As you walk down the aisle at your local tackle shop or are browsing the inventory of your favorite online tackle site, the number of fishing rods available for you to choose from is endless. Not only are there the different brands, but each brand usually has two to three series of rods to choose from, then within each series are different lengths and actions!
Many rod companies take the guess work out of selecting a fishing rod as they label their rods for a specific technique/application, such as rods for, Jerkbaits, Flipping or Carolina-Rigging. For some bass fisherman they want to and do have a fishing rod for each technique that they will employ when fishing. Yes, this is nice and I do feel having the right rod aids in an angler’s ability to present their lure properly, but my no means is it a necessity.
For me, my rod choice is Witch Doctor Tackle and there series of rods, which include the Shaman, Voodoo II, Surman50G and Oracle. Each series of rods has specific models designed for a specific application that a bass fisherman will face on the water and every detail is taken into account, such as lure the cover being fished, lure weight and line type. All of these variables will dictate what rod I use, as having the right rod in my hand will aid my ability to hook up and land a bass that hits, especially in heavy cover.
Items to take into account when selecting a rod include some personal preference such as rod length and grip type, but keep in mind even these choices play a role in rod performance. If you are fishing a topwater plug, like a Rapala Skitter V or jerkbait, you want a rod (6’6” to 7’) that you can make sharp downward movements with and if your rod is to long than your ability to impart action in the bait will be impaired. Likewise if you are making a long cast with a Carolina-rig and need to pick up a lot of slack prior to the setting the hook, a longer rod (7’2 to 7’6” will aid in this).
When it comes to flipping and pitching, you want a rod that is feather light in weight, and overly powerful, especially if you’ll be spending a good chunk of a fishing/tournament day doing this. For me, the new Oracle from Witch Doctor fits this need perfectly, as the fast action blank is ideally suited for pitching a jig, Texas-rig or punch rig all day in the heaviest cover for the biggest fish without wearing out the angler.
If you are fishing a moving bait, like a crankbait, swim jig, vibrating jig or spinnerbait, you want a rod that will load up when a bass inhales the lure as it is going by their face. Some anglers rely on a fiberglass rod for these applications, I like the Surman 50G as it is a half fiberglass, half graphite build for this very reason. By having a glass tip section, you have a medium fast action that will result in increased hook up ratios.
As your open water fishing season may just be getting started, or if you have a few fishing trips under your belt for the year, take notice of what fishing rods you have and see what presentations you could better present with the correct rod.
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