Picking the right rod is both scary and exciting. Get it wrong, and it’s not exactly something you can always return. Get it right, and it can be the absolute game-changer that suits your style of fishing, brings comfort and joy to your excursions, or maybe steps you up a level to target and land better-class fish.
To be honest, there are so many facets of fishing, each requiring a very specific approach in terms of tackle and skill, all of which the fishing rod plays an obvious integral role in your choice of equipment.
There are many ways to pick a rod, and we could carry on for hours discussing the in-depth details of what defines the perfect rod, but over the years, we have developed a recipe to narrow it down to make sure that you walk out of the shop with the best rod for your style of fishing.
In a world of guiding, I have had the privilege of testing, feeling and fishing some top-tier equipment and the one thing I have noticed above and beyond anything else is that the best rods are not always defined by a hefty price tag.
Simply said, expensive rods are not always the best; there is so much more that needs to be considered when picking the right rod for you!
So, How Do I Pick the Perfect Rod for Me?
We tend to walk into tackle shops and, firstly, what meets the eye often defines the way we shop. And right there, 90% of inexperienced anglers tend to make their biggest mistake and walk out of the shop with the completely wrong rod.
Facebook is flooded with second-hand sales with captions like “only been used once, in excellent condition,” or “looking to upgrade to a newer model, only been used once.”
Yip, some of those second-hand sales are definitely driven by incorrect purchases. It happens, and if it’s happened to you, you’re not alone; we’ve all done it, so fear not.
Be Discerning of Bells and Whistles
FG Tackle promises to deliver expert advice, it’s advice driven by anglers for anglers, and we know all too well how tackle manufacturing companies push their products with all the promises of bells and whistles that have transformed a piece of carbon with guides and gimble to a magic wand. If you swing it and scream “vrystaat!” fish magically tend to appear.
They’ve changed fishing rods into a fashion statement, and even though we’re all for it, we all fall for it. There are blue ones, green ones, red ones, orange ones, grey ones, gold ones, pink ones, silver ones, black ones and here’s the scary part, many an angler has bought after the colour and not the rod…
The good news is, regardless of colour, rod tech is certainly sitting at an all-time high, especially with the introduction of Nano Carbon technology. But before we don our thick goggles and start discussing molecular science, let’s hook you up with the “how to” to help you pick the perfect rod!
The best way to go about this entire process is to do it in reverse. Forget the rod and start with the fish. It’s as easy as that.
Be a Fish-Forward Rod Purchaser
Years ago, I was faced with a bit of a dilemma. I really loved hunting kob and I always picked stiffer action rods to assist with sending bigger baits to back banks, or to have that pulling power to deal with all the hounds, spotties and bags between.
I mean, I caught a lot of fish on that stiff action rod, but when it came to big kob, even smaller shoaling kob, I realised that I was missing a lot of bites and because I was fishing on braid, that stiffer action rod was making me lose a lot of fish too, especially once I switched over to braid. I even experienced some of my favourite hooks breaking. Something felt off.
My error was picking a rod that I wanted, a rod that assisted my idea of what is required, instead of focusing on what the fish I loved so much was calling for. I was wrong, and a fish proved it so.
And so I shifted my mindset to become acutely aware of a Dusky Kobs feeding behaviour. Using circle hooks and big baits like large mullet or octopus required a slow and sensitive feed on behalf of the angler.
The rod allows the fish to feed uninterrupted, the circle hook benefiting from the softer action to seat better during a bite and in the fight, those head shakes being perfectly absorbed by the soft action, keeping the hook in place no matter how violent those shakes became. My catch records improved instantly and ever since, I have adapted this mentality when choosing a rod for a specific species.
Work Your Way Back from the Fish to the Rod
Another species that taught me much about choosing the right rod is Galjoen. Here, the narrative changed slightly, but in theory it remained the same.
Due to our rocky coastline and the areas where these fish feed prolifically during tidal changes, I was faced with many literal obstacles to fish through or over. My subject species was small, my hooks were small, and the fish, relative to its size, could box really well in an environment it knew so well. Getting clipped or reefed by large specimens was quite common. I had no issue hooking them, but the fight became an issue. I had a 12ft and a 13ft rod, and even though I landed my fair share of Galjoen, I simply felt I could do better.
