Once upon a time, choosing the appropriate fishing rod was straightforward: for light line and small lure fishing you could opt for a spinning outfit; otherwise baitcasting setups were the standard choice.

Now there is a vast variety of rods for every occasion and skill level. Selecting the appropriate one depends on various factors such as size, action and power.

Rod

Fishing rods are long, flexible sticks used to control line and lure. Available in various lengths and constructed from fiberglass, carbon/graphite or combinations thereof materials.

Action of a rod is what determines its ability to bend easily and what kind of lures can be fished with it, as well as power, or how much weight it can support. A rod’s action should correspond with your fishing situation: species being targeted, wind and water conditions and size of line being used.

Fly rods are thinner than regular fishing rods and use a monofilament segment called a leader attached to one end, and an artificial fly (fly). Telescopic rods with multiple line guides arranged along their bottom edge help reduce friction when reeling in large coils of line from spinning reels’ spools.

Reel

Fishing rods feature handles and guides that hold the line and flex when struck by fish, such as wooden poles with lines tied directly to them. Later on, running rings were created to lead the line along the rod for easier use of longer lines but these ran rings could tangle easily; someone then invented reels to hold the line until its retrieval could occur.

Reels feature a fixed spool that holds the line. When casting, your forefinger presses against the bail arm or trigger to release it and release the line off of its fixed spool. Cranking your handle moves the line catch or pickup (a large rotating wire cage/bail operated either manually or trigger) which engages and places back onto its fixed spool after retrieval; pressing on its button at the rear can disengage this process as well.

Line

Finding a fishing line suitable to match both your rod and reel is of utmost importance, as a mismatch could leave you struggling to detect bites, reel in your catch or deal with annoying tangles.

Conventional fishing reels fall into two broad categories, rotating-spool and fixed-spool designs. Rotating-spool designs operate like windlasses by taking line off a stationary spool and wrapping it back around itself, while fixed-spool designs simply pull it onto itself by dragging.

Ultralight spinning and casting rods are specially made to cast lures as light as 1/64 of an ounce (0.44 grams), typically small spinners or rattle baits. Their action is slow so as not to apply too much pressure to fish’s mouth when setting hooks of such small lures. In addition, ultra-light rods can also be used for trolling techniques in which the boat’s movement pulls the bait in its wake – commonly constructed from fiberglass or graphite material.

Lure

Lures are synthetic pieces of fish prey connected to monofilament lines (usually known as leaders) by either an improved clinch knot or Palomar knot and attached with hooks attached directly to them for manipulation by rod.

Natural baits include living creatures like worms, minnows, leeches, insects or shrimp that can be used either alone or alongside artificial lures to increase chances of catch. They are attached to your line via either a swivel or running ring.

Rods should be tailored to match the type of fishing being undertaken, both in terms of length and power requirements. Power requirements range from very light for casting tiny crappie jigs or other small lures to very heavy when fishing deep water for larger game fish or targeting big game species like tuna. Rods are generally classified by action: fast rods have responsive actions which load easily and set hooks easily while medium and slow rods provide ample launching power and still offer a solid hookset.