Want to improve your fly casting? Ditch that “powerful” rod

UNDERSTANDING ACTION

The key factor in a fly rod’s casting performance is its action—how much it flexes during a cast. Actions are generally described as slow, medium or fast. Deep-flexing, slow-action rods are a holdover from the bamboo era. They don’t cast far, they’re hopeless in the wind, and they’re only used by a few fanciers who follow the old ways (see “Bamboo bamboozle” below).

Thanks to modern materials such as graphite and carbon fibre, today’s fly rods range from medium-action to extra-fast. For the vast majority of Canadian fly anglers—and all beginners—the right choice is a medium-action rod. These are do-it-all rods that can easily cast mid-sized flies up 40 feet, with a blend of zing and delicacy, even in the wind. And because you can see and feel the way medium rods flex, they’re easier to learn on. They’re also forgiving of a less-than-perfect technique.

Stiff, fast-action rods are powerful. They’re usually not very accurate, but they’ll throw 50, 60 or 80 feet of line and deliver large flies in extreme conditions. They let anglers make long casts on blustery Caribbean flats, hurl 12-inch muskie flies, and experience other exciting niche fisheries. Powerful, fast-action rods are very hard to use, however, unless you have excellent technique and timing, and you’ve mastered the advanced casting skill of double-hauling.

FUN FACT: BAMBOO BAMBOOZLE

In case you ever wondered, the astonishing casting feats that Brad Pitt’s character, Paul Maclean, accomplished with a bamboo rod in A River Runs Through It are essentially impossible. The so-called shadow casts were actually performed by a double, expert fly angler Jason Borger, who stood in for most of the casting scenes in the 1992 movie.