Rods

There are two general terms used to describe fishing rods: action and power.

• Action refers to the amount of flex the rod has under stress. Rods that flex very little are called fast, and rods that bend a great deal are termed slow.


• Power ranges from ultralight to heavy, and basically describes the thickness of the rod, as well as the size of the baits that are usable and the size of the fish that are catchable (although I have caught eight pound northern pike on my ultralight rod).

There are two basic designs of rods: the spinning rod and the baitcasting rod. This relates to the reel: a spinning reel hangs below the rod and is what most folks use. Baitcasters sit on top of the rod, are far more difficult to learn to use, but have real benefits. Rods that have a "trigger" for your finger are baitcasting rods, which is the easiest way to tell them from spinning rods. The eyelets are also much larger on spinning rods. Incidentally, the "thumb-button" reels, known technically as spincast reels, fit on baitcasting rods. See the Reels page for more on reels.

Casting rods

Spinning rod

Rods are in general made of one of two possible substances: fiberglass or graphite.

• Cheaper rods tend to be fiberglass. Fiberglass rods tend to have a slower action than graphite, which makes them less sensitive to strikes. These rods range from $5 pieces of crap to $200, specific-use rods (like catfishing, for example).
• Graphite rods are more expensive. Despite their (generally) faster actions, graphite rods can be extremely strong. They are very sensitive to strikes. Graphite rods are described in terms of their modulus, which is an index of the density of the graphite strands. In general, the higher the better. These rods range in price from $40 to $400.
• There are also graphite composite rods, which are part graphite and part something else (I believe fiberglass). They tend to say things on them like "96% Graphite". These tend to be cheaper than pure graphite rods, but the ones I have seen have been of good quality.

Of the two rods I use the most (99% of the time), one is an ultralight graphite composite and the other is a medium graphite. If you are (or become) fairly serious about fishing, a good graphite rod will make fishing far more enjoyable. My ultralight rod is a Shakespeare Titanium series, 96% graphite. They come in all different powers, from ultralight to medium heavy and from 5' to 7', for only $25 at Wal-Mart or Cabela's. They are an excellent entry-level rod.

Most rods have either cork handles or EVA foam handles. You wouldn't think it would make much difference, but if you fish all day, cork is far more comfortable. Plus, cork floats if you drop your rod in the water (not that I've ever done that...).

Finally, most really expensive rods are one-piece. This is because they are more sensitive, rendering you able to catch more fish. However, imagine what a pain a one-piece 7' rod is to transport. My graphite rod is 6'6", one piece, and it is a pain. If space is limited (especially in your vehicle), the slight loss of sensitivity is worth it to go with a two-piece rod. You can also get really expensive travel rods, 3-5 piece rods, that fit in a tube that's only 20" or so long.

Finally, a word on length. Long rods of the same power will allow you to cast further, because of course you have more leverage. However, you cannot get ultralight rods that get more that 5'6" or so. In some ways you are limited by what you want to catch. I love my ultralight rig, and fish for everything with it, from 9" perch to 36" northerns. But that is largely a function of the line , which I will discuss later.

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