Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Choosing Your First Fly Rod For Trout

Updated 6/2022

Are you new to fly fishing? Do you need some help with that first trout outfit? I will attempt to simplify it for you with this little write up.

The most versatile trout rod is no doubt a 9’ 5 weight fly rod. You will have a 9’ 5 wt. in your quiver for the rest of your life. There are a lot of rods to choose from and it can be very confusing. It is also very easy to get the wrong equipment, which makes learning a nightmare.

The biggest mistake beginners make is they think they will not benefit from better equipment. This is false. It is much easier to learn to cast, and cast more efficiently, the better a rod and line work together. You will also save some money down the road if you start out with good equipment, instead of constantly buying new equipment and doing little upgrades.

When choosing a rod you want an action that is easy to cast but still has enough power when conditions demand it. The action of a rod, or the taper, is where the major flex point of the rod is. The slower the rod is (flex point is closer to the cork) the easier a rod is to cast. The faster a rod is (flex point is closer to the tip) the harder a rod is to cast. These tapers range from Slow to Ultra Fast. In today's rods I generally like to start someone with a Medium Fast to Fast rod. Matched with the right line, a rod like this is very versatile. So with that said how do we know the action of the rod? Many rod companies list their tapers, in which not always are those tapers standard with the rest of the industry. Most anglers shake the rod and look at the flex point, this DOES NOT WORK on today's rods. A rod using a more efficient material may not flex much under its own weight, but may flex deep when a fly line is put on it. Really this is where finding someone that knows their stuff about fly rods pays off.

Once you find rods with the right type of action for you now it is time to know the difference between all the different price levels. The biggest factor in cost is how efficient the material to build the rod is, this is really how advanced the technology is. Generally the more advanced the technology in the material, the more expensive the rod. What does this material do? There are many great benefits to better materials used in a fly rod, but the biggest is ease of casting. The more efficient the material is, the more power, accuracy and most of all, the more feedback you get out of a rod. This all makes learning to cast easier.

Keep this in mind on rods, a decent low end rod today is around $99.99. If you go with the newest and best rod available you can spend as much as $1100.00. About every $200.00 you spend over that low end rod you will see a big technology difference that you can really feel. $50.00 jumps generally don’t gain you much.

Fly lines will make or break today's rods. Put the wrong fly line on a great rod and the rod will not cast very easy. Without getting deep into the hundreds of different tapers in lines available today, I will just say matching the right line to the right rod is huge. Trust in qualified, experienced fly shop staff to help you through this process.

Reels are important but should be the last part of a trout outfit that money is spent. Don’t get me wrong I believe in high quality reels. Good reels last longer and they are smoother, but the rod and line should be first priority. If you purchase a high quality rod and still have enough in the budget to get a really good rod then do so, you won’t be sorry.

Here are a few of our top picks for all around 9’ 5 weight 4 pieces fly rod outfits. Many of these we put together ourselves and have chosen these for their value to performance and ease of casting. Are there other rods/outfits, yes we sell thousands of different rods of which they all have their purpose and place. If you don’t see the rod or outfit you are looking for check with us, we probably have it and can help you with it.

Trav