Sage - Scott - Winston - G Loomis - Hardy - Bamboo - Spey
Fly rods
Your untrained eyes are no match for the guide's. He points and speaks softly, directing your cast. This is it. Fifty feet, just to the left of the mangrove. You think you pick up a glimpse of a the bonefish's reflection as the cast begins. Instinctively gauging the range, you add a double haul for extra distance. The loop is formed like the airfoil of a jet wing, and it unfurls like poetry. The fly lands perfectly just the right distance from the cruising fish. This is what you have practiced over and over for, this is what you paid all that money for, and now you are ready.
The fly rod is the defining element in any tackle ensemble. It is the angler's primary tool, a synthesis of functionality and art. The right rod gives you everything you need to make the cast, set the hook and finally land the fish. And it does so with a high degree of craftsmanship that adds to the experience of fish on the fly.
Line Weight
Start by asking yourself what type of fishing you're doing. Will you be chasing big salt-water species like tarpon or permit? Or will you be delicately presenting a fly to sipping trout in spring-creek clarity?
Generally speaking, the weight of a fly line is proportionate to the size of the species you're pursuing. If you are fishing for smaller fish with smaller flies, a lighter line weight will allow you to present the fly more accurately. However, if you are going after big fish, a heavier line is important for turning over larger flies in the wind and casting greater distances.
Also, considering what type of fly line best matches your fly rod and the type of fishing you're doing is essential to maximize your performance. How to Choose a Fly Line
The fish are moving. Unfortunately, so is the wind. You had already missed a couple of strikes because you hadn't heard the set command over the howling in your ears. And with those thunderheads in the distance, things aren't looking much better. Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes of fishing left. There, close enough for you to get a cast in, the guide points. Forty, maybe forty-five feet. Concentrating, you pull every last graphite fiber taught and slice a tight loop into the twenty-knot wind.
Action
Fly rods are characterized by where the rod flexes. A "fast action" fly rod flexes near the tip, and a "slow action" rod flexes near the 
butt of the rod with "medium action" somewhere in between. Action determines the tempo of your casting stroke. It also determines the ability of your rod to generate line speed, a term for how quickly the loop travels away from the rod tip. As it takes less effort to cast farther and more accurately with a fast action rod, beginning casters are often best fit with this action.
Length
The type of water and fishing determines fly rod length. Smaller streams mean tighter casting situations, and a shorter rod is much more manageable. Big Western rivers and salt water require a longer rod for increased distance and power. While, anglers fishing for steelhead and salmon commonly prefer longer rods for large mends and roll casts. Generally speaking, a nine-foot rod is ideal for the vast majority of fishing situations. If you are new to the sport, this length will perform effectively in a variety of waters and will allow for a solid development of your fly cast.
You hadn't seen the take, but you had felt it. A slight bump, transmitted up the line to the rod and then amplified to your hand. The set had been instinctual. And now, the fish is shaking its head and the trembling shoots down your rod like a nerve signal.
Construction
The best fly rods are put together with the utmost care. Construction determines how 
efficiently the rod transfers the energy of the caster through the rod to the fly. A poorly constructed rod is not efficient and will not directly transmit the energy generated by the caster to the fly line, often resulting in a "wobble" at the end of the casting stroke. This wobbling transfers to the line resulting in a weaker, less accurate cast. The better the construction of a rod, the more efficient it is, and the more accurate and powerful it will be at all distances.
The quality of construction is directly related to the type of graphite used to make it. As a general rule, the higher the modulus (a term indicating how much graphite is present in the rod), the better the graphite. Quality rod makers are continually searching and redefining the right amount and type of graphite to make their rods even better. Translation: just the right amount of modulus graphite will make a higher performance rod. Rods that use modern aerospace grades of graphite such as Type III and IIIe will transfer the most energy with the greatest degree of ease. These types of graphite also allow for the best accuracy.
There was something about this rod. Nothing you could easily put into words. Responsiveness. A feedback, perhaps. How it picks up line. The resistance of the give and take. The precise way it forms a loop. The way the loop travels out. Poetry in motion. This is the soul of a rod.
Quality and Soul
Not all fly fishing rods are created equal. The best rod manufacturers are on the cutting edge of rod design and construction. Not only do they couple the highest-grade materials with the greatest precision in rod making, but also they have achieved an unprecedented level of artistry in their rods. Fly fishers speak of a "soul" in a rod, a quality present in all great fly rods. Jerry Siem of Sage describes the soul of his rods as "smooth precision:" a measure of responsiveness that indicates the efficiency of a pared-down rod. Jim Bartschi of Scott rods points to the imminent fishability of Scott rods. Not simply felt in the cast, the soul of a Scott rod is found in the overall fishing experience. Winston rods are uncompromising in their quality, flexing with the "Winston action" in all weights, actions, and lengths. When you fish these rods, it's like sipping a fine scotch or a cultivated wine. So much goes into the construction of these fly rods that fishing is not simply technically fulfilling, but a multi-faceted pleasure.
Sage - Scott - Winston - G Loomis - Hardy - Bamboo - Spey