Fly Fishing Rod
Of all of the equipment that is required when going fly fishing, the fly fishing rod is the most important purchase of them all. It is imperative that you ensure that your fly fishing rod is of high quality and is suited for the type of fish you are going fishing for. Of course, if you are new to the world of fly fishing, going shopping for a fly fishing rod can be a daunting task. After all, if you buy the wrong fly rod, your fishing trip will not go nearly as well as you had hoped. It is likely that you will get turned off from the sport of fly fishing altogether (fly fishing is one of those sports that when going wrong, it goes very wrong). Of course, none of this matters quite as much as buying the wrong fly fishing rod can be a fantastic way to waste a great deal of money.
There are a variety of fly fishing rods available on the market. Before heading out to the store to buy one, it is important to understand the three major types of fly rod and what they are used for. Obviously the salesperson at the store can help you pick the best fly rod for your needs, but wouldn’t you rather be armed with that knowledge ahead of time? Fly fishing rods come in actions that are fast, medium and slow. The “action” or “flex” of a fly rod refers to the amount of flexibility a rod has as well as its casting speed.
The “slow action” fly rod has the most flexibility of the three major types of fly fishing rods. Most of the slow action fly rod is flexible. In fact, it is hardly uncommon for the slow action fly rod to make a “u” at the height of its cast. The slow action fly fishing rod works the best in spring creeks and small rivers. They work the best for people who want to have a gentle but very accurate cast.
The “fast action” fly rod is the least flexible of the three types of fly fishing rods. The “fast action” fly rod is only flexible at the tip and only bends during the cast. Of course, because the rod is not flexible it does have a great deal of strength in its cast and is able to cast the fly line faster and farther than any of the other action strengths. If you are going fly fishing for larger game, the “fast action” rod is your best bet.
The “medium action” fly fishing rod, obviously, falls squarely in the middle of the “fast” and “slow” actions. The “medium action” is stiff and flexible. It is the more versatile than the other two actions of fly rods. These fly rods work well in most fly fishing situations. These are the best bet for people who don’t want to have to buy more than one fly fishing rod because the medium action works well in just about any situation.