Ask one fly fisherman what is best in a fly rod and you’ll get one answer… ask 100 and you will probably get 100 different answers. Fly fishing is about as personalized and subjective as it gets when it comes to fishing. Afterall, casting a fly fishing rod is about “touch” more than it about anything else; its personal. So, in order to help you make a choice lets go over the more concrete aspects of what you need to be looking for in a fly fishing rod.
1)What are you looking to fish for? Are you looking to hit the larger fish like salmon, pike, or some nice tarpon? Or are you looking to hit a crisp mountain stream for some tasty rainbow trout? Determining what you will be fishing for is crucial for determining what size fly you will use. Typically you will use a larger fly for the larger fish and vice-versa. Or are you looking for a more versatile fly rod? One that is not superior in any category but will preform satisfactory with most classes of flies? Once you have made this distinction you can move to the next step.
2)Next is to consider is the AFTMA number of the rod. Logically the larger the size of the fly, the larger the fish you intend to catch, the larger you want the AFTMA number of your fly fishing pole to be. Typical fly fishing poles range from 3-12 wt. The rule of thumb is 3 for small stream and small trout fishing, 5-6 is your middle ground and can pretty much cover most flies and fish, then your big rig with the 12 wt fly fishing pole used for large tarpon and stripers.
3)Then next variable to consider is the length. The longer the pole the longer you can cast and the more control you have over the drift. One of the most popular lengths of pole is 9ft. This can give you excellent distance and is a great pole if you do alot of tube fishing. The problem with a 9ft fly fishing pole is that it can be very frustrating to use if you are around alot of brush or in a cramped space like a two man boat. So, an alternative would be to shorten it up and bit and lean further into a 6-7ft fly fishing pole.
Now lets take a look at some examples of high quality fly fishing poles and their specs.
First we have the Jewel 255 TX .
This fly fishing rod is a versatile rod rated with a 5/6 AFTMA. It’s 8’4″ long with at weight of 4oz. This is your perfect all-a-round rod. Its a little shorter than 9′ giving you some options in the trees or bushes, but is long enough to handle the long accurate cast.
Next, lets look at the differences in the Jewel 285 TX
This rod is rated with at 7/8 AFTMA rating making it a little better suited for slightly larger fish over the 255 TX model listed above. It is also a little bit longer at 9′ long giving you a bit more accuracy and control with gusty winds and larger flies. This fly fishing rod is excellent for sea trout, smaller salmon, pike, bonefish, and even smaller tarpon.
The last rod featured is the Jewel 305 TX
This is the biggest and heaviest of the three fly fishing rods we have featured here. Coming in with at 8/9 AFTMA rating and at 10′ this baby is perfect for your big predator fish. You should be able to handle all the big boys from salmon to the big tarpon with this fly fishing rod.
Be sure and check out P&S Fishing Tackle to get more information on these fly fishing rods and many more fine fishing tackle supplies.
