by Eric Halloran

Created on: October 11, 2009   Last Updated: July 29, 2010

There is a lot of variety in fly rods available today and the beginning fly fisher might be intimidated by all the choices. Let me break it down for you here.

Fly rods are assigned ratings rated by the thickness and strength of the rod. The classification is referred to as 'weight' and rods run from a very thin and flexible 1 weight all the way up to the ultra-heavy 12 weight. The smaller weight rods 1-3 are suitable for fishing on small streams for small quarry - A trout that reaches 8 inches in a small stream is a monster and will give you quite the fight on a 3 weight rod. Most trout fisherman prefer the rods in the 5-6 weight class. A trout over twenty inches on a five weight rod is great sport. These rods will work fine for bass and pan-fish as well. But, for larger bass a seven weight might be more appropriate. Salmon and Steelhead fisherman prefer the seven and eight weight rods.

For Saltwater fishing in pursuit of Bluefish and Striped Bass the 8-10 weight rods are the tool of choice. In Saltwater fishing the size and bulk of the fly in conjunction with the weather conditions determine the most suitable weight of rod. A larger rod will throw a bulky wind resistant fly further. If the wind is strong, the ten weight might be the order of the day even if only using smaller flies. Eleven and twelve weight rods are generally used from bots in pursuit of Tarpon, permit, and even marlins. Please note that a 'fighting butt', an extension of the anglers end of the rod with a rubber ball can be very helpful for leverage when landing larger fish. It is usually an option for fly rods in the 7-8-9 weight range and comes standard on larger rods. So if you know your quarry, you can select a suitable weight rod.

A six weight works well for an all around freshwater rod and a nine weight can handle most saltwater challenges. Rods in all weights are also classified by their flex. This is not to be confused with the system for spinning rods, where the overall flexibility of the rod is characterized from ultra-light, light, to medium, and heavy. For fly rods the flex or action refers to where the action in the rod is located. Fast action rods will bend primarily in the top third of the rod. Medium action rods bend in the tip and middle. Slow action rods bend all the way down to the butt section of the rod.

From a practical standpoint action boils down to how the fly line is propelled by the rod and how much overall 'give' there is in the rod. A fast action rod makes tight

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