The title "Rods That Bend" sounds kind of silly at first. Of course fly rods bend. However, during the last ten years there has been a movement among some anglers who are advocating for the fastest, longest casting, quick recovery rods there is known to [fisher] man. I'm going to say it, "they are too stiff." I'm not sure how the fast thing got started, but I can say for many who love classic fly fishing, it doesn't work for many fishing environments....a rod has to bend for those who enjoy dry fly fishing in small waters with small dry flies. And, I have to say, there is a large population of anglers who prefer a medium action rod on the large rivers as well. Yep, there are anglers who want their rod to bend...and they are becoming more vocal and are beginning to push back on the fast rod advocates. And, one major rod company (known for fast rods) must have been listening because they launched a more progressive action rod series this year. Good for them!
I sometimes wonder if the salt water anglers had too much influence on rod manufacturers, by giving their feedback to replicate the strong casting characteristics of their salt rods for trout fishing??? I mean, how did fast, firm, and distance casting get into the trout fishing lifestyle? For clarity, I'm talking about single hand rods, not the two-hand rods, used on large rivers for steelhead and salmon fishing. Fortunately, we're seeing more and more fly casting instructors, guides, and experienced anglers speaking out about the benefits of progressive rod tapers when fishing for trout...and, they are getting noticed by fly fishing publications and a few of the fly fishing forums.
Above is a photo my buddy Steve took of me, with a chunky rainbow trout putting a bend on my medium action rod...an all round trout rod I own for our San Juan River and a few other rivers in New Mexico and Colorado.
Click on photo for larger view
There's this ad where Winston suddenly starts promoting 'Outperform' and 'Amazing performance'. Winston lost its legacy with this
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the ad. With exception of a WT TMF rod, the last new Winston rod I purchased was in 2014...a BIIIx 8'6" 5wt rod that I consider medium action and gets lots of time on the bigger waters I fish. It's a very good all-round rod and I like it. I'm very interested to see what Winston introduces for their next generation of trout rods.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed a recent trend with the fast action rod companies like Sage...they have begun to launch new rods with a more progressive action versus their previous rod series that were too stiff and only flexed at the tip. I think they are starting to listen to their fly fishing customers' interest in rods that...bend.