How do you choose a new rod?

[Bankc]

I'll admit it.  I have no idea how to select a rod.  I usually just figure out a price I'm willing to spend, determine the power, action, and length I want, and then try to find a few rods that match those criteria.  Then it's off to the internet to read some reviews, many of which aren't helpful because apparently they'll let just about anybody on the internet these days.  After that, I'm looking at the grips, reel seat, line guides, overall weight, color scheme, whatever, to suss out the winner.  To me, the only benefit to buying in a store vs. online is that I can check to make sure there aren't any obvious defects in the actual rod, like misaligned line guides or epoxy blobs.  

 

What I can't figure out is things like how sensitive a rod is, how well it loads, how far it casts, how accurate it's lure, power, and action ratings are and how well it balances.  I mean, I can bend the tip a bit, but I'm always too afraid to break it to put it under any real stress.  And even then, I can't tell much.  Are there any things you can do in a store to figure out how a rod will actually fish without actually fishing with it?  I know a good rod when I fish it, but I can't make heads or tails of it until then.  Anyone have any tips or tricks for selecting a rod in the store?  Or is it all just a "when you've held a million rods and fished a hundred thousand, you kind of get a feel for it." type of thing?

[Dens228]

That's why once I find a brand and model I like I tend to stay with the different actions within that model.   Then I know what I'm getting. 

[Boomstick]

35 minutes ago, Dens228 said:

That's why once I find a brand and model I like I tend to stay with the different actions within that model.   Then I know what I'm getting. 

 

I largely do the same thing. If I see a particular rod in a store, I can tap the tip on things and see what I can feel for vibrations. There's been a few rods in the $100+ price range where I couldn't feel the vibrations let alone anything unless I hit the tip fairly hard. I was in a store last week that had a handful of St. Croix rods and the difference between the Bass X and Mojo Bass was quite surprising - let's say spend the extra $30 or so, absolutely worth it.

 

I'm not going to lie, there are several different rods available from several different manufacturers at several different price points that are all roughly similar in terms of things like weight, balance and sensitivity. Sometimes certain manufacturers will offer specialty rods where others won't - and sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's not, if you have a simple 3-6 rod setup for example, it's probably not. What I'm getting at is as long as you find the length, power and action that you're looking for, there are many right choices. And while I'm not here to brand bash, there really are a number of for lack of a nicer sounding term, simply wrong choices as well. I don't see those being thrown around too often on these forums though, for good reason.

[Backroad Angler]

I read a long time ago, not sure if there's any truth to it, but what I do if I buy a rod in store to help better see how it feels. I put the tip to the ground, guides facing upwards and bend it to get a sense of feel of the action and this gives me a better sense of how it may fish.  Now, I would say 75% of the rods I own, I've ordered online and just do a ton of research on it, reading articles, reviews and not just research on the rod, but also the company and see how long they have been around, their customer service, and even see how they came about to get a better sense of how they make their rods and if they truly make them the best they can. In store, I would also talk to the employees and see if they know anything about the rod you are considering and see if they could offer you advice on it.

[Bankc]

Good tips so far!  Both tapping it and bending the tip on the floor make sense for getting a better idea.  

 

I'm a little leery of asking the salespeople for help, especially in a big box store.  I had one talk me into buying a BPS Tourney Special rod telling me it was his favorite rod in the whole store.  When I lost it in the lake, I can't help but wonder if my subconscious did that on purpose...  Needless to say, I should have got a second opinion before I cracked my wallet on that one.  

[GTN-NY]

7 minutes ago, Bankc said:

Good tips so far!  Both tapping it and bending the tip on the floor make sense for getting a better idea.  

 

I'm a little leery of asking the salespeople for help, especially in a big box store.  I had one talk me into buying a BPS Tourney Special rod telling me it was his favorite rod in the whole store.  When I lost it in the lake, I can't help but wonder if my subconscious did that on purpose...  Needless to say, I should have got a second opinion before I cracked my wallet on that one.  

They always push the store brand

[BrianMDTX]

21 minutes ago, Bankc said:

When I lost it in the lake, I can't help but wonder if my subconscious did that on purpose...

LMAO. I’m guessing “yes”! 

[Jason.Domingo]

23 minutes ago, Bankc said:

Good tips so far!  Both tapping it and bending the tip on the floor make sense for getting a better idea.  

