How to Select a Fishing Rod

The standard rod for most anglers is a 28 inch long, medium action jigging rod.

Today's rods are so plentiful and with so many options, that selecting the right rod for the right fish for the right season can be over whelming.

I know when I had to go find a new rod, I ended up staring at the wall of rods then glancing to the rows of rods with a blank, dear lord what now face. Luckily, I am either cute, or the male at the counter took pity on me and guided me through the process and offered some great tips to help me choose what is best for me.

The trick I was taught, to eliminate what I did not want and to keep in mind what species (or season), the rods power and action and your choice of lure. Sounds complicated, but it is not. Once you narrow that down, you can then narrow it down further into type of materials, length and construction.

Two questions can narrow your options significantly.

What species are you fishing and how are you planning on catching them?

Fishing rods are rarely, if ever, classified by the species of fish that the rod is best for, they are classified by weight class with varying power. By power I am referring to the amount of force needed to bend the blank. The weight classes for rods are Ultralight, light, medium and heavy. Match the power needed to the weight.

• Ultralight - Panfish
• Light - Perch
• Medium - Walleye, Whitefish and most Trout.
• Heavy - Pike or Lake Trout

One thing to watch for, is overpowering - it is unnecessary. If you can not feel the flutter of your spoon or lure, regardless of what you are fishing for, you are using to heavy a rod.

The kind of lures or bait that you use can also help you narrow down your choices, as will how you are going to fish with them. Finesse jigging for bluegill, swim baiting walleye or spooning lake trout, all need different rods, no one rod is perfect for all types of game fish and situations. Thus why many practice a multi rod and reel approach.

You will see the term action bandied around a lot when talking fishing rods. Action describes where the rod flexes and this is important because it impacts how you can present lures and how you can play fish. When you see the term, blank, it is referring to a piece on your rod, responsible for action.

Ultrafast and fast action rods have limber tips to signal light hits and the rest of the blank (part of rod) does not yield to bending providing strength to muscle fish and set hooks, solidly.

Medium action rods perform well with minnows when dead sticking or finesse jigging. The rods forgiving bend softens jarring movements and absorbs shock from the over exuberant hook sets.

Slow action blanks on rods are rarely used by ice anglers, as these bend closer to the handle. It lacks sensitivity, which you need to feel the fish and lure, it also lacks strength to play fiesty fish. Ice anglers prefer fast action rods that flex at mainly the tip (more control) and medium action rods, which flex more in the middle.

The kind of materials used in the making of a blank for a fishing rod, do dictate the rods usage, durability and abilities. These blanks are what dictates how stiff or loose, how sensitive or fast rods respond.

Graphite - more sensitive, lighter and faster with the backbone needed to set hooks and play with the fish. Expensive.

Fiberglass - not as sensitive as graphite, but glass blanks are catching up to graphite. More durable than graphite and bends more, which equates to smoother hook sets.

Your connection, so to say, between the fish, water and your hook, is the line. Some manufacturers list recommendations for lures and type of line or line weight for their rods. There are three types of lines, monofilament, superline and fluorocarbon, each having their own pros and cons.

Aggressive jiggers need minimal flex in their rod and a tight enough line with little stretch that allows them to snap back their lure. If their line stretches to much, they lose some of their lures presentation and that may result in no fish. Medium to heavy rods are great with monofilament for aggressive jiggers, but if you pair it up with say, superline, its not likely to bend enough to absorb the shock of a hard hookset.

One aspect of rod picking that gets ignored is the line eyes or guides. The circle pieces the line goes through are the eyes or guides. In ice fishing you want big hole eye at the tip or you will be cleaning it consistently as ice and slush build up. The more guides or eyes on a rod, the better the performance.

More information on lines can be found here.

Rod Length

Longer rods are much more forgiving, they absorb head shakes, hard hook sets and offer anglers some leverage when playing with the fish. The obvious downside is it is harder to use in small spaces, if not, impossible.

Shorter rods provide less shock absorption and your arms compensate for the shorter length when battling. Obviously too, shorter rods are easier to use in smaller spaces.

Handles

Some companies make high tech graphite handles for ultimate sensitivity. Foam and plastic are also commonly used. Cork seems to be the preferred choice for comfort and durability, if one doesn't wish to pay the cost of graphite.

I use cork, but I am a little old school, I still use monofilament line too.

Reel

The most commonly used reel tend to be ultra light or light reels. Go as light as you can to maintain sensitivity, as well balance on the rod. In summer you need a reel to hold more line than you would in the winter, due to ice fishings vertical presentation, the obvious exception to this is large game fish.