» RODS

Select a rod for the task at hand, one that blends your own natural style with its own action and feel. Cast it, a lot, before you purchase it. Rods, no matter how well made, or expensive, don't work well when mismatched with the anglers style.

All fly rods achieve the same basic function; getting the fly out there where fish lurk. Taken to extremes, large fish have been landed on light rods and small fish have been taken on heavy rods. Large flies have been heaved out to sea on light rods and small, light flies, have been shot clear out to the end of a long cast, effortlessly, on a heavy rod.

A light rod would be something like a 1, 2, 3 or 4 weight. A medium rod would be 5,6,7 and even 8 weight. Heavy rods would be 9,10, 11, and 12 weight. Anything over this would be a 13,14,15, or even a 17-weight rod....and they go heavier. Although, you don't normally encounter these rods in your average fly shop, simply because they are specialized tools of the trade, used for large fish that need to be lifted, turned, or simply tired with the aid of the rods unforgiving force.

What about the length of the rod, how does that play into the equation? Long ones are harder to get to a foreign country and they can't be hidden in your bag, out of sight of a common criminal. But, they sure do cast a lot of line with ease out of a float tube, helping clear the line from the water, making up the lost height when you shrunk three feet upon entering the water. However, they sure don't help matters along a willow choked spring creek . They sure are nice to roll cast and mend with, though. Long rods give the fish somewhat of an advantage, in that, the fulcrum (your fighting hand) is further away from the rod tip, allowing a 10lb sockeye to feel like a 30lb king salmon. This becomes a very delicate balance, especially when the use of a light line class tippet is used. Short rods, however, work extremely well for casting in tight spots, delivering a fly to the target with precision. But, Short rods generally don't throw as much line. Used in the saltwater environment, with large fish in mind, a short rod can exert more fighting force and tire a fish more rapidly. But, a longer rod can be more forgiving during a tug of war or while casting. A rod length of nine and one half feet always seems to work well for the average situation.

Then there is the action; medium, slow, slow medium, fast, sort of fast, or any combination of the above. Basically, a rod that bends from tip to tail is a slow rod, and one that does most of its bending half way down from the tip is fast. Meaning, a slow rod uses all of the rod blank to accomplish what a fast rod does with only half of the rod. these differences in action aren't merely amounts of rod used; material the rod is made up of contributes a great deal to a rods action, as well. Plus, materials determine the physical weight of the rod, too.

Physically heavy rods take it out of you during a day of casting, light rods, on the other hand, are a joy. Don't discount all the hype about new materials, they are lighter , more sensitive and extremely more efficient. They tend to be a bit more expensive but well worth it.

Check out the rods features; does it have a good grip, reel seat, guides, fighting butt and finish? How about the number of pieces, 2,3,4,5,6, or even 7 piece rods exist. I always go for as few pieces as possible. Travel is a big deal now, so don't get hung up on a 2 piece, 10' long 8wt, they are hard to travel with. Although, mine has been to Los Rocques! Generally speaking, the fewer the pieces, the better the rod feels and works. However, 4 and 5 piece rods are much less conspicuous and easy to travel with.

So, if you want to chuck heavy flies in strong winds, long distances, accurately, to large fish, you will have to purchase a rod that can handle that. But, this isn't the end of your equation; you have to also consider your target species, its strength, fighting characteristics and overall heft. A 9', 9wt, 3 or 4 piece rod with a good fighting butt might be a perfect rod for Roosterfish, used from the beach in Baja, Mexico but wouldn't work very well for sailfish in Guatemala. Chances are, you could land a sailfish with this same rod but it may take too long to land a fish that pulls hard and weighs too much to turn and/or lift with your spaghetti noodle, ending up with a worn out and tired fish. Perhaps too tired to recover because he was on your line too long. Let's do the fish a service and factor in everything that helps make the correct decision. After all, we are trying to do as little harm as possible. Step it up a notch, put some serious thought into your rod selection. Not only will this help you achieve a better and more comfortable fishing trip, it will also be obvious to others that you made a conscious choice.

Also, you will need a back-up rod! One that will take the place of the one you put so much thought into, should it break. And, if you are targeting multi species on one trip you should also have a replacement for those other rod choices too. Or, at the very least, a rod or two that could overlap the gaps.

A couple of other things you want to remember: Try not to twist your rod apart, pull it apart with a straight tug. The grease on your face, where your nose and cheek meet, makes a fantastic ferrule lube, apply before you join your rods sections. Don't forget to rinse off all the salt, sand and general crud off of your rod at the end of each day. Put it away, in its protective sleeve and case, as well.