Fast=Bad?

[beachbum]

Most of my rods are mid flex. That suits my style. It's all about loading the rod to cast, and how it fights fish, which are two completely different criteria. That being said, I would fish a broomstick if it was all I had!

[briansII]

When you say forums I take it you mean mostly Trout forums.
Fast rods + salt water = good and the salt water forums will echo that notion.

Personally I'm all over the place when it comes to fly fishing (Trout to Tuna) and my rod selection, tapers reflect that.

I like to make up my mind for myself about what works or doesn't work and have no problem fishing the exact opposite of what the forums or industry say I should be fishing.

As long as I'm having fun challenging myself you could hand me a broomstick or a wet noodle of a rod and I'll fish it. jon

Thanks for all the feedback fellas. Good stuff!!

Hip, you make a good point. Definitely depends on the forum. Non specific, fly fishing forums was my main point. I do read forums where they praise faster rods like Xi3s, Crosscurrents and TCXs. To read other forums, you'd think you broke some Golden Rule by using one. On the flip side, you would be told you are under gunned with a softer, lighter(7wt and under)rod.

Like most, I have a full range from noodley, to broomstick rods. I don't get to the small creeks much anymore, but when I do, I tend to like softer rods. Not because I think they present a fly softer.....my creeks the fish are not super spooky, but just because it feels right to me. For my river fishing, I usually go with a faster rod. There are times I make max distance casts to reach fish. I find that the hookup percentage is low, but I really enjoy testing my limits. Over 5wt, the number of softer rods go way down. I still like softer rods for _some_ of my LMB fishing, but most of my heavier stuff is pretty stiff. I will be throwing over 420 grains of fly line on a 9wt this weekend, and lovin' every minute of it.....Advil for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Norcal Bob nailed it. Of course there's nothing wrong with any action rod. I guess my point was, the inconsistency I see in fly fishing forums. I blame Ray for my deeper than normal look at this.

briansII

[rayfound]

I blame Ray for my deeper than normal look at this.

briansII

Nothing wrong with a little soul searching. Its good to feel consistent in your views.