Fly Rods and Line Friction Prevention

A fishing rod is a fishing rod is a fishing rod, right? Yeah and a golf club is a golf club is a golf club. Fishing rods may all seem the same, but they are just as unique as golf clubs are.

Even if you do not play golf, you know a putter and driver are two entirely different clubs for two entirely different situations. One is for handling the fine work around the hole and the other is for working out the stress in your life by swinging with all your might!

Fishing rods have the same element of specialization. A bait casting rod is distinctly different from a fly rod. A basic glance at each makes the distinction generally clear, but a closer inspection of a fly rod fleshes out the differences.

The first difference is the grip. Fly fishing involves an entirely different casting technique than bait casting. This can result in friction on your hand. To prevent this, the fly rod has a longer grip area usually built with a less abrasive cork material.

The other major differences with the rod deal with the issue of friction. A thinner line is typically used with a bait casting or spinner rod. The line typically gets a lot less wear and tear, so the rod has few attributes to deal with friction issues.

A fly rod, on the other hand, is designed with a lot of thought given to the issue of friction. The problem that arises is the fly line is much thicker and is sent out and pulled back repeatedly as fly fishing is basically repetitive casting.

Subtlety is the name of the game. The first thing to note is the strip guide is ceramic instead of metal. This is the first loop off the reel. This will cut down on the heat, but also limits the length of the cast.

Continuing on this theme, the wire guides on the remaining of the rod are not loops as you see with most rods. Traditional spinner rods use simple metal loops for the wire guides.

Wire guides on fly rods serve two purposes. One is to guide the line, but the other is to cut the friction and heat damage to the line. This is done by converting the loops into spirals aptly called snake guides.

Fly fishing can be frustrating when you first start out. Trust me, it will become easier and be fun. Understanding the design of the rod is the first step in that transition.