Mostly all saltwater fishing rods that are out there are made from wither graphite, fiberglass, or a combination of the two together. These types of saltwater fishing rods have been around for a long time, but the fiberglass fishing rods were around before the graphite saltwater fishing rods were. When it comes to comparing the quality of the two, graphite will rise on top, therefore they are more expensive than the fiberglass fishing rods, that is definitely something that you should be looking at when searching for saltwater fishing rods for sale. Although just because a fishing rod is made from graphite does not mean that it is automatically deemed to be a better quality, for instance a cheap graphite rod would not be as good as an expensive fiberglass saltwater fishing rod. So as in all things that you buy, this rule especially applies when it comes to fishing, that you will get what you pay for, if you are a serious fisherman than a good investment would be the best thing for you to consider.
Some of the things you will find on a saltwater fishing rod are guides, these are the holes that go up and down the fishing rod, and they are meant to keep the line on the fishing pole and flow through the guides freely. The guide at the top of the saltwater fishing rod is called the eye, and is extremely important when it comes to casting the fishing rod. There are many characteristics that you must look for when it comes to saltwater fishing rods, one of these are the flexibility of the fishing rod.
This will come into effect in a lot of ways, some rods are more flexible than others, another name for this is called rod taper. Rod taper can be measured in three different degrees, these are as follows, fast, medium, and slow. Basically a slow taper rod will be a lot less stiff than a fast taper rod. Say if you were saltwater fishing for snook, you would want a slow taper saltwater fishing rod, because you will be setting the hook, and the flexibility of the fishing rod will allow you to do that with ease. If you are bottom fishing out in the ocean, gulf or sea, then you would probably want to use a heavier, more stiff type of fishing rod, which would be a fast taper saltwater fishing rod.
Another important part of choosing the right saltwater fishing rod would be the fishing rods sensitivity. This is extremely important, because it will help you determine when there is a fishing nibbling at your bait, and determine if the fish is just nibbling at the bait or if the fish actually swallowed the bait whole. Graphite saltwater fishing rods are usually better for sensitivity, mostly because the fact is that they weigh less than the fiberglass saltwater fishing rods.
Rod length is another thing you will need to consider, and depending on what kind of fishing you will be doing. Say if you are surf fishing, then you will need a longer fishing rod, due to the fact that you will need to be casting out further than you would normally have too. Same thing will apply when you are fly fishing, you will need a longer type of fishing rod, but that is a whole other topic that I will be going over in a future post as fly fishing has totally different saltwater fishing tackle altogether. Now let me go through some of the more popular types of saltwater fishing rods that are out there.
Spin Casting Rods – These are the cheapest of all the types of saltwater fishing rods that are out there, and are commonly referred to as the beginners fishing rod. They make great fishing rods for a kid that is just learning to fish, although most of them are of low quality fiberglass, an expensive spin casting rod will last you a long time. You get what you put in to it.
Spinning Rods – These are great and very common when it comes to saltwater fishing. They can also be very cheap, and they can be very expensive and even used as tournament fishing rods. They can be made from both fiberglass and graphite as most fishing rods that are out there. The guides on a spinning rod should be big at the bottom and gradually get smaller as it gets to the tip of the fishing rod.
Fly Fishing Rods – These are generally a lot longer than other types of saltwater fishing rods. This is because casting is the most important thing when fly fishing, and since you wont be using the reel, or any weights on the fishing line, you will need a long fishing rod to cast the fly out there to wherer the fish are. They are also made from graphite, fiberglass, and there are rare cases where a fly rod will be made from bamboo, which can be very expensive.
Deep Sea Fishing Rods - These can also in some cases be known as trolling rods. These types of saltwater fishing rods are heavier than the others that are mentioned, and are made for huge fish. They will also require a heavy duty fishing reel along with a very strong pound test. These rods tend to be stiff in most cases, and are made to handle great amounts of pressure, because you will definitely need it when you are pulling a 80 pound grouper up 200 feet or more. The difference between these rods and other types of saltwater fishing rods that are out there, is these are not cheap. Even the cheapest deep sea fishing rod that is out there will put a small dent in your wallet, and when you are going after bigger fish, using low quality saltwater fishing tackle is NOT an option.