 

I'm a little leery of asking the salespeople for help, especially in a big box store.  I had one talk me into buying a BPS Tourney Special rod telling me it was his favorite rod in the whole store.  When I lost it in the lake, I can't help but wonder if my subconscious did that on purpose...  Needless to say, I should have got a second opinion before I cracked my wallet on that one.  

I stopped buying rods from big box stores after I asked for help. The salesperson told me what was just written on the rod itself not knowing himself what it was good for. If that was the case I could’ve made that determination myself.

[new2BC4bass]

I've handled maybe 5 rods in store before buying.  Pretty much do the same thing you do.  I depend heavily on opinions (and reviews) of users on fishing forums.  Forget Amazon reviews.  Not all Online reviewers can be believed either.  There is one site where I have read quite a few rod and reel reviews.  Don't believe I have ever read a negative comment on any rod or reel.  Lowers the believe-ability in my opinion.  I want to know the good and the bad.

[jimmyjoe]

   Flex/buy/use/sell

   Flex/buy/use/sell

   Flex/buy/use/sell

 

   I guess I just do it the hard way.   ???     jj

[Randy Price]

I have way too many rods.  As a kid I only had one and determining what rod and reel I was going to take fishing was a pretty simple process.  Now I have to think what fish species am I going to target, what type of lures so on and so on.  With the exception of my musky rods and reels I have 11 or so multi species rods and reels.  Most of them are spinning.  I find myself grabbing a 6'6"-7'0" spinning rod either ML or M power with F or XF action the majority of the time.  Truth is I could reduce my gear to 2 Musky outfits and 2-3 multi species rods and reels and be just fine.  What was the OP's question again???

[Boomstick]

1 hour ago, JoshFromBolo said:

I read a long time ago, not sure if there's any truth to it, but what I do if I buy a rod in store to help better see how it feels. I put the tip to the ground, guides facing upwards and bend it to get a sense of feel of the action and this gives me a better sense of how it may fish.

 

I do the tip trick as seen below to compare rods. For example, if there is a rod in a store I am familiar with, then I'll take that rod and the rod I'm looking at and do what PunchFishing does later in this video, which gives me a good idea about how much tip it has and depending where I place my finger, where the tip turns to backbone etc.

 

 

It's gotten to the point where I generally see a line rating and a action and a brand name and have a general idea what the rod is going to be like. In cases where I'm not entirely sure, I'll ask on the forums or talk to owners.

 

I've gotten to the point where I can find a lure and ask how well it casts that said lure. When I was jig rod shopping for a MH++ rod, a key for me was that it's a little heavy for a T-Rig but works great for dragging one.

[Bankc]

7 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

 

I do the tip trick as seen below to compare rods. For example, if there is a rod in a store I am familiar with, then I'll take that rod and the rod I'm looking at and do what PunchFishing does later in this video, which gives me a good idea about how much tip it has and depending where I place my finger, where the tip turns to backbone etc.

 

 

It's gotten to the point where I generally see a line rating and a action and a brand name and have a general idea what the rod is going to be like. In cases where I'm not entirely sure, I'll ask on the forums or talk to owners.

 

I've gotten to the point where I can find a lure and ask how well it casts that said lure. When I was jig rod shopping for a MH++ rod, a key for me was that it's a little heavy for a T-Rig but works great for dragging one.

That's helpful!  Thanks!
 

It seems like every time I buy a new rod, I switch brands.  I might be trying to justify the new rod by saying "This one is different in every way from my other rods, therefore it can't be redundant".  And the new rod will always have a different action, power, length or something as well, so it's kind of hard to learn much about the brand from that.  

[swhit140]

I think the first thing is to figure out what you can afford to start with.

Feel in hand, build quality/quality components. I don't like flashy colored rod blanks and I like cork handles. It needs to be comfortable to use all day long.

Order a few different rods/brands from Tackle Warehouse that have good coverage for multiple rod actions/models. Put your reel on them and you can tell for sure if one doesn't feel the same/balance/comfort. If you don't like them send them back.

I'm a exclusive Dobyns rod owner/user, all different models/choices/prices. 

 

 

 

[dodgeguy]

Bring a reel with line on it. Put it on the rod. Have someone hold the line and pretend to be a fish. You'll get a good idea of the power and action that way.

