Components of a Fishing Rod (www.Angelfire.com)

1) Handle or Grip:

When you pick up a rod for the first time, with or without a fishing reel on it, you will notice the the handle or grip. The handle should be carefully crafted for easy holding and comfort. The best fishing rods the handle or the grip is crafted in one piece and not a seperate piece that is glued on. Many rods are imported in from China are glued on and ofted break or fall apart over time. We have seen grips made from several different components. These include: cork grips, foam grips, pistol grips or trigger stick.

• Cork Grips: Better for comfort while fishing and do not absorb much water if got wet.
• Pistol Grip: This is the shortest type of grip. This type of handle and grip are made for your hand. It will mold to how you hold your rod. These handles include a hook for your index finger to help cast more accurately and are often longer.
• Foam Grips: One of the best options for a fishing rod. It is well liked due to its lightweight, durability, and  comfort. It is often hard to break and seem to last the longest. 
• Trigger stick: One of my personal favorites for inshore fishing. It is a longer handle made to be fished with two hands. It is for when you need to make longer casts with accuracy. 

2) The Reel Seat:

The reel seat is the point on the rod that attaches the fishing reel to the rod. Often times they are made from either plastic or graphite. This is such a critical piece of the rod, because this is the only thing that holds your reel to the rod. You want these seats to secure the reel securly and firmly to eliminate movement of the reel on the rod. Most reel seats come with a collar that will screw dowm onto the rod to hold the reel in place. I have found that graphite is usually better than plastic. Plastics can crack with wear and graphite holds up better over time.

3) The Ferrule:

Most rods can be broken down for transport or easy carry. Because of this, the rods come with a male and female end. They can screw together or slide together. These are better known as ferrules.This should be the only part of the rod that may require it to be put together.

4) The Guides or Eyes:

The guides or eyes are the part of the rod that hold the line. These guides are largest at the handle and get smaller as you go up the rod. They are made of several different materials that include: metal, plastic or ceramic. If this is a saltwater rod, then you need these rod eyes to be stainless steel, ceramic or plastic to ensure they do not rust. Because these guides stick out off the rod, they often get broken off. They are required to control the fishing line.

Depending on the type of rod you use, the eyes can be located in different places. With a casting rod, the guides are found on top of the rod. The circles are smaller than lets say a saltwater rod because it is needed for easier casting. Whereas on a spinning rod, the guides are found on the bottom of the rod. The number of eyes and guides are due to the rod length.

5) Rod Blank:

This is the most important part of the rod. It can be compared to the heart of a person. All rod manufactures make their blanks different. Some are made of graphite, while others are made of fiber glass. No matter what the rod is made of, the Core part of the rod is the rod blank.

Now that you have a better understanding of the components of a rod and how they are constructed, lets look at a few determinants of what makes a good rod. Rod length, rod materials, rod power, and rod action are the areas of focus.

Freshwater Rods and Saltwater Rods: Materials Of Composition

Fishing rods are usually made from five different types of materials: Graphite, fiberglass, composite, bamboo or a combination of fiberglass and graphite. Each type of material has its own advantages and disadvantages.  The type of fishing rod can affect the action of the rod and sensitivty for detecting a bite.

Fiberglass Rod:

A rod that most beginner angers use are fiberglass. A fiberglass rod usually is a stronger, more durable than other types. They are a must have if you are fishing for larger fish like saltwater large game fish, muskie or pike. These rods usually require the least amount of maintenance and provide the best rod strength on the market. This flexibilty in the rod makes them almost unbreakable and a must have rod in your arsenal. 

Graphite Rod:

The next type of rod is often prefered by the pro anglers. These are composed of graphite. The reason for this preference is the sensitivtiy that the rod provides to detect bites. They are oftern lighter in weight and more fragile then fiberglass. These make excellent rods but should be used by a more experienced angler.

Often times rods are made with a combination of both components. These can be good for anglers who fish in different areas for different species of fish. One of the other types of rods are bamboo which is often found more in fly fishing rods making it smooth and stiffer when casting. The last type of rod is composite. This could consist of a poly blend of fibers or carbon fibers.  Know which rod material will suit your type of fishing best to pick out the right kind of rod for yourself.

