Like choosing certain clubs for different needs in golf, fishing also requires an assortment of rods for different situations. Casting rods are a traditional choice for bass anglers in today’s market, while spinning rods tend to be reserved for specialty fishing techniques and light lures. While some casting rods work well for beginners as they’re versatile enough for most techniques, there’s a lot more detail that can go into choosing the exact right rod for you, your style, and your techniques.
Sure, you can’t expect a great rod to necessarily improving your angling techniques, but a poorly-chosen casting rod can certainly dampen your successes. Utilize this guide to help you choose your perfect casting rod.
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Rod/Blank Materials
Basic casting rods come in two primary material compositions: graphite and fiberglass. Depending on the material makeup of your casting rod, your rod can have a variety of different qualities as the material is woven into what looks like sheets of cloth. The finer the weave, the faster the action. The weave is measured in modulus (which we’ll describe later in this guide):
Material | Guidelines |
Graphite | As the most common material for bass rods, these typically have high tensile strength and high modulus. While some graphite rods may boast high modulus but low tensile strength, these tend to be more brittle. The best graphite rods tend to be costlier but will be heavier, stronger, and more sensitive. |
Fiberglass | Best for soft actions and toughness, fiberglass is best for throwing crankbaits or other applications where a medium to slow action is required. Advancements in technology that have made some fiberglass rods as sensitive as many graphite rods. |
Keep in mind that some of the best rods utilize layers of both graphite and fiberglass, capitalizing on the best qualities of both and allowing for more specific actions for certain rods.
The handle of your rod can come in a variety of materials as well, and these can impact your comfort and handling techniques:
Wood
Cork: A comfortable and lightweight handle with sufficient grip, even when it's wet, that will transmit the delicate vibrations of a big bass.
Foam
The reel seat (what holds your reel to the rod) should be made of a sturdy composite material and fit all major brands of reels firmly - and most manufacturers produce these in graphite. A reel seat with a cutout that allows the rod blank to be felt by the hand will provide the angler greater sensitivity.
Modulus
Modulus refers to stiffness, and fiberglass rods have a modulus of 6 to 13 million and graphite rods are from 33- to 60-million modulus. A high modulus rod would be stiffer, faster, lighter and more sensitive, but will also be more brittle. Stiffer rods aren’t suited for cranking techniques or light line duties, so don’t purchase your rod solely on modulus ratings.
Responsiveness is related to modulus and refers to the rod’s ability of the entire rod to flex under load and release the stored energy in the cast.
Action
When you put pressure on the tip of your rod, how much does it bend? This is the ‘action’, which describes the bendability of your rod. Sometimes slow action rods are termed 'parabolic', meaning the bend of the rod is similar throughout the length.
Action | Guidelines | Best for: |
Fast | A fast-action rod will bend in the top ⅓ or less of the blank |
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Medium | Provides a little more casting distance than fast-action rods and still provide adequate hooksetting power. |
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Slow | These will sometimes start to bend in the lower third of the rod. |
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In addition, taper describes not only the thickness of the rod but also the thickness of the wall of the blank and where along the blank less material is used allowing more bend. Thus, taper affects action and is generally synonymous.
Guides
Guides are what lace your line along the bland of your rod, and there are two main types of material compositions for these:
Metal frame with ceramic ring: The traditional, affordable choice. Hardloy, Hialoy, and aluminum oxide are ceramic materials that are quite serviceable and are found on most rods on the market today. Make sure that the ceramic is firmly bonded to the stainless steel ring.
Silicon Carbide: Typically considered the best material for guides, as it offers little friction and, thus, longer casts with less heat.
Alconite: Cheaper than SIC but offers many of the same qualities.
Titanium Wire: Titanium is a more durable option than stainless steel, as it springs back into place rather than breaking.
When choosing your rod, keep in mind that more guides means that the rod will bend more consistently during hard fights or heavier catches.
Power
Referring to lifting power, a power rating is usually described as medium, heavy, etc. Heavier powers tend to handle heavier lines and catches are generally descriptive of stronger rods in general. Heavy lines can snap a light power rod, and heavy power rods can snap a light line, so it’s important to keep all of your fishing pieces within the same power and strength ranges. Power ratings vary by the type of rod described; a heavy bass rod and a heavy offshore rod will definitely not feel the same. One might be rated for 25lb line and the other for 80lb line.
Open, clear water will require a lighter power rod because you’ll need a thinner, lighter line to avoid detection. Conversely, heavy brush or cover may require heavier lines and, thus, heavier power rods.
With over 20,000 fishing items in our inventory, Outdoor Shopping has the most extensive lineup of fishing equipment online today! Shop our inventory of casting rods at Outdoor Shopping.
