Tom Said It - Quotes
“Many of today’s anglers started using stiff, fast rods not even realizing there are different designs that may be better suited for their trout angling situations. In my opinion, many anglers of today’s generation have never learned the joys of fishing with truly great rods that bend and flex as they should and thereby communicating back to the angler how the rod, line, leader and fly are performing."
- Tom Morgan -
He was SO right. The recent comeback of glass rods, either vintage or new is the result of anglers "discovering" that fly rods are supposed to bend. I came upon a trio of vintage Fenwicks a couple of years back. Amazing rods that bend. The original Orvis Superfines bend. The Redington classic trout bend.
ReplyDeleteOf course Winston's bend. I tell people who are just starting out to buy "entry" level rods designed for beginners. Most are moderate action rods that help the caster understand how a fly rod is supposed to work. In fact, I still fish entry level rods as I find them to be most fun. Please post this quote on our other site. It will be interesting to see how people react. Us "old timers" will applaud, newby anglers will scratch their heads LOL.
Yeah, I agree...the entry rods are nice for those starting out in fly fishing. That flexible Tenkara I bought to start my 5yr old in fly fishing was spot on for him.
DeleteSeems as though the fly fishing community at large is shifting more and more to rods that bend. At least for those who focus on single-hand fly fishing vs long shot casting...I'm talking about trout here.
Agree on trout but I do not think it matters what fish you are targeting. Being I live in New England, we have very few trout waters that remain cold throughout the season so I fish warm water 99% of the time, bass (smallies and largies) panfish, etc. A moderate or medium action rod makes any fish fun to catch. And do not believe the BS that you need a fast action rod to cast larger poppers etc., I fish big poppers all the time and do not have an issue throwing the bugs.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100%. Since I only fly fish for trout these days, it's all I can speak to. You make me want to go bass fishing. I still have a couple of reels from my bass fishing days which was over forty years ago. Fun times at the farm ponds and big lakes. Those were bait rod times. I'd like to try bass fishing with a fly rod sometime...have never done that.
DeleteTrust me on this- targeting smallies and largemouth on the long rod is a hoot. Any good 6 or 7 weight will do the job. When that smallie crashes that poppers and goes airborne, or as we like to say, when a largie sucks in a popper and the water looks like a toilet flush, that grin on your face will say it all. And fishing a fly rod for bass does require some tech skills. Depending on the waters you fish, one must often put that popper etc. right next to a rock or other structure. Sometime, even being 6 inches off means no interest. Bass topwater is a very visual sport(like dry fishing for trout). And when the bass are not looking up, put on a full sink line and throw a woolybugger. That is fun too. But I do not just target bass, the panfish are fun too for the same reasons.
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