Beginner's Guide: Choosing a Fishing Rod
Rods: Choosing a Fishing Rod

Rods: Choosing a Fishing Rod

Choosing a Fishing Rod

In order to start fishing, you need a rod, a reel, fishing line, hooks, weights, bobbers, bait, tackle and a tackle box. Because there are so many different types of gear, you’ll need to know how to pick the right gear for the type of fishing you’ll be doing. So, let's break everything down step-by-step.

Fishing Rods

The process of choosing which fishing rod to purchase can get overwhelming. There are many different sizes, types, and styles of rods because there are so many types and sizes of fish that can be caught, as well as techniques and approaches used to catch them. Most rods are fairly versatile and can handle a variety of sizes, species, and techniques.

However, once you really start to grasp the art of fishing - targeting multiple species, using different artificial baits, practicing new techniques - you will want to have more than just one rod to handle the different techniques and species of fish. Setting up individual rods for all the above reasons will allow you to really sharpen your angling skills. This is when you find yourself on another level of fishing and it really becomes a science.

Knowing which rods you should get for the size of fish, types of lures and techniques you’ll be using, will come with time and experience. Nonetheless, the following information should give you more of an understanding as to how to choose the right rods when you’re ready for that next step.

Rod Variety

Every rod is made with a certain technique, species, and size of fish in mind. Each rod will vary in length, strength/power, action/speed/sensitivity, preferred line weight, and preferred lure weight. Most, if not every fishing rod, will have this information printed directly on the rod, somewhere above or below the handle.

You’ll see something along the lines of “6’6 Medium 6-14lbs Line ¼ - ⅝ oz Lure” which is fairly straightforward. 6’6" is the rod length while the power or strength of the rod is Medium. This is perfectly adequate and from my experience can handle up to an 18-pound fish. The speed/action/sensitivity is also Medium, allowing you to feel bites from fish as small as half a pound. Fishing line between 6-14 pounds is ideal for this rod and the weight of the lure or bait should be between 1⁄4 - ⅝ ounces. A rod with these specifications would be a good rod to start off with. It can handle a wide range of fish, has good strength, power, and sensitivity/speed. The line and lure preference also covers a wide variety of fish and lures.

Rod Length

Fishing rods vary in length but are typically between 6 to 12 feet. There are fundamental differences between shorter rods and longer rods:

Short rods:
∙ Better suited for close quarter fishing when long-distance casting is more of an enemy than a friend
∙ They are generally lighter than longer rods
∙ They make fighting a fish a little more effortless as they don’t bend as much as the longer rods do
∙ They’re a little more rigid and less sensitive than longer rods
∙ Ideal choice for anglers who are trolling and/or targeting large fish

Long rods:
∙ They make casting far distances and fishing deep water a piece of cake
∙ Covers a lot more water than shorter rods because of their long casting abilities
∙ They tend to be a little heavier than shorter rods, bringing on fatigue much faster
∙ More flexible and sensitive than the shorter rods
∙ A great choice for anglers fishing from shore

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