Although fly rods may be designed with certain species of fish in mind, there’s really no
such thing as a “bass rod” or a “trout rod” or any rod that only works for only one
particular species of fish.
To say that a fly rod is a “bass” rod, for example, doesn’t mean that the same rod won’t
work for larger size trout. Neither does it mean that a , quote “bass” fly rod that works well
for large bass taken on popping bugs in a pond will work well for smallmouth bass taken
on streamers in a swift water stream.
A fly rod that is designed to catch large steelhead isn’t going to work at all for small brook
trout in a mountain stream. Forget selecting a fly rod by such loose descriptions as a ,
quote “trout” rod. Also, forget selecting a rod that will serve well to catch most any fresh
water fish. To think in such a manner would be similar to one thinking that one golf club
will work well for all the holes on a golf course. As you will learn in this presentation, there
are several considerations in choosing a fly rod that cannot be classified simply by
designation of fish species.
Spey rods are two handed rods that were originally developed for the limited back casting
area of Scotland’s famous Spey River. Now they are for an abundance of new
applications. The rods average from about eleven feet to fifteen feet in length.
Some rods are designated as Switch rods. They are used for mid-sized water where you
want the advantages of two-handed casting but don’t need the length and power of a full-
sized Spey Rod. These are used for steelhead and sometimes for large brown trout.
You will also hear fly rods described as bamboo fly rods, fiberglass fly rods or graphite fly
rods, There’s also rods made of Boron. In these cases it’s the description of the material
used to make the blank of the fly rod. Most fly rods are made from graphite.
Trout anglers often refer to fly rods as dry fly rods, wet fly rods and nymphing rods.
These types of descriptions refer to the type of use of the fly rod is intented for. A
nymphing rod may have a stiffer tip than a dry fly rod, for example. Such designations
are loose descriptions of fly rods.
Copyright James Marsh 2013