Knee deep I stand contorting my neck as I stare into the rosy red light desperately trying to differentiate my fly from the foam bubbles and the late afternoon Caddis hatch that litter the water’s surface. No matter how hard I squint, I just can’t figure out which fly I should be focused on.

“Maybe if I adjust my position or take these sunglasses off?”

“That didn’t work.”

“Put those back on, how about another cast?”

I accelerate the fly line to halt in the calm air behind me, and once again focus on the line, then the fly, as it passes by in a rush to land softly on the water’s surface. My eyes are locked on the fly as it lazily drifts down the eddy line. I’m so excited that I almost forget to raise the rod tip as my fly is engulfed in a froth of white.

“Set the hook you dummy!”

There are literally thousands of fly rods to choose from but which one will help you in creating memories? The following is intended to give you some of the basics in, weight, action, size, and price that hopefully will put you on the right track to fly rod ownership.

CASTING

Before going into the details of rod construction let’s cover the basic premise of fly-casting. Unlike gear fishing where the line weighs nearly nothing and lead weight or a steal spoon provides the weight to load the rod, the art of fly casting is in the ability to use weighted line to load or evenly flex a rod on the back cast, then unload and propel the line and fly on the forward cast. Therefore, picking a fly rod is all about matching your casting stroke with the right rod and line weight combination.

WEIGHT

Determining where you will be using this rod the majority of the time will help you decide on the appropriate weight. Will it be that small creek not far from home, standing on a local beach strewn with cobbles as the waves lap the shores, or maybe on your next backpacking trip to your favorite alpine lake?

Fly rods are given a weight, which has nothing to do with the actual weight of the rod. It’s the number that best describes a fly line that will properly load the rod on both the forward and back cast. Fly line manufactures alter the diameter and density of line producing a variety of lines given numbers from 00 through 12+ that are then matched to the rod weight that best suits your fishing environment and desired casting length.

In general, a rod with a small weight number will cast a shorter distance and require lighter flies. If this is going to be your only rod, I would recommend picking a rod weight that represents the largest, heaviest fly you plan to fish. Here are some generalizations that describe fly rods by weight:

• 00-3 weight rods are designed to cast up to 40 feet or so and are best suited to small dry flies in the 24-14 size range. They are most commonly 6-7 1/2 feet in length and are best suited to small streams or areas with heavy cover behind the caster.
Tip! If you plan to go crab fishing onshore, then the best time is when the tide is rising. For onshore crab fishing, you’ll need a dip net, long string and some type of bait, like eel, chicken necks, or small fish.
• 4-6 weight rods are designed to cast up to approximately 70 feet and are capable of casting most dry flies and nymphs up to size 6. They are typically 8-9 1/2 feet in length and are the workhorse trout rods used on most mid-sized rivers and streams.
• 7-8 weight rods are capable of casting up to 100 feet with heavier and larger flies. They are typically 9-10 feet in length and are best suited to fishing larger rivers or saltwater beaches for large fish like Salmon or Steelhead.
• 9-12 weight rods are designed to cast “your kitchen sink” (well, not really) but they can throw some huge flies up and over 120 feet. They can reach lengths of over 14 feet and are typically used for large game and are designed more for landing fish than casting.

ACTION

Rod action refers to the flex and feel of a rod. Most rods can be classified as slow, medium or fast action.

• Slow Action Rods

These rods are typically quite soft and can flex almost all the way to the cork handle. They are best suited for anglers who have a wider, slower, more open casting stroke. Slow action rods tend to be a good choice in the small weight range. They work well at casing short distances and chasing small fish.

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• Medium Action Rods

Medium action rods often flex in the upper third of the rod and are most common for the beginning angler or those looking for medium length cast. These rods are an excellent all around choice to fit most fishing situations.

• Fast Action Rods

Fast action rods allow anglers to cast tighter loops (back cast and forward cast) that increase line speed and distance. The higher line speed also makes these rods very capable of casting in heavy winds.

PIECE SIZE

By now you probably have some ideas about which weight and action rod fits your needs. Now let’s cover 2-piece rods verses 4-piece.

2-piece, 4-piece or even 5-piece rods are all available in today’s market. Most often, the fewer pieces a rod is the cheaper the rod. This is justified by the amount of engineering it takes to provide a reliable, even flex as you add joints to the system. I prefer to go with 4-piece rods because they are easy to store and travel with. These typically break down to be around 2 1/2 feet in length and fit in many different style travel bags.

PRICE

Price might not be such an issue with rods if all you had to buy was the rod, but that’s often not the case. You need a reel, fly line and backing. If this is your first rod you are also likely to be buy a whole lot of other fly fishing garb such as, tippit, fly boxes, vests, flies, etc. So where should you spend the bulk of your hard earned cash? The rod, hands down. The rod is the most critical piece to the puzzle. Besides skill (which you learn through practice and instruction) the rod has more to do with your ability to make quality presentations to eager fish than any other piece in the system. Not to say a cheap rod isn’t capable of making quality casts, but often they aren’t as consistent and can be much harder to learn or improve your casting ability on. So with that said, I spend most of my money on the rod, buy the best line I can afford, then whatever money I have left would go to the reel.

