We Test 5 Fly-Fishing Rods

Some anglers equate the experience of catching your first fish with a fly rod to having sex for the first time. We're not so sure about that, but fly-fishing has come a long way since Brad Pitt immortalized it in the 1992 movie "A River Runs Through It." That helped make it one of the fastest-growing segments of the $5.3 billion fishing-equipment industry. And like with all booming hobbies, prices for even the basics have skyrocketed. Would you believe a cool $600 or $700 for a fly-fish rod?

Indeed, not long ago aspiring anglers could pick up a simple bamboo rod and go fish. But while fly rods still look pretty much alike — a brown handle and reel attached to a several-foot-long flexible tube — a decade of innovation has made them more convenient and high-tech. For those who want to hop a plane to their favorite fishing hole, the rods collapse into four or six sections, versus two. And instead of bamboo, they're now made of graphite or boron fiber, materials you might find in aircraft parts. Manufacturers muddy the waters further by classifying fly rods by their "action," flexibility and "weight class" — the strength of the fishing line it can hold. Generally, a rod has to be heavier to handle heavy fishing line — or at least line with a formidable fish at the end of it.

That's why we're out in a canoe with Foster. Like a lot of fly-fishing loyalists, he learned "the art" from his father when he was a boy. He went on to become a professional tennis player, launch a career as a motivational speaker and write three books for teenagers. But he also stuck with fly-fishing and estimates he's caught thousands of fish in his life, many of them in his role as host of ESPN's "Fly Fishing America" for more than 10 years. (His biggest catch: a 140-pound tarpon.) Knowing we're total beginners, Foster suggests we try rods that are roughly 9 feet long — the most versatile length, he says — and that accommodate a midrange "five-weight" fishing line. We shove off from shore with five of the latest models in that range, in search of a great catch.