Rod Buying

[Rouney725110]

What do you look for when you are buying a rod. Obviously there are the different actions an lengths but what else is important to look for when buying a rod. Now I just go to the store and will bend the rod to check the stiffness but not sure what else is good to look for.

[Bobb-o]

A couple of the things I look for are action (Heavy, medium, light or ultra-light) and speed (slow, moderate, mod-fast, etc). There obviously several other factors involved but these are the main two I look at when sizing up rods. I prefer slower action rods for crappies and jigging spoons for walleyes and faster actions rods for bobber fishing walleyes and sunfish (obviously action is dependent on species). Some of my favorites are Thorne Bros Quiverstick and powernoodle on the high end, and 13's Black Betty and Wicked on the mid-range.

Here is an example of how the speed of a rod will look under load:

[Might_B_A_Pike]

I look for a solid backbone, for some reason that is most important to me wheather you are looking for a light med or heavy action

[bobbymalone]

definitely check out the handle and make sure it's to your liking. I like contoured cork grips. reel seat has to lock downward rather than upward.

[MuskieFever]

I look for length, rod action, and sensitivity. Like stated above, it depends on the species you will be targeting. For example, for gills and crappies I would look for a softer rod with good sensitivity, for walleyes I would look for a stiffer rod and be able to get away with not as much sensitivity because walleyes tend to thump the rod more than a gill. When is a store going to come out with a tank that you can test out your rod with in order to tell if it suits your needs? Light bulb...