Rod Action

[Paulson]

What are situations you would typically use a fast action rod and where would you want to use a more moderate action? Does rod action really matter or is it just preference?

I ask because I have been using a St. Croix Imperial (what I learned on to) and have grown accustom to it. I am starting to look at other rods and I am curious if I should get something with the same action or try something new.

 

[Squaretail]

Fast actions seem to enable me to cast farther and are definately an asset against the wind.
The landing of the line takes some time to get it to be a delicate landing, and I have snapped some fish off on those surprise strikes.

 

[bikerfish]

certain actions are good for certain conditions, but in the end, I feel it is personal preference and how YOU like to cast. best to try different rods and see what works for you and how you like to fish.

 

[afishinado]

For saltwater and muskie, faster action rods do perform better in the wind and for distance casting, but I believe you are talking trout weight rods, which for the most part, the rod action is more about personal preference. Usually the rod action you tend to gravitate to, better matches you casting stroke/style. Try casting some rods with different actions to see if you like the way they cast, but don't feel that you must change rod actions because someone tell you an XYZ rod is the best. If if casts and fishes well for you - buy it.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

Its mostly about your casting, although as you fish for a while you change your stroke depending on the rod.
There are philosophies (i agree mostly) that moderate (sometimes labeled med-fast) are better for casting weighted rigs so that the loop opens. This is true, but I also fish my fast rods while nymphing, I just adjust my stroke to open up the loop artificially.
But, my line spends more time on the water than in the guides. One advantage for me using the fast rods while nymphing is in the pickup. I can lave more line out and can still pick up. This leads to "faster" fishing and less false casts. How actions affect fishing (versus casting) is an important consideration. That's why I strongly recommend people fish with a rod, rather than just casting it, before paying a lot on a premium rod. Guys on this forum are great about hosting jams etc where you might be able to try fishing a rod for 30 or more minutes.

 

[tomitrout]

Does rod action really matter or is it just preference?

Personal preference, no more, no less.

 

[Coughlin]

Yeah, I think it's preference. If I need to combat wind (admittedly, not ocean wind) I just overline my medium action rods one line wt. I just love the old IM6s.
Coughlin

 

[pete41]

out west tossing big streamers,fast action is the way to go-daytime there is going to be wind and sometimes the hot inside bends and eyes of pools require a loooong reach cut under the wind.That's when you are wading-riding in a boat you can use a noodle if you pay the rower to do the work-lol

 

[just_jon]

Everyone is spot on in their advice. It is about personal preference and matching the situation. I grew up fishing bamboo and glass. When I bought my first graphite rod, it took a fair amount of time to adjust my casting stroke to become as proficient as I was with bamboo or glass. When I'm not fishing bamboo, I'm fishing one of my Orvis Superfine full flex rod. They will handle a wide variety of situations I typically encounter, but they will not handle the wind, larger flies or longer casts as well as a faster action rods.

Think of it another way You arr a golfer who is are 200 yards from the green. Would you pull a club that you can only hit 100 yards?

 

[Chaz]

It's preference, I always found slow and medium action rods difficult to cast and importantly on small streams difficult to pick up the fly with on small streams.
All my rods are fast action rods.

 

[krayfish]

Match the flex to your casting style.

 

[tomitrout]

Of course, the real trick is to become a proficient enough caster where rod action just doesn't matter. Where you can pick up any stick, fast, slow or in between, wave it around and be able to lay out the line as you desire.

 

[Fishidiot]

While I've long been in the camp that feels that rod "action" and similar things is an overrated subject prone to considerable over analysis........I'll reluctantly admit that I do believe that action can make some difference. If, like me, you're mainly a streamer or chuck and duck guy who fishes a lot of nymphs, a faster action rod can certainly help. Dry fly guys or finesse fellows fishing a lot of small flies and skinny stuff on smaller streams, I think, will probably be more satisfied with medium or slower action rods.

And yes, personal preference has a lot of bearing. Ditto with length. I tend to like extremely short fly rods but it's an aesthetic thing more than a practical one. A tiny fly rod has a certain feel and appeal to me much like a small double gun or short recurve bow. For those of us who have FFed long enough to remember when fiberglass rods were more common than graphite, I think there also tends to be a bit of preference for medium or slower action rods. Fly rods have definitely gotten longer and faster in the last 10-15 years and, it seems to me, that this trend has led to the resurgence of fiberglass or otherwise slower rods the last couple years(?).

 

[PennKev]

tomitrout wrote:
Of course, the real trick is to become a proficient enough caster where rod action just doesn't matter. Where you can pick up any stick, fast, slow or in between, wave it around and be able to lay out the line as you desire.

^Truth.

 

[YoughnessMonster]

Seems like a lot more people I talk to use fast action rods. My 4wt and 6wt St. Croix reigns are listed as mod. action. I didn't choose my action, just the price of $65 a rod when they discontinued the model, and have never fished with a fast action. I am in the market for a 3wt and imagine when I get a good savings will go to a few different fly shops and try every rod imaginable to find what suits me best. I too often get caught up in "overthinking" fly fishing. I am thankful for sites like PAFF to aid me in my decision making processes.

 

[GreenWeenie]

Not to complicate matters but there are 2 different definitions of fast action – traditional and modern.