Buy Larger Rods for Larger Species
My hurdle was the environment these fish were feeding in. It was relative to the stretch of coast I was fishing. Shorter rods got me into a lot of trouble on some outsized specimens. I needed line clearance to fish over and through areas that seemed tough on the smaller rods. I still needed a sensitive rod to feel those bites, but something whippy to push small baits far and so I took my first leap to a 3-5oz 14ft rod.
Instant success, landing 50cm fish became easier, casting towards and over hairy structure became the norm and landing bycatch like the powerful Mussel Cracker became possible.
Sure, we did it all on those smaller rods, but we definitely do it better on the 14ft rods. Even though there are the gulley hunters who hunt these fish on 9ft rods, such a rod would be of specific use only and you’d be really tied to specific zones, whereas a 14ft rod opens up this entire coast as your Galjoen play park.
White Steebras
And then White Steenbras. Even though I may quite possibly be the worst White Steenbras fisherman in the country, I have definitely learned a lesson there, too. I was utterly convinced that a soft action parabolic bend would compensate for the lack of stretch in braid, and I’d be fooling these fish without a problem. Not so.
I know a group of anglers who absolutely hammer these fish, and they all fish with 5 rods that are considerably stiffer than the rods I would think are necessary.
The secret is thin nylon and multipliers. These guys are punting 6oz grapnel sinkers at back banks that I’m not even looking at. When fishing for Steenies, 90% of the time, it’s required to place your rod in a pylon pipe. Wave action breaking onto the braid causes a hard whip on the rod; this motion translates directly to the bait, causing an unnatural presentation.
Nylon, however, has infinitely more stretch and absorbs rod whip and shock, presenting a bait at the end of a line so much better. It’s a much softer presentation. When a Steenie picks up that bait, it’s also less likely to drop it due to the stretch in the line. But you also needed to access that fish on a back bank where it was feeding, and for that you needed that stiffer action rod to push that 6oz.
Estuaries
Moving over to estuaries, finding the perfect bait rod for grunters was shown to me by AJ De Beer. He used a modified fly rod, cheap as chips, and my word, was the leap giant.
We weren’t going ultra-light and super sensitive; these rods were entry-level fly rods, actually finding a slightly heavier rod advantageous in windy conditions. We’d dip down to 10, 8 or even 6lb braid and use nothing but a small swivel as weight. These fish demand weightless fishing on the mud or sand flats and in shallow channels.
Presenting a bait to them would require some distance. When casting a weightless prawn, a stiff action rod simply can’t do it; they simply tear off the hook when casting at speed.
And then there is the bite and hook up, holy moly, a fly rod gets that job done extremely well. And the fight is so cool as these fish power off, straightening that fly rod. You can fish with supremely light leaders to fool these fish because a fly rod compensates for any head shakes or fast, unexpected runs that may part a leader or light braid.
Kob
Spinning for kob, I liked a punchy, stiff action rod to maximise my casting distance and react to bites faster, until Mike Dames pointed out to me that a softer action rod casts a paddletail further.
Subsequently, I started loving bucktail jigs and realised a softer action rod definitely presents these lures better. Again, the process of buying a rod starts in reverse. Fish, lure, then rod that suits the needs of the aforementioned.
I could speak of Giant Trevally, Yellowtail, Garrick, King Mackerel, and many other favorited gamefish species; again, we’d be talking about starting that process in reverse.
Work your way back from the fish to the rod, and you’d be sure to make the right choice. While this may seem fairly obvious to some, a lot of up-and-coming anglers are unaware of what it really takes to purchase the correct gear. Even the experts get it wrong from time to time.
Decide Using the Variables You Must Account For
When we spoke about a rod for a kob, we addressed the feeding behaviour of the animal.
When we spoke about Galjoen, we addressed the environment of the animal.
When we spoke about Steenbras, we addressed the mechanics of what the fish requires according to feeding behaviour and position. (Nylon)
When we discussed Spotted grunter, we discussed casting distance and the presentation of a tricky bait.
When we discussed spinning for kob, we discussed the mechanism of lure action and casting distance.
These are all variables to take into account when purchasing the right rod and there are many more. So many anglers have bought a rod because it’s a “good” rod. Yes, it’s a good rod, but for what, where and when is another question.
I sincerely hope this article has given you insight to give your next rod purchase some thought. A great fishing rod is something so awesome to own, and they aren’t exactly getting cheaper by the day. This is merely a thinking exercise to make you more aware of the variables and dynamics that should be considered when purchasing your next favourite rod.
Tight lines !!