Fly Rods at John Norris

Fly rods are very thin and highly flexible fishing rods usually made from modern man made composite materials such as fibreglass, cane, or carbon/graphite and are designed to cast fishing flies out into rivers and lakes to catch fish.

Depending upon the size of the fish to be caught and where you are fishing , fly rods come in a variety of sizes too. Each fly rod is not only sized to the fish, but also the wind and water conditions and to a particular weight of fly line: larger and heavier line sizes will cast heavier, larger fishing flies.

Fly rods are generally between 2m (6.5ft) long in freshwater fishing and up to 4.5m (15ft) long for two-handed fishing when it comes to Salmon.

Fly rods taper from one end to the other and the amount of taper determines how much of the fly rod flexes when it is under stress. The more fly rods tend to flex the 'slower' the fly rods generally are. Slower fly rods are easier to cast, deposit the fishing flies in a much lighter fashion but create a larger loop on the forward cast that reduces the overall casting distance and is often left open to the effects of wind.

Fast action fly rods allow the angler to feel and therefore control what the fly line is doing quite easily. This is because only the very tips of the fast fly rods bend; when a fish strikes the angler has ample fly rod shaft and backbone to set the hook correctly.

Looking at the opposite, slow flex fly rods give the angler advantages when catching bigger fish with light fishing line. This additional flex allows slower fly rods to absorb the force of the line.

Many of the top names in fly rods are available on the John Norris site. Brands such as Daiwa, Greys, Hardy and more have produced a range of smooth, fast and versatile fly rods for a wide skill set of anglers (experienced to novice).