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By Trevor Kugler
When it comes to buying a fishing rod, all of the choices that are available can make the process seem quite confusing. These fishing rod selection tips will make the process much easier and less confusing. The bottom line is that just walking into your local tackle shop or super center, and grabbing the first fishing rod you see is never a good idea. Take a little time, follow these fishing rod selection tips, and enjoy the process. After all, a fishing rod that you're happy with can be your best friend, but if you end up with a fishing rod that you don't care for it can be your worst enemy.
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Weight - I'm not referring to the weight of the fisherman, but the weight of the rod. Fishing rods are manufactured in four basic weights; ultra light action, light action, medium action, medium heavy action, and heavy action. This information can be found printed on the rod itself. This is where you should have different fishing rods for different types of fish. You need to know what type of fish that you're attempting to catch. Here are some general rules as it relates to the action of your fishing rod: Ultra Light & Light action fishing rods - trout, smallmouth bass, pan fish. Medium & Medium Heavy action fishing rods - Walleye, Small Pike and Musky, Catfish, and light trolling. Heavy Action - Large Catfish, Large Carp, Trolling, Pike & Musky. The bottom line is that the weight of your fishing rod should correlate to what you're fishing for.
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Length - The longer that your fishing rod is, the more pressure it puts on the fish during the fight. In river and stream situations, when the water is running high, a longer rod is usually much easier to fish with than a shorter fishing rod. As a matter of fact I have two ultra light fishing rods for trout fishing in rivers and streams. A five foot rod for normal water conditions, and a six foot six inch fishing rod for when the water is high due to run-off and rain. Once you decide on a model of rod that that you prefer, it's a good idea to have two different lengths for varying water conditions.
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Price - Many anglers don't realize that you don't have to break the bank to purchase a good fishing rod. As a matter of fact, I personally rarely spend more than $75 for a single fishing rod. As long as you stick with quality manufacturers, a $75 fishing rod is normally a very serviceable rod. As long as you aren't breaking the bank, there is simply no reason not to have a couple of rods available for varying fishing conditions. To be totally honest though, the high end fishing rods are very nice and the 'feel' they provide is amazingly good.
Again, these simple fishing rod selection tips will make the process of picking out a fishing rod much less painful and easy to understand. Once you find a manufacturer that you like, it's always a good idea to stick with them. Then find a series of rods within the manufacturers repertoire that works for you and you're good to go. For example, I've always found Berkley to be a quality manufacturer. Berkley has a series of fishing rods called "Lightning Rods". Lightning rods come in all kinds of lengths and weights, and the price is right. This is what I'm referring to, when I refer to finding a manufacturer and series that you like.
Trevor Kugler
Co-founder of JRWfishing.com
Trevor has more than 20 years of fishing experience, 15 years of business experience and currently raises his 3-year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country......Montana.
Here's some great rod and reel choices - http://www.jrwfishing.com/fishing_rods_reels.html
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