods will give you more distance on your cast as they produce greater line speed but if you are trying to fish under trees they will mostly help you catch “land loving stick fish” longer rods will also help you land big fish with light tippets because the will tire the fish more quickly. If you tire a fish during a fight please work it under the water when releasing until it gets it’s breath back. This will greatly increase its ability to survive. Short rods can be nice when fishing areas where there is stuff to get hung up on right above your head but won’t give you as much distance on your cast. I can build fly rods as short as 4 ½ feet.
You
also need to consider the size of your car, truck or backpack. You don’t want
to be hiking with a 10’ 2-piece rod. The biggest downfall to having more pieces
is it makes the rod a little bit heavier. It also takes more time to put it
together. If you can keep your rod in your boat or truck and don’t need to pack
it in somewhere a 2-piece is probably best. If you are doing a lot of
backpacking you probably want a rod with short pieces that can be put into a
protective case and then stuffed out of the way. This is also true if you want
a rod to hide in your trunk, in a briefcase or under your seat so you can stop
and fish whenever you want. I can make you a 7 piece 9’ rod that breaks down to
18”!!!!
Line
weight is one of the things that most people look at as the first thing. They
do this with good reason. 1 and 2 WT rods are generally used for small brookies
and panfish while if you are targeting tuna and marlin you will need at least a
13 or 14 WT rod. Here is the way I see it for freshwater fish.
·
Panfish
and small trout 1-2 WT
·
Medium
trout and small bass 2-4 WT
·
Large
trout and bass 4-6 WT
·
Large
bass 5-7 WT
·
Pike,
muskie (anything toothy that needs a steel leader), salmon, stripers 6-9 WT
These
are approximations and can greatly change depending on the size flies and the
water you fish in.
The
hardware on a rod can make a big difference too. While SiC guides are slicker,
dissipate heat better and make it easier to shoot your line they tend to weigh
down rods lighter than a 4WT. For more on the materials used in guides and reel
seats please see my materials page.
The
last thing that I will talk about on this page is the grip. Cork is the most
common but not the only material used for grips on fly rods. This is because it
is rigid enough to transmit vibrations and it will still flex which protects the
blank. One of the prettiest materials for a grip is burl cork. Another is
hardwood which has to have some hidden work done to it in order to keep the rod
from having pressure points. The other thing to think about when considering a
grip is the shape. I like to fish with a western style grip (reverse half wells).
Cigar shaped is supposed to be one of the most comfortable. Other shapes are
half wells, full wells and straight.
If
you are still confused just email me with as
much information as possible as to your fishing style, size of fish (Be
realistic we all want to catch a monster but you don’t want to take a muskie
rod up to catch small to medium trout.) and the size flies you throw and I’ll
do what I can to help.