SELECTING the RIGHT ROD

AS DESIGNS IN LURES, BAITS, TECHNIQUES, over the decades, so have rods AND REELS HAVE EVOLVED as they incorporate advanced materials and much engineering to provide you with an advantage over fish. The ‘ right rod’ allows you to cast more accurately, work your bait better, identify more strikes and even set the hook effectively to land your catch.

Choosing the right rod begins with determining the species of fish you want to fish for. This helps you decide which technique you’ll be using and determines the type of rod and action you want.

The two most popular styles are spinning and baitcast rods and both are very different. As spinning rods mount the reel under the handle, baitcast rods seat the reel on top. Each rod affords different casting techniques, which in turn, determines your reel, and evidently, your final selection. Most anglers start out with a 6’6” to 7’ medium rod as they can be used with many techniques, lures and bait types.

The are many comprises with fishing rods. You can use one that will never break yet it’s weight would be too heavy to cast with all day. Plus, heavier, stiffer rods are not sensitive enough to inform you that you have a bite. The type of rod you should consider is one that’s strong and responsive, and sensitive yet durable. While a great rod won’t instantly make you a great angler, a poor one will certainly limit your experiences and perhaps cause enough frustration to quit fishing altogether.

A great start would be to attend an annual fishing show or your local retailer and speak with the experts about the type of fishing you do and the type fish you are after. They can also inform about the type of techniques that can be used with a particular rod and advantages and disadvantages of each design.

While not as extensive as the “urban dictionFishing Rod Parts and Terms ary,” fishing terms and parts can be a little confusing when determining a rod. Here are a few to get you started. Action

This describes how the rod reacts or bends when pressure is applied at the tip. A fast action rod bends in the top third while a slow action rod starts bending in the bottom third. How easily a rod bends depends on the type of fish for which the rod is designed. For example, a fast action fly rod will bend much lower and more easily than a fast action offshore rod. For the most part, the nature of the flex is determined by the taper of the rod – how the diameter decreases from handle to tip.

The weight of the lures you’ll be fishing with helps choose the action. Lighter lures work with faster action rods storing kinetic

energy easily. Bass rods are typically fast action. This helps in setting the hook, as the rod stops flexing quickly as it reaches the stiffer part of the blank sooner. They work best where short to medium casting distances are involved, using single hooks and jig fishing.

For longer casts, medium to medium- fast rods are used in conjunction with treble hooks like topwater lures, crankbaits, or spinner baits. The slower action makes it less likely that you’ll tear the hook out of that stronger fish you’re after.

Power– describes the strength of the rod and its lifting power that's, rated from extraheavy to ultra-light. Describing the power of a rod depends on the type of rod you’re discussing. A heavy bass rod might be limited to a 25 lb line while a heavy offshore rod might be rated for 80 lb line. And as you may have already guessed, the line weight should match the rod power. With a heavy line on a light rod you could snap the rod, and with a light line on a heavy power rod you could snap the line. Matching the rod and line well help you to work within the limits of the equipment to land your prize.

Responsiveness– is the rods ability to flex under load and then release the stored energy. A light, highly responsive rod will allow you to more accurately cast on a low trajectory when you want to land your bait lightly and perhaps need to land close to an obstruction.

Graphite– is a material used to build everything from fishing rods to waterskis. Like most materials there are significant differences in the quality of the graphite and how well it is used. It costs a lot more, and requires a great deal of expertise to build a light, responsive and durable rod. Conversely, a cheap rod can be built from graphite - but be heavy and brittle.

Graphite often comes with a rating i.e. IM6 or IM7, etc. Unfortunately it isn’t an industry standard so the quality of IM6 graphite can vary from one manufacturer to another. But you can count on it to compare rods within a rod manufacturers lineup where you can expect an IM8 will be better (more sensitive/responsive) than an IM7. Other manufacturers use a ‘ton’ rating, i.e. 30 ton or 40 ton (40 being more sensitive/ responsive). Unfortunately this is also not an industry standard so you can’t accurately equate a ‘ton’ rating with an ‘IM’ rating.

Modulus refers to the stiffness of the graphite, but because so many other factors influence the quality of the graphite, a higher modulus doesn’t mean a better quality rod. In general, the higher the number, the stronger the rod will be for its weight – but also the more brittle it becomes. In some cases a stiffer rod is detrimental, as you wouldn’t want a stiff rod for light line techniques.

Fibreglass – is known by anyone born after 1940, but like many modern ‘glass’ has changed and evolved over the decades and in some instances in fishing rods, has been combined with graphite to produce some stellar rods. Although heavier than graphite, glass has a solid reputation with many anglers looking for a medium to slow action rod that is very durable. For instance, you’ll find them in rods for heavier fish, and in boat rods that don’t require casting.

Guides – most are composed of an outer metal ring, and the best are lined or coated with a reduced friction inner ring. Friction causes heat, and heat breaks down line. Low friction also translates into longer casts. The best guides are also lightweight and durable. Rods with more guides will bend truer to the rods design, and typically cast better than those with fewer.

Materials include Alconite, whose base material is aluminum oxide, and it is an improvement over Hardloy (another aluminum oxide derivative). SIC stands for silicon carbide, which along with titanium carbide and Zirconium are a few of the higher end materials as they reduce friction and heat to a minimum. Some of the best guides are made of nickel-titanium alloy, which spring back into place even when bent back, require no plating, and cannot corrode.

Handles and knobs – are often made from cork, an age-old material chosen because it is lightweight and provides good grip even when it’s wet. About 50% of the world’s cork comes from Portugal, and like graphite there is no universal grading system. One mans ‘Flor’ is another mans ‘AAAA’ is another’s ‘AAA’ and another’s CG1. All you can expect is that the best cork is found on the most expensive rods. EVA foam is the other material most often found in handles and is more durable than cork.

Reel seat– holds the reel onto the rod, and if the reel comes loose, the trophy fish of your lifetime could be lost. This is where the torque generated in the fight is applied to the rod. The cheapest reel seats could have cardboard inside, and/or use metal that rusts. It is best to spend a few dollars more on a trusted name brand, and avoid the deal that seems too good to be true, because it is.

Now that you are armed with the lingo, peruse the pages of this guide to see what’s new in rods, the prices, and get ready for your best season ever.