Perhaps the most alluring aspects of fly fishing are the lore of where, when how and all the unanswerable mysteries regarding the behavior of the fish and the success of our fishing techniques.. While many have theories (and debating theories is half the fun), who can really say why some flies work and other don’t, why the fish suddenly stop feeding at 9:30 pm or why the rapids above the bridge are always better than the rapids below?. The same kind of eternally-unsettled questions seem to surround the gear we use. Apparently there are over 400 different fly lines, one for every whim and theory. To make it worse, at one time fly line weight was not even standardized. It just came down to personal preference.

Perhaps no where is there more debate and personal preference than when it comes to choosing a fly rod action. Usually, we know when a rod "feels good to cast". With rods the debate usually is due to the fact that we seldom have a universally-understood way to describe that action to others. Well, some of that mystery (and the frustration) may be missing now. Just when I thought I understood the difference between a fly rod with a fast action and progressive taper versus another one with a medium action and a traditional taper versus a third one with a superfine action, but slow taper, Orvis has gone and developed a standard. Basically, it was felt that the variety of fly rod actions and the descriptions offered by manufacturers (and marketing departments) to describe those actions was confusing and counter-productive. Some companies offer as many as eight different rods of same length and weight, differing just in their action.

The standard offered by Orvis may not be the final one, or adopted by the fly rod industry, but appears like a step in the correct direction. Orvis calls their measure is the FLEX INDEX.. Determining the flex index (which can be applied to your existing rods) , involves suspending the rod by the handle, applying a load equivalent to the matched fly line for that rod, using a 6 weight line for a 6 weight rod, a 7 weight line for a 7 weight rod, etc., and making a few measurements. The baseline for your measurements is the distance between the rod tip and base of the rod grip. First, you determine the flex point, or the point along the length of the rod with the greatest deviation from that baseline.. A FLEX POINT line, perpendicular from the tip-handle baseline to the flex point, gives you the basis for two numbers: A, which is the distance from the FLEX POINT to the rod handle and B, which is the distance from the FLEX POINT to the rod tip. The FLEX INDEX then is expressed (or calculated) by the simple formula, (A/B-10) X 10. A full flex rod, like the Orvis Superfine, would have a low flex index, say between 2.5 and 4. On the other hand, a tip flex rod may have a FLEX INDEX of 10 and above.

Certainly if you prefer a certain kind of action, the FLEX INDEX will allow you to choose a similar rod for trout, for bass, for steelhead, all with your same preferred feel. Is that all their is to rod feel. Well, maybe.

This article was provided by the Federation of Fly Fishers. Visit their site for more articles and information about fly fishing. The Federation of Fly Fishers is a unique non-profit organization concerned with sport fishing and fisheries.