Fishing Rods

Fishing Rods

Fishing Rods

A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a long, flexible length of fiberglass, carbon fiber, graphite or, classically, bamboo, used to catch fish.

At its simplest, a fishing rod is a simple stick or pole with a line ending in a hook (formerly known as an angle, hence the term angling). To entice fish bait or lures may be added.

Fishing rods vary in flexibility and length, varying between 1 meter and 10 meters. The longer the rod, the greater the mechanical advantage in casting.

Surf casting rods resemble oversized spinning or bait casting rods with long grip handles intended for two-handed casting techniques. Generally between 10 to 14 feet (3 – 4 m) in length, surf casting rods need to be longer in order for the user cast the lure or bait beyond the breaking surf where fish tend to congregate, and sturdy enough to cast heavy weighted lures or bait needed to hold the bottom in rough water. They are almost always used in shore fishing (sea fishing from the shoreline) from the beach, rocks or other shore feature. Some surfcasters use powerful rods to cast up to six ounces (170 grams) or more of lead weight, artificial lures, and/or bait over one hundred yards.

Telescopic rods are designed to collapse down to a short length and open to a long rod. 10 meters rod can close to as little as a half meter. This makes the rods very easy to transport. They are made of graphite and fibreglass materials.

When closing the rods make a slight twisting motion while pushing the sections together. Often the rods come with tip covers to protect the tip and guides.

More eyes on a telescopic rod means better weight and stress distribution throughout the parabolic arc. This translates to further casting, stronger fish fighting abilities, and less breaking of the rod.

Spinning rods are made from graphite or fiberglass with a cork or PVC foam handle, and tend to be between 5 and 8.5 feet (1.5 – 2.6 m) in length. Typically, spinning rods have anywhere from 5-8 large-diameter guides arranged along the underside of the rod to help control the line. The fisherman’s second and third fingers straddle the “leg” of the reel where it is attached to the reel seat on the rod, and the weight of the reel hangs beneath the rod, which makes for a more comfortable way to fish for extended periods. This also allows the rod to be held in the fisherman’s dominant hand (the handle on most modern spinning reels is reversible) which greatly increases control and nuance applied to the rod itself.

Trolling is a fishing method of casting the lure or bait to the side of, or behind, a moving boat, and letting the motion of the boat pull the bait through the water. In theory, for light and medium freshwater gamefishing, any casting or spinning rod (with the possible exception of ultralight rods) can be used for trolling. A rod effective for trolling should have relatively fast action, as a very “whippy” slow action rod is extremely frustrating to troll with, and a fast action (fairly stiff) rod is generally much easier to work with when fishing by this method.

Sea rods are designed for use with huge fish from the ocean. They are long, (around 4 metres on average), extremely thick, and feature huge and heavy tips, eyes, and handles. The largest of sea rods are for use with sport fishing boats. Some of these are specialized rods, including shark rods, and marlin rods, and are for use with very heavy equipment.

There are more type of rods but I am going to stop here since others are not used in UAE.


There are several specifications manufacturers use to delineate rod uses. These include power, action, line weight, lure weight, and number of pieces.


Also known as “power value” or “rod weight.” Rods may be classified as Ultra-Light, Light, Medium-Light, Medium, Medium-Heavy, Heavy, Ultra-Heavy, or other similar combinations. Power is often an indicator of what types of fishing, species of fish, or size of fish a particular pole may be best used for. Ultra-light rods are suitable for catching small bait fish and also panfish, or situations where rod responsiveness is critical. Ultra-Heavy rods are used in deep sea fishing, surf fishing, or for heavy fish by weight. Any fish can theoretically be caught with any rod, of course, but catching panfish on a heavy rod offers no sport whatsoever, and successfully landing a large fish on an ultralight rod requires supreme rod handling skills at best, and more frequently ends in broken tackle and a lost fish. Rods are best suited to the type of fishing they are intended for.


Fishing Rods

“Action” refers to the responsiveness of the rod to bending force (bending curve), and the speed with which the rod returns to its neutral position. An action may be slow, medium, fast, or a combination (e.g. medium-fast.) Fast Action rods flex most in the tip section. Slow rods flex more towards the butt of the rod.

Some manufacturers list the power value of the rod as its action. A “medium” action bamboo rod may have a faster action than a “fast” fiberglass rod.

A rod’s action and power may change when line weight is greater or lesser than the rod’s specified range.

The action refers to how much a rod bends when a fisherman is casting or have a fish at the end of the line. A slow action rod bends all the way into the handle. Fast action rods allow the fisherman to make longer casts.

Line weight

Line weight for a rod is expressed as a range that the rod is designed to support. In casting and spinning rods, designations such as “8-15 lb. line” are typical.

Lure weight


Number of pieces

Rods that are one piece from butt to tip are considered to have the most natural “feel”, and are preferred by many, though the difficulty in transporting them safely becomes an increasing problem with increasing rod length. Some fishermen do feel a difference in sensitivity with two-piece rods, but most do not.

thanks to wikipedia