...back to top

Action

Fly Rod Weight

The action of a fly rod refers to how flexible the fly rod is. There are three main "actions" of a fly rod. Fly rods are generally labeled as being "fast action", "medium action" or "slow action".

Fast: Flex in the upper 1/3 of the rod blank. A fast action fly rod is a fly rod that is not very flexible. In fact, a fast action fly rod is almost entirely stiff throughout most of its length - with the only real flexibility occurring in the fly rod near the tip of the rod. In real life, what this means, is that when you are casting, only the end of the fly rod -near the tip - will bend in any appreciable way. The rest of the fly rod will remain stiff and basically straight.

Fast action fly rods, due to the fly rods stiffness, are more powerful. And by more powerful, it is meant that the fly rod is able to cast line further than slow and medium action fly rods. The stiffness of the fly rod helps generate more line speed during the cast. The extra speed of the fly line allows for both more fly line to be held up during the cast as well as for the line to be shot further than slower action fly rods.

Basically, if you need to make long casts consistently, fish for very large fish or are always fly fishing in windy conditions, a fast action fly rod is for you. A Kilwell Rod Craft "Presentation" Rod is an ideal Fast tip action rod. Go to the Kilwell Sports Website for specific details on these rods.

Medium: Flex is in the upper 1/2 of the rod blank. A medium action fly rod is a fly rod that has a fair amount of flexibility but is still somewhat stiff. The fly rod bends much more than a fast action fly rod but not nearly as much as a slow action fly rod does. When casting, the fly rod will bend moderately for about half of its length, from the middle of the rod upward to the tip of the rod. The lower half of the fly rod, the half nearest the fly reel, will basically remain stiff.

Medium Action fly rods are the workhorses of the fly rod world. They are by far the most popular fly rod on the market today. Medium action fly rods are also the most versatile. They can make longer casts quite adequately, especially in the hands of a good caster, yet function well enough to allow them to be used in most spring creek fishing conditions. Thus, if you plan on fly fishing in a wide range of conditions, from big rivers to spring creeks and everything in between - and can afford/only want one fly rod - then a medium action fly rod is the fly rod of choice.

Medium action fly rods are excellent fly rods for both beginner and veteran anglers alike. A good example is the Kilwell Rod Craft "Original" Series. Go to the Kilwell Sports Website for specific details on these rods.

Slow: Flex is from the lower 1/3 of the rod blank. A slow action fly rod, as the name suggests, is a fly rod that has slow action. This means that the rod is very flexible. The difference in flexibility between a slow action rod and a fast action rod is very significant. When casting, a slow action rod will bend significantly for most of it's length - almost resembling a shallow U shape at the height of the backcast.

Slow action fly rods, as they do not generate high line speeds due to their flexibility, are designed for anglers who need to make short and very accurate, gentle casts. As such, slow action fly rods are ideal for fly fishing smaller rivers, spring creeks and other areas that require anglers to make short and accurate casts.

Slow action fly rods are also an excellent fly rod for beginners. The flexibility of the fly rod and the slow line speed allows beginner anglers to have very good control of the fly line. They are also ideal for catching smaller fish and protecting light tippets. They are not recommended for windy conditions.

• Fly Rod Weight

One of the biggest choices, besides the "action" of a fly rod, that anglers have to make, is what weight of the rod they want to get. And by weight, we don't mean how much the fly rod itself weighs! Instead, we mean what fly line weight the fly rod is designed to properly cast. While a fly rod can indeed cast any fly line weight, using a fly rod that is designed for a fly line weight of 4 with a fly line that actually weighs 7 will make for a very long and frustrating day. Thus, it is imperative that the fly rod match the weight of the fly line you will be using.

Fly line is measured by its weight in grains. The numbering system spans a scale from 1-14, with the lightest fly line being a weight of 1 and the heaviest fly line being a weight of 14.

A heavy line weight (such as 9 or above) will work much better when casting larger flies than when using a light fly line weight. Similarily, using a tiny fly, like a midge, on a heavy line will be a rather unpleasant experience. The weight of the fly line will take that midge all over the place, and will also make quite the commotion when the line hits the water - thus scaring away all the fish.

• Weight 1-3: Small trout, panfish, other small fish. Used when casting small flies on short casts.

• Weight 4: Small to medium sized trout and other similarly sized fish. Used when casting small flies and medium sized flies using short to medium-short casts.

• Weight 5-6: The most versatile of the line weights. This line weight fishes well for all but the smallest and all but the largest trout. Fishes well when using small, medium and larger sized flies (not massive streamers, though). Allows for longer casts yet performs short casts fairly well.

• Weight 7-8: Designed for very large trout as well as some saltwater species. Used for pitching large streamers and large flies. Longer casts are excellent. Not the best for short casts. And most definitely not designed for smaller fish and smaller flies.

• Weight 9-14: Large fish territory. Mainly used for saltwater fishing and fishing for Salmon.