Fly Fishing Rods Must Be Matched to Fly Line

As important as choosing the right fly for the season and waters being fished may be, choosing the right fly fishing rods to match the line and bait can make or break a fly fishing trip. Fly fishing line is rated by weight with the lower numbers, zero, one and two designed for lightweight equipment and can as high as 16 for larger prey, such as when fly fishing in salt water for lager fish.

There may some leeway in choosing the line for fly fishing rods, perhaps one number either way. For example, fly lines rated at seven to nine may work well on fly fishing rods rated for eight, but generally speaking, fly fishermen will match the line to the rod. Lines that are too heavy, or too light for the rod rating will not work as well. Rods rated for heavier line may not have the feel necessary to cast the line accurately and those rated for heavier line will not have the tender touch needed to cast a lightweight line.

Early fly fishing rods were made of bamboo or cane and could up to a week to properly form the rod and cure the strips into a functional fly rod. Still available today, these fly fishing rods can cost over $2,000 and with more modern methods a similar feel in a rod can be found for considerably less money.

Composition Rods Offer Excellent Action

When looking for fly fishing rods, anglers want the action of the rod to feel right in their hands and yet have the desired stiffness and strength needed for bringing the fish into shore. Carbon and fiberglass composition fly fishing rods offer the type of strength that used to only be available with expensive bamboo or cane rods, and yet maintain the light weight feel of natural woods.

Since fly fishing rods vary in length from six to 16 feet, single-piece rods can be difficult to transport. With the newer composition rods, they have been designed to break down into two or more sections, using ferrules to connect them together. The design of the ferrules is equally important, as they must maintain the fly fishing rods’ flexibility for accurate casting and retrieval.

The type of fishing that will be done as well as the type of line being used will play roles in choosing fly fishing rods that work together with them. For the avid sport angler using flies, it is common to have different fly fishing rods for different types of fishing.