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Buying a new fly rod can be a big investment, and you're on track if you're on this site reading fly rod reviews first! Search out as many reviews as you can before you buy, but there is one very important step that no online review can give you. That's spending time casting the rod you're thinking about purchasing. With the internet today and all the online fly shops out there, it's easy to get carried away and get your credit card out to buy a fly rod online. That's fine if you've done your homework, read fly rod reviews online and off, studied the different manufacturers and most importantly, practiced casting with the rod you're thinking about buying.
Before you buy online, make sure to hit a local fly shop and ask to cast a rod. I'd like to inject that if you're thinking about buying a rod online, and you're at the shop, consider buying from the local fly shop. These guys exist because of gear sales and people like you stopping by there shop and picking up supplies. We need these shops around to help us read the local waters, display gear and best of all provide an environment where we can get together and chat about fly fishing. Most owners will be more than happy to line up a rod and take you out back to cast the rod. If their price is higher than a website you found, simply explain that you're going to buy the rod online because the local shop's price is "x" higher than the online shop's price.
With the internet today, we get a false sense of security in buying online. We read fly rod reviews that might not be an honest opinion, but a bought one. You have to read fly rod reviews from some sites with a grain of salt. Some are good, some aren't. One thing is for sure, when you hold the rod in your hand and cast it for the first time, you know if it's the rod for you or not.
