How to Choose a Fly Rod

It's made out of what? 

We won’t spend a lot of time in this section but did just want to have a quick discussion on materials and what your fly rod can (or should) be made out of.  Once again, this can really get into the “judgement call” area of fly fishing and once again, can be really driven by a bottom line marketing hype to make sure that we have the latest and greatest and most expensive.  After all, if we reach a level of superb performance, quality and/or intrinsic beauty there just has to be something better, right?  Well, we would guess that if every year or so you need to come up with a thousand or so more dollars for the next “best thing” there had better be.

Now as you look through you next fly fishing catalogue at the rods, be ready to be inundated with new names and new concepts and new hype about one very basic material: graphite!  Simply put all graphite rods share one thing in common and that is that they are by far the lightest fly rods ever made and without a question will be the favourite for many years to come.  But now we defer to the spin doctors of the fly world and have a little fun…

Did you now that if you add a proper graphite mix and a few boron fibres lengthwise in the blank manufacturing process you now have space-aged materials used in the last shuttle?  Did you know that you can get a fly rod made from kevlar, titanium, graphite, high modulus proprietary graphite and boron and/or a combination of these?

It is hard to wonder just what the fish make of all this and if they really are that discriminating when considering what is on the other end of that fly they are about to attack.  And don’t forget that some materials are highly brittle and don’t do that well in the boat, your car or just getting to and from the river.  A good bump to the side of the rod can be a disaster later on!  

We are huge propionates of quality fly rods and love the new technology that has brought us the graphite fly rod and made it affordable.  But we need to use a bit of common sense here as well. We are not going to go into theory here either, discussing how the blanks are made, the prepreg, the scrim, the resins and mandrils as this is stuff that only an engineer would really want to know anyway.  And about modulus factors and so on…somewhere along the line this term got loose from the fly rod manufacturers and has been picked up by some fly fishermen, along with the MBAs, spin doctors and advert guys, who got us thinking that the higher the modulus the “better” the rod.  And that of course is just not true.  Modulus refers to the stiffness of the graphite fibres used in the process and as an end result, generally, although the resin does play a huge part too, the overall stiffness of the rod.  So what we are leading up to here is that a good quality rod with a “modulus factor” within the parameters of the flex pattern of the rod is the right choice and all the spin and
hype about last year’s space launch is of little value to anyone but the astronauts! 

Next comes the new generation of fibreglass and this should not be overlooked as, in the right weight and length combinations, particularly for small stream use, has continued to elvolved and certainly the new generation fibreglass fly rods may well be a better choice for the needs of many fly fisherman.  This is a tight place in the industry and there are leaders that have developed superb tapers using modern thechnology to produce a fly rod that takes a step backward moving forward into the next generation of fly rod development.

Now then, there is bamboo.  Whether or not you just heard the soft tones of a harp when you read that or not may be in whether or not you have ever fished with a quality bamboo rod.  Should you own one?  Yes.  If it is feasible and you love to fly fish, you owe this to yourself.  Beyond this, we shall be silent and let the wisdom of those before us tell you what they believe.

Coming to grips with your fly rod

The choice of grip is often over looked when choosing a fly rod. This is a mistake as the grip plays a very big part in the comfort of your fly rod in your hand and ultimately in fatigue during those extra long casting sessions. 

As far as we are concerned and as is the case with virtually all the decent fly rods these days, there
is only one material to consider and that is cork.  Only ever think of a fly rod in terms of quality Portuguese cork.  Even on our “other rods for other purposes” we believe the same is true.  Composite, foam or other materials are just a waste time, add absolutely nothing to the rod and
really have no purpose.  Period.  So with regard to materials for your rod grip, that is settled and on to this next part of this very short section.

There are only a few tips here that are more along the line of what to avoid rather than what to pursue in a grip because there are variables here that you can control.  For example, we change how the rod is held during any one day just to relax the hand in a different position.  There is no one way that is hard fast “right or wrong”.  

What to avoid?  A grip that is just way too small for your hand and then just the opposite, a grip that is way too large.  Beyond that there is a lot of room for personal choice and individual casting style.

Just remember, it needs to be comfortable and feel good in your hand.  And yes, I know there is a joke just hanging here on that last line but I am a gentleman and staying well clear of it!

Keep Good Company

We are now about to go to the forbidden zone and I am sure in the next few paragraphs will almost assure us that there will be "no big" name sponsorship offered to Team Derek McKenzie any time soon.  Oh well, if truth has a price this will be a small one to pay...and besides, we do offer what we believe are outstanding fly rods anyway!  

