What kind of rod for baitcaster

Loomis has reduced the weight by up to 18 percent compared to its widely popular E6X line. Loomis are always on the cutting-edge of technology and design, and these new high-modulus blanks definitely deliver. Every feature is maximized for performance and comfort included. The beautiful, AAA-grade cork split-grip handles are narrowed slightly at the butt-end, improving balance and control.

Fuji K-Guides offer superior corrosion-resistance and durability, eliminating all the common reasons for line tangles. Loomis has always been a name at the front in modern rod construction. The IMX-Pro series is one of the best designs to ever come out of their factories and undoubtedly will become legendary in time. If you are looking for a casting rod in the upper-tier of the elite category, this one is there and will set you apart.

This tapering is the primary cause of rod flexing, with the material of the blank and how tightly wound together being contributing factors, as well. Action ratings typically range from slow, moderate, and fast, with some combinations like moderate-fast, and extra-fast. They may make more sense to think of how soon a rod snaps back into being straight when you bend it and let go, and are measured like this.

Moderate: bends at the middle of the rod and loads up well with small to medium-sized lures. This action goes well with crankbaits with tree hooks. Fast: begins bending closer at the tip, and therefore the rod straightens much quicker when pressure is released. Fast action rods have a lot more backbone support behind the flex, providing good hook sets and strong lifting capacity.

In bass fishing , this is a good all-around rating, providing much more sensitivity, as well. Also known as rod weight, power ratings indicate how much pressure applied to a rod it takes in order to make it flex.

They range from ultra-light to extra-heavy and correspond primarily with the weight of the line, lures or baits, and additional tackle your rod is designed to throw. There is no exact industry standard, so the power rating and its corresponding lure and line weights vary slightly from brand to brand, but on most rods, you will find both printed somewhere along the stick. The main advantages of using a baitcasting rod as opposed to a spinning rod are more accurate casting, heavier fishing line, and control.

Lures can be set softly into the water exactly where you want them to be placed. Line comes off of a baitcaster with more control than a spinning reel, in a straight motion towards your intended target off the spool as opposed to un-coiling. With the stiffness of a casting rod and the mechanics of casting reels, heavier lines can be used with reduced risk of breaking offline or snapping the pole while fishing.

Your control of the line on a casting rod is much improved versus a spinning rig. Also, while fighting a fish, a single finger can manage the amount of drag by placing it over the spool, minimizing the time you need to make last-second adjustments.

Long-distance casting is synonymous with long rods, and you will rarely find a baitcasting rod shorter than six feet. But the huge amount of specific fishing techniques out there still means a wide range of rod lengths to choose from. Lakes, creeks, oceans, on a boat, on a bank, wading in the surfcasting rods offer the angler to cast a reasonable distance and have better control of the line post-cast. If you are a surf fisherman, a longer pole will be advantageous to be able to cast beyond the breakwaters where a lot of ocean species of fish like to hang out.

Surf fishing rods are generally the longest of the bunch, in the nine to the fourteen-foot range. When targeting a species like bass at the lake, most anglers have on hand several rods of different lengths as well as power and action ratings , because the fish can oftentimes be found in different locations, deep and shallow, in the open or hidden in the cover. Most of the time a range of six to eight-foot poles is used. A shorter rod, in the low six-foot area, is good at permitting the fisherman to have better control in techniques like walking a frog and skipping lures under docks and low hanging branches.

Your height might mean you can wield a long pole in close quarters more effectively, or a shorter one. Bank fishermen often have to contend with tree branches directly above them, and all around them, making too long of a pole impracticable to cast.

Trial and error are the main keys to determining which size rod is best for you. The best baitcasting rods for bass are made with high modulus graphite and should have a power rating anywhere from medium to heavy with an action rating of fast. A power from medium to heavy is most efficient for the lifting and hook setting ability required for this lively species. That is not to say that bass, and even large-sized ones, cannot be caught on light or ultralight rods. However, you risk losing a fair amount of hook setting power.

A fast action rod will be useful for bass fishing the majority of the time. The way a fast rod flexes closer to the tip of the rod provides a lot of support from the rest of the pole for hook sets, lifting power, and overall control of the fish. The general consensus for one particular technique, however, is that a slower action is better when using crankbaits.

A moderate to moderate-fast flex happens more at the middle of the rod, allowing the bass to get better contact with a lure that is being retrieved and usually in an erratic pattern of movement before the angler pulls the rod for a hook set. The basic rule is that baitcasters are used with fishing lines that are ten pounds and up, and spinning rods when casting distance is most important.

This would mean that heavier lures, too, are used for baitcasters. It is all about efficiency. Smaller lines are less visible to fish, and in many circumstances, it is necessary to reduce visibility and increase stealth as much as possible.

