A Variety of Fishing Rods for a Variety of Fish
Have you ever sat around listening to anglers talk about fishing? Aside from the often-exaggerated “fish stories”, seasoned fishermen love to talk about gear. This lure is guaranteed to catch a fish. That bait is the only bait for catfish, and so on. One boast you won’t hear, though, is the “I can catch anything with this rod.”
If you even hinted that all fishing rods are created equal, the conversation would stop dead–until the roar of laughter assailed your ears. The seasoned fishermen would then take you aside and explain that there are a variety of fish in the sea, and they require a variety of fishing rods.
Not only do fish come in small, medium and large, they also come in different temperaments. Some fight the hook like crazy. Others don’t. Experienced anglers choose their rods depending on the type of fish they want to catch. Some common types of fish, and they rods they require, are listed below.
A Crappie Fishing Rod
Selecting a fishing rod for crappie isn’t difficult. These fish are rather small and they don’t put up a big fight. A good quality, lightweight fishing rod will work just fine. Weight is the important factor in choosing a crappie fishing rod, because it’s going to be “jigged” about a lot. This rod will be continually snapped up and down to lure the fish to take the bait. If you use a heavy rod, your arm will tire quickly, and you may even injure your hand and/or wrist. With crappie, go light and comfortable.
What’s the Best Rod for Trout?
The new, modern graphite rods are a good choice for trout fishing. Graphite rods are fairly flexible, which is all that’s needed with trout. These fish run fairly large, but they aren’t big fighters. Some trout rods are made from fiberglass, but a graphite rod should suffice. The average trout rod ranges from seven to ten feet in length. The shorter end of the range is fine for fishing in streams. If you want to trout fish from the shore or from a boat, choose a rod from the longer end of the range. A nine foot rod will do a good job.
Bass Fishing Rods
Bass are possibly the most common type of fish. They are also the most popular. Bass come in all shapes and sizes, live in saltwater and in freshwater, and are big fighters. These are the fish stories with action and adventure. Bass fight hard and they can be devious, so when you land a bass, you’ve really accomplished something.
Landing that bass can bend, twist, yank, pull and almost mutilate a fishing rod, so the rod has to be strong enough to take the abuse. Fiberglass rods are the best bet for bass fishing. Graphite rods are stronger, but fiberglass can handle the strain, and they are more flexible and have no trouble handling the extreme twists and turns.
