How To Actually Choose a Fly Rod

[@mikekuczynski1552]

Very difficult topic to explain to people especially new to fly fishing. You did a good job of breaking down the rods without getting over complicated. The only thing I would add is the rods that are available today from the $300 rod to the $1,200 rod are in most cases all good . The other thing to keep in mind is the line , the line will dramatically change the action of the rod’s performance so do yourself a favor before you purchase a rod talk to as many fly shop people and other fly fishermen as you can to help give you a better understanding. Best of all if you can demo rods do so it will really help you find what you are looking for . Now all you have left is reels , fly line , leaders and tippet . That will keep you busy until you get to two handed rods . Last year I went through all my rods and the ones that did not have alignment marks ( most of them ) I just used nail polish and made my own marks . Thanks for sharing

[@greenhornflyhorn]

Great stuff! I edited what was well over an hour into this little video. I just find if I got into ERN numbers and penny scales(CSS), I would've lost most people. I do however find the ERN and CCN systems to be very accurate and has made line selection easier for my rods. Once again, this is beyond most anglers but of course, you better bet your socks we will get into this in a later video! Thanks for your input, definitely worth a read for everyone.

[@dbarefoot84]

Wonderful video. One thing I would add is when it comes to rod weights, its not just a species-only based decision, but also what type of fly you're chucking decision. Ex: a #8 wooly bugger is a nice trout fly that I do not like throwing on my 4wt, but my 6wt rod and line handle it perfectly.

[@greenhornflyhorn]

G’day! I do get into it a bit at the action chapter 7:46 I was just using a #8 woolly bugger yesterday on my 4wt. I have also used a large streamers on that rod no.2 is my limit with a 4wt. How do I do this? Well, it’s not the rod as much as it is the……drum roll please…..Fly Line! A fast action fly rod can do way more than a slow action but it’s costly in the form of fly lines, leaders and time on the water. Anyways, I have a video coming out(hopefully this afternoon) about the topic. This new video will supplement the fly rod nicely. Thanks for the comment and Keep er’ tight!

[@dbarefoot84]

@@greenhornflyhorn good to know! Thank you!

[@jeromedamian5740]

great over view . I always worry about people under guning the fish with light gear and bigger fish . Ive had old-school mentors tell me don't over work the fish , get those bigger fish in and back out. I see people who use 6wt rods for steelhead thats a perfect example of what I'm talking about.

[@greenhornflyhorn]

Under gunned, yeah I see it here and there. 6wt for steelhead? We talking great lakes or west coast? 6 wt works fine for GL steelhead, haven’t had an issue. Thanks a bunch for your insight, I enjoyed reading your comment. Good luck this weekend!

[@MRR_Shadowolf]

Informative video, well presented information! Subbed.

[@greenhornflyhorn]

Well, thank you so much for the sub and really do appreciate the positive feedback. Lots of content coming 🤘

[@serjones3365]

i use 3wt 9 ft for dry fly, weighted nymph №18-12 and medium streamers №10-4 for perch, roach, chub and other white fish, also trout o'course

[@greenhornflyhorn]

Good to hear! What rod are you using?How do you find the streamers in windy conditions? Thank you for watching and appreciate the comment. Tight lines!

[@serjones3365]

@@greenhornflyhorn fly rod Sonik skLite, and in windy conditions I use windcutter fly line

[@markhoffman9655]

Most rods are good these days and even when you have a good rod it has to have a line on it that suits your casting style and the type of fishing you do. I hate false casting so I prefer profiles like the Rio Outbound Short or the OPST Commando Skagit that enable me to do one backcast and then shoot - this works for me on 7ft 6in fibreglass 3 weight or on my 9ft Sage Method 7 weight.

[@greenhornflyhorn]

That’s right up my alley! Deadly combos you have man! 👌👌

[@Nikitikitavvi]

That's a great video, thank you! So for the first all-around rod would be 5-6wt? I'll be happy to target anything i can at frist :D

[@greenhornflyhorn]

I would suggest being a bit more specific. What kind of fish? If you can’t answer that then….let’s start with the others. Where? Do you have a river or a lake close by? Answer that first. Then find out what species of fish are in the body of water you would primarily fish. Then the How(techniques) which would be streamers, nymphing, dry flies etc. so for example lets say the Grand River(lower grand). Lots of types of fish in thete but you will definitely catch bass, walleye, trout and larger fish like steelhead in the spring/fall/winter and salmon(late summer fall) also pike(if you know where to look). Anyways. It’s a large river so 9ft and longer would be great. As well you will primarily catch medium sized fish and if you’re lucky some big ones too! 6wt would be my choice. Now!!! If i was targeting just steelhead and salmon on the Grand. Then i would probably be looking at 7-8wt 10ft rod(even longer and heavier in some cases - again beyond the scope of my video - which would be switch/spey rods). It’s a loaded answer but if you’re honest with your answers then you will narrow that rod choice very quickly. Hope this helps!

[@Nikitikitavvi]

@@greenhornflyhorn Yeah actually Grand River would be one of my destinations. I think when i'm starting out I want to be able to catch a variety of fish as i'm just getting used to fly fishing sport. Later on I probably would focus on more specific fish like trout or steelhead but then I'd probably upgrade to an appropriate rod. So yeah I guess 5-6 wt is the way to go for me for the variety of potential catches. Thank you very much :)

[@greenhornflyhorn]

@@Nikitikitavvi 6wt 9ft medium fast action. Will cast streamers, indicator rigs(a nymph fly with a bobber on the line with or without split shot), dry flies, wet flies etc. That rod will always be with you and I can guarantee you that. Arguably the most versatile rod there is. I hope you catch some nice fish. Check the regs before you head out🙂

[@Nikitikitavvi]

@@greenhornflyhorn Fantastic, then that's the one I'll be getting as my first fly rod :) Thank you for the prompt responses and all the work you put in the videos!

[@greenhornflyhorn]

@@Nikitikitavvi my pleasure 🤘

[@thatonebeone]

honestly now a days most 300 to 500$ are as good as the 1000$ .. its very small difference now due to lots of access in the materials and the way machine can make it and labor overseas can be good now as that's what they always making and they developed a skill to do it well and big companies just talk about this and that to market it to sell 1000$ i get the custom usa made ones 1000 sure since they are limited and custom made... i have a 1300 gloomis rod and i like my 400$ as much as the 1300$ rod... not saying dont spend this much and that lol.. fly fishing can get expensive fast but when you pick the right one for your needs you are set pretty much and just buy a spare spool and line.. i just remove my line since i fish bay or surf so i dont need to spend money on a spool since i pick what im going to fish for and dont need to swap out spool

[@greenhornflyhorn]

Well said and completely agree. If you want that “Made in USA” tag, pony up the cash! Thanks for your insight, really appreciate it. Keep er’ tight!