What baitcasters definitely have over spinning rigs, though, are speed and power. Big topwater lures like frogs, buzz baits and spooks, and pitching and flipping jigs, on their own these techniques should be reserved for baitcasters. The same ones you can buy off the shelf.

This question has been posed many times at tournaments like the Classic, and people still have the misconception that professional bass anglers get some kind of suped-up reels and elite rods from their sponsors. Besides the concept gear they are asked to work on with them they have nothing not available to you.

You do not see too many professionals using the lower end models, but most brands offer different products at different price ranges, and the more costly setups is what they typically use.

Well-known rod manufacturers like St. They sometimes switch brands once their promotion contracts are up, but all the rods they use are available to anyone with a couple of hundred dollars to spend. In most cases spinning reel with cast further. However, there are several casting leagues and tournaments throughout the world that show baitcasting reel setups casting further. In , Will Nash set the American record for casting a gram lead weight For people who are not practicing record-breaking casting distances with super technical grade gear, a spinning reel will likely cast further.

The technique is extremely important, as casting a spinning or a baitcaster rod is a little different. Casting a spinner is a whipping motion, while a baitcaster is more of a lob. The kind of line on the spool matters, too, as different weights and frictions can speed up or slow it down. Braided lines generally cast the smoothest, and furthest. Some people will argue which type of reel will cast further.

Baitcasters are notoriously difficult to learn how to cast with at first, and no doubt some people are just always going to be more successful sticking to the simpler spinning gear. The mechanics of baitcasters can be set up to be superior for casting far.

Baitcasters are designed for heavy fishing lines, usually starting at ten pounds and up. Every rod has a power rating, however, which indicates how much weight is necessary in order to make it flex, and using a line too heavy or too light as specified will either negatively affect its casting ability, or possibly even cause the rod to break.

There is no industry standard for power ratings. A medium heavy rod from St. Croix might be noticeably different from a medium-heavy rating on a Shakespeare, but this is why most brands print both a power rating and a line and lure weight on each rod.

The line and lure weight should be followed because this is the maximum amount of weight the manufacturer has found can be used with the rod before it fails, either in performance or more catastrophically with breakage.

This is just an average estimate, but generally, a rod that has a medium-heavy power will also say its line weight is pounds, and its lure weight is ounces. As long as you do not go above the high ends of these specifications, your rod should be fine. That said, baitcasting rods can handle all types of fishing lines including monofilament, fluorocarbon, or braid.

This is a common problem when using a rod with cheaper components, such as stainless steel guides. Better rods use ceramics and other materials for their guides, and resist grooving very well. Besides learning the proper casting technique, it will save a lot of trouble if you first calibrate the reel with the weight of the lure you are about to throw. It sounds annoying to have to do this, but it does not have to be exact and is very simple.

Different models of baitcasters have different features, like magnetic and friction brakes, centrifugal systems, etc. Once that is done, it is safe to try and properly make a cast. There are different casts you can make with a baitcaster like a one-handed roll cast, pitching, flipping, but the most fundamental is the overhead cast. To begin, start with some line already out, so that the lure is hanging about nine to twelve inches from the rod tip.

One hand should be on the rear grip, and your dominant hand goes upfront with part of that thumb simultaneously depressing the spool release button and the line around the spool at the same time. There is no whipping motion as with a spinning rod, but instead, a sweeping motion as you jerk the rod forward until the dominant arm is fully extended at a degree angle with the reel at eye level, lobbing the lure to its destination.

The tip of the thumb keeping the line against the spool is loosened just enough halfway into this motion to feather the line as it comes out, keeping it in check so that the lure does not overshoot, or a birds nest does not form as it strikes the water. When you are satisfied with where the lure is positioned, a simple hair-turn of the reel handle re-engages the spool release button and locks it. This is an extremely exciting way to fish for bass hiding in cover, and done correctly it provides a stealthy presentation that tends to catch mostly large fish.

It is only difficult at first, and hard to understand the concept and intricacies until you try it for yourself. Different fishermen recommend different lengths of rod for this, but it all comes down to personal preference. The length of a rod you can use, however, the further distance you can get with this cast.

It tends to work best with a medium-heavy to heavy powered baitcasting rod, seven-foot or longer, and a fast action tip. You will benefit from a heavier line, either solid braid or braid with a fluorocarbon leader works best when these fish try to bury themselves deeper. The expectation is pinpoint accuracy and quiet entry. You see an opening through a mat of grass or tree trunks, and you want to pitch a jig into it without spooking the fish.

Then, rotate the pole so that the reel faces sideways, towards the non-dominant hand which is holding the lure. Of course, your dominant thumb is acting as a break, preventing any more line from coming out, and it will stay like this until the end motion of the cast.

