In today’s world, the goal is to get you to buy as much stuff as possible. Everything has a purpose, has its own lane, and has to be just so or it isn’t any good… If you believe that I’ve got some oceanfront property in Arizona! Well, my friends, my world doesn’t work like that. I encourage you to be free-thinking and open-minded.
Today I’m going to bring you the gospel about fishing rods, especially to those of you who are multi-species anglers. But also to you guys that don’t have a problem with using a technique on a rod that doesn’t have that technique plastered all over it as specific. Now I’m not going to sit here and say that some of these rods that are technique-specific aren’t great because they were more than likely designed by someone very good at that specific technique; however, don’t get hung up on that type of marketing or make all your decisions based on a label when you may fish very differently than the person who designed the rod. Maybe you don’t like braided line for a specific technique, maybe you like fluorocarbon for that technique instead. That will considerably change the type of rod that you need. Your style of hook set may dictate some subtle differences; for example, you may go from an extra fast action to a fast or moderate fast action. And don’t get me started on labels of action. Within the same rod manufacturer, one rod will be labeled fast and it bends to the stripper guide and the next one will be labeled moderate fast and it only flexes halfway down the blank. So when choosing a rod it’s best to put your hands on it, feel how it flexes, and judge from there. Most of us have an idea of what we’re looking for.
Now to get more into what I’m getting at. We have rods that are specific for species. Some people crappie fish with ultralights others use fairly stiff rods for pulling fish out of cover. You have crappie rods that are as stiff as medium action bass rods and walleye rods that are as soft on the tip as light-action crappie rods. A lot of it comes down to lure weight, the type of cover you are fishing, and line type. Not so much about the fish.
A case for walleye gear outside of walleye fishing. In my opinion they are an extremely versatile type of rod in most cases.
Ok, hear me out. If you’re a multi-species angler it’s hard to beat a good walleye rod in different designs for way more than just walleye fishing. Some years ago, I had a fairly cheap Fenwick Venture 6 ft. 6 in. medium-light rod that had been a Walmart exclusive in the 90s. That’s kind of a walleye-type rod. I quickly learned that it did a lot of things very well. I caught trout in the tail race below Cherokee Lake on #2 Vibrax spinners and smallmouth in every surrounding river on the same spinner. I drop-shotted crappies on Douglas with great success. I would throw 1/16-1/8 oz hair jigs in the wintertime on 4 lb test for smallmouth bass on Cherokee and Norris, and it worked splendidly. Crappie sliders fished better on nothing else when you need a decent hook set to get through the plastic and haul fish out of wood cover; it did a job an ultralight rod just couldn’t do. I used smaller spoons and other lures for spotted bass. The tip was soft enough to use small crankbaits but not so soft that it would overload with a 1/4 oz crankbait. Medium light rods that are designed for walleyes work great for white bass and give you a little more power than an ultralight or light power in case you get into some hybrid stripers known as wipers or Cherokee bass around these parts. The fact is we’ve been brainwashed into thinking we have to have a technique specific rod for everything that we do when in reality one rod will do a lot of things as long as you are throwing lures in the weight range that it’s designed to cast. And usually a little under is better than a little heavier, and what I mean by that is if it’s rated for 1/8 oz It will probably throw a 16th just fine especially if it’s a rod with a soft tip. Usually, the high end or heavier end of the weight range that is specified on the rod is about right. Rarely can you throw something heavier maybe just a little but not much. So consider the weight range rating more so than the type of fish you’re fishing for.
I bought a St. Croix Eyecon jig and rig rod a couple of years ago thinking I would throw hair jigs and all the other things that I did with the old venture that I broke like a dumb brain (haha) while trying to get a inline spinner unsnagged. A lost spinner would have been cheaper to replace… So it sat in a corner for 2 years, rigged but never fished with. I pick it out of a lineup when going out one evening for the red-eared sunfish that I absolutely adore. Thinking redears are mean, making drag screaming runs they are the meanest of all the sunfish. So, a medium light power isn’t too much to still be sporty. The extra power you have will help you when you’re fishing around cover. I thought I’d take this rod with some 6 lb test instead of the four I normally use to drop shot around heavy weeds and wood and see what happens. Let me tell you, it was perfect. Not too much, not too little, just right, kind of like the three bears. I don’t know why I was surprised I already knew this. Perfection is more than good enough, but it doesn’t have to be perfect to the 10,000th degree.
Length is something that you need to pay attention to but don’t listen to the pros that every rod has to be 7 plus foot long. Much of that is a trend. And long rods cost more so there’s that. If you’re five foot six a 7 ft rod may be more of a burden to you than a plus. Yes, you get good hook sets blah blah blah yada yada, but at what cost? And if you’re fishing close to the bank making casts at targets, a short rod is easier to manage and cast more accurately and efficiently. Remember back in the day when they made lots of pistol grip rods and every spinnerbait specialist on the planet like Hank Parker, Jimmy Houston and the like used them? There is still a place for short rods. A 5-ft 6 to 6’3 rod is great for target fishing, PLUS they are LIGHT!!! Consider what you’re doing and you’re height. If you aren’t fishing targets but you’re lobbing fixed bobbers, deep slip bobbers, or rigs with long leaders a long rod is probably better. This isn’t rocket science folks, it doesn’t have to be hard.
So the moral of the story is to pick your rod by action, power, length, and application not by the technique specific word written on the blank. Look for good guides and a reel seat that you like. Keep in mind the type of fishing that you do and if the rod will serve you in more than one capacity. I guarantee you that with less clutter in your corner and your rod box or fewer rods carried if you fish off the bank, it’s going to make your life more enjoyable and you’re fishing more productive and efficient and generally less of a headache, so put away the Tylenol. Hallelujah, God bless, good luck, and goodbye.
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