An excerpt from FFF’s Booklet, Introduction to fly fishing by Judy Lehmberg

The fly rod is usually the most expensive part of the fly fishers outfit and therefore should be chosen carefully. Fly rods are labeled to correspond to the line, so that if you have a six weight rod you need a six weight line. The major differences in rods are length, stiffness and composition. Fly rods may be purchased in lengths from about 5 1/2 foot trout rods to 16 foot, two-handed salmon rods.

The longer the rod, the more energy is required to cast it, but the easier it is to control the line. Stiffness on the other hand, is a function of the rod's thickness, the material from which it is made and its taper. Of the various rod materials, graphite is the stiffest; that is, it has the greatest modulus of elasticity, whereas bamboo, and then fiberglass, are less stiff. The way a rod is tapered, that is, the transition from a thick butt to a thin tip, will determine its action.

Action is rather difficult to define, but it is obvious when you cast several different rods that some are fairly soft and flexible or slow action and some are stiffer and therefore faster action. All of these factors need to be considered when buying a rod, but the most important of these is probably material. Fiberglass, bamboo and graphite are the most commonly used materials.

Fiberglass is the cheapest and the least desirable of the three. They are heavy for their size, but have great strength and will tolerate much abuse. A fiberglass rod of a certain line weight and length will weigh about two to three times that of a comparable graphite rod and is therefore not as desirable.

When you consider that you can cast a fly rod several thousand times on a long day, the difference of an ounce or two can be a big factor. Of course, if you have an old fiberglass rod you found abandoned in your parent's garage, go ahead and use it. Save your money until you are more experienced and know what you want.Bamboo rods are considered to be the finest form of the rod maker's art. Because building a bamboo rod is very time consuming, they are quite expensive and probably not the first rod you will want to consider. Bamboo rods are usually more flexible than graphite and therefore have a slower action. However, for some type s of fishing where a delicate presentation is necessary, bamboo cannot be beaten. Many experienced fly fishers feel the pinnacle of the sport is catching a nice spring creek trout on a small dry fly with a bamboo rod.

The most popular types of fly rods today are made of graphite. They are extremely strong for their weight and can be designed for any type of action. Although some graphite rods are fairly expensive, reasonably priced, good quality rods are available. The primary difference between a good quality and a premium quality rod is the quality of the materials for the reel seat, the handles, the guides and the finish.

Most experienced fly fishers would recommend your first rod be a medium priced graphite rod.In order to make a good choice for that first fly rod, you must first think about what kind of fishing you wish to do.

If you plan to fish primarily for trout you should probably expect to use flies from size #4 nymphs and streamers to size #20 dry flies. Because small dry flies are best handled with a three to five weight line and because large nymphs and streamers are best handled with a seven to nine weight line, a good compromise is a six weight line. It can be successfully used to handle both very small and very large flies.

As for rod length, a long rod is much better for that first 6 weight rod than a short one. A long rod (8 1/2 to 9 feet) makes it easier to handle your line on the water when drifting nymphs or mending dry fly casts. It is also somewhat easier to cast because it keeps the line from falling to the ground on the back cast, and away from your ears on the forward cast.

Later on, depending on the types of fishing you do most, you may want to add shorter, three to five weight rods or longer eight or nine weight rods for specialized fishing, but for now, your first rod should be an eight to nine foot six weight rod.

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.