Modern fast action rods tend to be far too stiff with tips that are too stiff to protect tippets and these rods really aren’t useful trout fishing rods at anything under 60 feet. These rods are not designed for typical trout fishing situations (under 40 feet) but rather launching the entire line or for salt or heavy duty fresh water fishing. These rods generally need to be over lined to be able to fish at distances under 40 feet and a well made fast action should not need to be over lined to fish at closer distances. Examples of this kind of cannon rod are the Sage TCX and ONE, and the Temple Fork TiCr, TiCrx and Axiom (I’m sure there are others but these come to mind). These are not trout fishing rods. Another thing is most cheaper rods tend to follow this design because it is cheaper to manufacture this type of rod than a traditional fast action rod because making a traditional fast action rod requires smaller mandrels and finesse in making the tip section – the most critical part of a fast action rod – and that adds money.

Traditional graphite fast action rods have a soft tip section (maybe 24” on a 9’ rod) and they get progressively stiffer as you approach the butt section. The soft tip protects tippets and allows you to make delicate presentations at close ranges by casting off the tip. It is a fine balance between a soft tip and stiff tip because too soft, while good at close ranges, affects accuracy at distance. This was precisely the problem with the original Winston BiiX – the tip section on certain models was far too soft and you simply couldn’t cast accurately at distances over 40 feet or so. Good examples of a traditional graphite fast action rod are the Winson BiiiX, Sage Z-Axis, Hardy Zenith and Loomis NRX. Even between these 4 rods there are differences with the Winston excelling best at close ranges but maxing out at about 65 feet while the NRX has the least feel of the 4 at close ranges (can do the job) but has the most feel of the 4 at distances greater than 40 feet and also launches the most line. The Z-Axis and Zenith are probably the best rods of the 4 for “across the range performance,” from close range (but not quite as good as the Winston) to long distances (but not quite as good as the NRX). I would also throw in the Temple Fork Professional Series as being a pretty good example of this type of rod.

Medium and medium fast action rods are basically a progressive action rod like a fast action rod except the softer tip extends further down the rod (maybe 1/3 to 1/2) before becoming stiffer. Good examples are the Winston WT and BiiT, Sage ZXL, Loomis Whisper Creek, Scott G2 and Temple Fork Finesse.

Slow action rods actually have stiffer tips and butt sections and bend more in the middle section, sometimes calls parabolic action. You won’t find many graphite rods of this design and most of these are older or retro fiberglass or boo rods.

As for fishing applications, FishIdiot’s first paragraph pretty much gives a good summary. If I know I am going to be fishing a hatch on your typical PA stream (fishing under 40 feet), I prefer a medium action 9’, 5wt. If I will be fishing predominately subsurface, I prefer a fast action 9’, 6wt.

Overall most people prefer fast action rods simply because they are more forgiving and compensate for less than perfect casting technique and timing. Medium and slow action rods require more precise timing and better technique and if you don’t have it, your will struggle to cast more than 25-30 feet of line. But in the hands of an expert caster, that person will be able to cast either rod action equally well.

My suggestion if thinking of buying a new rod is what is the purpose of the new rod? How will it be fished? Far too many people walk into a store, grab a rod, and start launching 70 feet of line and they’ve never been able to do that before so they buy the rod only to find out they can’t cast it under 40 feet without over lining it. Cast and test rods under the circumstances you will be fishing.

 

[JeffK]

My first response to getting a new fly rod is what are you looking to do that you can't do well with the rod you have? Can't quite reach the fish when casting on a lake or large river? Getting the tip hung up in brush? Having trouble mending? Can't roll cast? Most of these things are technique, but there are rods that will do each task better.

I like medium and slow rods for a completely crazy reason. I fly fish to relax and find a slow casting style more relaxing. Can catch fish with fast or slow rods - need to find out what works for you.

And watch out for the definitions of fast, medium, and slow - they mean different things to different people. Like recommended line weight - it's a fine place to start but you may prefer heavier or lighter line on any given rod. Use people descriptions as a gudie and then try outfits to see how they fit your needs.

 

[Shock]

I agree with alot of what has already been said but just want to add that fast action rods are easier to cast, as others have mentioned, and can help you overcome the wind if you take advantage of their potential to throw tighter loops.

The trade offs are that, in general, they do not cast as well in close as they do at longer distances because they are harder to load, as others have mentioned, and they do not allow you the flexibity to easily make different casts such as curving left or right, checking your cast softly to drop you fly delicately, or piling up your leader if you have to cast over a current or cast downstream. Doing these things is harder for me with a fast action rod because the tempo of a fast action rod does not give you as much of a window to squeeze the rod handle or tilt your wrist slightly just before the line straightens out.

I grew up fishing small streams with a short medium action fiberglass rod. When I got older and began fishing larger streams I could not cast very far and thought it was the rod so I saved up and bought a graphite rod. A 9' 5 wt. entry level rod that had a medium fast action and it helped me become a better caster. However, it was not until I set aside my pride and took a casting class that I got to be a proficient caster.

Conciquently, last summer while rearanging my fishing gear, I took my old fiberglass rod out in the back yard and it now casts much better than I remember.

These are just my experiences. I also think that todays entry level rods will do 90%+ of what the top-of-the-line models will do in regular fishing conditions.

I hope that adds something to what was already mentioned,

Shock

 

[Paulson]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

Again I learned with my St Croix and it has been good to me. I am still working on a lot of my techniques. I have noticed setting the line down is a bit more difficult to finesse. I have only casted a few rods in my life and my Imperial has taken up the majority of that.

Most of the fishing I do is on creeks

 

[jayL]

You really should cast any rod before you buy it. It's the only way to tell for sure. You could very easily get mixed reviews on the ascent since it's so subjective. For example, I strongly disagree with greenweenie's characterization of some of the rods that he considers too stiff for trout fishing, as do many accomplished anglers. Some of the others he mentioned, I am in agreement. Doesn't make him right or wrong, since it is a matter of opinion.

With rods, beauty and effectiveness is 100% in the eye of the beholder.