Frog rod, Crankbait rod, Worm Rod etc What does it all mean?

[5282jt]

If it's a spinnerbait rod or a cranking rod or whatever, what does that tell you about it being med, mh, or heavy? Fast or slow? Graphite or whatever????
I'm new to baitcasting and this confuses me some.

[zooker]

if ya aint figured out bass fishing yet it is an addiciton where every type a tackle requires a differant rod..99% of the rods we talk about are graphite. i know a few here have a hybrid rod -glass/graphite- all of the following are casting rods.

spinerbait rod is basicly the mh 6'6''-7' casting rod. these rods need a soft tip and alot of back bone as most of the time you are fishing a spinnerbait in or around weeds and need the back bone to haul them out..



cranking rods are mostly 6'6''- 7' medium or a mh rod as crankbaits need a more flexable rod as to not pull out the treble hooks from the fishes mouth..


frog rods are typically soft tipped 7'-8' heavy to a x-heavy rod-can you say pool cue?-frogs are almost always thrown in the nastiest struture you can find.. the hook set on a frog needs to be very forceful. idea being to #1 set the hook thru some thick plastic an#2 pull the fish out of the heavy cover.

worm rods are mostly 6'6''-7' mh rods. that you need to toss light plastic baits on..

now the above being said.not all casting rods are created equal..i use fenwick rods alot. a mh fenwick techna va rod handles alot like a ml action rod where as the berkley lighting rod mh is a lot stiffer.

my advice go with what you can afford.. the above mentioned rods need to be set up with a specific line for your fishing area.. if you are fishing gin clean water with 30 feet visability braided line would be a bad idea. but floro carbon line would be ideal. and if your fishing a almost always muddy to stained body of water floro would not be my first choice but braid would be..

welcome to the site by the way



zooker

[pig n jig]

Just another way to satisfy the Bait Monkey. Its an excuse to tell the ol' lady you need another rod when you have got one already that will get you by with what your needing the new rod for.Might have to remind them of the million pairs of shoes they have to justify getting the new rod if the debate tide turns against you ? If your single, your lucky, just go buy the damned thing, just because you can. P N J

[zooker]

don't let pnj fool ya he has ore rods then his wife has shoes...


zooker

[Rebbasser]

Originally Posted by zooker

don't let pnj fool ya he has more rods then his wife has shoes...


zooker

So do you, Zooker! Shoot, you have more rods than Imelda Marcos has shoes. So do I , for that matter!

Welcome to the forum, 5282!

The difference in the rods are based on the applications. Zooker covered it real well. A bait that requires an active hookset-something like a worm or a jig-needs a rod with some backbone to get a good hookset, so medium heavy or heavy action rods are popular.

For crankbaits rods with more flex work better. They have a softer tip and more give so the hooks don't tear out of the fish's mouth. This is where glass or composite-a combo of fiberglass and graphite-comes into play. I prefer composits since they weigh less than glass.

For fishing frogs you are in the thickest, nastiest stuff you can find, so heavy line-usually braid-and a pool-cue rod work best.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is some rods work better with certain baits than others.

[hackattack]

if you are on a tight budget you only really need two rods. one 6'6" medium action rod for cranks and spinnerbaits, and one 7' mh rod for jigs, worms. that is what I have found and definitely doesn't apply to everyone.
remember the K.I.S.S. principle...
if i was a millionaire, Id have all kinds of rods though. Don't limit yourself unless you have to...
hope this helps

[5282jt]

The rest are M, MH, H some with a fast tip etc.
But I don't have anything other than the Carolina Rig rod, that specifies a purpose.
From what you guys said, i'd say naming the rods, is just another way od saying MH, with a fast tip etc etc???
Thanks for all trhe quick responses!
I got me 5 bass today and 1 small snook-all in freshwater cansals and lakes-roadside- here in SW Florida. Went out to get my wife some groceries {the line was long and they were making the bread, so I had to wait } That's why I was gone for 2 hours!

[Rebbasser]

5282, here is a chart from AllStar's website:


The action-M, MH, H, etc referrs to the stiffiness of the rod.

Nice fish!

[5282jt]

Thanks!
Those bass went right back in the water, of course!
I find limitless things to eat, without eating up my hobby.

[pig n jig]

Originally Posted by 5282jt

Thanks!
Those bass went right back in the water, of course!
I find limitless things to eat, without eating up my hobby.

That right there is funny.

You will find that certain rods work for certain lure presentations.You are the one who has to decide what works best for you.I don't always agree with every brands specified lure signatured rod selection.It might be the best rod they have to offer, but it might not be the best rod for that lure presentation on the market if you weren't loyal to one rod brand. P N J

[skeeter944]

wlecome to the forum! i think that zooker covered your question. nice bass!WTG!

[Bassinkid]

it hurts to see the bass hanging there on the hook. LET HIM GOOOOOOOOOO. lol

[lizardsrule]

It means 2 things.

1. We love our bait monkey, and need to please him daily.
2. We want a rod ready to throw a bait in a instant, not rety to hit that missed fish.

Here's some examples of why I have several rods rigged up. Since I pitch more than anything, and I get hung up and break off, then I have a spare ready to go, rather than missing a spot I might see that needs my bait at . I am fishing a topwater, and have a blow up but no hook, up, I wanna put a different bait right there(usually a weightless plastic) . I see a great area that really needs a cranking, and I need it now, not after retying . I see a school of fish busting the top of the water, and I need a spinnerbait right now, not wait until they decide to school up again . Or perhaps I get hung up on a stump in a absolute bassy looking area, and want to throw some baits up there before messing up the area retrieving my bait . Plus they all look so pretty


They covered why we call them a technique specific rod. I will say that PNJ really hit it on the head. What you like and prefer as a cranking rod may be different from me, the manufacturer or anyone else thinks. You have to figure out what "YOU" like with each application. I have 2 medium rods I use. One is a spinning rod for cranks, and one is a baitcasting rod for cranks. Otherwise I want a Medium Heavy or Heavy Most everyone else will use medium for lots of other things, and tell you it's what you should use Use what you have confidence in, and forget about what everyone else says, they aren't you

Lizards

[5282jt]

I carry a camera around my neck of on my belt and usually lift the fish, take the picture and remove him from the hook and release him or lay the fish next to my rod, shoot the shot and release it.
I'm very careful and very fast about it.

Originally Posted by Bassinkid

it hurts to see the bass hanging there on the hook. LET HIM GOOOOOOOOOO. lol

[skeeter944]

those are some nice bass,WTG!

[5282jt]

In my part of Florida saltwater snook are in half the lakes and canals, so you can catch a 5lb bass 1 cast and a 15 lb snook the next!
I only got a little tiny snook today though.
I fished a bunch of little lakes in Cecil B Webb wildlife management area and 1 totally freshwater canal. The snook came from the canal.

Originally Posted by skeeter944

those are some nice bass,WTG!

[skeeter944]

WTG! do snook fight better than bass or not?

[5282jt]

Well, they hit similar lures and will slam a topwater lure even better than bass!
And yes, they do more acrobatics and fight harder. They also get a whole heck of a lot bigger!
My biggest is 23 pounds, but my son got a 25 and 33 pounder!
I still prefer to fish for Florida bass. I don't like saltwater much.

Originally Posted by skeeter944

WTG! do snook fight better than bass or not?

[skeeter944]

wow,33 pounds? thats a big fish!