The other hand should be able to pull on the lure without pulling out more line, and this pulling pressure between both the rod and lure are actually going to help launch the jig into your target, almost in the same way a catapult works. You do not want to pull too hard. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and slightly staggered, with the dominant side forward. Now, the rod tip is facing down, reel facing inward, and your elbow up and out at an awkward angle while the hand clutching the lure beneath the hook, no fingers in front of it, for safety is down and slightly pulling it towards your back.

Both hands then move towards the target, still applying pulling pressure on one another until the release, where you let go of the lure and the spool feathering the line with the thumb as it comes out and the rod tip is extended forward, all in a fluid, sweeping motion.

When perfected, the lure should enter the water with minimal splash or noise, and jigged up and down to elicit action and a strike. Flipping can definitely be done with a baitcaster, and with even more control than a spinning rod and reel. Also, flipping or pitching techniques are designed for getting bass out of dense cover in shallow water, like matted grass and submerged tree branches, so a baitcaster is perfectly suitable for use with the tough, heavier lines necessary to do this. A rod somewhere around seven to seven and a half feet works best for this application.

Twenty-pound braided line or stronger is usually recommended, but some people find fluoro or braided line with a fluoro leader successful. To start, you need to have enough line out that you are able to pull enough in your free hand straight off of the spool until your arm is fully extended out to your side, and also enough line hangs off of the rod tip until your lure of choice rests in the air evenly with the reel. Different people have different wingspans, so how much line this actually comes out to will vary.

Your dominant hand will remain on the rod and reel as always, with the thumb acting as a break against the spool, while the other hand is holding the excess line from between the spool and first guide ring. You will turn the dominant wrist so that the reel faces inward, towards the hand holding line, and begin lifting and lowering the rod tip so that the freely hanging lure swings back and forth. As you underhand swing the rod tip down, you the other hand pulls its line out to your side.

As you underhand swing the rod tip up, that other hand comes in towards the reel while the line slides through its fingers. Do that motion a few times to warm up or get the hang of. When you actually make the cast and send the lure to the target, it will be as you are underhand swinging the rod tip up, so the other hand will be releasing its line back to the reel, providing more distance. It works similar to a pendulum, building up enough pressure but with enough control to ease the lure into the target zone, with minimal splash or noise.

Graphite provides the best sensitivity and strength while also being lightweight of all the materials used for rods, but the construction process can be very complex, and not all graphite rods are made to the same standards.

Companies like G. Loomis and St. Croix follow a lot more steps than others making graphite rods. Extreme temperatures are needed to work the graphite, and good rod makers are trying to do two things to it, create tensile strength, and tensile modulus, which equate to strain and stiffness.

Creating enough heat to do this is expensive on its own, but the balance has to be struck between them, or else you get companies offering cheaper rods that advertise as having high modulus graphite which breaks easily from lack of tensile strength. The graphite is then layered, and another balance has to be made between that and the resin added which holds them together. Too much or too little of either can make a rod too soft or too heavy, and, again, there is not much industry standard so some companies skip steps and cut corners, but still advertise to the consumer as having used the same materials as a respected rod maker did.

It is a very complicated process, with the materials used is only part of the story. Someone looking to buy a good casting rod must be very diligent in understanding the finished product. Growing up in Pennsylvania Cody has also done extensive freshwater fishing including bass fishing tournaments. Cody strives to provide detailed information about the best fishing gear and tactics to help both novice and experienced anglers have a more productive and enjoyable time on the water.

Cody also has a background in aerospace engineering and neuroscience but really only takes pride in being good at one thing and that is fishing! Here Are the Best Baitcasting Rods 1. Abu Garcia Vengeance Baitcasting Rod 3.

St Croix Triumph Baitcasting Rod 4. Piscifun Torrent Baitcasting Rod Berkley Shock Baitcasting Rod Croix Mojo Yak Casting Rod Ugly Stik Elite Baitcasting Combo Whereas a spinning rod has larger, downward-facing eyes, a casting rod has smaller eyes meant to be directed upwards.

Using a baitcaster on a spinning rod will essentially cause it to spin upside down. Too much pressure will actually snap the rod. They need to be strong, and the stability the thicker rod offers is able to support the pull of the baitcaster. Spinning rods are normally thinner and longer, allowing the line to spool out before being cast.

This allows you to still have some aim while building enough momentum to cast the lure out far enough. A casting rod will also normally have a trigger.

A spinning rod will not usually have this, though there are some exceptions, of course. Hi Steven, great comparisons on casting rod vs spinning rods also the difference in the two reels.

Bait casting reels have been around for ever which in the 60s they were easier to use then now. Your email address will not be published. I am an avid life long fisherman, having caught over 25, fish over the years. My life-long passion for fishing began when my father taught me how to fish at the age of ten. I started luremefish. Skip to content.

By: Steven. Updated: October 15, Share on facebook. Share on twitter. Share on linkedin. Share on pinterest. Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Related Articles.