How to Choose a Fishing Rod: The Angler's Guide

Are you ready to throw the hook and have the best catch ever? With a fishing rod tailored to your needs, you’ll make it possible. In this article, you’ll learn everything about fishing rods, including their types, materials, length, power, and guides, so you can make the most of your fishing, whether an occasional or a professional angler.

Don't worry if you need to learn more about fishing and fishing rods; prepare to learn everything you seek. 

Let’s dive in!

Types of Rods

Depending on the type of fishing and the specific techniques you’ll apply, there can be a perfect fishing rod for you. In the following, we’ll go through different types so you can make the best choice for your next fishing adventure.

Spinning Rod

What makes the best choice among anglers is the fishing rod for every occasion and, best of all, for all skill levels, considering its versatility and simplicity. It’s about spinning rods, so why don’t you think of this one even if you are at the beginning, as spinning rods have proven to be the best for beginners. 

It has significant features, such as a spin casting reel on the underside of the rod that sits below the rod, providing stability and power and creating friction so you can cast it further. Moreover, it may be used for various species and fishing conditions, so you can go fishing whenever you want. When buying, you can choose between different lengths, actions, and powers to match your target species.

However, it is sometimes unable to handle heavy lines, which doesn’t have to be an obstacle if you are skilled at using this fishing rod.

Spinning rods are an excellent choice for fishing in lakes and rivers, targeting small – to medium-sized fish such as Trout, Panfish, Walleye, and Smallmouth Bass.

Casting Rods

Casting rods come in various weights and heights, with typical sizes ranging between 6 and 8 feet and power ratings ranging from light to extra heavy. They are typically connected to a baitcasting reel attached to a reel seat that can hold different lines, including monofilament or fluorocarbon lines.

Typically, the lines move from the reel and then go through small eyelets below the reel. We are dividing them into two categories:

• Baitcasting: The eyes are positioned close to the reel

• Spinning: Made of a tiny eye and one large near the reel

These rods are an excellent choice for fresh and saltwater areas, where you can target species such as Bass, Musky, Walleye, and Catfish.

Surf Rods

A surf rod is for those who like more specific techniques. Its length and weight make it essential for catching big fish in vast water areas. Because of its dimensions, it is neither made for small water nor suitable for transport. However, you can always choose foldable ones to make your fishing experience more manageable. 

Anglers usually use surf rods when fishing from shore or dock, casting far away beyond the breaking waves to reach the spot where fish like to feed. These rods target species like Sharks, Rays, and Tuna. These rods are often 9 to 14 feet long, making them the most extended rods that can cast long distances. Because of their long handles, using them with two hands is best.

The strength of these rods is high, making it easy to maintain the lure once you drop it in water.

Fly Rods

Fly rods are used for fly fishing, where lightweight lures imitate instincts. The most common areas for these types of rods are breams and barras. These rods have a particular kind of eye, also called snake eyes, that helps anglers handle weighty lines without tangling them.

They are made of carbon fiber, which gives them flexibility and allows anglers to fly forward and back without much effort. Carbon fiber is primarily used in freshwater, but it’s not rare to see it in salt water, where it is best to target fish like Tuna or Marlin.

Trolling Rods

Primarily used in the ocean, large lakes, and often from moving boats, these rods make an excellent choice for anglers who want to try specific trolling techniques for their fishing adventure. At 7 to 12 feet long, they easily cover a larger area and handle heavier fish such as Tuna, Marlin, and Sailfish.

They contain sturdy reel seats, which allow anglers to control their depth and speed. Although its size is excellent for long-casting purposes, consider the difficulty of accommodating it in limited space.

Telescopic Rods

Telescopic rods are popular for beginners as they are affordable and portable. They are made of materials, mainly fiberglass and graphite, designed to slip into each other, making them collapsible and a favorite among travelers.

Although perfectly suitable, you should be careful when transporting them from spot to spot as they easily break, especially if made of graphite. You should handle them delicately and avoid rapidly opening or closing them.

These rods are commonly 6 to 12 feet long and can extend and extract, depending on how far you want to cast to catch a fish. Depending on their lengths, you can use them in saltwater, freshwater, and deepwater areas.

 Ice Rods

These rods are usually short, approximately 28 inches long, and contain a small spinning reel. They are designed to resist cold temperatures and rough conditions. However, they can’t cast far and are not intended to because there is often limited ice space. In this area, you can target fish species such as Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Perch, Crappies, and Walleyes.

