Recently there have been more and more questions about matching rods and reels. Folks have also been asking which rod and reel combination to use for this or that application. In an effort to answer all these questions and to assist anglers in determining the correct setup, I decided to write an article addressing this topic. Before we get into specific rod/reel combos, there are some terms and definitions that should be addressed.

Rods

First, let’s talk about rod actions. Manufacturers have never come up with a set of standards for rod actions that are consistent industry-wide. As a result, one manufacturer may have a rod that they say is a “medium/heavy” where another maker might call this same action a “heavy,” when in actuality they are pretty much the same action. Other manufacturers have a number assigned to a particular action. This number is fairly accurate as long as you stay with that particular manufacturer’s rods, but trying to use the same system with another brand is usually like comparing apples and oranges. The point here is that you nearly have to feel of the individual rod to be able to make a determination if the rod is in fact the action you are looking for. Rods also feel differently when they are completely rigged with the reel, line, and lure. I would suggest that you take a reel fully spooled with line and a one-half ounce plastic casting lure to the store with you. Mount the reel and lure on the rods you wish to compare to see how they actually feel. Just picking up rods and shaking them does not tell you much about the true action.

You will also hear talk of “rod taper.” This is in reference to how the rod bends under load and is determined by the relationship of the diameter of the rod from the butt to the tip. A fast taper rod is one that has a fairly stiff butt section with a limber tip. The limber tip enables the angler to use whip or launch a lure with less throwing effort, while the stiff lower part of the rod provides plenty of backbone to set the hook and play the fish. A slow taper has more of a parabolic bend, or rainbow arch, when loaded. We will get into the actual application of each type of rod later, but it is necessary to understand the difference in “slow taper” and “fast taper” rods.

The blank of better fishing rods extend through the entire length of the handle. This increases sensitivity and feel greatly. Some rods are built so that one or more fingers of the casting hand actually touches the blank of the rod through specially designed openings on the underside of the grip portion of the rod. This also increases the ability of the angler to feel what the lure is doing and to be able to detect strikes.

Check out the material that the guides are made of. Higher quality guides are made of ceramic, titanium, or special oxide materials that are almost as hard as diamond. These guides are extremely smooth and slick, reducing friction as the line passes through them, increasing the casting distance that the rod is able to achieve. The hard surface also prevents wear of the guide keeping them from forming line damaging grooves. Low profile guides are more expensive and will be found on the more expensive rods. The number of guides on a rod also is indicative of a higher quality rod; the greater the number of guides, the less likely the line is to come in contact with the rod itself when it is under load.

The materials that modern rods are made of can vary from fiberglass, to composite rods of fiberglass and graphite, to pure graphite. Additionally there are different grades or qualities of graphite rods with names such as IM6 and IMX. The material that a rod is made of greatly affects the price of the rod. A rod that just says graphite will be less expensive than one that is labeled IM6, and IMX is more expensive than IM6. Additionally, within the same fiber, one with a higher modulus rating will be more expensive than a blank with a lesser modulus rating. A higher modulus rating generally equates to a more sensitive rod.

Handle materials also can have a bearing on the price of a rod. Synthetic materials such as foam , although comfortable, will not be as expensive or desirable as those made of high quality Portuguese Cork.

Reels

Reels vary in price according to the way the reel is constructed. Those with one piece machined frames are the smoothest, strongest, and best made. These frames will not torque under stress and will allow all the internal working parts to remain in alignment allowing them to work more smoothly with less wear.

Cheaper reels have no bearings but use bushings made of bronze or other materials. They are rougher in feel and will not cast as smoothly, or last as long as those reels having steel bearings. The greater number of steel ball bearings are smoother and will last longer than those with bushings. The very highest quality reels also have one or more sets of roller bearings which, although are no more smooth that those without, are much stronger and will last longer.

The gear ratio of a reel is another factor that must be considered in the selection of the right reel for the job. Gear ratio is expressed in a numeric ratio such as 5:1 or 4.8:1. What this means in practical application is how many times the spool of the reel will revolve per revolution of the reel handle. In other words if the reel handle is turned one time, the spool will revolve 5 times for a reel with a five to one (5:1) gear ratio. The lower the first number, the slower geared the reel is; the higher the number, the higher geared the reel is. Keep in mind that a lower geared reel has more power than a high speed reel. In other words, greater work is required of the angler to turn the handle of a high speed reel than a low speed reel.

This does not sound like a big deal, but the angler who uses a lot of big crank baits that have a lot of water resistance, does not expend as much energy per retrieve as the angler throwing the same lure on a high speed reel. This really makes a lot of difference at the end of a long day on the water. By the same token, when throwing lures that require a fast retrieve like Rat L Traps or buzzbaits, the angler using the low speed reel has to make many more reel turns and do it faster than the angler using a high speed reel causing less wear and tear on the angler at the end of the day.

