fast action rods

Choosing the right fishing pole will make your time on the lake more pleasurable. Fishing can be frustrating enough with the right equipment, if you have the wrong equipment, well--to quote the old adage, " your up the creek without a paddle." And if your competitive like I am, you want every advantage you can get. Having the right pole, for the right situation, will give you an advantage.

There are basically two types of fishing poles: with the exception of fly-fishing rods. You have the traditional rod for open face, spin-casting reels. And then you have your rods for baitcasting reels. There is one clear distinction between the two. It's the guides that you thread your line through. Spin-casting reels will have a considerably bigger first guide and the second guide will also be significantly bigger. It's because of the design. The spool is actually spinning side ways to the rod, it's the bail on the reel that lines the line up with the pole. Therefore, you need a bigger first and second guide. If you don't have the right rod, and the first and second guides are small, this will cause friction on your line as it passes through the guides. As a result, your line will get weak and cause you to lose a lot of fish. This will also cause a lot more tangles on your spool.

If you have a bait casting reel, then choose a rod with smaller guides. If you go to any sporting goods store, look at their fishing pole combos. Look at the difference between the guides for baitcasting combos verses the spin-casting combos. This does make a big difference.

Fast action, medium action, and slow action fishing poles will fall under one of these three categories. I have watched the fishing pole industry move from slow action rods; to fast action rods, and medium action rods. Fast action rods are more popular today for their quick hook sets and sensitivity. These rods are stiffer, as a result, you can fill those softer strikes and you will be able to cast a little farther. The down side is, if you have a hard hook-set, your more likely to jerk the bait right out of the fishes mouth. And with the stiffer, fast action rods, the fish has a better chance of getting off once you set the hook.

The slow-action rods are more flexible. They start to bend about half way up the pole. So when you hook a fish, these rods will absorb some of the blow from the fish fighting to get off. This will help you land more fish. If you have a hard hook-set, then you might want to go with a slow-action rod so you don't jerk the hook out of the fishes mouth. A slow-action rod also gives that fish a second longer to swallow your bait-- this can also lead to you landing more fish. Medium action-rods are a good compromise between the two and are the most commonly used poles today.

Length does matter: A longer pole will benefit you when it comes to casting, simply put, you can cast farther with a longer pole. Longer poles are better for certain fishing strategies. If your using a leader, and your bait is about two feet or more from your sinker: you are going to need a long swooping hook-set. A longer pole is more appropriate for this situation. If your bait fishing from the shore and you want to get your bait out as far as you can, a longer pole would be to your benefit. On the other hand, if your pitching your bait around docks, under piers, are in thick weed beds; a shorter pole would be more appropriate. When you need to be accurate, and distance is not an issue, a shorter pole would be the right choice.