How to Choose Fishing Rod and Reels

Before choosing expensive equipment or tackle, such as a fishing rod, be sure that it will perform the task you ask of it and give you pleasure in its use. There are many factors to take into account, such as the species you hope to catch, and the size, the casting weight and distance involved, line strength and so on. Having determined the suitability of the rod, you then need to ask yourself whether its action is to your liking. For example, you may never have been a fan of fast-tapered rods, but if you need to pick up line at long distance in order to set the hook, you have to compromise, and a fast-tapered rod is the best for this.
Rod actions
There are three types of action. The first, "through action", is where there is a uniformly smooth curve through the blank when playing a fish, and there is no doubt that maximum angling pleasure is to be had with a rod of this type. Where a little more backbone is required, "progressive action" rods come to the fore: with these a modest fish will still give a pleasing bend in the rod but there is a progressive power build-up in the butt to control larger specimens. Lastly, there are "fast taper" rods, that are very stiff in the butt and have very flexible tips. These are designed for ultra-long casting and fast line pick-up.

More about → How to Choose Fishing Rod and Reels

Read more »