Fly Fishing Rods – Best Advice for Beginners ~ Scott Rods

Fly Fishing - A Sport for all the Family

The sport of fly fishing is very popular these days and it is certainly one of the fastest growing sport fishing segments. This is not just a pastime for men but a sport for everyone with women and children of all ages now taking part. The sport is not only a great way to relax out in nature but also offers great excitement and exhilaration when a fish finally takes the fly and puts up a heart stopping fight.

If you are thinking about taking up the pastime of fly fishing one of the first things you will need to do is acquire some fly fishing tackle. If you have not done any fishing before choosing which gear to buy can be a challenging task. Now that there are so many different types of fly rod to choose from – some for just a few dollars and others at the high end of the market such as Scott Rods for example which cost several hundred dollars – what is a beginner to do?

So Many Fly Rods to Choose From!

For a newcomer to the sport, going into a fishing tackle store to buy a fly fishing rod might be confusing. When you look at all of the different rods that are available it can be a daunting task to choose the right one. Fly rods are very different to other types of fishing rod in that each rod has a different weight rating which is designed to work with a specific fly line rather than a specified casting weight which is how other types of fishing rod are generally rated. As well as different weight ratings there are rods designed for different styles of fly fishing such as single handed casting, double handed casting and spey casting for example. Also fly rods are made from different materials – graphite, fiberglass, carbon fiber and even bamboo! Some rods can seem quite heavy and others so light in the hand they are almost weightless.

In general nearly all kinds of fly rod are given a specific weight rating. This rating pertains to the fly line that the rod is designed to cast. These ratings go from low numbers which are for lighter lines to higher numbers which are for heavier lines. For example a very light 3 weight line would typically be used for casting small flies at close range whereas a much heavier 11 weight would be used for casting much larger flies a lot farther.

An average beginner, if there is such a thing, would do well choosing a medium weight rod - say a 5 to 6 weight around 8 or 9 feet in length which would be a fairly good starting point for learning to fly cast. If a newcomer to the sport is however learning to fly fish in an environment where strong winds and large fish are the norm, targeting some of our saltwater species for example, the weight and length of the rod will need to be scaled up accordingly. The spey casting style of fishing is another situation where the medium weight fly rod suggested will not suffice as a specialist spey rod would be required. Not many people however will not learn spey casting as their introduction to the sport.

Learning to Cast a Fly

When a beginner comes to buying his or her first fly rod the variation in pricing can be mind boggling. Fly rods can be purchased from some outlets for as little as twenty dollars yet a rod of the same length and weight rating can also be purchased for several hundred dollars the later being of superior quality of course. A beginner should certainly avoid the very cheapest of fly rods but there is certainly no need to break the bank on a beginner outfit either.

The best advice for a beginner fly fisherman would be to arrange some lessons with an expert fly casting instructor who can supply various rods for the lessons which will thus allow the beginner to gain some experience before buying their own fly rod and hence get a feel for the length and weight rating of fishing rod that will best suit them and their intended style of fishing. When manufacturers produce fly rods they generally class them with one of three different actions – either “slow”, “medium” or “fast”. Different fly anglers will have different personal preferences with regard to the action of the rod they like to fish with. This fact is another good reason why a fly fishing beginner should take lessons from a fly casting instructor – they will find out if they are a fast action, medium action or slow action sort of fisherman.

So there you have it the best advice for a beginner at fly fishing is to obtain the services of a fly casting instructor who can demonstrate and advise you on the best fly rod for you to buy ensuring that you spend your money wisely and enjoy your fishing more because you will have the best fly rod for your style and type of fishing. Fly fishing beginners be warned though, just as the many other types of fishing can be addictive, fly fishing is equally so. If you get truly bitten by the bug as so many do, it will not take very long before you progress from your beginner grade fly rods. It is very likely that soon enough all you will accept as a fishing tool will be the best fly rods that you can get your hands on. It is possible that top quality high end fly rods such as Scott Fly Rods for example will soon be on your shopping list.