A fly fishing rod is a long stick! The movement of our hand is transformed into a much longer, quicker (but less powerful) motion at the rod tip. It is the rod tip that moves the fly line. The quicker we can move the rod tip, the quicker it can move the fly line and (within limits imposed by other factors) the further we can cast. But that’s not the whole story. A fly rod is a long springy stick! When we move our casting hand quickly, the springy rod bends momentarily against the combined inertia of the rod itself and the fly line. When the spring recovers from this momentary bending, the rod tip achieves a higher speed than it would if the rod had been just a stiff stick. And, as I said before, the quicker we move the rod tip, the quicker and further (within limits) we can cast the fly line.

So, the longer the rod the better? Up to a point. In practice, the length of a fly rod is limited by a number of factors, not least the strength and stamina of the angler. The leverage of the fly rod actually works against the angler’s wrist and arm muscles. Rods much over 10 feet become hard to cast and very tiring over long periods. Most single-handed fly rods are 8 to 10 feet in length.

Shorter rods have less leverage and are therefore easier for children and women to cast with. Shorter rods may also have practical advantages when fishing in very confined spaces, such as under trees on heavily overgrown streams. Long rods do have advantages in certain circumstances if you’re strong enough to manage them. The extra reach allows the angler to guide his line round bankside obstacles, for example. Longer fly rods are usually chosen for reasons other than increased casting distance.

Rod handles Most fly rod handle shapes are acceptable, but I find the ‘Full Wells’ is the most comfortable and least likely to result in wrist strain.

1. Choose a fly fishing rod to match the line you intend to cast

As we said earlier, choose the line suited to your fly fishing requirements first. Then find a rod to match it! The line weight dictates how strong the fly rod needs to be. Line and rod must be properly matched for optimum performance. Fly rods usually have their appropriate line rating marked on the butt section of the rod, just above the handle: either with the letters AFTM or a # sign, followed by a number or range of numbers. Unfortunately, unlike AFTM line ratings (which correspond directly to the weight of the first 30 feet of the line), the rating of fly rods is subjective. For example, I might test a fly rod and consider it perfect for a number 6 line, while someone else deems the same rod better suited to a number 7 line. In my experience, American manufacturers tend to under-rate their rods, which often work better with lines one or two sizes heavier than indicated.

2. Choose the right rod action

Rods action falls into two basic categories: FAST (otherwise described as powerful, tip-actioned), or SLOW (often termed soft, traditional, sensitive, etc.). Broadly speaking, the faster and tippier the action, the tighter the loop the rod will cast, but the better the caster you must be to get the best from it. The trend in recent years has been towards stiffer tippier blanks, using a combination of high-modulus carbon fibre and/or taper design. Many manufacturers ‘over egg the cake’, in my view, so that only expert casters have the technique or the wrist strength to load and control such rods properly. Using a fly rod more powerful than you can handle leads to fatigue which, in turn, leads to serious casting faults. Some manufacturers try to temper rods that are too stiff by giving them a softer tip, but I find that this just encourages a ‘throwing’ action. It works at short range, but seriously limits distance casting. Very slow action rods, on the other hand, can’t stop quickly enough to throw a decently tight loop.