Rod Sizes Rundown

Good afternoon!

When I began fly fishing, one of the most confusing things to me was the jargon associated with the sport.  Many novice and even intermediate fly anglers are not familiar with the various sizes and uses of rods, line, leader, tippet, hooks, etc.  This may seem like a rather dry subject, but the knowledge pays off when you know what kind of equipment to use, which should be tailored to the fish species you are seeking and the environment you will be fishing in.  For instance, if you are fishing a small creek with low-hanging trees, choose a shorter rod of lower weight size.  If you are fishing a large river like the Madison (in most spots) you might want to stick with at least a 5 wt.    

To begin, the jist of rod sizes is that they run from a 0 weight (often abbreviated as "wt") all the way up to a 12 weight and beyond.  The largest sizes are usually for saltwater species (EVEN MARLIN!).  The general rule is that, the bigger the fish, the higher the rod wt.  However, this is not always the case.  Often larger brown trout (a particularly finicky and sought-after species) may be caught on a rod size of about 3-5, but could weigh 15+ lbs.  This goes for trout in general, as they are the best at spotting a thick, glossy line below the surface and behind your fly, which can cause them to get spooked, brown trout all the more so.  

Now, if you are fishing for brook trout in a small Appalachian stream, you certainly do not want to be using a 10 weight rod.  Trust me, i fished a tiny stream out West for brookies once with a 9 ft 5wt rod and it was a circus - a miserably tangled, tree-hung, and high-hooked debacle, not to mention there was grizzly poo all around me and no phone service for miles!   Even still, I have caught many rainbow trout with an 8 wt rod, but a 4-5 wt is more than capable of handling the  lot and the occasional trophy swirling about the other end of your leader at any given time.  It is often said that a 5 wt. rod is the most versatile size, so it is a great starting point.    

If you are just starting out as a fly angler for trout, you should lean toward a rod in the 3-5wt range.  Anything above a 5 wt may in most circumstances be more suited for steelhead, bass, or something of larger size.  On the other hand, if you are tossing a tarpon pattern in the salt water flats, you will probably want at least a ten weight.  

Next time, I will discuss the fly line, leader, rod balance.  This is important if you plan on being an effective fly caster and want to catch as many fish as possible.  So not only do you need to have the right size rod, but you also need to have it rigged with the corresponding line size AND the appropriate leader for the method of fishing you are undertaking, i.e., fishing dries, nymphs, streamers and so forth.  

Use coupon code STREAMTEAM for streamers in the shop and/or DEEPSOUTHTEAM for shirts and see what happens! ;)

Thanks for reading,

-Daniel

Where Did the Fish Go?

Spring has begun here in the Deep South and the fish are starting to move faster and more aggressively.  Even so, during this time of year there is often another wintry blast or two left in mother nature's repertoire.  

Cool weather strikes back, and we wonder where the fish have gone.  They're practically jumping in your net one day, but then the very next day it seems they've packed their bags and high-tailed it some warmer, far away waters.  

Good news: the fish are still there, they're just down deeper and more sluggish.  It's exactly times like this when you just might hook a personal record.  So when the fish have slowed down and seem to have stopped biting, fish the water all the more thoroughly.  While they may not be actively feeding, you can bet they will stand their ground in the instance of a threat, which leads us to the point of this post. 

It's little known that larger bass will often strike close to home as a territorial move rather than in pursuit of a meal. They're hunkered down under that boulder or log lying deep in the pool, keeping a low profile and conserving their energy until the warmth of spring returns.  

This is the time to fish most thoroughly.  Work that streamer as close as you can get it to home - a place where even the oldest and wisest bass ought to be relaxed and feel safe.  If you take him off guard with a large, deep-diving fly pattern, he may very well move into attack mode, seeking to crush any threat to his safe little secret spot.  

In a sense, there's a line the bass has drawn around its post, and, if you cross it, you may get a powerful take - one you won't forget.  Often the best fish are caught in the worst circumstances.  

