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Old 10-16-07, 09:53 AM   #1
Jigger
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Default Without fishing a rod, how can you tell if you'd like it?

How do you all pick a rod off the rack in say, Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas. I wll shake it (kind of like kicking the tires on a car. Tell's you nothing) and then I'll reach up and bend the tip section which is a little help. I'll then take it home and tie a practice lure on and cast it in the yard which tells me even more but I really don't know how well I like the rod until I fish it.
With a fly rod, most good shops will let you slap a reel on the rod, take it out and throw some line. Which IS a big help in choosing a rod. I've thought about taking a baitcasting reel spooled with line and a practice jig with me to buy a bass rod. I could at least pitch the jig in the store. I've never done it yet, but I'm tempted. So, how do you select a rod you've never used?

Another question: What would you suggest retailers do to help us make the right decision in choosing a rod. Why couldn't they let us cast the rod on the premises?

Last edited by Jigger; 10-16-07 at 09:55 AM. Reason: forgot something
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Old 10-16-07, 12:53 PM   #2
carolina-rig-01
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i will never buy a rod without putting a reel on it first! if you are buying a reel at the same time make sure and put it on the rod. if your not buying a reel find one in the store as close to the one you plan on putting on it. you can have the best reel ever made and the best rod every made and together they can feel like crap. also what feels comfortable to me may feel horrible to you.
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Old 10-16-07, 02:15 PM   #3
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If you have a friend with you a great way to test rod sensitivity, is for the friend to put the tip of the rod on his voicebox and speak, A good rod you can feel the vibrations from his speaking and even feel him breathing. I dont let that be the deciding factor of course but it is one way I get a feel for a rod in the store.
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Old 10-16-07, 11:35 PM   #4
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Basically, you need to do a little research first. You ask yourself, what kind of fishing do I plan to do with this rod. Because different techniques need different tackle. Someone buying a rod for crankbait fishing will want a totally different rod than someone who is planning to use a rod for fishing heavy cover with heavy line. Once you know what you want to use the rod for, you then need to look at rods designed for that type of fishing. Your tackle dealer should be able to help guide you in the right desision there. Take a look at a BPS catalog. Many of the rod adds show a good breakdown on their design. This may help you to learn what you are really looking for. Some even tell you what certain rods are designed for. Part of your choice depends on available funds. That being said, you want to buy a rod with the best quality blank you can afford. Along with that, there are many grip designs. Choose one that will handle the type of casting you prefer to use. And as Carolina mentioned, put a reel on it similar to what you will be using to see if it feels good in your hands. Make sure it feels balanced. You may even be able to take your reel and a practice plug along with you and try the rod out at the store with a few practice casts. Lastly, you have many fisherman available to you to help you decide. There is nothing better than sound advice from other anglers who have been there, done that, to help you make a good choice.
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Old 10-17-07, 07:39 AM   #5
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I think Keithdog has wrapped it up nicely. While selecting a spinning rod for general light to medium weight lures, I tend to select shorter rods, 6'6" and 6' avoiding the 7 footers for sensitivity reasons, thinking the shorter, perhaps the more stiff overall and maybe the more sensitive. I could be wrong, but medium heavy action in a good graphite rod is hard to beat.

I also slow fall soft plastics a lot and deadstick them as well, and this also is reflected in my choice of rods.

A friend at the tackle shop had me take his baitcasting rod after tying on an eighth ounce bullet weight and pull it across the floor. I could shut my eyes and feel the tiny seams in the tiles and a little tracked in sand on the floor. It was really an interesting experience. The rod itself was a very stiff rod and he'd spooled it with flourocarbon...... He uses it mainly for JnP fishing.
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Old 10-18-07, 01:31 AM   #6
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Yes sir, put on the reel you plan to use with it. I even bring a small 1/4 oz weight and ask to give it a little pitch or cast. It's the least they can do if they want you're business.

