How To Choose A Fly Rod For Trout Fishing
In fly-fishing, the rod, reel and line is chosen according to the size of the fish you'll be catching; combined with the conditions under which you will be fishing. For example; the rod for trout fly-fishing is going to be different than that of bonefish fishing, and a bass fly-fishing rod is going to be different yet again. There is a science and logic to matching up a rod, reel and fly line. Weight class is used to categorize fly-fishing rods, reels and fly-lines. The theory goes, the higher the weight number of the rod the bigger the fish the rod can handle. For example a 2wgt would be ideal for small brookies, a 4, 5, or 6 weight for regular trout, and 8, 9, or 10 weight for steelhead or salmon; depending on which species of course.
I'm going to assume the rod to be chosen will be used to fly-fish for trout in the mountain west; mainly in wholesale fiberglass multiaxial , Wyoming, Montana, Utah and or New Mexico. I have been fishing those waters for over 40 years, and can confidently say; most of the fish that are caught will be in the range of 13 to 18 inches; (one to three lbs), and more often than not the wind will be blowing. There are places where you can catch trout (and lots of them) from 20 to 26 inches;( three to eight lbs). Once in a while, if you're really lucky; you might even hook up with a trout over 10 lbs. However, to do that would mean a guided trip and/or a specific location where the fish are known to reside (a private lake or river section for example).
Bamboo rods are wonderful for spring creek fishing. They were the first of the fly rods and are still highly prized as fly fishing rods today. A good modern day bamboo fly rod has the most incredible feel for delivering a dry fly of any of the fly rods sold today. However, bamboo rods are the most expensive of all the fly-fishing rods ranging in cost from $1200 to $3000 per rod. It's not the kind of rod you want to loose in a river, or accidentally break by stepping on it or getting it caught in a car door.











