Matching Rod & Action to Technique

[DaddyTactics]

While I'm interested in hearing about your ideal setups, what I'm really looking for (something I can't seem to find) is some type of chart or list that details each rod with their actions, and the techniques that should be applied. 

 

Ex:

 

Heavy Fast Rod works best for Frogging but can also be great for ______.

Heavy Moderate.....

 

...and so forth and so on.

 

Reason being, I have several new rods that I'd like to obviously use properly as well as assure myself that any future additions will be necessary--efficiency.

 

***Thanks for your input. 

[Angry John]

You may have some luck looking at the manufactures pages but everyone does things different.  As an example i use a fast action rod for jerk-baits, KVD uses a moderate.  People like different rods for the same thing.  Your best bet is to find someone who uses a similar style and ask them.

[A-Jay]

On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 10:26 PM, DaddyTactics said:

While I'm interested in hearing about your ideal setups, what I'm really looking for (something I can't seem to find) is some type of chart or list that details each rod with their actions, and the techniques that should be applied. 

 

Reason being, I have several new rods that I'd like to obviously use properly as well as assure myself that any future additions will be necessary--efficiency.

 

***Thanks for your input. 

 

I have some thoughts for you here.  First, buying rods & reels in advance of knowing & understanding how, when, where or why to use them, might be a kin to putting the cart before the horse.  

As for the ‘rod technique chart’; there are some generalizations and basic guide lines that anglers use when selecting gear for a certain technique.  But like flavors of ice cream, not everyone agrees on what’s their favorite & why.  There’s a ton of personal preference involved.  Experienced bassheads can usually tell you why they prefer a certain type of stick for something but even then, what one may like / prefer another may not.

 In an effort to simplify the process, many rod manufactures have designed & advertise technique specific rods.   Not a bad plan really and this offers a solid starting point for an angler to get headed in the right direction sort of speak. 

Sometimes one can totally nail it with a rig and get everything they’re looking for on the first shot.  Other times one might end up trying a few different rod, reel & even line combinations looking for the right rig for a certain technique. 

You may even find that that one particular technique may be presented & fished nicely in one situation with a certain type of cover but require a totally different rig to fish it effectively in another situation.

There really is no replacement for time on that water to help an angler effectively distinguish what might be needed.   

And so although not everyone knows or even needs to know The Bait Monkey –  this is generally how many of us are introduced.

Good Luck

A-Jay 

[deep]

1. Choose power depending on bait weight and cover.

2. Fast action rods work well for nearly everything.

3. Moderate action rods might be better for medium and deep-diving crankbaits though.

 

Hope that's simple enough (for a start)?

[snake95]

On 9/9/2017 at 10:26 PM, DaddyTactics said:

as well as assure myself that any future additions will be necessary

I can assure you that ALL future additions will be necessary.  

 

I've only been at it a few years now and as indicated by A-Jay, I find that what I like and works best for me is not always strictly in accordance with the generally-accepted wisdom (when there is some).  Part of these variations may be due to subtle differences in the way we fish, and part of these are probably due to differences in rod ratings between manufacturers and the manufacturer preferences of different anglers.  I fish a lot of shallow square bills and buzzbaits and I definitely do better with a more moderate rod action than some guys seem to get away with.  I only really learned about that by repeatedly trying different combinations of rods, line, and lures over the time period of a couple of years.

 

[BigAngus752]

To echo what the venerable @A-Jay and @snake95 have said, as I grow into this sport (which isn't a sport at all, it's an addiction that consumes every dime you have, every waking thought and gets me into trouble at work for repeatedly getting caught on bassresource.com) I have found that when I try to copy others it doesn't always work out well for me.  Also, it's frustrating to find my perfect rod for a certain technique, one that feels just right to me, and then shopping for another rod of similar specs/build but perhaps a different length made by a different manufacturer and finding that IT DOESN'T FEEL THE SAME AT ALL!  There is no MIL-SPEC for fishing equipment.  You must seek and find your own way, Grasshopper.