Finding the ideal fishing rod and reel combination is paramount to successful fish catching. Shimano offers an extensive array of rod technologies designed to deliver optimal blank actions, balance, responsiveness and responsiveness for various fishing techniques.

Rod power ratings help define a rod’s ability to cast various line strengths and lure weights effectively, while rod length can also play a part in casting distance – typically longer rods offer longer casting distances.

Casting Rods

Casting rods are typically combined with spincast reels and can be equipped with an assortment of baits such as crankbaits, jigs, worms, spoons and buzz baits to catch bass as well as many other freshwater species like trout and crappie. They’re especially good at targeting bass as well as trout and crappie species.

Casting rods differ from spinning rods by featuring a reel seat that places the reel above the rod and all of its guides facing upward, helping prevent eyelets from being pulled off during battles with large fish.

When purchasing a casting rod, it is essential to take into account its action, power and line weight. A fast action rod bends easily for deep hook drives while slower actions allow more load up of pressure on hooks under loaded conditions. Rods come rated from ultralight up to extra-extra heavy. Manufacturers sometimes refer to their rods by their power ratings such as XH or XXH to identify them further.

Spinning Rods

Spinning rods are often combined with reels that store line on a spool and feature an adjustable friction device called a drag, which serves two important purposes. First, it prevents over-spinning while simultaneously helping retrieve line without creating knots like bird’s nests.

Spinning rods come in single or multi-piece designs and offer various lengths, weights (or powers), actions and powers (or actions). A rod’s power refers to how much force is necessary to create certain degrees of flexion or bend; usually expressed numerically such as ultralight, light, medium, medium-heavy or heavy; occasionally described in terms of fast-medium or moderate-fast actions.

Action of a rod refers to how much it bends when under load, with manufacturers often characterizing its action by its bending curve in terms of fast, medium-fast or slow action bending curves or sometimes in blended action terms like moderate fast.

Reel Combos

Reel fishing reels provide anglers with all of the tools necessary for successfully targeting and landing fish. Reels come in various sizes and configurations designed to suit different styles and species of fish, giving anglers every edge they need for success in catching.

No matter whether you’re fishing from a bank or dock, these combos provide excellent value by pairing a premium reel with an equally premium rod in one convenient package. They fish just like an expensive Lew’s setup but at a much more reasonable cost!

Medium or medium fast action rods are ideal for straight retrieve baits like spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, while they’re also great for dragging jigs along the bottom, so that you can feel when the bait contacts its target surface and triggers an appropriate hookset.

Accessories

Based on the type of fish you’re targeting, accessories like line weights can help sink bait or lures quickly while swivels help connect heavier mainlines to lighter leaders for effective fighting action. They’ll prevent twisting in windy conditions or when fighting large fish.

Reels can be constructed of aluminum, graphite or carbon fiber and come in an assortment of sizes. You may opt for front or rear drags; rear drags tend to perform better in sea fishing environments due to saltwater corrosion and kelp build-up. Reels come with various grip options including cork, rubber or tacky composite materials designed to look like cork.

Rods can be constructed of fiberglass, graphite or hybrid materials and come in an assortment of lengths and stiffness levels that span from slow to fast action. Furthermore, many feature line guides known as eyes as well as reel seats with right or left handed seating arrangements.