SO YOU WANT A NEW ROD?
BY AL CRISE
What makes a good fly rod? How do you tell them apart? The question that many fly fishermen ask is; What makes a rod cost so much? There are several components that go into a fine fly rod. I can give you a few of the items to look for. I do not believe that a rod that costs a lot is necessarily the best rod. A fly rod is a personal choice. It is part of the angler's arm; what feels right to one might not feel right to another. This is due, in part, to the angler's size or strength or style. So I do not advocate the "price is right" theory. The fish do not know what you paid for the outfit. They only know that you put the fly in their feeding zone and made it look good enough to eat, and if that takes a thousand-dollar rod for you, so-be-it.
The first thing that must be established is the use. This will settle some of the cost right off. Let me explain: you do not need a nine foot, ten-weight, one piece, heavy action rod to tame brook trout in a clear-as-glass spring creek, but we would for a tarpon. So, for now, let's just look at the components that are common to most rods.
The rod blank is the starting point. This is the tapered body of the rod that all the components are mounted on. The material that the blank is made of is the major difference, starting with man-made materials like plastic, steel, fiberglass, composite and graphite. Naturals like aspen, pine, hickory, tonkin and calcutta canes. The traditionalists, of course, think that bamboo is the only thing that a fly rod can be made of; it feels right in their hands, it is slow and easy to feel "the load". The hand-made bamboo rods of today are a thing of great beauty and is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. You could walk into any trout lodge and they would welcome you as a trout fisherman of great worth. For surely, you have the best of equipment. I hope you know of many trout tales and have fished many a far-a-way place, to fill the fireside chats and dinner table conversation. Yes I would like to be able to fish with a two-thousand dollar outfit and not worry that I might get it wet.
On the other end of the money-run is the plastic / fiberglass rod that you bought to try out, just to see if you could cast a fly like that guy on the TV. We both know that there is no comparison between a rod made for cheap, quick sale and a brand name rod that was bought from a custom fly shop. OK now I have given you more ranges than you need to consider, but remember that you should get what you pay for. The cost is not the only consideration.
Why should you pay twice or three times as much for a graphite second generation rod? The main reason is the new rods are much lighter, stronger, and more sensitive than yesteryears rods. Well you invent something and as soon as you get it on the market, someone builds it better. The engineering that modern technology requires does not come for free, or even with in reason. The new graphite is much better, and is a lot lighter than the composite that you bought a couple of years ago. Graphite started a whole new industry. This space age product has changed the rod making industry. Because of this we can have a rod that will handle seven and eight weight lines that weigh less than a four weight of fiberglass, and is stronger for its weight. The energy that is released from the graphite rod is unbelievable. Will knowing this make you a better caster? No, practice will do that. The lighter rod will make your arm less tired when practicing or a day of fishing. The sensitivity of a graphite rod must be felt, and the line speed that can be developed will amaze you.
What to look for in a rod blank: Is it straight? Is there a hook or bend to the blank when you sight down the length?
Look at the guides are they in line with the reel seat? Place a "static load" on the blank by loading the rod with a pull on the line, like a fish would place on the rod. Have a friend hold the rod. Look at the spacing between the rod and the fly line between the guides this should be evenly spread out over rod. There should be a guide for each foot of overall rod length, ie. 9 ft rod= 9 guides.
The next thing you can look for is the spline or backbone of the blank. This can be found by setting the butt of the rod on the hard smooth surface of the floor. Let the tip rest on your left hand between the thumb and first finger. Place your right hand on the blank about one-half to two-thirds the way up from the reel seat. Press down. You will feel the rod rotate to bend, This will be the soft side of the blank. The guides should be facing up or down. Either way is ok it depends on the builder. The guides should not be at an angle.
Does the ferrule fit tight? When you assemble the graphite type ferrule, insert the tip/guides at ninety degrees to the butt guides, then rotate after you insert to align the guides. This will form a thread in the blank, reverse to remove.
When the line is cast does it have "waves" superimposed on the line? This is caused by the tip bouncing after the rod is stopped on the forward cast. The tip should return to neutral and stop. The better the rod/blank the sooner it will return to neutral. By the way, a light tip will stop sooner. A fast-action rod will place many small waves, a slower one will form larger, but fewer waves on the line. These are wasted energy.
