The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Why a slow action vs. medium action vs. fast action?

The "action" part is understood, but which rod do you use for a particular technique or method of presenting a bug?

Or...

Which rod should/could be used for a particular method, stream, bug, line design, casting stroke, line weight,...etc?

Got the new rod fever...and need to do my part to keep the economy moving forward!

There are many reasons to choose a rod of a particular action, the most important in my opinion is finding one that matches your casting stroke. I feel that a medium action rod is usually best for a beginner to learn on as they are slower allowing for proper form to develop, you can feel the rod loading up, and they are somewhat more forgiving then a faster (or perhaps even a slower) action rod.

Additionally, slow to medium action rods are usefull for delicate presentations and protecting lighter tippets; e.g. tiny dry flies and spring creeks. Faster action rods generate higher line speeds that can cut through wind, turn over larger/heavier flies and sink tips, and cast greater distances.

My advice is to cast as many rods as you can and find one that feels right to you; many fly shops will let you do this before you buy. Also, I believe it can be counterproductive for someone just starting out to have multiple/too many rods as it can interfere with the development of their cast.

Marc P.

For dry flies I prefer a medium action. But for throwing nymphs with weights and indicators I use a fast action. I have 50+ years worth of bad habits, and I've never gotten the right rhythm with fast action for dries. I first learned to cast on a bamboo rod. Cane = slow. I don't know of any graphites that are slow action, maybe glass.

Of course, go to your local shop and ask to try out several different styles. Don't know where you live, but here in Sacramento the three shops here are most helpful.

Hope this helps.

El Rey

As far as graphite goes, you won't have to worry about "slow" action, as there really aren't any slow-action graphite rods, because of the characteristics of the material itself.

"Fast" rods put a lot of energy into the line and create small, tight loops when casting. They are good for line control while nymphing, and can turn over a roll-cast easily.

Moderate rods split the difference between "fast" and "slow", providing the ability to create fast line speeds, but also to slow down the cast for more sensitive presentations.

Bamboo and Fiberglass are typically associated with "slow" action. But do not fall into the common mis-interpretation of "slow" as "worse", or "old-fashioned". There are plenty of reasons and places to use a slower action rod (and surprisingly, you can buy bamboo and fiberglass rods that are nearly fast-actioned). I use fiberglass a lot and I really like the fish-fighting characteristics, as with a more flexible tip the fish is much less likely to break you off, the tip acting like a shock absorber. (they are great for steelheading...shhh). The bad thing about fiberglass rods is that you really can't find modern ones. I build them myself from blanks from a few makers, and like to use single foot guides with light finish. These are some seriously fine rods for high-Sierra trout streams, and you would be surprised at how light and sensitive they are. With a fiberglass rod it is possible to land the fly on the water with virtually no impact, a great asset when fishing slow water for spooky fish.

Buzz

There are a few "slow" graphite rods out there - from the early days of graphite. The old dark gray "The Walton Powell" rods built on the Cantner blanks are most definitely slow action rods. And the advice in the previous post on fiberglass for steelhead is spot on. And there quite a few quality older fiberglass rods out there on the secondary market (ebay, craigslist etc). The market goes up and down on those. Right now, with the economy down, the classic fly rod market is a bit depressed - it's a great time to buy. Another thing to keep in mind on this subject...if you are fishing older rods realize the line guides are smaller. With the newer (wthin the last 10 years or so) fast and crazy ass fast rods the line guides are bigger. The newer fly lines are larger in diameter - these trends go hand in hand. The lines have been increased in diameter to increase the "heft" of the line (and increase loading capability for these faster rods) while maintaining the tapers and specs for a given "weight" of line (5 wt, 7 wt etc). If you are fishing an older rod with a fancy new fly line, you're casting performance will suffer. There are 2 line brands I've found that have not gone that way and maintain a more old school diameter profile. These are the Wulff Traingle Taper lines and the Scientific Anglers head start lines. The head start lines are cheaper and designed for beginers and so are not hefted up. And the Triangle Taper is great design and are just flat awesome and work so well with older rods. But they are a bit more pricey.

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I was looking around for old rods (like I always do) and I came across this on craigslist. There a couple of rods in there that would make excellent inexpensive steelhead rods. Just realize the fiberglass action is going to be a bit slow...

http://chi....org/spo/1565676820.html

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