At some point many anglers switch over from using one, multi-use rod, to a few, or even an entire arsenal of technique-specific rods. As anglers grow and add to the plethora of presentations they use to catch fish, at some point, a one size fits all approach with rods becomes less than optimal. An anglers tool chest is more than what's in the tackle box, and eventually, while a general purpose rod can get the job done, it can be far from ideal.
Tools are the mark of any tradesman, from an apprentice just starting to someone who's mastered their craft. It doesn't take long to realize the right tool for the job is half the battle. It helps us become more efficient by removing unnecessary steps or failures, making the work more enjoyable. Our work as anglers is fishing, and our tools, when properly pieced together, make for a great time on the water.
Ever wonder why it doesn't take long for our tackle boxes to start overflowing with baits? While you might start with a couple, in short order, you can have lures ranging from dainty little finesse jigs up to stocker-sized trout swimbaits. For the same reason you've filled your tackle box with different baits, It's vital to have rods and reels that can facilitate different approaches efficiently. Technique specific rods make using baits easier by playing up their unique features, or can help you get them to target areas efficiently, or help with landing fish by making hook sets more powerful.The interplay of a rod's length, power, and action dictate the optimal techniques for that rod. To break this down a little further without this blog extending into a book, let's talk about the basics of each attribute and how they can help you on the water.
Length: This one sounds inconsequential, but it's just as vital as power and action. When we move from general-purpose over to more specialized tools, casting distance, style, and even hooksets come into play when matching the right rod for a particular presentation. For example, you pull up to a dock and have a 5-inch gap between the bottom of the dock and the water's surface. You know fish are stacked up in the juicy spot tucked way back. Unless you're Shaquille O'Neal, a 7'6" rod is going to be problematic when you're skipping. A shorter rod, say 6'8" or 6'3", is perfect for most anglers. It's short enough to make skipping easy, but not so short you give up too much hook setting power or leverage when trying to wrench a big fish out from under that dock. Each technique has optimal rod lengths, which in turn makes fishing more productive and enjoyable.
Power: Simply put is the rod's stiffness or resistance to bending. Rod powers range from ultralight to extra heavy. Lighter-powered rods are typically for smaller fish and smaller baits while the heaviest rods like an extra heavy are used for big baits like jumbo swimbaits when targeting large predatory species.
Action: The rod action is where the rod bends when pressure or weight is applied. An easy way to think of action is where the tip meets the backbone of the rod. A fast action rod will bend in the top third or less, a medium or moderate action rod will bend in the top half, and a slow action rod will bend in the lower third of the rod.
Perfectly matching the length, power, and action to specific techniques turns a rod from a crescent wrench to a tool of precise measure made to maximize each cast. HERE we apply this logic to our EC2.5 Bass series to show how optimizing length, power, and action can make you more efficient in conditions you're likely to encounter. We've included recommended techniques on our EC2.5 Bass Series Rods and EC3.5 Pro-Series rods to make this easy on anglers to take the guesswork out of it for you.