Fly Fishing
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The Rod
In fly fishing a fly fisherman's tackle will comprise of a rod, reel, line, leader and a variety of artificial flies to tempt that illusive fish. The purpose of this tackle is to gently yet accurately place the artificial fly or lure on the water with minimum disturbance. To achieve this result, fly fishing tackle utilizes a uniquely manufacture tapered line with an engineered light weight rod. Traditionally trout fishing and salmon fishing fly rods were manufactured out of bamboo cane with the hexagonal split cane rod being the mostly widely used from 1900 to the 1950's. From 1950 onwards the glass fiber rod started to dominate due to the lower manufacturing costs. In the late 1970's carbon fiber was invented and the weight of fly rod's plummeted, this made line weight a critical factor in the performance of the rod.
Throughout the world the trout fly rods vary quite a bit although they will usually comprise of two or three sections which can be dismantled and stored safely in a rod tube. Trout and Salmon Fly rods are said to have a tip action or a through action. Tip Action - This refers to the tip of the fly fishing rod being worked to about halfway through its length with the lower end closest to the reel doing minimal work.
Through Action - In contrast to the tip action fly fishing rod, the through action fly fishing rod will work through its entire length. The best way to find out which fly fishing rod suits you best is to go to your local retailers or trout fishing retail event where you can try the different fly fishing rods with line and leaders to determine which best suits your style of casting. The type of trout fishing water together with the species of fish being sought impacts on the required length of a rod. For example, a fisherman trying to tempt a wily Salmon will usually use a rod of between 12 and 14 feet. A lake fisherman looking for a crafty trout will usually use a rod of some 9 feet in length. The same angler if fishing a small stream could use a rod as small as 6 feet in length. Obviously the length of a rod impacts greatly on the weight of the rod. Long length Salmon rods will tend to be close to 1 lb in weight while the smaller stream rods may only way a couple of ounces. The average weight of a lake rod will be in the region of 4-5 ounces or perhaps as low as 1 ¾ ounces for the higher end of the market rods.
When using a Salmon fishing rod they are fished with both hands and the longer length allows for much greater control of the line. If you were attempt to use this kind of rod on a lake after a couple of hours you would begin to feel tired therefore, lake rods are generally much lighter allowing for longer fishing sessions.
Shorter rods are usually used on small streams for trout fishing where the cover of foliage restricts the cast somewhat. In addition to this, over shorter distances a small rod is a great deal more accurate. In summary then, choosing the correct fly rod is essential and what suits one person does not suit another's style. A fast action rod is harder for someone just starting out in fly fishing to use as the time between the forward cast and the back cast is much shorter. The longer salmon fishing rods weigh much more than the trout fly fishing rods. There are of course variations in the types of rods and the best way to find out which suits your style is to try casting.
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