When doing your research for buying a fly rod, you should consider that you will be doing a lot of casting. The best way to learn how to fly cast is to go fishing with some experts in fly fishing. With the right person, you can follow instructions and copy that person’s technique. And of course, you have the benefit of guided practice. Before going, you might go online and search for videos on how to fly cast.
Rules to Choose the Perfect Fly Fishing Rods
Tips for Beginners
If you are planning to “get into” fly fishing, but don’t want to invest a lot of money, maybe you should consider a very low-cost beginner set. I was visiting one of my favorite online stores, Amazon.com to see what they had. I found a couple that looked promising. I included (affiliate) links to them below. I don’t feel you can go strictly by the reviews because one or a few vocal people out of thousands of product sold may not be reliable. After reading about the Crystal River set and the Eagle Claw set, I think I am leaning toward the Eagle Claw brand because of their long history of producing quality fishing equipment.
Where do you want to fish?
Investing in some fly rod reviews is important to find the right fly rod. Fly fishing is done in streams, lakes, ponds, and the ocean shore. Where you fish and therefore the type of fish, you are after requires different types of flies and casting techniques. Large bodies of water often require long casts while streams and ponds may need short but very accurate casts.
Balance
Balance is a key part of enjoying fly fishing. The rod should feel easy to hold while casting. Balance is affected by the length of the rod, the grip, and the reel.
Action
The type of “action” the rod has is important to the distance and accuracy of casting a fly. Fast action refers to a stiff rod that allows you to cast a longer distance but is not as accurate for short casts. Probably most people start with a moderate or medium action that has more flexibility at the end of the rod. Slow-action rods have more flexibility along the entire rod and have more of a curve to it. A slow-action rod allows more accuracy where long distance is not a factor.
Weight/Length
Weight is what weight line you intend to use. For many of us, fly fishing conjures up standing by or in stream fishing for trout. A typical trout rod is 9 feet (plus or minus a half foot) long hand is rated as 4-weight, 5-weight, or 6-weight (line weight). Just as medium-action is the all-around pick, 5-weight is a safe bet for most of us.
Reel
For proper casting you need a reel to match the weight of the line, that is, if you are using the 5-weight line, you will need a 5-weight reel. Today most reels are being made with disc-drag systems (like the disc brakes on a car). The retrieval system should be manual, single action. There are other types of retrievals, but each can give some problems. Oh, get an extra spool because reels quit getting manufactured and extra spools are hard to find. The extra spool can be loaded with a different type of line, such as sinking or floating (whichever is not on the other spool).
So the basics of selecting a fly rod involve a number considerations. Just end up with same weight numbers for the line, reel, and rod.
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