Look at the handle grip. Some of the materials are cork, EVA foam, composite, custom super foam, and shaped wood. What size would YOU like? Could you find it on a rack or will it have to be custom made? Cork is rated in two ways letters and grades. The A, AA, AAA are the letters. "A" corresponds with standard grade. AAA is the same thing as premium. The "AAA" or premium is the better and will have a smooth grain with few holes. These will be filled with cork dust and adhesive. This type of handle will, of course, cost more. The feel of a fine cork grip is like shaking hands with an old friend. The modern foam comes in many colors and is easy to care for. It will last a long time under normal use is not affected by water or sunlight. The wood grip will weigh a little more than cork but will outlast most anything, and can be custom formed and inlaid.
The reel seat is the connection between the rod and the line. The rod must be able to hold the reel. If you are fishing saltwater, your reel seat must be saltwater proof. The salt will destroy a lightweight seat. A light aluminum one may not be able to hold your reel when a bonefish, or steelhead takes off on a high speed run. Nor would a chrome plated, stainless steel reel seat balance on a four weight seven foot rod, that you bought for bluegill in the pond. Then you can have a reel seat with an insert of an exotic wood or nickel silver hoods. That tells of your search for perfection and beauty. It should have double locking rings to ensure the reel stays on the rod, unless the rod is made to fish "ultra-light". Up locking gives you a reel that is closer to the hand and a little more butt. A fighting butt can be added. Down locking places the reel further back to balance the rod, and gives the angler a longer grip. Down locking also eliminates the problem of having the butt sticking out to catch the line.
The guides of the modern fly rods are, to my way of thinking, the second most important thing after the blank. The line is traveling through the tip with every cast trying to saw its way into the guides. The sand that is carried up with the water is ground into the metal of the guides. I am a "shooter" and not a "false caster", so I put even more wear on my guides and expect them to stand up to distance casting. My choice is the SIC (silicon carbide) type single-foot guide for the running guides and a SIC bridge stripping guide made for fly rods. The SIC bridge stripping guide is made to pull the line at an angle across it when stripping. The tip should be SIC for sure, because it gets the most wear and receives the dirt and water first. Fuji makes a light weight titanium frame with a SIC ring mounted directly to it. It is made for fly rods so the line can run over the surface at any angle, and has a larger opening for the size do to the lighter frame and ring. There are guides that cost five times as much as the standard guide. These are made of gold nitrite and ceramic rings that will stand up to about anything you could want to catch, sailfish, wahoo, or other saltwater monsters. The snake guides of our fathers are still used by many rod builders. The material has changed to chromed stainless steel or hardened super metals. Some think that it is the best way to build a "fly rod". I have used some of both to get the line to cast the way I wanted.
The finish on the wrappings must cover the thread and fill in around the guides' feet, to seal out any moisture. Epoxy is the choice of most builders today, although bamboo builders might still use varnish.
If you choose a rod with custom wrappings and your name woven into the butt wrap or etched in to the reel seat, you will have to pay for the labor and time of the rod builder, but it sure looks good.
So what is right? The rod that allows you to cast a fly to the best of YOUR ability. You will want one that feels good and will not keep you up at night worrying about what you will have to let go unpaid to enjoy the fishing that you could have been doing. A wealthy man told me that "it only costs three times as much to go first class the first time."
My rods range from a ultra-light G. Loomis four weight to a first generation graphite nine weight that is for big bass and saltwater. My most-used is a custom five weight that feels good in my hand; my fishing buddy. I have replaced the tip twice before I put on the SIC type. I have a Sunbeam Montague that is a show- and-tell only. It does bring back memories. Make your rod enjoyable and money feasible, take the time to enjoy the shopping for the special rod that will become your "fishing buddy".
See the attached_drawings
Special thanks to Bruce Richards of 3M, Terry Raejef of G. Loomis,
and Lefty Kreh of (Great Renown)for their help and input.Allen R. Crise RRD*
Rt. 1 Box 304-B6
Glen Rose, TX. 76043
* Rod and Reel Doctor
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