Fishing is one of those Hobbies that will run you broke if you let it. Other than your boat, your rod and reel are probably going to be the most expensive piece of equipment you buy.
Obviously, everyone’s familiar with the old saying “you get what you pay for”, but there’s also fishing gear out there it’s simply overpriced. if you know what you’re looking for you can get a really good rod at an affordable price.
Choosing Your Fishing Rod
Choosing a new ride can be a downright bewildering experience, but it doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been out of fishing for a while, looking for your first rod or a seasoned veteran adding to your collection. You should follow the same general guidelines when looking for a new rod.
How Much Should a Fishing Rod Cost?
Before we get into actually choosing your new fishing rod it’s important to talk about how much you want to spend. So how much should a good rod cost? Or put another way why are some rods more expensive than others?
What makes that $200 fishing rod, so much more expensive than a $100 rod. Does it really add twice the amount of value over a cheaper rod?
No, unless you’re trying to work as a commercial or Pro fisherman you probably don’t need most expensive rod you can find. Definitely not saying that I haven’t made a few
Generally speaking, most guys should spend between $50-$100 on a fishing rod. I can definitely feel the difference between a $100 and $200 dollar rod, but spending more than $100 is overkill for the average weekend warrior.
You also have to remember I normally bring out 5-6 rods for different presentations. Ya I know it’s probably overkill, but having a few rods ready to go has saved my butt after a near miss.
Add in the price of reels, lures and a tackle box and I’m carrying around a few thousand dollars worth of equipment. Years ago I had my old 25′ Bayliner Trophy stolen out of my driveway along with all my gear.
Luckily my homeowners/boat insurance covered almost everything but definitely mourned the loss of my favorite rods. After replacing my boat and everything inside they wrote me a check for $15k worth of gear that I accumulated over the years.
Before you go off and buy that expensive rod, that might just end up sitting in your corner. Do yourself a favor and learn about what makes one rod better than the next. Even if the rod you choose is cheap who wants to blow their hard earned money on something that’s just going to collect dust.
What Makes One Rod Better Than Others?
So what really makes one rod better than the other? Better materials and more careful craftsmanship are going to cost a lot more than your typical Walmart rod. I’m not saying you can’t catch a lot of fish on a cheap rod, but it’s not going to last as long and there will be performance differences from one rod to the next.
The return you get on an expensive rod will really depend on how often you take it fishing. there are rods out there that they claim are virtually indestructible, but you’ll never see them in the hands of the pros. what you really want is a rod that’s lightweight, strong and sensitive. Leave those overly stiff rods for Joe Schmoe that’s never fished a day in his life.
Is It Really Necessary To Spend More on a Rod?
There’s a reason everybody has heard of the Ugly Stick brand. They became one of the most popular brands on the planet by offering a cheap product good enough for the average fisherman. Plus their marketing department chose one of the most memorable names in the industry.
Most guys will do just as well with the UglyStik Casting or Spinning Rod as they will with an expensive rod. If you’re just trying to get out a few times per month that’s all you really need.
Those of us that spend more time on their boat than they do at home might want to spend a little more. Don’t get me wrong you can get away with using a cheap rod, but if you’re planning on fishing for the rest of your life spend the extra $50 and get a rod that you won’t outgrow in a few years. Going in with the mindset “Buy Once, Cry Once” will save you a lot of cash in the long run.
A Few of My Favorite Affordable Fishing Rods
Casting Rods
- St. Croix Mojo Bass 6’8 Med Extra Fast Action Rod: My go-to rod whenever I’m fishing topwater lures. It’s well built and offers the perfect amount of stiffness.
- Abu Garcia Veritas Casting Rod: I actually have two of these rods I use my 6.5ft med/mod rod for my
squarebills and smaller cranks and a bigger 7ft Med-Hvy rod for my rattle baits, deeper cranksand bigger heavier crankbaits. I probably could have gotten away with a 7′ medium/heavy moderate rod for both, but I got a great deal on these.
