Things You Need to Know Before You Buy a Fly Rod

By Chris N Jackson

Fly fishing is a hobby that has seen huge advancements with technology throughout the years. While the fish and flies are still the same, the advances in the fly rods, reels and fly lines have improved tremendously, especially in the last 30 years.

As the popularity of fly fishing has increased exponentially, the competition to produce the best fly fishing rods has heated up with many manufactures competing to produce the next best fly fishing rods. It takes time on the water to develop a feel for what a person will like the most, so to speed up the process, below is a quick guide to ensure you start you fly fishing career the right way with the right gear, starting with a fly rod.

Fly Fishing Rod Basics: Fly fishing rods vary from standard fishing rods in that with a fly rod you are casting the line compared to a standard rod that casts the lure. It takes much less to build a rod that casts a weighted lure than it does to cast an almost weightless line that is designed to lay on the water with maximum delicacy.

Therefore, a fly rod of any quality will be a bit more expensive than your standard fishing rod. In fact, for a person just starting out bait fishing, a cheap rod will work just fine. It is quite the opposite with fly fishing rods. A quality made rod will enhance your experience tremendously when compared to a superstore combo pack where you get a complete setup, including rod, reel, line, tippet, and even flies, for under $50.00. If you are expecting to continue to fly fish, that will be money well wasted.

Materials: Throughout the years, fly rods have seen many changes in the materials that are used to construct them.

Bamboo has been a longtime favorite for its action and nostalgia, but is expensive and not typically the best pick for someone’s first fly fishing rod.

Fiberglass, though strong with lots of action, is heavy and almost nonexistent in the fly fishing world these days.

Graphite: The best bet for a first fly rod, as well as the top pick for experienced anglers, are rods made out of a type of graphite. Graphite rods are light and can be designed to put the flex where it is needed, which change depending on the situations an angler plans to put themselves into.

Weight: The size of line that a rod is designed to cast is known as the weight (wt) of the rod. This also signifies the size of fish you will most likely be targeting where the lower the weight of rod, the smaller the fish you will be after.

For example, a 4 wt rod is ideal for dry fly trout fishing, where as a 10 wt rod is designed to cast big flies at big fish such as King Salmon. Follow the link below at the end of this article to see what weight rod will be best designed for the type of fly fishing and size of fish you will most likely be encountering.

Length: With different types of fish, in many different types of areas throughout the world, different length of rods must be developed to handle the varying conditions one may find themselves in. For trout in small streams with lots of brush and trees, a six or seven foot rod may be ideal, while on a big river fishing for steelhead a 14 foot spey rod might be the best option. For most situations though, a 9 foot rod will be the most popular and most versatile in the most situations that a beginner will encounter.

Rod Sections: Most fly rods will be able to be broke down for times when not in use and for travel, much like standard rods. Due to the length of the rods though, a rod that breaks down into two pieces is still going to be long and not travel all that well, especially if you are to be backpacking or flying with your rod. That is why it is advised to go with a rod that breaks down into 4 pieces. The connections for the sections, called ferrels, are so well made these days that you will not know it is 4 sections.

A fly rod is the first and also the most important item in a list of things that will be needed to get into this hobby. Once you decide on a rod, you will then need to choose a line and reel to go with it.

For many people, fishing is the perfect sport. Not only is fishing challenging, but it is a wonderful way to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily living. And if you have kids, you’ll leave a lasting impression on them if you take them fishing when they’re young. Perhaps you are a person who enjoys heading out to a lake, pond or stream to spend time fishing. Regardless of where you like to fish, you’re probably interested in finding sources and resources for cheap fishing supplies. Certainly, if you are like most people, you don’t want one of your favorite past times to be responsible for busting your budget.

When it comes to finding cheap fishing supplies, the Internet can be a very useful and reliable resource. There are a number of websites on the Net that have been established specifically to cater to people who enjoy fishing. These sites offer a wide range of different supplies and equipment. Many of these sites offer their wares at discounted prices. Of course we’d be remiss not to mention right here at rifles-n-rods.com.

In addition to websites dedicated exclusively to catering to people who love to fish, you might want to visit one or another of the different auction sites on the Net as you search for cheap fishing supplies. These sites oftentimes have quite a selection of different types of fishing equipment. By taking the time to shop around, you likely will be able to find just about everything you need by surfing the different Internet based auction sites.

On occasion, one or another of the online sites that have sprung up on the Net may also be of assistance to you in your hunt for cheap fishing supplies. The availability of affordable fishing gear at these sites can be rather seasonal. In other words, you likely will have better luck finding lower cost fishing equipment and supplies in the late fall and winter months. Indeed, at these times of the year, many of these sites have quite a selection of fishing gear.

There are a number of resources in the brick and mortar world that can be helpful to a person seeking cheap fishing supplies and equipment. Like the online sites, a person generally can obtain some real bargains on fishing supplies at sporting goods stores and outlets in their own city or town on a seasonal basis. In the late winter and fall months, many of these stores will put their fishing equipment on sale. We should mention that Cabelas is our favorite and the prices are generally second to none.

Finally, there are a number of different mail order companies that regularly have discounted and cheap fishing supplies available for sale. From the convenience of your own home, you can telephone a toll free number and have the supplies and equipment sent to you in no time at all. Again, Cabelas offers online shopping as well as mail order and they boast one of the largest chain stores of sport fishing supplies in the World.

By taking the time to shop around on both the Net and in the brick and mortar world, you will be able to find the cheap fishing supplies that you seek. In no time at all, you will be set to spend many a pleasurable hour fishing.