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Fly Fishing Rods, Getting The Right Action

Fly Fishing Rods, Getting The Right Action

Choosing the correct fishing tackle rod depends on the type of fishing you intend doing, and is the first step in enjoying fly fishing. Fly fishing rods come in many different lengths and line weights and are matched to the environment you will be fishing in.

Here are a few questions you'll need to ask yourself when choosing fly fishing rods.

1. Will I be spending most of my time fishing for fresh water fish such as trout and bass, or will I be fishing saltwater species like salmon, steelhead or larger ocean fish.

2. Do I intend fishing small streams, Rivers, Lakes or open ocean water? As a general rule, use shorter rods for smaller rivers and streams, longer rods for bigger rivers, lakes and saltwater use. The weight of the rod also depends on the location being fished.

Small trout fly rods can start with a line weight rod of 3 up to 6, for larger rivers and lake fishing, anglers generally use trout fishing rod weight 6 to 9, and for open water and sea fishing go for 9 weight and upwards.

3. What type of rod action do you prefer? The action of the rod will determine the line speed and the size of the line loop during casting, the faster the action the tighter the loop will be. As a guide beginners are best to use a slow to medium action rod.

More on Fly Fishing Rod Action.

The action or bend of is a key factor. How far does the rod bend when using consistent effort?

Remember, the action of a fly rod is a measure of how flexible the rod is.

Fast Action Fly Rods

The lack of bend and the stiffness of fly fishing rods allow the angler to generate plenty of line speed in the cast. This allows very accurate distance casting than a slower action fly rod. A fast action fly trout rod is also good for using in windy conditions due to the line speed.

Fast action rods are more suited to experienced anglers who have excellent timing and casting ability, the size of the loop will cause all sorts of problems to the inexperienced, especially if weighted flies are being used. Many novice anglers have bought fast action rods only to have unhappy results when using them due to lack of experience.

Medium Action Fly Rods

Medium Action fly rods are the most popular of the fly rod. Medium action fly rods offer good flexibility and are the most versatile of fly rods. Medium action rods are great all rounder, and can be used in smaller streams, rivers and lakes. These rods are certainly capable of a long cast and require less perfection in motion and timing. Ideal all rounder.

Slow Action Fly Fishing Rods

Slow action fly rods; don?t generate high line speeds due to their flexibility. These rods are designed to make shorter accurate and delicate casts. Ideal for fishing small rivers and creeks. Slow action fly fishing rods are an excellent fly rod for beginners. Slow line speed and more flexibility gives a beginner more control over the fly line, allowing better accuracy in casting.

To summarize, slower action rods are for beginners to fly fishing, although experienced anglers also enjoy using them with very light gear for those hard to catch bass or trout. Medium action fly rods are the most versatile, and are adaptable enough to fish in most conditions. These rods ore for those who are into the fishing and being ?out there? experience rather than wanting total mastery of the art that is usually required with faster action fly fishing rods.

About the Author:

Noel Davidson is the webmaster at flyfishingmad A site dedicated to fly fishing and trout fishing.

Article Tags: action, fishing, fly

Long Leader and Dry Line - Flyfishing Strategy for Kamloops Area Lakes

Using a long leader with a dry line is a most effective flyfishing strategy for rainbow trout in Kamloops area lakes especially while fishing a bloodworm or chironomid fly pattern. It took a long time for me to develop the patience and will to use a longer leader but when I did my success increased immensely. To most river fisherman or novice fly casters, anything over a 9 foot leader seems pretty long but it doesn't come close to the 18'- 22' long leaders that we use here in the trophy lakes.

Many of the Kamloops area lakes such as Pass, Morgan, White, Peter Hope, Plateau, Knouff, Community, Sheridan and Island have very clear water that allows light to penetrate down to the 20'depth level and more. This allows allows for photosynthesis to take place, even at 20 feet, promoting vegetation growth and with it, water insect production, particularly the bloodworm and chironomid. It is at these depths that this food supply lingers and evolves until they are ready to rise through the water column to emerge as a flying adult. Even if there are not chironomids rising to the surface, the fish will still feed on them at or near the bottom.

There are 2 primary challenges to overcome to be successful when fishing a dry line with a long leader in 20 feet of water...

Casting and patience.

Casting such a long leader, especially if there is a breeze can be frustrating at first but graduated practice will help you along. I recommend taking a few sessions to learn casting the long leader, perhaps starting with 12' and increasing the length by about 2 feet at a time until you feel comfortable with the 20' leader. Yes, you will get tangles and wind knots but it's all part of the learning process. When retrieving, bring your line in as close as possible on the retrieve before recasting as you will have much more control in setting up the cast. On the back cast, one has to make sure the line and leader rollover behind you enough before starting the forward casting motion.

A technique that worked for me was turning so that I was casting across my body rather than pointing my body to where I was casting. This way I could watch the backcast and time the forward motion more effectively with the leader rollover. It is also recommended to position one's self with the breeze at your back or slightly to your side. It allows the forward cast to lay out much easier.

The second obstacle is having the patience to wait for the fly to reach the full depth of the leader. Bloodworms and especially chironomids have very little lateral movement other that what a slight current may supply. It is important that one mimicks this action as close as possible. Casting and waiting 5-10 minutes while the fly reaches the bottom is not unusual before starting the slow retrieve.

Another trick to help casting efficiency and wait time is to use a weighted fly and add an additional weight to the leader in the form of tiny split shot much like a dropper fly but without the fly. (In British Columbia the use of a dropper is prohibited... but you can fish with 2 lines when by yourself... go figure.) The added weight assists the casting motion and gets the fly down to the desired depth faster. If you need to add splitshot, add from the first tippet knot (about 4'-6'above the fly). Add more shot if required but not too much as you don't want to make your line a weapon to self-inflict pain on one's self during a foul cast.

Unless you can find a strike indicator that unlocks itself or is easily removable, I would not suggest that you use one for fishing deeper than about 14' if you are in a boat, or not longer than 10'if you are in a float tube or pontoon boat. It can be a tricky exercise to free the indicator and land the fish at the same time. You lose more fish that way.

As mentioned above, chironomids and bloodworms have little lateral movement so one must fish with a dead slow retrieve. Many times these trophy rainbow trout will even hit on the dead hang. It doesn't hurt to try dragging these imitations through marl, stirring the bottom ever-so-lightly, attracting bottom cruisers.

I have caught many large fish using the above strategy and find it particularly effective during the summer doldrums when the trout are deep during the day and in the spring before the water begins to warm up and the insects haven't started migrating to the surface yet.

Give it a try. I'm sure that with some practice and patience you too will be catching more fish with a long leader and a dry line.

Tight lines.

Dave Ouellette was an Engineering Tech for Ducks Unlimited Canada for 11 years. While constructing over 200 wetland segement in the Southern Interior of BC, Dave managed to fish almost as many lakes and streams in his travels. As an avid flyfisherman, Dave spends most of his ice free seasons devoting intense research and development days to the rainbow trout lakes in the southern interior of British Columbia. See more of Dave's information at best-in-british-columbia/kamloopsarea.html

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