Spinning Rods
- St Croix Triumph 6’6″ Medium/Fast Spinning Rod: This is my all purpose spinning rod. You can pair it with a cheap Size 30 Pflueger President Reel and a few extra spools with 30lb braid, Mono 6lb and Mono 10lb. With this setup you can cover 95% of different bass fishing situations. Throw in a separate deep cranking rod and frog rod and you’ll be good to go.
What About Starter Rod/Reel Sets?
Remember that there’s a reason that these packaged “starter sets” cost so much less, and that’s because they use cheap components. Inexpensive rods aren’t going to have the sensitivity that will let you progress above a certain level.
If you’re uncertain if fishing is going to be a lifelong obsession (believe me it can quickly take over your life) you’re better off borrowing a nice rod. Find a buddy that really loves fishing and ask him for suggestions. Most guys have a few extra rods in storage that they’d be happy to lend a new fishing buddy.
That being said when my son first decided he wanted to start fishing I bought him this Pflueger Trion rod/reel combo to see if he stuck with the sport. Throughout the past 3 years, I’ve used that rod many times teaching him how to fish and it’s actually a nice setup.
After a few years, I gave him one of my favorite spinning rods. Do yourself a favor and skip those cheap
Before You Buy Your Rod
Even when looking at specific categories of gear,
Just like other tackle most of us learn through experience, magazine articles and word of mouth. Remember not to underestimate the knowledge of that old timer who runs that run down little bait shop nearby your favorite lake.
Examining a Fishing Rod
- Check for Straightness: Look down the length of your ride checking for straightness. Just like when you’re checking a pool cue. While rotating the rod look down its butt end checking for inconsistencies. Never accept a rod that isn’t perfectly straight.
- Check The Guides: Make sure all the guides line up perfectly straight. They should all look consistent and not have any sharp edges.
- Check Wrappings: Make sure that the decorative wrap isn’t starting to bubble and lift up. Poorly applied varnish will result in peeling and fraying over time.
- Check The Handle: Check to make sure the handle feels tight and secure. If it’s made out of cork make sure that it looks solid. Don’t buy a rod with a cork handle that looks dried up and cracked. All those pits and gouges are just going to get worse over time.
- Check The Reel Seat: Make sure that the reel seat feels snug and secure. The only way to know for sure is to install a reel to find out. Some stores will let you borrow one to install, but I always bring the reel I’m going to install with me to the store.
- Check The Rods Feel: The most important step of all is just checking to see how the rod feels. You can cast 20 rods that are all the same length and they’ll all feel different. Slight variations of weight, manufacturers
and material will make a huge difference. The only way you can really tell if you like a rod is to use it. Do a few practice casts in the store to get a feeling for that particular rod.
How Long Should The Rod Be?
Finding the right rod length will depend on what style rod you choose. Are you looking for a baitcasting rod, spinning rod or fly
Baitcast Rod Length
The “right” length and weight of a baitcasting rod
Most fisherman should go with a rod that falls into the medium grouping. These
You should probably note that there’s a lot of overlap between these rod categories. I’ve found that most bass
Personally, I think a 6’6″ medium rod is just about perfect for me. It’s going to cover a lot of techniques and it’s heavy enough for heavier presentations and light enough for some finesse work.
Rods specifically designed for “FLIPPIN” (underhand cast)should be a little bit longer on average than those intended for “PITCHIN”(overhand and sidearm casts). A longer 7 1/2 ft rod is a good intermediate length that should work for both techniques.
Spinning Rods
The main advantage to spinning rods is that you can present lighter tackle than with a traditional baitcast reel. You might give up a little accuracy, but that finesse work more than makes up for it.
When choosing a spinning rod you don’t need a handy little table to confuse you. If you’re going after bass your range is 5 1/2 feet to 7 feet. Remember that longer rods allow you to cast farther, but they’ll have a stiffer base. Most of the time I go with a 6 1/2 ft rod.
