That would be me.
I'm working on timing and letting the rod and line work together as designed rather than brute strength and endless backcasts.
I wonder why?
- Thread starter wetline dave
- Start date
I'm working on timing and letting the rod and line work together as designed rather than brute strength and endless backcasts.
I consider myself a solid, self taught caster. I’m not winning any competitions but can hold my own in both the distance and accuracy department when necessary. I think there is an application for all rod actions. I personally enjoy fishing everything from glass to some of the fastest action rods made today.
Distance is not the driver when determining the action of rod I select. Accuracy is a much bigger driver (do I need it or not). Am I fishing coho off the beach or spooky trout sipping size 20 dries? As a general rule, more accuracy, I tend to use a slower action rods with more feel. Less accuracy needed, especiallly max distance with minimal false casting (i.e. more fly time in water)…fast action. Other applications, I find the rod that feels “right”.
It may look super sexy making 80+ foot casts with a glass rod off the beach for coho but for me it’s not the most efficient way to target those fish. You can make the same cast with a super fast rod and the right line much more efficiently. I can also catch spring creek trout sipping spinners fishing an incredibly fast saltwater rod and an OBS but I’ll be working way to hard to do so.
Use the right tool for the job…just like anything else.
Distance is not the driver when determining the action of rod I select. Accuracy is a much bigger driver (do I need it or not). Am I fishing coho off the beach or spooky trout sipping size 20 dries? As a general rule, more accuracy, I tend to use a slower action rods with more feel. Less accuracy needed, especiallly max distance with minimal false casting (i.e. more fly time in water)…fast action. Other applications, I find the rod that feels “right”.
It may look super sexy making 80+ foot casts with a glass rod off the beach for coho but for me it’s not the most efficient way to target those fish. You can make the same cast with a super fast rod and the right line much more efficiently. I can also catch spring creek trout sipping spinners fishing an incredibly fast saltwater rod and an OBS but I’ll be working way to hard to do so.
Use the right tool for the job…just like anything else.
Last edited:
I don't think those super fast and stiff rods are so great either. I had a Method once, it's fun for the first hour or so then becomes tiring because I don't have the arm muscles for it 
Medium fast rods are great however, like Meridians and Centrics, fast but with feel. Very efficient casting tool for beach fishing when you're waist deep, need the distance and the time of flies in the air is time not fishing.
I do also enjoy my slow 5wt Wimpston paired with a clicker for stillwater to fish at a slower pace.
It's all good, whatever makes you happy!
Medium fast rods are great however, like Meridians and Centrics, fast but with feel. Very efficient casting tool for beach fishing when you're waist deep, need the distance and the time of flies in the air is time not fishing.
I do also enjoy my slow 5wt Wimpston paired with a clicker for stillwater to fish at a slower pace.
It's all good, whatever makes you happy!
I don't match a rod to my stroke, I match the stroke to the rod. Sometimes I even deliberately mess with myself by switching back and forth between rods with very different actions. It makes me think about the mechanics of the cast, concentrate on feeling the load, and hopefully improve my casting overall.
Casting differences aside, I definitely like playing and landing fish on glass or IM6 more!
Casting differences aside, I definitely like playing and landing fish on glass or IM6 more!
I don't think those super fast and stiff rods are so great either. I had a Method once, it's fun for the first hour or so then becomes tiring because I don't have the arm muscles for it
Medium fast rods are great however, like Meridians and Centrics, fast but with feel. Very efficient casting tool for beach fishing when you're waist deep, need the distance and the time of flies in the air is time not fishing.
I do also enjoy my slow 5wt Wimpston paired with a clicker for stillwater to fish at a slower pace.
It's all good, whatever makes you happy!
Good call. There are some rods that seem to do multiple things really well and stand out because of it. The Centric IMO is absolutely one of those. I’d buy a 3 or 4 weight in that rod for small stream delicate stuff and the 7 weight became one of my favorite (if not favorite) beach coho rods this year. The Radian is similar in that way.
Compare that to say the Sage One or Ignitor. Two of my all time favorite coho beach rods that would be near the bottom of my list for most trout applications.
I always get a chuckle out of this thread topic. It comes up every six months or so and the results are always the same....
When I was young I liked a stiff rod with fast recovery.
As I have gotten older more moderate action with a sensitive tip is more my preference.
Now back on topic...
I believe the best rod is the one you are most trusting/confidence in and just feels right. Hey, one can cast 100' but does that mean it fishes the way you want it to and where you want it to be?
Casting where you want, with the right presentation, and under proper control should be the focus IMHO. What ever rod does that for you, that is the best rod. It most likely will be different for skinny blue lines, a meandering creek, a big river, the salt, or way offshore going for the big guys.
There are cult-type rods and are the 'holy grail' according to many e.g. TMF, Sage LL series, Death Star, Scott 'original' G series, Winston/Loomis IM6 rods, Granger, etc. Do they do everything well? Heck No! But what they do is done as well as the expectations are and then some.
So go fish, find what works for you, become better fisher people, and enjoy not just fishing but the surroundings, comradery, friendships, and creating great memories with yourself, friends and family... What you experience today may/will not be available in the future. So make the best of it now!
