Photos

At age 7, I received my own fishing rod from Dad. It was a brown tubular-fiberglass spinning rod about 5 1/2 feet long with a cork handle. Although I acquired a couple of additional rod-and-reel combos over the next decade, that first rod was my favorite. I used it for all types of fishing, finally retiring it when I left home for college.

Today's technological advances in rods are more than I could have imagined as a youngster. For one, graphite has overwhelmed fiberglass as the rod making material of choice.

And while my little brown rod was a general-purpose tool of yesteryear, today's rods are far more specialized. Certainly a quality rod must be light in weight, strong, and sensitive to detect bites. But a rod must also be engineered with an action and power which suits its intended purpose.

Action and power two terms you need to understand as they apply to fishing rods in order to have a discussion on rods. The following explanations of these terms are according to G.Loomis and other major rod manufacturers.

Rod action refers to the flex characteristics of a rod, varying from slow to extra-fast. An extra-fast rod flexes mainly at the tip. Slower (or softer) action rods flex throughout the entire length of the rod. Moderate action rods fall in between.

Power describes how rods compare in terms of lifting, fighting, and casting strength. Another way to measure power is resistance to flex or how much each specific rod bends under load. Power rating determines a rod's recommended lure weights.

Unfortunately not all companies adhere to these standards, often intermingling the meaning of action and power in their descriptions. Therefore, it often comes down to experimenting with different rods to arrive at ones that best fit your favorite fishing techniques.

While there are many rod-and-reel outfits in my basement workroom, not all are on my "Favorites List." When I encounter a rod that enables me to perform particular fishing techniques better than any other rod that I've handled, I hold on to it. While some favorites are barely a year old, others have seen more than a decade of use and are still going strong.

The oldest rod in my arsenal still on active duty is the G.Loomis SJR 721 IMX. I originally purchased it as a light-power rod to fish 1/8-ounce grubs and Sliders for bass. It is 6-feet long with a fast tip and a magnum-power butt section, rated for 1/16- to 5/16-ounce lures. At the time this rod was new, IMX was the lightest and most sensitive graphite rod material available. Fifteen years later it is still is far superior to many new high-end rods. In addition to bass grubs, this rod became my favorite springtime walleye jig rod at Pymatuning. It also serves as my "creek rod" when wading French Creek and similar size streams because it can fish a variety of smaller baits from Rapala Minnows to 1/8-ounce buzzbaits one rod needs to do it all when wading. It has also become my go-to rod for targeting white bass and crappies in deep water with small jigging spoons.

When I head to the Great Lakes for smallmouths, there are two baits I always have tied on a tube jig and 5-inch floppy tail swim grub. But the presentation technique for each of those lures is different; therefore I carry two distinctly different rod actions.

One is a Cabela's TXS Technique Specific Rig & Jig is a fast-tip, 7-foot rod with serious backbone for hooksets in really deep water with 8-pound line and 1/4- to 1/2-ounce jigs. This rod is for slack-line hooksets when lifting-and-dropping a tube jig on the bottom. The Rig & Jig rod is sensitive for its hefty appearance. The handle has a slight hump (rise) above the reel seat to provide a secure grip. Cabela's has since replaced the TXS series with the XML series, which offers the same features in the Rig & Jig model.

The other is a Shimano VSA70M a model in Shimano's defunct "V" rod series. This 7-footer was billed as fast action with medium power; they did not get the "fast action" part correct because the upper half of the blank has flex. It should be more accurately described as a moderate-fast tip. However, this particular taper makes an excellent deepwater grub rod where the lure is continually moved under tension. When a fish strikes, the "give" in the softer forward section allows the bait to be engulfed rather than pulled away. The hookset is simply pull and wind rather than a slack line snap set with a fast tip.

And speaking of moderate, soft-action rods, my all-around favorite crankbait rod is the G.Loomis CBR 845. This 7-foot, medium-heavy power for 3/8- to 1-ounce baits features a true moderate action. Cranking is why I bought this rod, but I discovered that it works great for steady retrieval of spinnerbaits as well. When I noticed some bass tournament pros using this same model as a jerkbait rod, I experimented. Now, this is the rod I turn to for working suspending jerkbaits in cold water. It's just another case where a slower, more moderate action does a better job than fast-tip rods used by so many anglers.

Last year, I was sent a rod to try out for Carolina rigging. The first time out with this 6-foot 8-inch Castaway HG40 Series SKA-CRM68, I knew it was a winner. Neither a fast nor a moderate action, this rod offers slight flexibility in the blank, making it better for "dragging" presentations. But in addition to C-rig and football head dragging, this Castaway is a honey of a rod for swimming jigs a presentation where the jig is retrieved steadily like a spinnerbait.

Two years ago, I needed a more powerful rod to effectively fish hollow-belly swimbaits with those big 5/0 to 8/0 hooks. A buddy at Vicious Fishing suggested I try the Carrot Stix CL TX721P-MF-C. Although this 7-foot 2-inch rod was described as a moderate action intended for 3/8- to 3/4-ounce crankbaits, it's too stiff for my cranking tastes. It turned out to be an excellent choice not only for swimbaits on superline but also buzzbaits. It is remarkable how far you can cast a wind-resistant buzzbait on the right rod with superline and hook-up those long distance strikes.

I've saved my favorite rod for last. From the Bronzeback Series, the fast-action, 6-foot 10-inch G.Loomis SMR 822S-SP GLX spinning rod is without question the lightest and most sensitive rod I've ever fished. Because it weighs next to nothing, I can fish it all day without tiring. With 6- or 8-pound fluorocarbon line and a 1/16- to 3/8-ounce jig, this rod is a dream to fish on the river or on lakes to depths of 25 feet, especially in the early spring and late fall when fish are slow to pick up a jig. Because it is incredibly sensitive to bites, I've caught more light-biting fish with this rod than I would have with any other rod. When my sixth sense kicks in to tell me something is about to happen at the end of the line and I unexpectedly set the hook into a fish, I simply tell my fishing buddy that I could feel the fish breathing on the jig with this rod. I don't know if he believes me, but I do!

Facebook  MySpace  Digg  Stumble    Mixx  Fark  del.icio.us   LiveSpaces

Member Comments

View Comments: | Post a comment

No comments posted for this article.

You must first login before you can comment.