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a 58-degree loft in your bag instead of making do with a pitching wedge with a 44-degree loft .
“ Long gone are the days where everybody just wants a simple , 7-foot mediumheavy bass rod ,” Noraker says . “ I look at the salmon / steelhead arena and Hot Shot rods as an example . If you build it correctly , a Hot Shot rod has a different component makeup and action in the tip section that can drastically improve the performance of the plug because it allows it to work better . It has to do with the materials and the speed of the rod , and even something as simple as the color of the tip to enhance
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the visibility of what the rod is doing .
“ A crankbait rod is very similar . Fish are eating a crankbait from behind , so if you ’ re using a rod that ’ s too fast and stiff – all the responsiveness that happens so quickly on a high-carbon rod – you pull the bait right out of a fish ’ s mouth . That ’ s where a slower action and fiberglass or composite blank excels and high-carbon graphite works against you . Sometimes lower-tech is actually better .”
Let Me Be Your ( Rod ) Guide
One of the most critical components of a bass rod is the guides , which can significantly
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affect a rod ’ s weight and balance , and influence casting distance and accuracy .
The upper echelon of rod guides is the Fuji Torzite , which is both incredibly strong and extremely lightweight . Most of the rods on the market that use these guides are top-of-the-line models such as the St . Croix Legend X , Dobyns Xtasy , and Phenix K2 , all rods that retail in the ballpark of $ 500 ( with the Torzite guide set making up a significant chunk of the manufacturing cost ).
The theme among contemporary bass rods is guides with some sort of ceramic insert , which are durable , smooth , and readily
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available . They also vary greatly in pricing , with Silicon Carbide ( SiC ) and Alconite making up a large percentage of the guide inserts on rods you ’ ll find at your tackle store .
There was a time when rod guides couldn ’ t stand up to the abuses of braided line and heavy use , but that ’ s no longer the case : Nearly every rod available to purchase now has quality guides with ceramic inserts , at much lower retail price points than ever before .
“ The reality is that even the cheapest rods out there have some type of ceramic guide that can last a lifetime ,” says David Brinkerhoff , Senior Planning Manager for
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Often overlooked , rod guides have perhaps the biggest impact on the functionality and overall effectiveness of a rod . |