Saturday, July 4, 2009

Buying Your 1st Fishing Rod

By Paul Mancini

Not too many sporting activities can match the peacefulness that a person can enjoy while sitting in a little boat, rod in hand, waiting for a fish to take the bait. It is an almost therapeutic experience, so it certainly shouldn't come as a surprise that fishing is one of the most popular recreational activities in the USA.

Some hard core fishing enthusiasts will tell you that how you perform on the water can only be as good as your fishing equipment so it is important to buy a good rod. Unfortunately if you are new to fishing you may not be able to demarcate the good from the average, so here are a few tips that can help you in picking a fishing pole of your choice that will serve you for a lifetime.

When buying a rod you may be boggled by the massive range of rod choices in front of you. One method for selecting is to go into the local fishing shop and pick the first fishing pole that you lay your eyes on but this may not be a very effective strategy. The other would be to weigh the aspects of each fishing rod.

Fishing Rod Weight - Gone is the era when rods were almost exclusively produced out of wood. Technological innovations have reached the fishing pole industry and today most rods are made out of composite materials. Most rods fall within one of 4 weight categories: light action, medium light action, medium heavy action and heavy action. Weight categories are usually printed right onto the rod itself. The differing weights are used to catch different types of fish, so before you purchase a pole you need to make a decision as to what kind of fish you want to catch with it. As a rule, if you are fishing for trout or small mouth, go for a light action fishing rod. The heavier duty fishing rods are more suitable for catching catfish and walleye while the really heavy action fishing rods will be more appropriate for large Musky and for trolling. I am sure by now you can see a pattern emerging, that is the weight of the fishing rod should correlate with the weight of the fish that you intend to go after with it.

Fishing Rod Length - The length is the next aspect that you need to look at with respect to your purchase. The length of rod that you buy will be driven by the place where you intend to go fishing. A longer fishing rod will put more pressure on the fish after it's hooked. So if you intend to fish in a river you probably want to purchase a longer rod. Due to the fact that the rod is longer you'll probably want to choose an ultra light or a light action fishing rod for your comfort. A five foot rod is usually great for normal water conditions while a six feet rod is what you would use for high water conditions.

Finally you'll have to decide as to the amount of money you wish to spend on the fishing rod. Many fishing enthusiasts will tell you to not exceed a 80 dollar budget. Normally fishing rods that fall in this range are extremely functional and you will find a number of wonderful rods under this price. - 16887

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