Have you ever been to your favorite fishing store and looked at all the fishing rods available and wondered which one to choose?
Here are some things to consider:
What size lures or bait are you going to use?
What type of fishing are you going to do?
There are three basic types of rods to choose from:
1. Fly fishing Rod-start out with a prepackaged outfit in the 6 to 8 pound range. The larger pounds are for larger fish. Prices vary.
2. Spinning Rod - my favorite. These types of rods are the most popular today. They can be used either for heavyweight or lightweight fish. I recommend a 7 to 8 foot rod so that it is not too long and not too short. They are great for inshore fishing. These rods are used with spinning reels hence the name spinning rods. They are perfect for beginners because of the backlash problem with casting reels. You can also cast a smaller lure such as 1 to 4 ounces on a spinning rod. Look at the base of the rod where the handle is. It will give the specs of the rod. The recommended lure weight and line weight of the rod. They can be used either for heavyweight or lightweight fish. Generally speaking a good quality rod will have graphite guides distance 1 foot apart. This is the part you run your fishing line through. Action is important and we will discuss that later.
3. Casting rods-use these with casting reels. Pound for pound these rods are stronger than spinning rods. They have smaller guides since the line is coming straight off the spool. Also more guides are used to prevent the line from touching the blank. Casting rods are used for jigging and bottom fishing and handle heavier lures than spinning rods.
4. Surf rods-These rods are used on the beach and are designed to cast further out into the ocean. Bottom fishing is what these rods are used for. They range in size from 10 feet and up. If you plan to cast all day long a 12 to 15 can be hard to use. A good surf rod to get is a 12 footer with a lure weight of 6 ounces and you can also put it bait on it and stick it in the sand spike.
There are three main types of action of a fishing rod:
(The flexibility of a rod is its action and describes the bend of the rod when it loaded with a fish).
1. Fast action is where most of the bend is at the tip. The fishing rod is considered stiff.
2. Moderate action is where the bend is at the tip plus in the middle part of the rod.
3. Slow Action: This rod is the most flexible, it bends well into the butt end of the rod.
Which should you buy? It depends on the fish you are If you just starting out to fish I would recommend the moderate or medium action.
Hope these tips help you!
I am an active fisherman and love to fish fresh and saltwater fishing. If you want to catch more fish go to http://learntosaltwaterfish.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danette_D_Foltz