Fly Rods : Guide to Slow Action Fly Rods

Slow Action Fly Rods or Full Flex Fly Rods

A slow action fly rod, as the name suggests, is a fly rod that has slow action. This means that the rod is very flexible. While not as flexible as a spaghetti noodl, the difference in flexibility between a slow action rod and a fast action rod is very significant. In the real world, what this means is that when casting, a slow action rod will bend significantly for most of it's length - almost resembling a shallow U shape at the height of the backcast.

Slow action fly rods, as they do not generate high line speeds due to their flexibility, are designed for anglers who need to make short and very accurate and gentle casts. As such, slow action fly rods are ideal for fly fishing smaller rivers, spring creeks and other areas that require anglers to make short and accurate casts.

Additionally, slow action fly rods excel in another area - protecting light tippets. All too often, many of the best trout streams have some of the most difficult fish to catch. As a result, very light tippets are needed to fool these trout. As any angler who has used light tippets knows, it is all to easy for the fly to part company with a light tippet.

Slow action fly rods are designed to alleviate some of this problem. The tremendous flexibility of a slow action fly rod allows some of the strain that would otherwise be put on a tippet during a fish strike to be transferred to the rod itself. Because of this, when using very light tippets (in the range of 6x and 7x), a slow action fly rod can prevent many a lost fish due to tippet breakage.

Slow action fly rods are also an excellent fly rod for beginners. The flexibility of the fly rod and the slow line speed allows beginner anglers to have very good control of the fly line, allowing for more accurate casts by inexperienced anglers.

Listed below are the advantages and disadvantages of using a slow action fly rod.

Advantages of a Slow Action Fly Rod

• Protect Light Tippets - Slow action fly rods are ideal when an angler is using very light tippets.
   
• Very Forgiving - Beginner anglers will enjoy the forgiving nature of these fly rods and the greater control these fly rods provide for inexperienced anglers.
   
• Short Casts - Anglers who need to make short casts will find slow action fly rods excellent choices. The flexible nature of the fly rod allows for easier - and more accurate - short casts to be made.
   
• Smaller Fish are Fun to Catch - The flexible nature of the fly rod makes catching even smaller fish a lot of fun. Even a 12 inch trout can seem like a monster on a slow action fly rod - although obviously it is more tiring on the fish itself since it takes longer to bring them in.

Disadvantages of a Slow Action Fly Rod

• Slow Line Speed - Anglers who need to make long casts will not want to use a slow action fly rod. The slower line speed of these rods prevents the angler - unless they are very experienced - from making real long casts.
   
• Fishing in Windy Conditions - During windy conditions, slow action fly rods can be a real bear to cast.
   
• Versatility - Slow action fly rods are ideal for many situations, but lack the all around versatility that medium action fly rods do. In short, if you can only own one fly rod and want that fly rod to be able to perform well in a wide range of conditions, a medium action fly rod is a better choice.

So, you've read all these articles about fly rod flex and action and are still confused? Fear not, our Fly Rod Action Summary page puts up some recommendations on what type of flex or action you want in a fly rod. We'll then plow further into the murky world of fly rods.

• Fly Rod Action Explained
• Fast Action Fly Rods
• Medium Action Fly Rods
• Fly Rod Action Summary

Return to Fly Rod Buyers Guide

Top of Page