Keep in mind also that reel speed is sometimes misleading! How much line that is actually retrieved per revolution of the reel spool is determined by the diameter of the reel spool and also how much line the reel has on it. Another way to say the same thing is that the reel spool is the final drive gear of your fishing machine. The larger the diameter of the spool, the more line is retrieved per revolution. How full the spool is also determines the outside diameter of the spool. A spool that is half full brings in considerably less line per revolution than a spool that is completely filled. Using this one simple trick, two reels of the same gear ratio can be used for two completely different applications, ie. buzzbaits vs. crankbaits.

Keep in mind also that a reel with a 6:1 gear ratio with a small diameter spool might actually have a slower retrieve rate than a reel with a gear ratio of 4.7:1 with a large diameter spool!

How full a reel’s spool is filled with line will also drastically affect how good or how poorly that reel will cast and the distance that can be achieved with that reel. A large diameter spool that is filled with line will cast further with less effort than a small diameter spool simply because more line will leave the reel per revolution. The friction loss per revolution that must be overcome is about the same with either reel… more line comes off the large diameter spool with fewer revolutions, therefore the distance the angler can cast is greatly affected. To achieve maximum depth with deep diving crankbaits, long casts are imperative.

Keep in mind also that if you are just learning to use a casting reel and are still having trouble backlashing, the more line that comes off the reel per revolution, the bigger the backlash is going to be!

Other reel considerations are the anti-backlashing features that are built into the reel. Some use friction only to control the rate of line flow. A small knurled knob on the side of the reel is simply tightened or loosened to control how freely the spool turns. More expensive reels have either centrifugal brakes built in or a sophisticated magnetic braking system. The reels that have the centrifugal brakes can be manually changed with three different sizes of brakes according to the angler’s ability and the weight of the lure to be used. The magnetic braking systems have a numbered dial on the side that controls the distance the magnets in the side of the reel are from each other. The closer the magnets are to each other, the greater the resistance is on the turning spool. The further the magnets are apart, the less force is exerted on the reel spool allowing it to spin more freely. Reels with magnets are more easily adjusted and allow a greater range of control according to the conditions the angler is fishing and the weight of the lure being used.

Make sure that whatever reel you choose has a good drag system. The drag should be smooth as line plays off with no skips or places of greater resistance as the line is pulled off.

As you can see, rod and reel combinations and their use is much more complicated than meets the eye. Just as golfers use a number of different clubs just for hitting a small ball, the proficient angler must have several different rod and reel combinations to meet all the different situations that he might encounter in a day’s fishing. An entire book could be written on the subject of rod and reel selection for different applications, but the following will hopefully give the reader an idea of where to start. As he becomes more and more specialized with different techniques he can modify these suggestions to match his or her own personal preferences. Speaking of personal preferences, the “right tool for the job” is highly subjective, and this writer’s opinion may be different than another’s.

As we start to talk about which combinations to use for different applications, let me say that I use pretty much the same reel for all applications. After using the same model of reel for a period of time, the reel becomes an extension of the body. The angler can control the speed of retrieve simply by speeding up or slowing down how fast the reel handle is turned, once he becomes accustomed to a particular reel. This “same feel” is preferable each time I reach and pick up a different rod. The thumb bar or release button is in the same place every time. There is a certain way that the reel fits best in the hand. There is no mental adjustment or having to think of something else. It is kind of like changing from a standard shift automobile to an automatic… I am not stomping a hole in the floor board hunting the clutch! Everything is where it should be, and no thought is given as to where the release button is. The rod needs to have a different action, but the reel should be the same, time after time. A large spooled reel with a 5:1 gear ratio is ideal for most applications. From here on out as we discuss different applications, the discussion will be referring more to different rods than reels.

The best all around rod is a graphite, six foot medium action with a medium fast taper. This rod can be used for many different lure applications. It has enough tip so as to make casting a pleasure, yet has enough backbone to set the hook well. It can be used for a variety of lures from the smaller to mid-sized spinnerbaits, to jerkbaits, soft jerkbaits (sluggos) and even worm or jig fishing. This is also the rod of choice for big topwater lures like the Zara Spook. The complete tournament angler should have at least two or three of these rod/reel combos as they have so many applications.