First, there are quite a few big names out there and guess what?  Most of them do make a great fly rod.  And they should if you consider the price!  Sorry, but that is truth number one and you can do equally as well (or even better) if you simply spend time looking around, ask a few good questions and don’t fall prey to the fly fishing version of a status symbol.  There are several outstanding small to medium size companies that make great fly rods at a much better price and/or offer much better value for money.  And don't ever forget service...many big name companies do this poorly in our humbel opinion and the trend of late is to charge an additional or premium fee for what we believe should just be part of quality service from a quality company.

Too...here is a secret.  The fish are not impressed with a label!  If you are, maybe you should spend
a bit of time reading no nonsense reviews and less on corporate websites?  Don’t misunderstand, there is “junk” out there and a very few rods absolutely in a class by themselves.  Your choice in a fly rod should be one that is high quality, one that you are willing to use and use hard, does not require you to refinance your home to purchase it and suit your needs as a fly fisherman.  Beyond that, what else do you really want or expect?   

When it comes to rods and who makes them and who sells them, as far as we are concerned there are only three categories to consider…

Category 1 - Junk.  And sadly this makes up a big part of the market.  How do you know if you are about to buy junk?  This has become more diffficult in recent years with many decent rods coming from manufacturers around the world, but take the time to ask the dealer very specific questions about where the rod has been made and to what standard.  Junk is often sold under the guise of independant design and not always with a small to modest price tag.  Sometimes, you will find junk even under what some consider to be a top name brand.  Quite simply put, if you choose to buy a very poorly made rod or one that is in this category, you will most likely end up not enjoying the sport of fly fishing.  Don’t  expect a bargain and don’t live in hope.  Save your money.  You maybe should just buy a fly fishing video instead.  Anything, but if you are about to fall victim to junk, forget it!  I know, a lot of these same dealers also sell flies too and you can get two dozen for about $10 but run anyway!

Category 2 - Really good graphite rods that are made well and are affordable.  These are by no means cheap rods nor fly by night companies.  There are several companies again in the small to midsize range and yes even a few big companies that are in this group and most have been around for years.  One of the challenges here is that in the main, you will have to go looking to find these companies and they won’t be on the back of the last international fly fishing magazine or seen flying a banner at the world invitational fly fishing tournaments.  They are there however and you should look for them.  These companies will use a few “buzz words” like quality, tradition and value so make sure to ask them about it.     

Category 3 - Really good graphite rods that are made well and are way over priced for what you are actually getting.  Remember that there is only so much that can be done with either the tools at hand or the materials that we have to work with when a rod is being made.  Yes, by all means there is a difference between quality and junk and yes, several companies do hold rights to a particular design or the application.  But will spending two or three times more actually make that much of a difference to you or the fish?  The ninety-five percent rule here is no.  That being said there is absolutely no substitute for quality and if you are comfortable that this is where you find it, you are not going to go to far wrong by making a big investment.  Unless of course you have to leave this new rod at the office so that your spouse does not find out that you bought this instead of paying the mortgage for the month?    

In all fairness, we have been fortunate enough to have had our hands on almost every name brand on the market today along with more than enough of the Category 1 fly rods.  And sure, like anyone we have our preferences and very strong reasons for featuring the companies that we do on our website.  It’s all about choices, belief and of course, preferences.  We do have to admit, however, that in the range of the truly good graphite rods we have handled in both the Category 2 and Category 3 range inclusive, the differences are just minimal and we could probably learn to like any of them.  However at some point, we have sorted them out for ourselves and hope you will too!  

So what would we look for to separate them all? 

First, have a look around for a few impartial reviews and opinions on what you are considering.  Don’t be a pushover for a review by a sponsored resource either.  And that includes sites like ours and why we are happy to answer questions and go the distance with our money-back guarantee.  And too, if you can not find any such review or opinion, sometimes you can just go with your own knowledge and opinion and not wait for someone to sell you one!

Next, look for a lifetime warranty and the reasonable belief that the company will be around that long to back it up!  And too see if they extend it to a “use and accidental abuse” policy where they offer what we call a “stupid” guarantee!  Yes folks, we admit to breaking rods getting out of a boat and yes, have even stepped on them while loading the car!  Thank heavens some companies understand this and, for a minimal fee (or none at all!) offer to fix or replace the parts that have suffered.  

And finally, trust a reputation.  Reputations are earned and usually well deserved.  Names are bought and sold.  Just ask any sports car enthusiast and they can tell you volumes about the difference and just how true it is.  So can an honest fly fisherman with a few rods gathering dust in the case! 

Don't shoot the messenger

If you have made it this far, you are most likely a novice to the sport and hopefully we have helped you, or, you are a seasoned veteran with a bit of time on your hands comparing your own version of the truth to ours.  In any case we hope you have enjoyed what we have written here and appreciate our efforts to remain reasonably objective. 

That being said it is now time to make a call or two and answer few of the questions we get….