Knowing what type of graphite is used and the guides are usually helpful indicators to give you an overall better guess of how the rod would feel in terms of its weight. I also do the place the tip at someone's throat and have them recite the alphabet.
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Old 10-18-07, 11:25 AM   #7
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Fortunately for us we have the internet. Most outfitters and retailers have web sites. Most also have customer feedback or review sections. Do your homework, a little research does a lot. On the other side, I know BPS usually has multiple rod/reel setups already strung w/ line. I have tested more than one rod/reel there before.
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Old 10-21-07, 09:38 PM   #8
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Well Jigger, this may be in your alley. If it's a St.Croix, you're gonna like it!!!

-ll
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Old 10-24-07, 10:16 PM   #9
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Hey. I didn't know this until earlier today. Cabelas has a thing where you can "fish free for 60 day" Which means, you buy one of their rods (I think it has to be a cabela's brand) and you can fish with it for 60 days and if you don't like it, take it back for a full refund, no questions asked. Seems pretty good to me, especially because we live like half an hour away from a Cabela's.
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Old 10-26-07, 01:25 AM   #10
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Rod selection comes with experience, for which there is no substitute, but there are a few "assists". For example, many of the rod manufacturers have web sites that feature a "Rod Selector" section that advises the consumer on the best choice for a given application. That feature is included on the Falcon, Loomis, and St.Croix sites, to name a few.
Here are some other tips: When in the store, ask the clerk to provide an exact duplicate of the reel you anticipate using or one that weighs the same. Mount the reel on the rod and then, holding the rod grip in the upright and OPEN palm of your retrieve hand, gently drag the tip of the rod across the floor. DO NOT apply pressure but simply let the rod grip rest in the open palm.
If the flooring is like most found in stores, with squares of lino or tile of some sort, a truly sensitive rod will transmit the "tic" as the frame of the tip guide crosses the tiny seam between the tiles. To perform this test it's best to hold the rod with the reel. and thus the tip guide, DOWN if a casting rod, (trust me...just do it!) and also down if a spin rod. The "voice box" test is one to add the mix as well. (Helpful hint: You'll get more vibes from a Baritone than from a nice and cute Soprano, but who would you rather be in a boat with?)
These little tests will give you a pretty good sense of how "touchy" the rod is.
But it must be performed with ONLY the weight of the rig brought to bear, with NO downward pressure applied by you.
When it comes to casting characteristics you may rely to some extent on the data printed on the rod itself (and, of course, the data one might glean from the maker's website.) Otherwise, if the store will allow you to bring the specific reel intended for use and a small selection of terminal stuff such as you plan to use with the combo and do some test casting in the parking lot, (you can actually try Flipping IN the store,) then you can make an even more confident selection.
One mistake many people, especially "newbies", make is to purchase a rod or reel simply because it's on sale at an attractive price, rather than consider the actual application for the rod or, as importantly, how it will balance with the reel intended for use with it.
I have two bassin' "students" who are more prone to look for a bargain than consider the crucial matter of balance and application. Over the last three months one has called me several times and begun with "I know you won't like this but I just bought a (whatever, rod, reel,) 'cause it was on sale and I heard it's a good rod, (reel, etc.) He is a classic case of someone who has trouble grasping the concept of balance and application. He's just bought an ABU-Garcia Record reel that weighs nearly eleven ounces. Well, now my mission is to see that he doesn't screw it onto a Medium/Light rod and try to throw 1/2 spinnerbaits with it or put it on a Heavy and expect to throw 1/32 0z weighted 4" worms.
The other friend has spent so much money on unexpected hassles with the used boat he bought that he pretty much has to scrimp on tackle. I'm constantly trying to find stuff to lend or give him in order to cobble together at least a few rigs that are not total mismatches.
These are both examples of the finest people on Earth, mind you, and truly sincere in their desire to fish successfully. I consider them to be true friends and in order to treat them as such I find I have to do a lot of arse-chewing; Painful, but well-meant and with a noble goal in mind.
Now, about "technique-specific" rods: Never mind for now. I become too acerbic when talking about that! Suffice it to say that most rods will do at least one thing VERY well, two things pretty well, and maybe a third thing acceptably. Those are the ones you need in your arsenal.
That said, I DO have one rod in my arsenal that is locked in to one technique, thus limited in repertoire, but I figure that if only one of the maybe ten-fourteen rods I typically set sail with is of that stripe, then I'm OK.
Well, that's my .27 worth (inflation, you know.)
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