fighting fish...slow vs fast

[David]

Just wanted to get some thoughts on how people fight fish on a slow action rod vs a fast action rod. Do you change anything? Do you keep the rod higher with a slow action? Do you use more side pressure with the fast? Do you change your leader formula?

Do you choose your rod action base on the type of water you'll fish, or the type / size fly you'll be fishing, or the size / type of fish you expect to catch.

Just curious...

 

[gfen]

I chose my rod action based on the fact that I could effectively cast it. 😉

I feel so non-techical.

 

[David]

gfen wrote:
I chose my rod action based on the fact that I could effectively cast it. 😉

I feel so non-techical.

gfen,
that is certainly how you should choose when buying a rod.
but if you have varying actions in your arsenal, how do you chose for each day on the stream?

 

[Heritage-Angler]

David wrote:
Just wanted to get some thoughts on how people fight fish on a slow action rod vs a fast action rod. Do you change anything? Do you keep the rod higher with a slow action? Do you use more side pressure with the fast? Do you change your leader formula?

Do you choose your rod action base on the type of water you'll fish, or the type / size fly you'll be fishing, or the size / type of fish you expect to catch.

Just curious...

This is always an adventure for me - hardest part about going fishing - for me, anyways. Then again, I've got 30 rods to choose from.

I prefer different rods for different situations - small dries, larger dries, nymphing, streamers, wets......

Size of the stream plays a part as well. A lot of the time, I just don't know what to expect, so I take a couple of rods, and ALWAYS take one "Jack of all trade" rods. It's a kinda crazy system, but it works - for me. Kinda like golf - gotta have more than one club...

Leaders? I carry 3 leader wallets with 10 leaders in each. Some are specific to line size/technique. Since I tie my own leaders, It's no big deal to modify one to suit my needs exactly, but I'd rather not trash a leader if I already have one that I need.

Fighting a fish is a matter of circumstance, but a 2wt is no different than an 8wt once you point the rod at the fish - the reel is all that's involved there, as well as the strength of your tippet. Fight big fish using the strength of the butt section of the rod. If you really know what you're doing, you can land a big fish on a light rod, and light tippet, but it's always a good idea to have the right tool for the job. Sometimes, the fish are just gonna win, sometimes ya gotta let 'em win, so as not to overstress them. Experience will dictate the details.

Confused yet?

 

[tomgamber]

I try not to think that hard about it when I have a fish on. There are enough things that you are told NOT to do that I concentrate more on those. I'm usually having too much fun at that point to think about what I SHOULD do so technically.

 

[Acristickid]

Probably never considered it yet- I am still evolving as a fly fisher. Cycling through gear, techniques, style.

However; I can definitely notice a difference in be able to land steelhead on a longer slightly softer rod (9'6 6wt) vs a shorter (9 8wt) stiffer rod-, appears the rod has more give adding to the protection of the tippet factor. Less breakoffs than a I used to get. Or maybe I just have more expereince?

Cant say I ever bought a rod with reguard to speed in order landing fish. Maybe I should.

I know a long line nympher that has a soft Grey's rod for his nymphing.

 

[pcray1231]

I use a faster action rod when I'm expecting to nymph, on tight streams (dry or nymph), and on very large streams even for dries, and anytime for streamers.

I use a slower action rod most on medium sized streams, when I'm expecting fairly close distance dry fly fishing, and especially for small flies. Examples include terrestrials, tricos, midges, olives, etc. on limestoners.

Leaders, I don't adjust them for the rod, but I do adjust them for the fishing situation, which usually coincides with the rod. The small dries get a long leader, straight nymphing gets a flat (non-tapered) leader, and streamers a short stiff leader, tight quarters a short taper, etc.

As for fighting a fish, no I don't change anything, though I'm a little careful about putting too much of a bend in my boo rod.

 

[MKern]

I've never really thought of it. I just get the fish in as quick as I can without yanking on it.

I do like the feel of 6" brookies on my moderate 2 wt though.

 

[Acristickid]

David- what have you learned about this topic? Have you changed your thoughts on the rod speeds?

 

[David]

acristickid wrote:
Have you changed your thoughts on the rod speeds?

Not really... I just know I cast better with a fast action, but lose a higher % when using the faster rods compared to the slower, more forgiving rods (you were thinking along the same lines...I definitely use my slower 7wt for steel and the faster 7 for warmwater!).

But I wanted an open discussion on how people approach different aspects of the two actions - so I specifically tried not to ask a leading question - to see if there were any nuances that I might not have thought of when fishing different actions.

Some good ideas discussed. And I'm always looking to improve anyway I can, so I appreciate all the different angles.

 

[Acristickid]

David- "And I'm always looking to improve anyway I can, so I appreciate all the different angles."

No Doubt!

If I had to do it over- I would have purchased a 10 ft 7 wt softer rod. (for steelhead that is)

 

[SonofZ3]

I have a mid flex 10ft 7wt I use for steelhead, and I wouldn't mind a softer action rod someday when I can afford one (I say mid flex because "soft" and "fast" are becoming such subjective terms). My father uses an Orvis 10ft 7wt Silver Label he purchased a number of years ago, its a full flex rod, and it fights steelhead beautifully. I wouldn't mind having one!

 

[Rkey530]

I love the old Silver Labels. Still have and love my 7'6" 3wt. marvelous buggy whip of a rod. Fell on my 9' 5wt mid flex on the ausable 🙁 Orvis provided a replacement trident rod in under 2 weeks. Unfortunately someone got confused and provided me with a 9.5 tip flex instead of a 6.5 mid flex. Rod casts great distances and is very authoratative so I decided not to mention it. I've lost more fish with it though. Not the rod's fault, its my not being accustomed to fast action rods. I like slower action rods and put a lot of pressure on fish with them to get them in fast.

 

[osprey]

The casting is what i go for when choosing a rod too........but maybe it shouldn't be , David.........you ask an excellent question there and i'm interested in the answers , the fish we plan on catching should probably be right up there among considerations , how big is that steelie in your pic? I'll bet that one bent your rod a little NICE!!!

 

[gfen]

osprey wrote:
The casting is what i go for when choosing a rod too........but maybe it shouldn't be

I didn't re-read this thread, so I'll assume its not mentioned, but on a similar note... I've been reading that when you buy bass or salt water rods that you want a faster action, not to help with the casting (which is what I assumed: Big bushy flies punch through with a faster rod), but because you want more power to drive the hook into the fishes' boney jaws. On the other hand, for trout, you don't need to worry about this, as the jaws are also softer, so the slower rods help protect the required finer tippets during the fight.

 

[AlwaysWading]

I agree with the fact that I picked the action of all my setups to what felt right and what I could handle the best. Every setup I own is fast action. I like the feel, I like how they present flies, I like how they function to bring in trout. I fish big water like the Lehigh and the Cat, smaller water like the Little lehigh, Saucon, Bushkill, Spring Creek, and even thinner water like the Sober, Swiftwater, 20 Mile, etc, all with fast action. I do have some other non fast setups from my early learning days, but they are there for friends who might not have a fly fishing setup.

 

[redietz]

Do you choose your rod action base on the type of water you'll fish, or the type / size fly you'll be fishing, or the size / type of fish you expect to catch.

I find that I land a lot more fish with a slower action rod than a faster one, but sometimes casting conditions (big water or wind) dictate a faster one. Also, if I'm fishing downstream, on the swing, I get a lot more hookups with a slower rod. Yes, it the type of water, and the type of fishing I expect to be doing make a difference in which rod I'll bring.