Im prob going to get the obvious answer to this, but hey here goes.

How do you find the right rod for you. Ie stiff,med action, 9ft , 8 ft, 4 #,5#,6#, sage,Loomis etc etc etc.

I see that there are loads of rods being sold daily and most are quite new that people have bought and dont like them or they dont suit their style of fishing.

Im new to fly fishing and was wondering if this is the norm. Or is there another way of finding what suits you best with out having to go down the road of buying a dozen rods and selling them on first.

Any half decent retailer will let you try a selection of rods. Some will even have qualified instructors as part of their staff.

Walker

Hi Walker, ive got a good dealer by me that will let you do that. The only problem i find is that to feel a rod in a shop and do a few casts is alot different than an hour on a water in the wind.

I have tried a rod in a shop and bought it to find that 4 hours in the flesh fishing it, its a different rod.

Sorry but IMO there is no substitute for trying a rod.
From experience just waggling a rod in the shop is useless.

Paul

I also note that people dont seem to rate the Hardy rods.

Is there a reason for that?

I take it you mean Foxon's mossie? Take a few rods to the river at the back of the shop, Dyfed or Sean will be a great help. I spoke to Dyfed a while ago regarding selecting a rod and he did say many customers don't try the rods before buying because they feel uneasy casting in front of someone. Honestly they're a great help and and very patient so listen to their advice.

Stu, now thats a good idea. Yes i meant Foxons. Ive been to the shop a couple of times and found them very helpful. I did not realise that they would let you take rods out to the river behind the shop though to try them.

Now they are going to be sick of me trying them out.

But i guess that is the best way to try rods as i really dont want to go down the road of buying one,trying it out and then selling it a few weeks later.

Hi', Mossie.
Like the man says, waggling a rod in a shop is virtually a waste of time; in my humble opinion, just an exercise in trying to look knowledgeable.
If you do take out a few rods to try, ask the staff to cover up the manufacturers' names on the rods. Look at the names after you have found a rod that feels like it belongs in your hand. After all, with luck, and God willing, it's going to spend a lot of time there. All the best, TerryC

Foxons are great and they will let you do it with the second hand as well. Just tell your self they have seen worse casters than you! (they've seen me).
Notice no response to the Hardy question? Its got to the stage where people just love to slag them off so much, That the people who like them, are like a quiet little, secret society.
Occasionaly I see a casting instructor who is very well thought of and is sponsored by a few manufacturers and so gets a lot of tackle. But the last times I have seen him He has put down his sponsors tackle, grabs my Hardy Angel and casts and cast and says its the best rod ever made. That's recommendation enough for me!
(I bought it from Foxons by the way!)
Bet someone pipes up now and slags them off saying buy a Grey's instead. Dont believe a word.

Here's my thought as to when I started out as a newbie to FF. I bought my self some really cheap gear (Shakespear rods & reels) and used them for sometime until I knew what I really wanted and where I was most likely to go fishing based on that I bought the current gear that I have. Take your time before you rush out to spend your hard earned money.