Thanks for reading.

Tight lines,

Daniel

6 Essential Tips for Casting and Presentation

Lets get the rundown on the cast (now, I do realize it is taught in many forms and fashions by various instructors and veteran anglers, but I believe the technique I discuss below to be among the best).

So you're ready to start slinging that brightly colored string back and forth with your rod, right?  Well it's not exactly that simple.

I will only assume you know how to hold the rod from here. If you are reading this, you more than likely understand the general concept of fly casting (especially after reading the above paragraph).  You rather gently GENTLY NOW! swinging your rod back and forth in front of you and behind you, allowing the line to begin to straighten and present your fly to your target. The following rules describe the techniques you should begin with and should always remember if things start to get sloppy.

1. The Rod/Forearm Continuum. Your rod is one with your forearm and your elbow is planted firmly down toward your waist at your side.  Remember:  It is NOT all in the wrist.  Allow your wrist to bend as much as is natural so you don't look frozen or like a robot, but do not rely on your wrist to cast.  The motion is in your forearm.  You want to pretend that, within reason, your forearm and your fly rod are fused together - your arm is part of the rod and your rod is part of your arm.  They are continuous.
2. The Eleven and One Rule.  You generally do not want to allow your rod (including your forearm) to move past the two o'clock or the ten o'clock position in behind you and in front of you, respectively.  If your line is slapping the water in front of you or behind you and you are only casting a few feet, then you should pay close attention to whether you are following the Eleven and One Rule.
3. Hauling.  As you begin to cast the line back and forth in rhythm behind you and in front of you, with each cast behind, or "back cast," you want to "haul" or pull more line out of the reel so that when you come forward the line will extend further toward your target.  Note: there is something called the double haul in which you pull out line during both your front and back casts, but it is more advanced.  We will stick with the basics for now.
4. Let the Line Straighten Out in the Air.  LOOK OUT FOR THE TREE! When casting, always let the line completely straighten out both in front of you and behind you.  This way it will "lay" out on the water in front of the fish and not wad or curl up, which would create an unnatural and unwelcome sight on the surface to any fish below.  If you let the line straighten IN THE AIR out in front of you and behind you and follow the other rules above, the line should "lay" out in front of you instead of slapping the water and scaring the fish away.
5. Pin the Fly Line to the Grip of the Rod with Your Index Finger.  After you have completed your cast to your target spot, ALWAYS pin the line to the cork grip with the index finger of your dominant hand (or casting hand).  You must KEEP your finger there. If you don't do this, you could miss a fish biting because the slack in your line is not pulled tight. Here's a secret: many anglers do not put this rule into practice, even some more advanced ones.  So you are ahead of the game already.
6. The Mend.  This is one of the most important practices to keep in mind right after casting.  The fish generally will not bite a fly that is drifting at an unnatural pace through the current.  For instance, if there is slack in your fly line drifting through the fastest part of the current and your fly is in the slower part of the current, the fly line will start to pull the fly at an unnaturally fast pace.  This can often be prevented or "mended" by lifting the tip of your rod up and flipping the slack between you and your fly against the current, or upstream. In other words all this does is flip the slack in your line up past the fly so the fly drifts properly and isn't pulled rapidly downstream (with the current) by a wad or loop of slack in your fly line.  You want your fly to drift along at the current's pace as a natural fly or other bug would.  This technique can often be the difference in catching fish and scaring them all away.

I hope you have enjoyed and learned from this post.  For my next post, I plan to provide a glossary of important terms, i.e., the basic parts of the rod, line, leader, backing, tippet, and reel.  Soon after that I will go on to discuss equipment essentials; rod types and rod weight or sizes; different types of flies, their uses and what they represent; and later move onto more advanced fishing strategies and techniques, product reviews, fish species and popular fishing locations.  In the future I will be posting audio, video and image content related to each topic, as well as an update to this post soon.  Thanks for reading.

From the water's edge,

Daniel Tackett

Founder,

Deep South Angler