When I was young I liked a stiff rod with fast recovery.
As I have gotten older more moderate action with a sensitive tip is more my preference.
Now back on topic...
I believe the best rod is the one you are most trusting/confidence in and just feels right. Hey, one can cast 100' but does that mean it fishes the way you want it to and where you want it to be?
Casting where you want, with the right presentation, and under proper control should be the focus IMHO. What ever rod does that for you, that is the best rod. It most likely will be different for skinny blue lines, a meandering creek, a big river, the salt, or way offshore going for the big guys.
There are cult-type rods and are the 'holy grail' according to many e.g. TMF, Sage LL series, Death Star, Scott 'original' G series, Winston/Loomis IM6 rods, Granger, etc. Do they do everything well? Heck No! But what they do is done as well as the expectations are and then some.
So go fish, find what works for you, become better fisher people, and enjoy not just fishing but the surroundings, comradery, friendships, and creating great memories with yourself, friends and family... What you experience today may/will not be available in the future. So make the best of it now!
Last edited:
Probably the same reason why there is more than one flavor of ice cream available at the grocery store. Different people like different things?
Personally I'm not a fan of broomstick rods, but I love fast rods that actually bend. The Helios 3D 6 wt is a prime example of that. There are things I can do with that rod that I simply can't with other rods.
There's a ton of different types of fly fishing where certain types of rods excel. For me I don't give two shits about a delicate rod that will present a size 24 midge on a spring creek. Nor do I care about gently landing a size 18 dry fly to a feeding trout 20' upstream. Instead a rod is much more useful to me if it can easily punch casts into 15 knots of wind, throw clousers a long distance, and still throw a quick 20' cast to that fish that just jumped off the side of the boat when needed. I also need to be able to quickly pick up 40' of type 5 shooting head and re cast when a fish shows itself right after I cast. I don't find super deep flexing, "slow" rods to be an enjoyable tool to use most of the time for the type of fishing I do. Doesnt mean there's anything wrong with those rods, just as the fact that a hammer can't unscrew a torx bit screw doesn't mean there's anything wrong with a hammer. Just different uses.
Obviously plenty of people like fast rods, as plenty of people buy fast rods. If nobody bought them companies wouldn't produce them. Plain and simple. I guess I just don't understand caring about other people using them. Personally I've never fished a Winston that I enjoyed for the fishing I do, but I don't care that other people buy and enjoy using Winston rods. Just as I don't care if people like and buy pistachio ice cream.
Personally I'm not a fan of broomstick rods, but I love fast rods that actually bend. The Helios 3D 6 wt is a prime example of that. There are things I can do with that rod that I simply can't with other rods.
There's a ton of different types of fly fishing where certain types of rods excel. For me I don't give two shits about a delicate rod that will present a size 24 midge on a spring creek. Nor do I care about gently landing a size 18 dry fly to a feeding trout 20' upstream. Instead a rod is much more useful to me if it can easily punch casts into 15 knots of wind, throw clousers a long distance, and still throw a quick 20' cast to that fish that just jumped off the side of the boat when needed. I also need to be able to quickly pick up 40' of type 5 shooting head and re cast when a fish shows itself right after I cast. I don't find super deep flexing, "slow" rods to be an enjoyable tool to use most of the time for the type of fishing I do. Doesnt mean there's anything wrong with those rods, just as the fact that a hammer can't unscrew a torx bit screw doesn't mean there's anything wrong with a hammer. Just different uses.
Obviously plenty of people like fast rods, as plenty of people buy fast rods. If nobody bought them companies wouldn't produce them. Plain and simple. I guess I just don't understand caring about other people using them. Personally I've never fished a Winston that I enjoyed for the fishing I do, but I don't care that other people buy and enjoy using Winston rods. Just as I don't care if people like and buy pistachio ice cream.
Honestly, I think that's probably the best quote in this thread. For smallies, I'll often carry multiple rods, one often being a 7wt BAG and the other being a Dan Craft 7wt (which if any of you have cast this, it's really damn fast). They are quite different (huge understatement) and I honestly don't find it all that difficult to go back and forth between the two....I think part of that is that while overall action is very different, they are both still progressive tapers, so it's easy.
Along those lines and pun intended & what Nick mentioned, different strokes for different folks...
^
^^
I also like to put different lines on the same rod for different situations.
All my rods are different...and I love using every one of them...well, except for one.
Dustin Chromers
Legend
I concur with this. I've cast and fished lots of rods. Some good, some not as good, some I liked to fish, some I didn't.
I don't necessarily have a "type". I'm equal opportunity. In general I like a medium fast stick. However there are some very fast rods I like. There are slow rods I like.
If a rod catches me as a good stick and feels nice I'll accommodate it with my casting stroke. Line choice on said rod is a further way to personalize the casting and fishing experience.
If a rod feels like it's got something good I can work it out on my end.
Since my fishing friend Steve got me into fishing Bamboo rods I have just one medium action plastic rod which is 10ft 2wt. Most of my Bamboo rods are under 8ft which are great for the type of fishing I do which is on lakes, I see the use of a fast action rod for big rivers pitching big streamers but on lakes 50 ft is the most I need to cast.