[jbsoonerfan]

12 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

Bring a reel with line on it. Put it on the rod. Have someone hold the line and pretend to be a fish. You'll get a good idea of the power and action that way.

 

I don't normally, if ever, literally laugh out loud at something I read on the internet. I must admit, you got me with that one though.

 

This is what I imagined in my head.

 

Person A - "Want to go to the tackle store with me?" 

Person B - "Sure, but why are you brining a reel that has line on it with you?

A - "You will see" - Takes reel into store, mounts it on rod and puts the line through the eyes "Now, grab the end of the line and give me a few tugs like you are a big ol largemouth"

B - "You have lost your mind" 

[GTN-NY]

14 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

Bring a reel with line on it. Put it on the rod. Have someone hold it and pretend to be a fish. You'll get a good idea of the power and action that way.

I went to bass pro and they wouldn’t let me mount a reel 

[Fastbee]

Wish I had some earth-shattering advice but I don't.  Jimmyjoe and I do the same thing...I have cycled through hundreds of rods over the years.  I buy what I think will work and then fish with it for a while.  If I like it, I keep it, otherwise it gets sold.  My local shop will let me demo a rod now that we've built a relationship.  It has saved me some time and money for sure.

[LCG]

For me it's all about comfort and the rod action when casting and fighting the fish. Unfortunately, it's usually a trial and error thing. But the more you do it, the more you learn what you like and what you don't. It's such a personal thing, really no right answer. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

4 hours ago, Boomstick said:

 

I do the tip trick as seen below to compare rods. For example, if there is a rod in a store I am familiar with, then I'll take that rod and the rod I'm looking at and do what PunchFishing does later in this video, which gives me a good idea about how much tip it has and depending where I place my finger, where the tip turns to backbone etc.

 

 

It's gotten to the point where I generally see a line rating and a action and a brand name and have a general idea what the rod is going to be like. In cases where I'm not entirely sure, I'll ask on the forums or talk to owners.

 

I've gotten to the point where I can find a lure and ask how well it casts that said lure. When I was jig rod shopping for a MH++ rod, a key for me was that it's a little heavy for a T-Rig but works great for dragging one.

For the love of god, don’t hold rods by the tip like this. What you’re actually seeing is two rods with the same action in different powers. Power is a rods resistance to bends, action is WHERE it bends INITIALLY.  And please don’t say “more parabolic”. An arch is either parabolic or it’s not. This word actually has no place when discussing rods or blanks. 

[NOC 1]

2 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

For the love of god, don’t hold rods by the tip like this. What you’re actually seeing is two rods with the same action in different powers. Power is a rods resistance to bends, action is WHERE it bends INITIALLY.  And please don’t say “more parabolic”. An arch is either parabolic or it’s not. This word actually has no place when discussing rods or blanks. 

I was cringing as I watched that video.

[Bankbeater]

I try and stick with one brand for bottom contact baits because I have a good idea how those rods feel.  For moving baits I don't have a specific brand I stick to.  I am looking for rod with some bend, and some backbone.

[Boomstick]

13 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

For the love of god, don’t hold rods by the tip like this. What you’re actually seeing is two rods with the same action in different powers. Power is a rods resistance to bends, action is WHERE it bends INITIALLY.  And please don’t say “more parabolic”. An arch is either parabolic or it’s not. This word actually has no place when discussing rods or blanks. 

If you keep two hands on the rod, you're putting less stress on the tip than catching a big fish or just pulling on the tip. The thing you wanna be careful with here is to NEVER hold it by just the tip alone. Grab the rods by the backbone like you do when you're hiking through the woods first. However this is not comparing just the power of two rods as you can move your finger from the backside of the rod to the front to find out where the tip starts.

[BrianMDTX]

I tend to simply buy rods in the price range I’m looking for with the power, action and extras I like. I don’t think you can really “pick” a rod and know it’s 100% for you until you fish with it. Some feel great in the store but not so great on the water, and vice-versa. Opinions from other anglers is a good start, but what I like, you may loathe. 
 

I will agree that sticking with one or two rod makers is probably not a bad thing. At least some things (power, action) should remain relatively consistent. 

[optimator]

I look for "Made in Woodland Washington" on it ?