High Dollar Rods
By Mike Radice
03/24/08
If you truly enjoy the chase, the challenge and the reward of hooking more fish, sooner or later you’ll need to spend a few more dollars on equipment. Start by saving up your sock drawer money to invest in a high-quality fishing rod.
For pro angler Jerry Schlief, a good rod is the essential element to better fishing. “I started to realize as a pro angler that higher quality rods become the tool of the trade – like Craftsmen and Snap-on. When it becomes a tool it becomes a comfort to you.”
“I’d be afraid to fish with a two hundred dollar rod,” confessed one angler. Another angler went a step further. “If I had a six hundred dollar fly rod or bait casting rod, I’d only hang it over the fireplace and admire it.” No greater injustice could be served. These high-end
fishing rods are the finest tools money can buy for a sport, an avocation that we all love and enjoy. “It’s as simple as this,” says Dan Smith rod specialist with Fish Tech, a local tackle shop in Holladay, Utah. “Buy the best rod you can afford.”
For purposes of this article high-end rods will be defined as those with graphite composite construction. If you are considering upgrading and making the investment, graphite is the material of choice for superior sensitivity and performance. There are a great many advertisements from manufacturers touting the type of graphite used, the high modulus number and how their rods are made. Basically, if the rod is made with graphite you are on the right track. Look for rods using IM5, IM6, IM7, IM8, IML, IMX and high-modulus graphite derivatives. Higher-end rods with these materials range in cost from $80 to over $500.
A sensitive rod is vital when considering the simple mechanics of the hook set. The act of the fish taking the bait only lasts milliseconds before he swallows or spits it out. A good fishing rod must be able to quickly send that information from the lure, up the line through the rod to your hand so your brain can process it fast enough for you to react and set the hook. The more sensitive the rod, the greater the amount of information you receive at the other end.
A $10 rod will not have the sensitivity of a $120 rod. The materials are not comparable either. “No need to break the bank,” says Ron Colby, pro angler and member of the Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits team. “Try a range and get comfortable with that before moving on to the next expense level.”
Adding an expensive rod to your arsenal is not intended for bragging rites. The rod will improve your skills and ability to detect even the subtlest bites. Bragging rites come when you compare what is in your live well against that of your fellow anglers.
First Priority: Sensitivity
“The first thing to look for in a more expensive rod is sensitivity,” said Dan Smith.
“You need to know if you’re hitting rocks, going through sand or weeds, or if it’s a fish picking it up. If you have a less expensive rod they usually have less graphite composite in them and they’re not as sensitive. They’re typically heavier too. You get more arm-weary with a heavier rod.”
Colby agrees. Feel is crucial. “Just let the rod float in your hand and you will feel that pressure bite.”
Superior rod performance starts with its construction and specifically in the shank or mid-section of the rod called the screm, according to Smith. “It’s the portion of the rod between the top of the handle and the first line guide. Rods that incorporate graphite in the screm and throughout construction are the lightest and thus most expensive rods.” They are also the most desirable for their performance and sensitivity. In rod construction and graphite materials, you get what you pay for; the higher the modulus the more sensitive the rod. “The $150 to $600 rods have a lifetime warranty so you’re only going to buy it once. You’re making a lifetime investment,” Smith added.
A New World at Your Fingertips
Upon casting and retrieving that lure for the first time with a high-end rod, the differences become obvious. First, accuracy improves exponentially - the lure goes where it was intended. Second, bait awareness increases. It is easier to tell when the lure hits the bottom. As you slowly retrieve it you feel it bounce along the bottom. Fishing becomes an art-form, not a rote task of simply casting and retrieving. “If you’re fishing your bait slowly you have to be in tune with the bait,” Colby said. “You have to know what that lightweight bait feels like for the weight of line you’re using. That’s where a high-end rod really shines.”
One of the biggest challenges for a novice using a sensitive rod for the first time is that they are likely to set the hook on every twitch, tap and tug because they feel everything! “You’re magnifying the sensitivity from four to eight times what you might be used to with a less expensive rod,” Smith explained. “Say you take a $10 fiberglass rod and then you go up to a G.Loomis or a Fenwick Techna rod costing around $120. You magnify that sensitivity by a factor of ten. Something you don’t feel on that cheaper rod will feel like a jolt on the more expensive one.”
Obviously a great deal of practice will make the difference. Before long, you will know whether that tick is a weed or a three pound large mouth bass making short order of your swim bait. ”Time on the water is the most valuable thing. You have to learn how to adjust to the new world this new rod offers,” agrees Schlief. “You’re going to feel a lot more then you’re used too. Remember hooksets are free, so don’t be afraid to set the hook on every bump, tick, and twitch you feel. Sooner or later, you’ll be able to decipher between a rock and a fish. When that happens, you’ve reached your comfort zone with that investment.”
What You Really Feel Before You Set the Hook
“For most of the fish I catch,” Smith says, “it’s not a real hard hit. It’s not like your throwing a spinner and a trout comes from twenty feet away and smacks it. When a bass comes up it opens its mouth, flares its gills and creates a vacuum to suck in the bait. What you’re feeling is the lead jighead hitting the back of the fish’s mouth. That’s all you feel. It’s just a tap. That’s why sensitivity is so important.”
Besides sensitivity, Jerry Schlief says both feel and focus are important parts of the equation to becoming a better angler. “Remember, the fish doesn’t care what rod you use. You have to learn to trust your rod and that’ll come with practice on the water. When an angler puts eight rods on the deck in a tournament he wants to know that those tools will perform as he expects.”
Consider what type of fishing you plan to do with the rod. Fast tip, medium action rods are better for bass fishing. “What that means is the tip is real fast and the action of the rod bends about half way down the pole with the bottom section being where the power comes from,” Smith explained. According to Smith, a six-foot six-inch medium action rod with a fast tip is the most popular bass rod.
Experiment with different rods. See what they will do compared to what you want to do with them. Are you going to throw jigs, crankbaits or spinner baits? Then match the rod to that technique. “If you pick a seven-foot flipping rod you’ll be throwing jigs during the spring bite with that one,” Schlief offered. “Fishing crankbaits means you want a rod with a fast tip to give the fish something to hold onto when he bites that hook.”
Balanced Combos
The rod and reel must balance out for the best feel and best performance. “Don’t overpower the rod with a big reel,” Smith said. “You’ll loose sensitivity. Regardless of line weight and capacity, the reel and rod need to work together for optimum balance and sensitivity.” Schlief agrees. “Don’t grab the biggest reel in your tackle box to put on the new rod. It goes back to technique and performance. The reel should balance with the rod. Then pick the line weight that matches the technique you intend to employ with that rod.”
To determine optimum balance, Smith suggests finding the center of gravity on your rod with only one finger. “Stick your finger out and balance the rod and reel right in front of the reel. When it sits level you have a balanced combo.” If the reel is too heavy the rod will fall back, if it is too light the rod will tip forward. “Get everything to match and you’ll feel more bites. Use your same reels just put them on a more sensitive rod,” Smith said. Upgrade reels later.
Before making that investment try out a few rods in the parking lot of your local tackle shop. They should be willing to put a balanced rig together with a rubber casting plug to test how the rod handles and how it feels in your hand. Do not fall in love with the first high-end rod you try. Remember this is likely to be an entirely different experience than you are used to. Try several different models. Feel the difference in weight and balance before a reel is attached. After you find one that works best for what you intend to use it for, you have a great tool to aid you in improving your craft and increasing your catch success.