Fly Rods The single most important tool to fly fisherman is the fly rod. Its job begins with casting fly-line leader and fly to the fish. Once the fly hits the water, the rod is used to control the line and the fly. This is referred to as "mending". When a fish picks up the fly, the rod's job changes again. The rod is now used to set the hook or drive the hook into the fish's mouth. The role of the fly rod changes once again when the fish is hooked. It is then used to keep a constant pressure on the fly-line so the fish can not pull off or spit the hook. At the same time, it is being used to play or tire out the fish so it can be landed. In order to better understand the fly rod, I will focus on four specific areas: Parts, different actions of the fly rod, different types of fly rods, and their uses.

The first fly rods were made from wood, such as hickory or willow. These rods were long and very heavy. They were too heavy to cast, so fishermen used them to place the fly over the fish. As a need for a lighter and more versatile rod came about, rod builders began to experiment with bamboo. They found if they glued together long strips of bamboo or split-cane, rods were much lighter than earlier ones. They were strong, yet flexible so they immediately replaced the wooden rods. Bamboo rods were great, but they were very expensive and required constant maintenance.

In the 1940's, fiberglass rods hit the market. These rods were cheaper and more durable, and quickly replaced the bamboo rods. The early fiberglass rods were made from solid blanks, which made them inaccurate. As rod builders developed techniques to build hollow rods, the art of fly-casting took a turn for the better. These new hollow, fiberglass rods were stronger, lighter and more accurate then the previous ones. The fiberglass rods dominated the market until the 1960's when graphite arrived on the scene. Graphite was stronger and stiffer than the fiberglass. This enabled rod builders to make an even lighter and stronger rod, which could produce higher line speeds equaling greater casting distance. Today, the graphite fly rod rules the marketplace.

The majority of the fly rods today are between 7 and 9 feet long. These length rods can accommodate the majority of fishing situations. There are specialty rods that are smaller than 7 feet for fishing small streams, and larger than 9 feet for fishing salt water, larger bodies of water, or lobbing slinky's. When you hear people talking about the weight of a fly rod, they are not speaking of how heavy it is. They are talking about the size line that the rod throws. Thus, a five- weight rod throws a five- weight fly-line. The weight of the fly-line usually determines the type of fishing that is done. Fly rod weights range from 1 to 15, with the majority of rods ranging from 4-10 wt. With the strength and power of the modern graphite fly rods, most rods can throw more than 1 line class. Most five-weight rods can throw a 4, 5, or 6, weight flyline.

When fly fishermen talk about a rod's casting performance, they are describing its action. The action of a fly rod is measured by two characteristics. The first is how much and where the rod bends when it is loaded by the fly-line. The second is how fast the rod recovers from the bend. The material that makes the rod and the specifications on the rod determines the action. The taper of the rod and placement of the guides influence its action as well. A rod with fast actions has about 30% of its' rod bent when it is loaded. A medium action rod has about a 60% bend when loaded. A slow action rod has about 90% of the rod bent when loaded. Most fishermen prefer a rod with a faster action, although this varies from person to person.

It is important to find out what the optimum line weight is for your specific rod. If you over-line a rod (6-weight line on a 5-weight rod), it could improve your performance. The same may hold true if you underline your rod (4 weight line on a 5 weight rod) Nevertheless, most modern rods perform best with the recommended weight line, or over-lining one weight class.

To better understand the fly rod, you should become familiar with the parts of the rod, and their functions. The "Butt" of the rod is the stiffest section. It mainly adds strength and length to the rod. During a battle with a fish, the fishermen can use the butt end of the rod to put leverage on the fish. Most light flyrods (line weights 1-6) have a butt plate. Its' job is to protect the fisherman when he is fighting a fish. The majority of the heavier rods (7-15) have a fighting extension behind the reel seat, so that fisherman can gain more leverage.

The second section is the reel seat. Its job is to hold the reel in place so it is properly lined up with the guides. The reel seat has two different parts: the reel seat where the actual reel sits, and the reel seat lock that keeps the reel where it belongs. There are three different types of reel seats: the up locking, down locking, and the sliding band reel seat. The up-locking reel seat has become the most popular. It is used on the majority of medium and heavy rods. It is the most secure, and allows more room between the reel and the end of the rod. The down-locking reel seat is works similar to the up-locking reel seat. However, the reel sits at the very end of the rod, thus it can get in the way while fighting a fish. The sliding band reel seat is still used on some light rods. It has two sliding bands to hold the foot of the reel. These light bands do not have a lock, so the rods must be fitted with light reels. Fishermen must be careful when using this type of reel seat.

The next part of the fly rod is the grip or cork.This action of the rod is where the fisherman holds the rod. There are three different styles of grips that are popular. They are the cigar grip, half-wells, and full-wells grips. The cigar grip gets its name because it gives the angler a more delicate feel. The half-well grip is used on most intermediate-weight rods. It is flared at only one end, and gives the angler more leverage than the cigar grip. This extra leverage is an advantage for casting longer distances and for fighting larger fish. The full wells grip is most common in heavier fly rods and most saltwater rods. Its cork is thicker than the other two grips. A rear flare in the cork allows enough room for the reel foot on up locking reel seats. This type of grip gives the angler even more leverage enabling longer casting. Most fishermen must decide which grip is most comfortable for them.

As we work our way up the blank, we come to the first guide. This is called the stripper or stripping guide. Its main job is to reduce friction between the line and guides, and help eliminate the fly-line from tangling. The stripping guide is larger than the other guides, and is made from a hard, low-friction material. It has a large inside diameter that helps reduce line friction. The remaining guides on the rod are called snake guides. Their main purpose is to keep the line close to the blank during casting. In return, this will control where and how the flyline travels. The snake guides are very light and nearly friction free. The guide on the end of the rod is called the tip-top. Its job is the same as the snake guide's.

Today's flyrods are all multi-purpose rods. Most rods are two, three, or four pieces. The ferrule is the section of the flyrod, where the two pieces of a multi-piece rod fit together. Ferrule systems have both a male and female piece. Generally speaking, the male part is the bottom end of the rod that fits into the female and locks in place. The male piece of the ferrule is the actual blank. The female section is graphite, or the graphite composite sleeve that fits over the end of the other blank. With the taper of the modern blank and the improvement in the ferrule system, the multiple piece fly rod can perform like a single one piece blank. The two types of ferrule systems are the sleeve- over and the spigot ferrule system.

Hopefully this information on fly rods has helped you become more familiar with the fly fisherman's most important tool. For new fishermen purchasing rods, here are some important points to remember:

1. Buy quality. The fly rod is the most important tool, thus use your money to invest in a quality fly rod. They not only retain their value, but the fishermen will not have to upgrade to better rods.
2. Buy rods with warranties. Flyrods are expensive, and many accidents do occur! Make sure that you are covered.
3. Buy odds or evens. Choose either odd or even weight rods at first. Modern rods can be over-lined, enabling you to throw more line sizes and do more types of fishing. If you buy a 5, 7, and 9-weight rod, you can use these to fish using 4-10 wt. lines.
4. Buy anodized real seats on all rods, 7 weight and up. This will enable you to fish both fresh and salt water.