Rod Length: Size Matters

Fishing Rod Length (Photo Credit:Rod1 & Mystery Tackle Box)

 The length of the fishing rod should determine what kind of fishing you plan to do. The ranges in size span from four to twelve feet or custom lengths. If you plan to just bass fishing, the rod size needed will be within the six to eight feet range. Surf fishing can require a longer rod, and get you in the range of ten to twelve feet. This is needed because of the distance you are reqired to throw your bait. You must consider this when picking our a new rod. Pick the length according to the species of fish you are targeting, your experience level and strength. One thing that my father always taught me growing up is shorter rods are for shorties and large rods are for big fish. There is no science behind this, but it always stuck. Know that a short rod will only cast short distance and a longer rod will be used for long distance.

When offshore fishing the fish are more aggressive. If you have not hooked a grouper or amber jack then you have not had a true fight. Shorter rods are better for reeling in a fish of this caliber. You want less bend in the rod to help tired the fish out. So if you do not need to cast long distances, fighting larger fish or need space because you are fishing in limited space like a kayak, then use a short rod. 

If you need to cast long distance while surf fishing or bank fishing then the rod of choice is a longer rod. Often times when bass anglers need to cover large amounts of water when using crankbaits they will use a eight to ten foot rod. The other area you often see longer rods are anglers on a pier. They are required to cast longer distances and these rods help aide with that.

Rod Power & Action: Man Handle The Fish

I am sure you are asking yourself what in the world is power and action in a fishing rod? Well that is a good question. Let us sum it up for you. Power describes the rod weight. Rods come in ultra-light, light, medium-light, medium, medium-heavy, heavy, ultra-heavy, or other similar combinations. A ultra heavy rod or a rod with a lot of power will be hard to bend. A good rule of thumb to remember is the more power you have the stiffer the rod. So a rod with little power will bend over more than a rod with a lot of power. If you are fishing for crappies, pan fish or small bass then use a ultra-light rod. If you are trying to catch a large ocean fish like a grouper or snapper then you will need a heavy rod. Power goes along directly with action. Action is what determines how much control you have over a fish when reeling it in.  A fast action rod will put large pressure on the fish, while slow action puts very little pressure on the fish.

The action of the rod can affect your accuracy when casting and also the casting distance. How you determine if the rod is slow or fast action, is where it bends. If the rod bends at the tip, then it is a fast action rod. If it bends toward the base, then it is a slow action rod. So if you plan to go fish for bass with crank baits, spinner baits or fish for saltwater trout then use a medium to medium-heavy weight rod. This will give you the necessary play for landing these fish. If you plan on fishing the ocean floor then a ultra-heavy rod will be the rod of choice.

Now that you are aware the components and makeup of fishing rods, lets take a better look into the different types of rods and the fishing type that work best. Fishing rods come in three types: Casting rods (conventional), spinning rods and surfcasting rods.

 Casting rods are made often light weight so they can casted many times over the fishing trip. The reels are found on the top of the rod as well as the guides. Most of the time this is the rod of choice for bass anglers. Casting rods pair perfect with a baitcasting reels making it a deadly combo fo any bass angler. Because bass anglers often like to pitch their bass lures into areas around trees and debris the control and accuracy of this rod and reel are unprecident.

The spinning rod is the perfect rod for most anglers that enjoy using spinning reels. The perfect size for these rods are in the range of six to nine feet. The spinning reel and guides are found on the bottom side of this rod. Because of its location on the bottom of the rod it is known for its accurate and smooth casts. These rods are made in graphite and fiberglass most of the time and are perfect for freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing. When saltwater fishing, the spinning rods contain longer grips for two hand casting to increase casting length. These are always the rod of choice for any time of trolling whether its for striper or dolphin. 

Bottom rods or saltwater casting rods are heavy duty rods for deep sea fishing in the ocean. These large, heavy rods have the reels and eyes on top of the rod. These rods are usually made from fiberglass due to its durability and greater lifting power for larger fish.

The last rod is the saltwater surfcasting rod. This is the largest of the rods. The eyes and reel area are found on the bottom side of the rod. A ten to fourteen foot rod is needed to provide length , power and action. The bait must be casted over the surf so long casting abilities is a must. Several species of fish often caught on a surfcasting rod are red drum, black drum, flounder and sharks.

We hope you will consider all this when selecting a new rod. We would like to recommend a few rods from Blackfin Ros. They are well known for their durable, well made offshore rods that are guarenteed to land more fish. 

If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask us. Please comment below or email us at [email protected]. Let us know what your favorite type of rod is, and if you buy one from us please leave a product review for us.