Unlike rods used for open-water fishing, their compact design ensures precision and control in the confined ice fishing environment.

Rod Length 

When choosing the right rod length, there are a few things to consider. Length decides how far or close you can reach and how much you can control your rod. Generally, shorter rods provide better control, while longer rods further extend casting distance. 

Choosing your rod length based on your height, whether short or tall, is a good idea. The size of the rod is one of the essential things to consider for a good fishing experience, as you can’t do much if there is no comfort.

There are three categories of rod lengths:

• Short Rods: Because of their short dimension, these rods are usually 4 to 6 feet long and make a great choice for younger anglers. Due to their excellent handling and control, they’re best used for kayaking and fishing around overhanging trees and water obstacles. They are ideal for targeting species like Trout and Panfish.

• Medium Rods: They are usually between 6 to 8 feet long, making an outstanding balance between casting distance and accuracy. A 7-foot rod is a great starting point, providing reasonable control and an average casting length.

• Long Rods: They are typically 8+ feet long, offer fast casting and are excellent for targeting heavier fish, especially in saltwater environments. They are perfect for long and wide casts, although it’s a bit challenging when it comes to handling them. It offers less accuracy but more considerable leverage, which allows for casting from different angles.

In summary, the length of the rod determines which type of fishing suits you best because different lengths correspond to the requirements of various individuals.

Rod Materials

Rod materials are essential parts of fishing rods. The flexibility, durability, or strength of your rod depends on its materials. Below are the most common materials for rods. 

• Graphite: This material is lightweight and sensitive due to its composition of fiber and resin, making it easy to band and brittle. This is the most expensive material that provides excellent precision and far casting. However, there is a risk of fracture that the sudden impact of a large and heavy fish can cause. In that case, the rod must have more fiberglass to be stronger.

• Fiberglass: This is an excellent option if you are searching for an affordable and durable model. It is flexible and ideal for fishing in small or medium-sized streams. It’s made from glass fibers combined with resin. Although lightweight, it is sturdy, making it heavy and inappropriate for long-term use. It is resistant to impact, making this material an excellent choice when handling heavy fish.

• Carbon Fiber: This material has a flexible and lightweight nature with high strength, providing excellent accuracy and casting distance. Carbon fiber is a stiffer yet sensitive material that detects the most minor vibrations by the fish immediately after it bites. The price of carbon fiber is changeable, depending on the amount of carbon fiber, which usually ranges from 30% to 90%. The higher the amount, the higher the price.

• Composite: These fishing rod blanks are mostly combined with fiberglass and graphite. Since they contain more than one material, these rods are heavier than carbon fiber or graphite and need to be more accurate than graphite material rods. They are designed to deal with rough weather conditions and striking fish in large water areas, either saltwater or freshwater.

We have clarified the differences between the rod materials so you can purchase the one that suits your needs.

Rod Action 

Rod action defines the rod's flexibility and the time it takes to return to a normal state after it bends under pressure. Action depends on the rod's material and construction. The stiffer the material, the faster the action because action depends on how much the rod can band, and if it's a stiff material, then it’s tough to bend the rod.

Rod action is divided into four categories: 

• Extra Fast Action: Because of its stiffness, it bends the least and responds quickly. It is designed to detect the slightest vibration of fish bites, which benefits its sensitivity. Rods with extra-fast action mostly have more robust backbones, such as a flipping stick for pitching or flipping for Bass. Rods with tip actions are best to use when moving the lure quickly after the fish bites it. The benefits of this type of action increase if combined with the rod's heavy power.

• Fast Action: Responsive as well as extra fast action, rods with fast action are more flexible yet highly effective. Fast-action rods are great for short and long castings, making them ideal for jigging on topwaters. It allows casting the lure accurately and has good fish-fighting capability because of its stiff backbone and power that it gives. It gives the best result when combined with medium-heavy power.

• Medium Action: Rods with this type of action are usually cast further, allowing anglers time to control their rod. It is more flexible than fast and extra-fast action. These actions are frequently designed for techniques that include crankbaits, topwater lures, or spinnerbaits. Because of their slower nature, slow-action rods prevent grabbing the lure away before the fish closes its mouth. They are best combined with medium-light power.