“I am just starting out and would like to get a fly rod that I can learn on and catch fish too.  I want to fish in a few different locations and for a few different types of fish.  I am not ready to spend a fortune and don’t want to do this anyway.  What do you recommend?”

All things being equal, if  you are planning on fishing mainly in freshwater in streams, rivers and along the edges of most lakes, you will not go wrong with an 8'6" or 9' rod in a 5 or 6 weight.  In fact, this is perhaps the most frequently chosen and used fly rod in Australia.  If you are planning on fishing bigger waters, includng larger lakes, estuaries and light saltwater, a 9' rod in a 7 weight would be a great first choice.  We would also recommend a medium fast action.  Make sure to buy quality and no, at this point you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a great rod.

“Great, but now I see the rods in two piece, three piece, four piece, travel size, pack size and so on.  I am confused and is there a difference?  I have always thought that you give up a lot every time you add an extra piece and the pack rod style was for convenience and not really fishing! What can you tell me?”

This is a good question and one that makes us laugh because we suffered from the “multi-section anxiety” as well.  Our personal rods up until the last few years, even our graphite rods, were two-piece period and anything else was what we considered “broken”!  Now the funny part here is that we were keeping up beautifully with technology in most everything else but had gotten a brain cramp with regard to multi-section of rods.  This was somewhat understandable as there is a rod building background here and we have chased some pretty big fish up in the Pacific Northwest that will show you in a heartbeat every flaw that you might have in your technique or equipment.  So we had formed an inarguable opinion and were not about to allow it to be challenged by any fact!  With tail between our legs and all, we did finally give in to logic and gave these a try or more so, one heck of a workout still trying to prove that we were infallible in our thinking!  All right, so we were not fully correct!  Okay, let's just use the word "wrong" once and get it out of the way.  We were wrong.  And now most of our two-piece graphite rods are, in the main, the dust collectors.

Very simply, technology moved beyond the old school thought and the multiple section rods are every single bit as strong and cast every single bit as well as any of our beloved two-piece rods.  The exception of course is bamboo but since I view this in a near religious context I won’t go there…for now!  Then it comes down to portability, the length/weight of the rod and just what you need from your rod.  In general, you will find the four-piece rod a perfect choice and they are easy to transport and carry.  There is just no downside and as we see it, only an upside so yes, we do recommend a multi-section rod in nearly all cases.  You might not want to go all the way to a 6 or 7 piece pack rod as they are not quite the same but do have a specific place in it all.  But beyond that, think and go for convenience.  You will give up nothing!

And now the last question and the end of this article…

“Fine and what you have talked about makes a lot of sense, well most of it any way.  But now be honest, what do you fish with and what kind of rods would you really recommend?”

This again is a fun question and one that you will get an honest answer to from us.  Very simply, we fish with what we would recommend to you and if we didn’t, we would not recommend it.  We have a fair few rods in the closet, and you would expect that after fly fishing for more years than we ever admit to publicly.  And guess what?  We love all of them for any number of reasons. 

We have tried to be very objective thus far but will leave that for a moment and say that we are really pleased with the rods that are featured on the website.  Period.  We believe that these are the best “category 2” rods (a great graphite or fibreglass fly rod at an affordable price and value for money!) around and you will be hard pressed to find better.  In fact, the industry has actually begun to recognise the impact that these and a few other small companies has actually had and is taking a look at some of its own practises and beliefs.  

That being said, we will get back to being objective and tell you what we would consider as our own personal “line up” in the fly fishing arsenal that we use as often as possible.

Small trout and small streams here – We use a 3 or 4 weight rod.  Preferring fibreglass for very small streams and delicate presentations and graphite in a medium-fast action rod of about 7’6” as our first choice.  Occasionally and for fun, we like having a go with a 2 wt of about 6’ but only if in a charitable mood and seeking an extra challenge for the day! 

Most trout and most rivers here –  In the main, we use a 5 weight rod and like the 8'6"  or 9' length and medium-fast action.

Big trout and lakes here – We prefer a 7 weight rod and about the 9’ length and again in the medium-fast action. 

Saltwater -  We used a 9 weight rod in a 9' length with a fast action.  There are a lot of variables here, such as the heavy flies generally used, the target species, fishing in the wind and so on, but we believe that this, generally, is a good choice.

And now we will finish this question for you and bring this article to it’s close….

If we had to pick just one, and only one, rod and we now live here in Australia, it would be a 5 or 7 weight as noted in a medium-fast action, nine foot and in a four piece configuration looking to target my most likely fished situations.  Of course we are fudging a little because we have written the articles here for reel choices, line weights and leaders and know that I could get some serious mileage out of these set ups, so you will just have to read the rest of the articles here to find out why this is our choice!