How to Bass Fish: Choosing a Bass Fishng Rod

How do you choose the correct rod? In the case of my daughter at age three if it was pink it was the right rod.  You may want to be a bit more discriminating. You will need to decide fiberglass or carbon, light or heavy or fast or slow. The use you have planned for your  rod will determine the qualities you will want .

Most rods are made from either fiberglass or graphite. The materials are woven to form the material that a rod is made from. The finer the weave the stiffer the material. This stiffness is referred to as the modulus of the rod. Fiberglass rods have a lower modulus than graphite rods. 

Because graphite rods have a higher modulus than those made from fiberglass there will also be other characteristics which will distinguish rods made from the two materials from one another.

The graphite rod with its higher modulus will be a stiffer rod. This stiffness will give the rod greater sensitivity and more speed or action. The graphite will also produce a rod that is lighter in weight than one made from fiberglass.

The different potential combinations of the previously listed traits will cause different rods to best meet different conditions and bait types. Crankbaits and top water baits match best with a light weight rod due to repeated casting of these baits. this rod should have a moderate action.

Spinnerbaits work well with a light rod with good sensitivity and a medium soft tip.  

A stiff rod  with very fast action and high power should be used when fishing areas with  heavy cover.

The material of the handle also adds to the characteristics of a rod. In general a cork handle will add to the sensitivity of a rod. The higher the quality of the cork used for the handle the better the ability to feel subtle vibrations transfered from your bait throughout the line to the rod.

Based upon the information contained in this post, the next time you are in the market for a new rod you can give  consideration  to the traits of a rod and how they will permit the rod to best match your intended use.

This post has only touched the surface of the vast amount of information available to improve your bass fishing. The Complete Bass Fishing Course shares the bassfishing knowledge of the legendary Bill Dance on 12 DVDs along with 12 CDs. Click below to learn how to receive a free lesson DVD.