• Slow Action: This rod bends the most and cast further, which makes it ideal for targeting panfish and trout. It’s usually about light lines with tiny lures that provide long castings.

We can define them by percentages of bending. Therefore, the extra fast offers 15% of banding capability, fast 25%, moderate 30%, and slow 50%.

Rod Power

The rod's power means the amount of energy it can weigh, which is directly related to the amount of backbone. The more backbone, the heavier the power. You should use heavy power rads for casting heavy lures (swimbaits or jigging spoons) and light or medium power rods for casting light lures (dry files or small spoons).

Also, the water you are fishing in determines the best power rod type. For example, a light power rod should be used in clear water because it is less visible and prone to detecting the slightest changes in water. On the other hand, heavier rods are used in thick water because they are stronger and can better control the water when you have to deal with challenges underwater, like tree barriers or vegetation.

They are divided into seven categories: 

• Ultra Light Power Rod: Their 1-4 lb is ideal for targeting small fish species like Panfish. The rods are lightweight and flexible. Ideal lures for this power are small jiggs and small micro baits. 

• Light Power Rod: It weighs 4-8 lb and is best for small Bass and small-sized Trout. Ideal lures for this power are small jiggers and small spinners.

• Medium Light Power Rod: It weighs 4-12 lb. and provides a quicker fisher hook setting when using jerk baits or drop shots for lures. These rods can target fish like Trout, Bass, Panfish, and Flounder.

• Medium Power Rod: It weighs 8-17 lb and is versatile and suitable for numerous fish, such as Bass, Salmon, Catfish, Walleye, and Panfish. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jerk baits are the best lures for these rods.

• Medium Heavy Power Rod: This rod weighs 12-20 lb and is stiff and robust, often seen on boats. Spinnerbaits, jiggs, or buzz baits target fish like Bass, Catfish, Pike, and heavy saltwater fish. 

• Heavy Power Rod: It weighs 20-30 lb and is ideal for bass fishing using pitching or flipping lures. It is made to support heavy fish, including Pike, Sturgeon, Halibut, and Chinook.

• Extra Heavy Power Rod: This is the stiffest and most rigid rod, weighing 20-40 lb, for targeting large fish such as big Bass, Chum, and Catfish using large baits, flipping, or frogging.

These categorized levels of rod power will help you choose the one that best suits your preferences and angling expectations.

Rod Guides 

Rod guides are little rings that are an essential part of a fishing rod. They are mostly made of metal and ceramic material, although ceramic ones are used more frequently and provide better quality and durability. All of them are coated, which prevents line fractures and gives the line smoother gliding.

The primary purpose of guides is to fix the line so it casts more accurately. Having many guides is best because the line is positioned more evenly. 

There are a few different rod guides:

• Micro Guide: Micro guides are tiny and light guides mainly used for spinning and baitcasting reels. The more guides on a single rod, the better, as there would be less load needed for each part of the rod. Micro guides help divide the stress across the rod and minimize the line slap when it travels from guide to guide. Micro guides keep a line close to guides and distant from the blank, which significantly improves casting as it reduces the friction of the line when you drop it. 

• Single Foot Guide: It’s lighter and more flexible than a micro guide because it needs only one wrapping set, making it ideal for fly or spinning rods. This setting reduces the rod's weight and increases its sensitivity. These guides are lightweight but strong due to their stainless steel construction. 

• Double Foot: They are usually made of stainless steel, ceramic, titanium, or similar materials that provide stability and strength. Because of this, these guides are fantastic for rods that can handle large fish with heavier lures. These guides are placed lower on the rod to reduce the increased stress when casting the lure. 

• Roller Guide: These guides are usually placed along the rod and are made of solid materials that guarantee durability and strength. Saltwater is the most common place where these guides are used, reducing the heavy weight of big fish species, such as Tuna, Marlin, Sharks, and others.

Now that you know which rod guides exist, the decision will be more accessible, and your angling can start. 

Final Thoughts

In this article, we have mentioned all the necessary specifications and features of fishing rods. Not every rod is the same, so it would be good to know what each of them is for to make the best decision. 

Also, every person has unique needs and preferences regarding fishing. Some prefer long or short rods, and some fish in saltwater or freshwater. The choice is yours! Feel free to share your experience with fishing rods with us. We hope you made the most of this article and found out what’s first on your mind when shopping.