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If you are like most rod builders and fly rod anglers, blank actions and the terminology to describe them can be a bit confusing to say the least. In the past, most blank manufactures and suppliers have given us a nice chart to look at that shows how a fast action blank might bend compared to a medium fast action blank etc. Charts are nice, but what does it really mean?
The design team at Batson Enterprises recognized this issue and decided to tackle it head on. Here are the results. At Batson’s, we have used four different terms to define our fly rod blank actions. Extra-Fast, Fast, Medium Fast and Moderate fast. Now let’s elaborate a bit and clear this up.
Extra Fast: When we deflect the blank the upper 20% of the blank flexes, the area below this stays pretty straight (i.e. stiff) If you pick up and shake an extra fast fly rod blank it will feel very stiff, with just a touch of play (flex) in the tip area of the blank. Extra fast rod blanks superb for making long casts and fishing in windy conditions. They are very powerful, and will pick up lots of line off the water, and pick up sinking lines very well. They do not cast short distances with much feel or line control. Extra fast blanks require a very short casting stroke, and really require that the caster be able to carry 40+ feet of fly line in the air.
Fast: When we deflect the blank the upper 30% of the blank flexes. The bottom 70% stays pretty straight. If you pick up and shake the blank it feels pretty stiff, but with a bit more play in the tip area of the rod blank than the extra fast rod. Many saltwater and experienced freshwater fly anglers prefer fast action rods. They offer more line control and feel on shorter casts than the extra fast models, yet still have the power to pick up lots of line and to make long casts. Fast action blanks require a fairly short casting stroke.
Medium Fast: When we deflect the blank the upper 35% of the blank flexes. The bottom 65% stays pretty straight. When you shake this blank it will feel like it is flexing about a third of the way down the blank. When casting it will have more feel with less line out than the faster models. It will be easier for most to make short accurate casts with this blank action as opposed to the faster designs. It still has the power to make most casts, this style blank requires a medium length casting stroke. This is a great all around action for many fishing applications.
Moderate Fast: When we deflect the blank the upper 40% of the blank flexes and the bottom 60% stays pretty straight. If you shake this blank it will feel soft all the way through the middle of the blank. The minute you start to cast you will feel the fly line. This action is great for shorter casting distances and for anglers that like to feel the fly line throughout the cast. It will however still cast far enough for the vast majority of fishing situations. This is a great action for smaller stream and pond/lake fishing. This action also protects light tippets really well. To make longer casts it requires a long smooth casting stroke.
What does it all mean? All of these actions work very well. Which one is best for you is hard to say. We feel it is best to choose a blank for the fishing you do the most, or maybe for a particular application. There is no magic bullet here; no one action is perfect for everything. Everyone is different, and everyone fishes in many different environments. Our advice is to buy more than one; then you can cover a wider range of situations and applications. |
Fly Terminology
