Oh, the world of fast fly rods ...
Gink & Gasoline
They can be great tools. Some of my favorite rods are most definitely faster than your “average joe” rod.
But what about for the beginning angler? Or someone trying to work the kinks out of their casting stroke? Is a fast rod the best thing for this angler?
Personally, I believe that fiberglass rods are the best fly rods for a beginning angler to learn the mechanics of the fly cast, and how a proper fly cast should feel. Many of the faster fly rods on the market these days are unforgiving to the beginner. These rods require powerful strokes/hauls and quicker tempos that are often hard for a beginning fly caster to achieve. In my opinion, it steepens the learning curve and can hinder one’s ability to become a proficient caster. Fiberglass rods require you to slow things down. Way down. This allows you to improve the timing of your casting stroke and work on the fundamentals. There’s more time between your backcast and forward strokes to perfect your hauls, line shooting, and accuracy. And it’s much easier to diagnose those pesky yips in your cast.
Don’t have a glass rod? Don’t want to buy one? Here’s a way to slow down your own fly rod. Click here to view more.