Page 1 of 1

Fast or moderate-fast action?

Posted: Mon May 05, 2003 9:47 pm
by bitesize
Ok, I am no fly fisherman, but I have tried casting a few.
I have noticed that fast action fly rods are much better than the softer
tip ones. Why do they even have moderate fast tips?
I tried a Loomis GLX(FAST) and GL3(Mod-FAST).
As a beginner, maybe the mod-fast is more forgiving, but I found it harder to cast. The fast tip makes the line go when and where I want it to go. Just wondering

Re: Fast or moderate-fast action?

Posted: Mon May 05, 2003 11:48 pm
by Buzz
All beginners will agree with you that fast action rods are easier to cast. Even experts like stif rods when punching flies through wind, or far.

However there are many situations when having a more forgiving rod is beneficail! For example, fishing with a softer tip allow you to really wrench on those hook sets without fear of breaking off. This is good if you have to drop down to small test to catch fish.

It is also good to fish soft action rods when fishing for smaller fish in the 12-14" range because they feel bigger and you can literally feel their every twitch because the rod is so much more sensitive.

Even though you have trouble casting with soft action rods now, in time you can learn to slow down your speed and let the line have more time to load. THis is much more "fundemental" and is proper. With fast action rods you can get away with sub-standard technique, but soft action rods will expose your weaknesses if you have any.

Hope this helps. What rods have you fished with??

Tight lines

Re: Fast or moderate-fast action?

Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 3:55 pm
by Brookie
Exactly what I would have said. :wink:

If you're doing mainly saltwater fly fishing, fast is probably the best
because you have to fight the wind, shoot heavy line, and it will help you get the distance, at least for me it has.

Small streams, the softer tip is a lot more fun!