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

POWER PROBLEM

The problem is not that fast-action rods exist. The problem is that marketers and manufacturers quickly learned that power sounds cool, and sells rods. For the past 20 years, they’ve been promoting ever-faster rods, while subtly suggesting that medium-action is for wimps and novices. As a result, many anglers have ended up with rods that are hard to cast, with power they don’t need and will never use.

I’m not suggesting the friendly staff in your local fly shop are ripping you off, like sleazy 1980s speaker salesmen. They’re often expert casters who love fast-action rods, and that enthusiasm can be contagious. Also, it’s easy to think a powerful rod will make you a better caster. It won’t. Unless you work hard at it, and take some lessons, powerful rods make you worse. I’m a pretty capable caster, for example, but only two of my 10 fly rods are fast-action; one is my back-up stick for trophy pike and bonefish, and the other is for tarpon. The rest are all medium or medium-fast.

Sure, medium doesn’t get you a million hits on social media—the middle of the road just isn’t sexy. But for most Canadian fly anglers, that’s where you should be. If you’re just starting out, avoid any rod advertised as powerful, and look for an easy-casting (and often less expensive) medium. And if you’ve been fly fishing for a while, but casting is still a struggle, get your hands on a medium-action rod and give it a try. You just might discover you’re a lot better at fly casting than you thought.