La fly fishing is an age-old technique that has become increasingly popular since the 20th century. It is most often practised in a river using very specific equipment, which you can easily find in ourfly fishing collection :
- A fishing rod very light, measured in feet
- A reel simple at first glance, which acts as a reservoir of wire, equipped with a brake
- Lines called bristles
- Lures such as a nymph (aquatic larva), a streamer (imitation of a small fish) or a dry fly (imitation of a flying insect); with a size and a function unique to each
More and more popular thanks to guides and videos on the internet that make it easy to acquire the know-how to get started in this relatively knowledge-intensive fishery. However, nothing can replace practice, adapting to the wind or surface a tank can only be understood during a real session.
You instantly think of a fisherman stalking a fish trout at river, but you should be aware that it is possible to catch a much larger fish such as a pike or even sea bass in salt water.
Whether you are fisherman beginner or experienced, become fly tyers is not easy, what action, what length and what power in function what technique will I use? There are lots of questions running through your head, and we're here to shed light on some of them.
What action for your fly rod?
So let's start with the action you're going to choose for your future rod(s). We can define "action" by the capacity of the rod fly rodTo bend under the pressure of traction. There are several types of bending action: a pointed action, a parabolic action and a semi-parabolic action.
Peak action
This action means that the rod is very rigid, so when you're casting or fighting, you'll notice that only the tip bends under pressure.
As you can probably imagine, there are advantages, but there are also disadvantages. Your throws will be made with great precision, but on the other hand, stalls are much more likely to occur. You need to keep your wrist supple in combat to avoid breaking.
Parabolic action
This time it's the complete opposite, it's a fishing rod very flexible, some might even say soft. As a result, your throws are less accurate, but your ability to fight bigger battles is much greater trout or pike with a silk will be much higher. Read our articlewhich silk to choose for fly fishing to understand the subtleties of such a choice.
Semi-parabolic action, the golden mean
We've shown you the two 'extremes', and now we come to what might be called the middle ground. Take a little of both, and you get a rod that bends moderately under pressure and offers greater casting accuracy. A very versatile action, ideal for beginners feeling their way around to find out which action suits them best.
There is no such thing as a right or wrong thing to do fly tyers in you. The most important thing is to choose the right tackle for the technique you're going to use, the species you're going to track and the spots you're going to fish, tank, sea, torrent... And don't forget to adapt your reel and the silks you use - we can't stress this enough!
What is the ideal length for a fly rod ?
Now that you have a more or less developed idea of the action that will suit you best, you need to choose the length, by feet or inches, of your future whip.
For the laziest among us (myself included), there are converters that do the work for us.
Choosing the right rod length is, like fishing, a tricky business, and you need to take a number of factors into account. The width of the body of water you wish to fish, the type of technique you are interested in and the riparian vegetation (vegetation specific to rivers and riverbanks).
For dry fly fishing
If you're looking for grayling and/or trout, you'll find it easier to choose, as this is the least demanding category that will most easily accept any length. Your choice will be guided more by the configuration of the environment, whether it's a small or large river, calm or turbulent.
There are two teams: those who prefer the short 6' or 7' models for streams, which offer maximum manoeuvrability, and those who prefer the long 9' to 11' models (especially in France), which allow a minimum number of casts.
The solution we can suggest is to start with a standard length of between 8.6' and 9' and then decide to change camps by analysing how you feel.
For drowned fly fishing
This time it's simple and effective, and the experts are right: no less than 9'. You'll need this size to guide your bait through the wind and onto the surface of the water. You'll need to slow down and speed up while repositioning your bait line, such a size will be your best ally.
We advise you to opt for a parabolic action, to avoid breakage caused by the many misfires.
For nymph fishing
If you want to practice the technique known as "sight fishing", you'll need to be fast while handling a line 6 or 7 metres long. The right solution is a length of 8' to 9', which is very conventional, but will give you the versatility you need.
When fishing with a line, you have to hold the rod in a high position, sometimes for several hours at a time. Professionals therefore recommend a long pole to reduce muscle fatigue as much as possible: 9.6' to 10' is a wise choice.
For streamer fishing for predators
Your rod will need to be powerful enough to propel lures up to 20cm, so a semi-parabolic or even parabolic action should be considered. A length of 9' to 9.6' is best suited to this type of situation
What power for your rod ?
Now we come to the last piece of the jigsaw, the choice of power, which is not symbolised by grams as in traditional lure fishing. Here, it's a number of silk, it corresponds to the rod's ability to cast a more or less heavy line efficiently and without tiring.
The weaker rods have a #3 and #4 power rating, ideal for keeping a low profile when casting short distances. Streams, clear waters, etc. are so many places suited to this type of power, reputed to be very difficult, most of the time you'll be stalking wild trout.
The #4 and #5 powers are highly versatile, ideal for a wide range of situations. You'll be able to practise almost any technique.
Wattages above #6 are for experienced anglers or those fishing in areas such as streams, to track predators or sea bass.
Now all you have to do is take the plunge and treat yourself to your new jewel! Practice, discipline and knowledge will be needed, but once you've mastered them you'll be hooked... We recommend an 8.6' to 9' rod with a semi-parabolic action so you can learn and try out all the techniques.
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