Fly Fishing Rod Action

Video Transcript

"Ok, next thing you'll hear people talking about when you go to buy your rod is rod action, and that usually just refers to how stiff the rod is; the faster the action, the stiffer the rod. Some rods will actually have it marked on it, like this one here, where it says mid, that's mid flex. Which means the rod is going to flex up towards the middle of the rod, when you shake the rod. Usually, that's how you determine the rod action. You can grab a rod and shake it, and if it's very flexible, that means it has a slow action. If it's not very flexible, that means it has a faster action. Most rods are going to be slow, medium or fast action and there are all kinds of different variations in between those three designations, but that's usually what you're thinking. Most of the time, you want to get something that's probably medium action or maybe even a fast action for a beginner. The more flexible the rod is, the less forgiving it is and the stiffer the rod is, usually the more forgiving it is, especially with a beginner or if you have to do some really aggressive casting actions."