Fish blog 3.5 - Rods

This was actually the rest of Blog 3, but due to an issue with the upload, it is now its own section. Enjoy.

After getting your reel, line and terminal tackle sorted, it is time to connect it all together and have someway to use it all. Whilst handlines are available in many forms, they are an entire topic of their own, which I will get to. For this topic we will focus on the 2 most common types of Rod and how to use them. We will again not look at specialist rods like fly rods or coarse fishing poles, as there is a huge variety an range of rods from little ice fishing poles to massively long beach poles.

The two most commonly used and most versatile rods are those that go with the reels I concentrated upon in the previous blog. These are the spinning rod and the trigger grip overhead casting rod. The major difference between the rods is how the reel mounts to it. On a spinning rod, the line guides and foot mount are on the underside of the blank. This means the line runs under the rods when in the usual position. On a baitcaster rod the guides and reel sit atop the blank, with the line running over the top when used. This small difference makes the 2 vastly different in their use and their benefits and drawbacks.

Parts of a rod.

Rods are made up of a number of parts, all of which play a role in casting the bait or in retrieving the line, hopefully with a fish attached. Many people see the shiny, fancy reels and immediately leap to the conclusion this is the important part of the setup. Not true. Reels, with their spinny bits and doodad levers and switches and buttons are merely fancy gadgets to gather your line onto and keep it neat and tidy. The real magic is in the rod. The rod is the connector between you and the line. It is where you play the fish, not the reel. If set correctly, the drag should not be more than about 1/3 of the line class, the rest of the pressure, and all the shock absorption, comes from the rod. Indeed, a properly played fish on a rod hardly requires much reel work. So understanding the rod and the role it plays is of utmost importance.

A rod is made up around a tapering, cylindrical core piece called the blank. This is built up with either fiberglass, graphite (carbon fibre) or a hybrid of these. Depending on the width, length and taper, this can be a soft springy rod, a stiff rod, a rod with a fast whip action, a rod that is slow. These are determined by the use, and type of fishing. Deep water jigging with big weights requires much shorter rod, stiff with little action, likewise a deepwater trolling rod for marlin. A fly rod needs a much wider action, with a slow recovery to deliver the line smoothly, without whipping it and causing knots. So what is the most appropriate general purpose rod? A spinning rod between 6' and 7' with a medium fast/fast action in the 2-5 kilo (5 - 10 pounds) line weight class strung with 3 kilo line is suitable for most inland and estuarine or wharf conditions.

The Guides are the most obvious addition to the blank. These are what the line passes through on the rod. They consist of a ring, held onto, but clear of, the blank with legs and a foot which is thread bound to the rod. This is usually then protected by an epoxy coating. They are usually metal with a teflon or rubber gromit inside the ring to protect the line and ensure smooth feed during casting or retrieval. It is very important when using braided line to use a teflon guide as the braid is very abrasive and will quickly wear through rubber or plastic guides. The most common damage to a rod is to lose or break off the tip guide. These are readily available and easily replaced with just a touch of hot glue.

The guides on a rod are positioned to take advantage of the backbone of the rod, that is the place it wants to bend. On a spinning rod, the guides are under the rod, so will be on the inside of the curve when the rod is loaded under pressure, whilst with the baitcaster outfit they will be on the outside of the curve. This affects the line and how it interacts with the rod, with it pulling away from the rod and causing flat bridges between guides in the case of the spinning rod and with it pulling in towards the rod in the case of the baitcaster, necessitating more guides, more closely spaced, to prevent the line coming into contact with the blank.

At the base of the rod we find the handle area, with the grips and reel seat. This is the place where the reel attaches to the rod and consists of a inset area, with a lip on one end and a screw down clamp lip on the other. The reel foot rests in this area and the clamp is screwed tight to hold it in place. Always ensure the area is kept clean of sand on other foreign particles to prevent damage to rod or reel as it is screwed in. It is especially important to make sure there is no large sand grains under the lips as these will damage the reel foot, and the threads of the screw clamp as this will thread and become useless. Use fresh water to rinse the rod whenever used with bait or in that salt water, or at any sandy location. If storing the rod for a period, spray the thread of the screw clamp with a little WD40 and leave in the unwound position.

The handles of the rod are usually grips made of polyurethane rubber or cork. I really feel that there is little difference, but polyurethane is more prone to holding bait scents n the grips whilst cork may become a little slippery when wet. Poly is warmer on a cold day, just for a quick side not. Cork also gets a little warm sitting in the sun on a scorcher. This is not a deal breaker, just something I have noticed. I have no preference and fish rods with either.

The correct grip depends on which reel and rod combination you are using, with the main difference being that the Spinning reel sits in an underslung position on the rod, whilst the baitcaster reel sits atop the rod. This leads to very different actions in casting and yet the same principal is at play. You want to load the rod and use the energy of the release to cast the line, rather than trying to use brute force.

Baitcaster

Correct position to hold spinning reel.

To cast, catch the line with the forefinger, open the bail arm, and just cock the wrist. back wards, then bring it back into position, using the thumb on the back of the blank to apply pressure forward there.

When fighting a fish, so so by lifting the rod, and lowering it, in smooth actions, maintaining an even, smooth curve in the rod and reeling only on the downward motion to gather slack. If the fish wants to run, lift the tip of the rod, you want the butt end pointing to about the 11-11:30 position, this will put plenty of pressure on the fish. If it bucks be prepared to just drop the rod forward a little to help absorb the shock to the line. Never reel against a running drag, you are not actually gathering line, nor are you tiring the fish, you are merely twisting the line which will lead to tangles.

Okay, well that is about it for rods for now, stay tuned for the next blog, and catch up with these previous ones.

Fishing blog 1 - An introduction to lures. https://www.minds.com/blog/view/888974778510364672

Fishing blog 2 - Worms and other baits https://www.minds.com/blog/view/892006109585448960

Fishing blog 3 Reels and lines and other gear. https://www.minds.com/blog/view/892006109585448960