Cast It

When buying a rod make sure you take some time to cast it before you buy it. I’ve picked up some amazingly expensive rods, cast them and known right from the start I liked its cheaper counterpart better. Have a knowledgeable sales person work with you to find the rod that fits. In fact rod manufactures like Sage are now outfitting some of there retailers with a casting analysis tool that break your cast down into section give you tips to improve on and help you choose the right rod for your casting stroke.

Ask Questions

Ask some question about what comes with the rod. Is there an unconditional replacement / repair warranty? How about a rod tube and sleeve? Details like these have a way of leveling the playing field when it comes to price. My experience is that many of the cheaper rods don’t come with these items, which are all things that I’ve found to be really useful in the long-term ownership of a fly rod.

You should now have the basics of choosing a fly rod. Find a good instructor to help you with your casting stroke and you’re on your way to years of great memories.

John Scheafer is the co-owner of Anew Outdoors, a Washington guide service that offers fly fishing, sea kayaking, rock climbing, backpacking, ski touring and snowshoeing. When John’s not fly fishing the Yakima River, his personal time has yielded such adventures as sea kayaking around Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, landing the elusive steelhead with the fly rod, climbing Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, kayaking the Colorado’s Grand Canyon, and skiing off the summits of many Washington volcanoes.

The recognized tug, tug, then a strong pull begins the underwater rodeo. The heavy one pound lead nose on a split tail white scampi bounces off the ocean floor actually calling the halibut to the lure. At 200 foot deep the ocean is totally dark. But a white lure seems to be the best color for halibut. A 20-pound “chicken” halibut fights likes a 60-pound salmon. The huge flat surface is added resistance teamed with muscle for a fish that is determined to stay on the bottom. The normal is three trips to the surface and two trips back to the bottom before you can land a 40-50 pound halibut.

Just as the halibut nears the surface where a net or gaff awaits, all that muscle turns the fish toward the bottom and the line screams off the reel. The Alaska halibut will not stop until it reaches the bottom again. Now you know what you have and you pray your equipment stays together.

Captain Jerry threw out the “pick” on the lee side of a spit in 150 foot of water. The tide was just beginning to come in, the “Dancer” was bobbing as the tide began to race back in. With 18-foot tides, a lot of water is displaced every 12 hours. The sandy bottom was ideal for halibut to wait for the tide to bring in the next meal. The sound of the anchor hitting the bottom had rang the dinner bell. The 55-foot cabin cruiser had pulled the slack out of the anchor chain and lined out facing into the incoming tide.

Dan dropped his one-pound lead nose white scampi lure over the side and waited for the reel to unspool. The heavy foot long plastic lure hit the bottom with a thump. The slack was taken out of the spider wire line so the lure could be bounced on the bottom to create an underwater thump that seems to lure halibut from hundreds of yards away. Alaska halibut fishing had always been a dream, too far away to even imagine. From the day of decision it had been over 11 months of planning, preparing and dreaming for this day of fishing for halibut off Prince of Wales Island. A minute had passed then 5 minutes; Dan was thinking “the bite” hadn’t started yet. Then it happened. Small yank, yank then he set the hook. Dan had caught several “chickens” so he knew it was a halibut. Suddenly the short stubby deep-sea pole formed a “U” and Dan began to lift the rod and reel down. The familiar yank, yank, yank as the fish refused to leave the bottom did not deter the stout built 6′ 1″, 30 year old as muscle warred with muscle until the cry was heard from the skipper on the flying deck, “my God the boy has hooked a keeper!” The fish looked slightly greenish brown and appeared to be gliding at an angle towards the boat but 6 to 8 feet under the surface. At 3 feet from the surface the addled fish saw the boat, bright sunshine and an excited angler all at once and did an about face heading back to the bottom. The Penn reel screamed as every bearing surface and brake rebelled as the 5 foot behemoth slipped out of sight. That foray had taken 20 minutes, Dan called for help. 6′ 4″ brother Paul with arms as big as a man’s thighs said “let me have that!”

In the April Alaska cool, beads of sweat poured down Paul’s face, the yank, yank, yank, reel up and scream down had taken its toll. Weakly he said “I’m gonna need a break!” Dan grabbed the short stubby “U” shaped pole and began to reel. Paul had lasted exactly twenty minutes only to have a brief glimpse of a shadowed recluse before the line screamed and the halibut returned to the deep.

The fishing pole had fibers that were releasing long ways on the rod, the famous reel was making a strange squeaking sound as it reeled up and a disturbing grinding sound as the break squealed off line. The halibut was coming up but Dan gave out in 10 minutes. Paul grabbed the rod and manhandled the rod, fish and reel. 10 minutes later he hollered “it should have been to the top by now, what is happening?” The brake on the reel had completely failed and as the line was reeled in the fish took back at its’ leisure. Dan took the next watch. Within 5 minutes Dan yelled, “I see color!” Captain Jerry was standing on the bow with a 22 rifle. Just as the halibut broke the surface Captain Jerry fired and dispatched the 124-pound giant halibut.