For heavy spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, a fast tapered, graphite, seven foot rod fills the bill nicely. The long handle of the seven footer makes casting the big spinnerbaits less work, and the stiff butt section provides plenty of guts to work fish out of cover and to set the hook on long casts. The long cast that this rod allows you to make enables you to cover a lot of water with a buzzbait when you are fighting the clock as the sun is about to come over the horizon. So many times, early in the tournament day, the buzzbait bite dies as the first rays of the sun hits the water. I can hold my line high out of the water and guide the buzzbait over and around objects and optimize my time. The soft tip allows the fish to take the lure, while the stiff butt section allows you to horse fish out of heavy cover and over obstacles.

For a Carolina Rig, I prefer the lightest action, graphite, 7 ½ foot flipping stick I can find. These rods will have more of a parabolic bend with a relatively slow taper. This is the hardest rod on the market to find. Most flipping sticks have too heavy an action to be considered good Carolina Rig rods. With the length of the 7 ½ footer I can make long casts, but more importantly, on the hookset, I can take up a lot of slack line. Since I use leaders that are sometimes as long as six feet, the ability to take up a lot of line on the hookset is imperative for high percentage hookups. The parabolic bend of the rod gives a soft touch to the lure, so that the fish are not quite as likely to feel the pressure and expel the lure before you realize that he is there. The reason for wanting a lighter action rod is that many times I may only be using a 10- or 12-pound leader line. Too heavy an action will not act as a shock absorber and will cause break-offs on the hook-set.

Since we are talking about flipping, I use the same rod for flipping and pitching jigs and soft plastics to heavy cover. A graphite, 7 ½ foot medium action flipping rod with a fast taper is desirable. The tip has enough spring to assist in the pitching of the lure while the rod is heavy enough to horse fish out of heavy cover and into the boat. Also the soft tip with allow you to detect soft bites without putting too much pressure on the fish, causing him to spit the lure out before you have an opportunity to set the hook.

For heavy jig and worm fishing (not pitching) a seven foot heavy action, fast taper rod is ideal. This rod needs to be of the IM6 or IMX variety as sensitivity is of utmost importance. This is the rig that I use to vertically fish the deep hydrilla and for casting jigs on deep structure or at night on Lake Fork.

Rat L Traps call for a 6 ½- or 7-foot graphite rod with a medium taper. The soft tip will allow you to make long casts, but the stiffer butt section gives enough “umph” to rip the lure free of the hydrilla strands. The soft tip will allow the fish to take the lure deeply enough for good hooksets. This is the same rod I use for large suspending jerkbaits like the Husky Jerk and 7-inch Rattling Rogue.

A 5 ½ to 6 foot light action rod is a good multipurpose rod. It is great for small top water lures, like Pop Rs and Spit n Images. It also works very well for twitch baits, like the floating Rogue and Bomber Long A. Small 1/4 and 1/8 spinnerbaits do very well on this rod as well. This is also the rod I use for Wacky-worming. It is a good all around rig for small lures that are still large enough for casting tackle yet not small enough to require spinning gear.

All the rods mentioned thus far have been made of graphite. For crankbaits, fiberglass is the best choice. The soft action of the glass allows the fish to take the lures much more deeply than do graphite rods. The graphite rods are more sensitive, but it is not the angler’s ability to feel this strike and jerk the lure away from the fish as much as it is the slower reacting fiberglass, allowing the fish to suck the lure deeper into its mouth before the angler feels the bite. You need at least two crankbait rods, one 6 ½ and one 7-footer. The shorter rod will have a bit lighter action and is used for small to mid-sized crankbaits, and the longer rod, having a slightly heavier action, for large crankbaits, like the Norman DD 14′s and DD 22s. The long handle of each of these rods permits the long casts necessary for maximum depth of the crankbaits and provides the angler additional leverage against his/her body to reduce the fatigue of a long day’s cranking.

No fishing arsenal would be complete without a couple of spinning rods, one 5 ½ foot rod and one 6 foot in length with a good medium sized, open faced spinning reels, large enough to handle ten to twelve pound test monofilament. These are used in very clear water situations where diminutive lures (such as small worms, gitzits, split shot rigs, grubs, floating worms and very small crankbaits) and small line sizes are required. If you live in an area where most of your fishing is done in very clear water, you may need more of this tackle than I do. I rarely get on water where I need this type of tackle because of where I live and the type of fishing that I do.

Along these same lines, some of the tackle that I have mentioned might not be appropriate for your fishing conditions. Keep in mind that the suggestions that I have made are for anglers fishing the types of reservoirs and water conditions encountered in the southern part of the United States. For those of you who live and fish in other parts of the country, your fishing conditions and styles may dictate more light tackle than we use. The guidelines outlined in the article above should only be used to assist you in your selection of rods and reels suitable to your area.