You see it all the time. A new “series” of fly rods, ranging from a 3 weight to a 9 weight. Okay,
but what does a 3 weight fly rod have in common with a 9 weight fly rod? The answer is “very
little”.
They could use the same brand of guides but I would hope they would be different sizes.
They could each have cork handles, but again, I would hope they would be different sizes.
They could use the same brand of reel seat but again, I would hope there would be size
differences. They could use the same taper but how could a 9 weight fly rod and a 3
weight fly rod with the same taper both cast well?
The lengths of the fly rods vary, so that wouldn’t be similar. The ferrules could be the same
type but again, they would have to be different sizes. The action could be called the same,
but would that really be true if they were different sizes and lengths? Remember, there isn’t
any criteria that is standard for the action of a rod. It is easy to say they have the same action
but would it necessarily be a fact?
We’ve got it. They could be the same color. That is it! They are the same color! That’s what
makes a “series” of fly rods.
Are all of the fly rods in a series of fly rods designed and built to perform equally or the
same?
No, that’s impossible. Each individual rod of any given length, weight classification, number of
sections, etc., would have to be individually designed and manufactured differently in order
for them to perform a well as possible. Not all the rods in a series of fly rods perform as well
as they could if they were individually designed and built. We have found that when you
determine the best performing fly rod in a series of fly rods, you won’t usually find another
one that equals its performance. Most of the rods fail to come up to the performance of the
best rod in the series.
That said, then why do manufacturers come out with series of fly rods instead of just a
new fly rod?
Like most any product, much of the fly rod manufacturers cost is marketing their new product.
New art work has to be done. New ads have to be developed for magazines. New pages have
to be created for their websites. Pricing and other information has to be sent out to all the
dealers. Press releases have to be sent out to the media. In most cases, 4 color brochures
have to be designed and printed.
When this can all be done for a “series” of fly rods, the cost per rod goes down drastically. It’s
much more economical to advertise a “series” of several different fly rods than a single fly rod.
That said, then why didn’t “Perfect Fly” come out with a series of fly rods instead of one
fly rod?
The answer is one simple but very important reason. We put performance and quality before
savings in our marketing cost. We wanted every rod we manufacturer to be individually
designed to perform at its best.
Copyright James Marsh 2013