“Every rod will cast dry flies but some do it better.” The contemporary version of a dry fly rod employs an accurate but soft, supple tip combined with a stiffer butt. Fishing dry flies often means fishing lighter leaders to rising fish. A good dry fly rod has a soft, supple tip section that absorbs the runs and head-shakes of big trout while protecting those delicate tippets. Combine this tip with a stiffer butt section that aids in casting as well as handles the playing and landing of the fish. For a rod builder this means a taper with a steeper rise. The taper configuration needs will be slightly different for a small stream rod fishing pocket water vs a larger water rod requiring longer casts. For the angler, caution must be taken when playing and landing larger fish to employ the mid and butt rather than just the tip to help prevent tip fatigue.
If you haven’t fished with a bamboo fly rod, then you may be wondering what all the buzz is about. Isn’t bamboo old technology, something to hang on the wall and admire but they certainly can’t complete with today’s modern graphite rods, can they? Don’t you need special lines with bamboo? Aren’t they made for fly fishing snobs to impress their buddies? Besides aren’t bamboo rods too delicate, too heavy, too expensive, too slow, too, too, too…