Most folks have never sat down to really study the parts of rods. Since
I used to build rods, I thought I would go through this with folks to explain
some of the differences in rods and styles of rods you can buy. This info
is useful to anyone that is thinking about buying a new rod. Many people
are confused by some of the terms we use in fly fishing. A good deal of
commerical jargon is also out there which adds to the confusion.
Let's look at several terms which are important:
Rod Length: Rods come in all sorts of sizes. Lengths are usally given
in feet. Originally rods were made only in short lengths, because early
materials like cane were not available in long lengths, this is why sometimes
you see a 7 foot salmon rod. Shorter rods are less likely to get hung up
in trees and brush are mostly used in spring creeks and small streams. Longer
length rods allow more line pick-up and make mending and roll casting easier.
Longer rods also have more leverage and strength to fight bigger fish. Usually
a 9 foot rod is used in rivers, open water or from boat fishing.
Extra long rod lengths of 10, 11 or 14 are rods which are used in float
tubing, boating or spey fishing. A spey rod in 14 lengths is useful in that
it allows a whole line to be picked up and cast. This sort of outfit is
best used on REALLY large western rivers. In our New York tribs, spey casting
is generally wasted space since the stream is only 40 feet wide. Spey rods
don't cast very well until you get 60-80 feet out. So as far as I know the
only place to Spey cast in these parts is the Deleware ( which would scare
the crap out of trout) or the Sesquahanna which is a warmwater only.
Grips: A Grip is where you hold the rod. They keep your hands from
sliding and give you the ability Grips are made of plastic, cork or foam,
most common is turned cork. Handles have all sorts of shapes. Typical shapes
are a full well's grip which looks sort of like 2 knobs on each end of a
candle stick. The wide flange shape ends are made so that your hands don't
slide off the rod. Full wells are generally on heavier saltwater, salmon
and pike rods. A reverse half wells is a grip which has a small knob at
the base and tapers like a cone. This shape is generally used on freshwater
lighter rods. Other shapes like a Phillip's, Cigar and Fenwick shape were
common on older rods. Handle length is important as is the shape and diameter.
If you have small hands, you sand a grip down. If you have really big hands,
you can look for models with thicker grips.
I like to look for cork which is clean and doesn't have lots of pits. You
can use wood filler and sand it out to even an old grip. If a grib is soiled,
wash the grip with soap and water, use sand paper to get rid of deep dirt.
Extra fine auto grade paper will give a rough grip a nice feel.
Guides: Many old timers call these eyes. This is where the line slides
through. The guides allow the line to shoot evenly and direct how the line
follows the shape of the rod. There are snake guides which are usually used
in the upper section of the tip. Sometimes single foot guides are used which
remove mass and weight.
Striping guides are used at the base of the rod. These help to remove the
kinks and loops and aid in allowing the line to shoot evenly. Stripping
guides have large rings which is made of hard materials like ceramics. If
you are buying a used rod check the rings for cracks. If cracked the guide
will eventually have to be replaced. Many early cane rods had agate guides
which today are quite collectable.
The top is a tip top. This are generally attached with hot melt glue so
that the tips can be removed. In looking at rods, one of the most expensive
parts of rods is labor and the most labor intensive part is wrapping thread
to attach guides. Quality rods have thread wraps. Cheap rods use tape which
are sometimes pinstriped with paint to look like thread. Epoxy is used to
coat the wraps. Look for clean neat work. Big globs of epoxy add weight
in a tip and look like a mother ready to bear twins if done badly.
I have seen commerical rods in which the guides aren't straight. Hold a
tip up and run your eye along the tip. If done right, the centers of all
the guides will line up. I have seen guides offset, mounted wrong or loose
on some top notch brand names.
Try this one..... string a line on a rod. wrap the line around the reel
knob and pull on the tip. Look how the line tracks the tip. If the guides
are spaced properly, the line should trace the tip in a semi-circle. If
the lines cut in a tangent and appear to intersect the tip in points, too
few guides are being used and/or the spacing is done wrong.
Weights: Flylines originally were weighed in grains. This makes no sense
really because you could have a 3 wieght which was say 100 feet long and
one which was 50 feet long and they could weigh exactlly the same. The head
however could be completely different.
Today most companies use AFTMA which is the American Fly tackle Manufacturer's
Association's standards for flylines. Some flylines today are marketed as
power heads, distance lines and such still cheat by changing the flyline
shapes while keeping the lengths the same and changing rear running lines.
In otherwords, some lines rated as a 6 have a #7 head attached to say a
number 5 back.
Lines with a smaller number are lighter. Light lines have less of an impact
when they land. Light lines are more difficult to mend and are subject ot
lots of problems with wind. Heavier lines are easier to pick-up, mend and
shoot.
Here is a quick Guide to Lines and rods:
2-3-4: Used for casting smaller flies at a close distance. These rods are
hard to cast heavily weighted flies. Casts are often delicate and landing
is important. Ideal for dries, small streams, creeks. Because the rod is
light, care must be used in landing and playing the fish. If you apply to
much pressure, the rod will break. If you catch bigger fish on these outfits,
land them quickly to take the stress of the tip.
4-5-6: A heavier rod is better for large dries, hoppers, streamers or casting
things like woolies or bead flies. When coupled with a longer length, the
rods mend , pick up and roll cast easier. A heavier rod can add more distance
since it has less troubles with wind. Ideal for river fishing, ponds, lake
fishing and such.
7-8-9: Bigger lines mean bigger fish. Lines are easier to throw, pick up
and shoot. They also are not as delicate. Casting dries and getting a soft
landing is harder. These rods have more leverage and are useful for playing
and fighting bigger fish. Useful for bass fishing, saltwater and salmon
fishing. These are great rods to use with any sort of weighted flies or
sinking lines. Bigger rods are heavy and can wear you out from repeated
casts.
Sizes 10 and up are usually big game outfits for bluewater fish like tarpon
and sailfish.
Quick Notes on Lining. Most people think that if a rod is rated as a 4 it
can only cast a number 4. NOT TRUE! For nearly every rod on the market you
can go up or down at least 1 number. Over lining is adding a heavier line,
underlining is lowering the weight. Much has to do with how the rod bends
and how stiff it is. If a rod feels fast or stiff, lower the weight. If
it feels soft or slow, speed it up by increasing the weight by one. In otherwords:
I had a stiff, 7 weight, I put an 8 on it and it is much softer and slower.
Most heavy rods are way too stiff. It is one way a rod maker can cheat and
make a rod add distance and make it faster.
Rod Materials: Rods have been made of fiberglass, bamboo and graphite. Today
the majority of the rods are graphite. Rods are made by rolling sheets of
graphite material on a metal cone called a mandrell. The sheets are coating
with a rosin and baked at a high temperature. The rods are then sanded and
painted. Sometimes fibers are laid straight along the inside of the graphite
sheet before it is rolled. Usually they use fiberglass fibers or sometimes
boron to give it strength. A modulus rating is how stiff the material is,
the higher the stiffer it is.
For more Info Contact:
Mike Hogue / Badger Creek Fly Tying / 622 West Dryden Road, Freeville, NY 13068
Phone: 607-347-4946