Alaska allows the dispatching of large halibut on the surface due to the tremendous power a halibut has after coming on board. These fish have been known to break the fisherman’s arms and legs contributing to several deaths by the flailing powerful tails.

Alaska halibut fishing doesn’t get any better. From a “chicken” to a keeper the thrill is always the same. It always starts with the same question “Have I hooked the bottom?”

Jim Zeller is the new “Euell Gibbons” for recommending a fishing spot for a fishing vacation trip or afternoon get away. Check out his favorite online Fishing Forum his choice for the World’s Largest Fishing Directory.

So you think you have done ultra-light fishing- I bet you haven’t. I say that because
of my trip to the World Championships of fishing in Coimbra, Portugal where I
learned the true meaning of ultralight. When I fished against 185 anglers from 37
different nations, I learned that ultralight meant line that is around 1/2 pound,
fishing a hook the size of an eyelash, using a bait the thickness of 2 eyelashes -
ultralight !

Ok, so you have not fished ultralight, I win the bet. When I fished in the World
Championships, I too thought a little 4′ ultralight with 4 lb. test or wow, 2 lb. test
was the stealth way to fish. This was quickly dispelled as I fished local competitions
with 1 lb. fishing line and until my trip to Portugal, that was pretty stealthy.

The competition in Portugal was vs. the top anglers in the world- guys that would
make our Bassmasters look like AmeteurMasters - (many of them). The fishing
competions there are intense with all 185 anglers lining the shores of this canal and
many using 42 foot poles with 1/2 lb. test line. The fish that were available to us
were pretty delicate feeders that eat very tiny organisms. Yes, there were larger fish
in the river, but those that were available in large numbers, were the smaller fish.

World-level competitions are 3 hours long and are fished from shore where anglers
attempt to fill their keep nets (live fish bags that go down into the water) with as
much weight as possible. One spot to fish from, catch as many fish as you can to
build your weight. If these anglers tried to go just for big fish, the results would be
bad for most.

When using ultralight hooks, we employed size 22 & size 24 hooks. Hook sizes get
smaller as the numbers go higher so to get an idea of how small this hook is- find
your largest eyelash. The hooks we used were a very thin wire and yes, they are very
delicate. Twice during my first 3 hours of World Championship competition, I broke
the point off of my hook and had to get a fresh hook and leader rigged up. A good
idea when you are catching a lot of fish- I had 36 the first day, change your hooks
often to keep them very sharp when using ultralight hooks. One of the major factors
in the hooks breaking was the tough beaks that the mullets had. Their jaws are built
for pinching and plucking bits of food from between rocks-

The line was an entirely different story. When people say their line is as thin as
spider-web, they have never truly fished ultralight. The line we used was so thin
that one bump of the pole would snap it in half. The diameter of the line was .07
and your average 4 lb. line is .20 and falls outside of the ultralight category. This is
not to say that 4 lb. test is not light when dealing with cover, toothy fish or larger
fish, but for my money, .20 line is really thick line.

Why the need for ultralight equipment so extreme? I wanted to go fly fishing. No,
not with a giant hairy fly, but an actual fly larva. Midge fly larva or “bloodworm” were
the key bait in our competition. I said earlier the hook was thinner than an eyelash,
the bait was not much more thick than an eyelash. These tiny red larvae are delicate
to put on the hook. While I didn’t need a microscope- I did need to lean over and
get real close to put a couple on the hook. Getting the hook in without popping
their skin was key as a successful hookup meant that the bait would wiggle around
and the fish would respond. A midge fly larva looks much like a mosquito larva and
if you have never seen that- picture a half a pencil lead (ultralight).

While the average angler will never experience ultralight fishing, out there lies many
tactics and techniques that are available to you. One thing I did learn was to not get
settled in with my fishing knowledge and to always keep looking for new ways to go
fishing. The one thing I did learn is that sometimes if you fish heavy, you may be
tipping off the fish. When I fish near home in Chicago, I now fish light and some of
my biggest fish caught including a 9 lb. walleye were taken on 3 lb. line and size 14
hook- ultralight.

About The Author
Angler Magazine Writer- John Wilkins

http://www.midwestangler.com
john@midwestangler.com

John Wilkins has fished on the US Fishing Team
competing at the highest levels of fishing in Europe, Canada, China & the United
States. He has fished in 2 World Championships and has educated anglers on the
basics of fishing urban waters. His teacher is angling legend and Hall of Famer Mick
Thill. John’s top catch is 512 fish in a 4-hour competition and top finish is second in
the US Open Championships in 2000. Visit http://www.midwestangler.com for more
tips & info. as well as a complete listing of US Fishing Clubs- the best
place to learn is in a club!