TackleThief.com - Fishing Gear Buyer's Guide - Shopping for a Fishing Rod

Buyer's Guide
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Rod Buyer's Guide - Page 2

Shopping for a Fishing Rod (continued) - By Pescador

How long do you want your rod to be?
Rod length is an important factor. There are times when a short rod is ideal, and other times when a ridiculously long rod will excel. Generally (please keep in mind that when I say “generally” it is a VERY loose blanket statement, as there are always exceptions) a shorter rod will give you more leverage against a fish. Think of it like a lever. If you have a 7 foot lever and you hold it at the very end, you will be able to pull it easier than if you were to slide your hand down to the 5 foot mark and try to pull. Now think of yourself as the fish and how much easier it is for the fish to fight you. Generally a shorter rod will result in shorter casts. Again, imagine a lever. The distance traveled by the very tip is greater than at the 5ft mark at the same angle of motion. This extra distance also translates into speed, since the tip would require more speed to travel through that same angle. This speed adds to the overall distance that a rod will be able to cast.

Fresh water or saltwater?
As I stated previously, rods can easily and efficiently cross over to ways of fishing that they weren’t originally intended for. But a 12-30lb saltwater rod will not fish the same as a 12-30lb bass rod. Everything about the two rods will be different except for the line size that they are rated to. There is nothing wrong with using a 12-30lb bass rod in saltwater, but it will not be as ideal (depending on the targeted fish) as a 12-30lb saltwater rod. Confusing? Well hopefully the next section will help explain this.

What kind of fish are you targeting?
Efficiency is the key here. Every angler will have their own special taste when it comes to what kind of rod they want to use when targeting a certain species of fish. You can catch a 20lb tuna with 6lb test under ideal conditions with enough line on your reel, but it just isn’t efficient. Rod blank (the actual rod part) material is important. The 12-30lb saltwater rod made from a graphite and fiberglass composite construction is going to be much better for fighting the 20lb tuna than a 12-30lb bass rod made from high modulus graphite.

Let’s discuss the differences between graphite and fiberglass. Graphite is generally stiffer, lighter and more sensitive. Fiberglass is generally heavier, more flexible, and more durable. Combining the two materials can give you the proper balance between action, sensitivity (defined as the transmission of vibrations through the rod being sensed by the angler), weight, leverage, flexibility, and durability. A 12lb largemouth bass will never be able to fight as hard as a 12lb tuna. Thus, a graphite/fiberglass (also referred to as “composite”) 12-30lb rod would be much more efficient than an all-graphite 12-30lb rod when fishing for tuna. But when fishing for largemouth bass, the second rod is more efficient because you are able to sacrifice the durability and flexibility for more sensitivity (achieved by a lighter, stiffer rod).

Now let’s discuss the classifications that are given to graphite and how they can affect your search for the ideal rod. One of the most widely used terms for describing the characteristics of a graphite blank is the “IM” rating. Usually you will see IM6, IM7, or IM8. Generally the higher the IM rating, the lighter, stiffer, and more sensitive the rod will be. Other manufacturers use the term “modulus”, expressed in (#)million modulus. The higher the number the lighter, stiffer, and more sensitive it will be… generally. This is, of course, not even scratching the surface of what each of these terms mean. But a whole different article would have to be written to be able to explain them.

Continued on page 3 »

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