There are also two-handed spinning rods in the 7-8 ft range designed for salmon/steelhead and longer specialty saltwater rods between 6 and 10 feet. Surfcasting rods get even longer going over 16 feet long. Just remember that heavier tackle is going to require a longer rod.
What Does Rod Action Mean?
In general
A fast action rod is only going to bend at the top 1/3 of the rod. Medium action rods bend in the top half. Slow action rods bend all the way to the bottom third.
Different Action For Various Techniques
- Extra-Fast and Fast: Choose faster actions when you don’t want a lot of bend in your rod. Most of the time I’ll use a fast action rod when I don’t need long casts. Worm and Jig fishing typically involves a fast action rod.
- Medium: Most fisherman should choose a medium action rod. This is going to be your all-purpose rod used for the vast majority of applications.
- Slow: Slower action rods seem to do a better job casting light-weight baits. There’s a lot more give which seems to protect lighter line. You’ll also be able to bettersee those sensitive nibbles of wary fish.
Fishing Rod Power
Power describes the general strength of the rod. Basically how much weight can the rod lift up. High power rods are going to be able to really dig through grass and lift up those monsters.
Most manufacturers use the terms medium, heavy, medium heavy etc. when describing power. For the most part this just tells you how much backbone or pulling power the rod has.
Heavier power rods are going to be able to handle heavier line and bigger lures. Heavy power rods are going to snap light line and heavy line might snap a light rod.
The type of water you fish is going to determine how powerful of a rod you need. Use a heavy rod when working thick cover and using
- Ultralight: Ultralight rods are designed for those extremely subtle presentations. Use an ultralight ride with those 1/32-3/8 oz lures designed for panfish, crappie
and small trout. - Light: Light rods are slightly stronger than ultralight. Use a light rod when fish lures right around the 1/16 ounce range. Use a light rod when fishing for light biting panfish, walleye
and trout. - Medium-Light: Use a medium-light rod for 1/8 to 1/2 oz lures. You can use a medium-light rod in both fresh and saltwater applications. Offering a stiffer hookset these rods are great with jigs and soft plastic worms.
- Medium: Use a medium rod with lures between 1/4 to 3/4 oz. I mostly use my medium rods for quickly covering water with a spinnerbait.
- Medium-Heavy: Your all-purpose bass fishing rod. If you can only afford to buy one rod make it a medium-heavy. It’s stiff enough to work a jig in cover, yet light enough to feel soft plastics.
- Heavy: Heavy rods are designed to handle bigger 3/8-1 ounce lures. I only bring out a heavy rod when working deep structure. Tie on a heavy football jig and go to town.
- Extra-Heavy: Use an extra heavy rod with those massive 1/2 to 2 oz lures. You’ll have an extremely stiff hook set that can really rip through cover.
Graphite vs Fiberglass Rods
Graphite rods have been around forever and it’s the most common rod around today. Using extremely hot furnaces modern manufacturers are able to greatly improve the strength of graphite rods.
Graphite rods are going to be lighter and more sensitive than fiberglass rods of the same strength. That’s why a
Since graphite is so strong it has a really fast action. With a fast action these suckers are super sensitive. You can feel those little tremors that wouldn’t make your fiberglass rod budge.
To make things even more confusing most companies mix graphite with resin to reduce costs. Less graphite equals a cheaper yet significantly weaker rod.
Fiberglass rods on the other hand are going to be much cheaper. They are going to be less sensitive than a graphite rod and also weaker.
Most of these rods flex on a wider curve than graphite rods. They’ll flex from butt to tip offering a really slow-medium action.
Composite Rods: Composite rods use both fiberglass and graphite in their designs. These rods are going to perform in the middle of these two extremes. Most composite rods cost more than fiberglass, but they’re cheaper than graphite. They won’t be quite as powerful or sensitive as graphite, but they offer a fair compromise between the two.