Walking into any outdoor store can be an intimidating experience. Often there is going to be racks of rods, shelves stocked with every size, type and color of lure as well as spools of different lines at every corner. While this may cause our eyes to light up and make us want to purchase everything there, all the gear in the world will be ineffective if not applied to the correct situation. Here I am going to break down how I like to approach different situations on the water and what rod I select for each presentation.
Now before we get too focused in on specifics I want to break down the terms that many rod companies use. For first time rod buyers or new anglers looking to take the plunge this can be very stressful. I personally am not a fan of the extremely detailed definitions and physics involved so I break it down into very simplistic terms.
Spinning or Baitcasting
This will be the first difference between rods. Spinning rods are meant for spinning reels and baitcasting rods are meant for baitcasting reels. Biggest way to tell the difference is spinning reels are generally going to have larger eyelets/guides and also will lack a “finger” hold near the reel seat. Baitcasting rods are going to generally have smaller eyelets/guides and will also have a small section near the rod seat for hand placement.
Quality of Graphite
This is where the biggest change in price usually happens. The nicer the graphite the more it will bend, stronger it will be and the more sensitive it will be. Now what I have to say on this is im7 graphite is extremely high quality. If you see im7 or anything above or equivalent leave it be because it’s good stuff.
Power
Power is essentially the back bone of the rod. The higher the power the stronger the backbone will be. Below is the general powers from lightest to strongest.
Ultralight, Light, Medium-Light, Medium, Medium-Heavy, Heavy
Action
The action of the rod is basically the tip action. The faster the action the lighter and more sensitive the tip is going to be. The slower the action the less sensitive the tip will be indicating less movement. Below is the general action from fastest to slowest.
X-Fast, Fast, Moderate
Other Factors
Other things to factor in are the line guide type, number of eyelets, rod butt length, blank length, reel seat and of course brand name. For the sake of simplicity let’s just focus on the main three things: overall length, power and action. With that being said let’s look at how I approach certain situations when targeting Walleye.
Casting Jigs
Length: 6’9-7’2
Power: Medium/Medium-Light
Action: X-Fast
When I’m selecting a rod for casting jigs I’m looking for two important things. The first is I want this be a little longer rod. This will help increase my casting distance, especially when I’m using the very light jigs that I detail in “Upsizing Plastics for Goliath Spring Walleye” and “One-Two Plastic Punch for Spring Walleye”. The second thing I’m looking for is an extra-fast tip. Often the bite is not aggressive and that super sensitive tip is critical for feeling what’s going on at the end of your line. If the budget is limited I would go with a higher quality rod in this situation because this is where sensitivity really matters, whereas as I detail below you can get away with a less sensitive cranking rod.
Casting Shallow Water Crankbaits/Stickbaits
Length: 6’6-7’0
Power: Medium
Action: Fast
The cranking rod I’m looking for something a little different. Crankbaits, aside from maybe some pauses and twitches if using a jerkbait, we’re going to be fishing faster and the fish are going to be more aggressive. The faster moving bait coupled with a more aggressive fish is going to make for some more violent bites and therefore hooksets. To prepare for this I like to bump my power up to about a Medium to get me a firmer hookset and have a little more backbone when fighting the fish.
The increased likelihood of a big northern pike or even muskie depending on where you fish also is another reason to bump up to a little tougher rod. The crankbait is going to be giving a lot more of its own action as opposed to the jig so I like a fast tip just so I can feel that the crank is running right and not fouled but nothing more than that. There isn’t going to be any exceptionally light bites we have to feel in this situation. Because sensitivity is less of an issue here this does not need to be the nicest rod you own by any means. The standard im7 graphite is going to get the job done here.
Casting Slipbobbers
Length: 6’6-7’0
Power: Medium
Action: Fast
Slipbobbering is an underutilized tactic by walleye anglers, but in reality I have caught some very nice fish dropping slipbobbers by weed edges in the summer. To do this I like to keep the bait away from the boat or you can do it from shore so I favor a longer rod for increased casting distance of a light rig. I prefer a 7ft rod in this situation just to get it out there easier, but it also helps me pick up slack line easier as well. Another thing I do is take nail polish and put a white dash every foot on my rod so I can easily adjust my depth and make sure I am accurate with where my bobber stop is.
The key to slipbobbering is getting a strong hookset, sensitivity really isn’t critical. I like a medium power rod so I have a strong backbone and get a firm hookset. I also like to have a fast action so as I’m picking up slack I can feel the fish and know exactly when to set the hook. If catastrophe strikes this also can be used for casting cranks as well.
Bottom Bouncing
Length: 6’6-7’0
Power: Medium/Medium-Heavy
Action: Moderate/Fast
Bottom bouncing is very similar to cranking in the fact that we don’t really need an ultra-sensitive rod to feel the lightest bite of the season. When we’re bottom bouncing we’re moving and that means it is going to be again a relatively violent collision when the fish takes the bait. I’m looking for a rod with a lot of back bone to get a really good hookset and able to handle the extra 1.5-3ozes I’m dragging through the water along with my fish.
I like a moderate action or a fast action because there will be days they aren’t ripping the rod out of the holder and also you want to feel your bouncer as it ticks along the bottom. This is another situation we don’t have to break the bank and can get the job done as well. I also like the baitcasting reels in this situation as it allows me to put on more line, heavier line, it fits in the rod holder a lot better and I can engage it as soon as I get the bouncer precisely where I want it.
Trolling Crankbaits
Length: 5’10-10’0
Power: Medium-Heavy
Action: Moderate
This I’m a little hesitant to talk about as there is a variety of different ways that cranks can be trolled and every angler is going to have their own different system that they like to run. My personal style is to run two rods out the back of the boat and then if there is multiple anglers then slide planar boards out the side. Other guys may like shorter rods in the back and longer rods up to 10-12ft+ out of the sides.
Some anglers prefer trolling with braid, others favor leadcore. I’m going to leave the system up to each individual to determine on their own. The biggest thing to understand is that I like to troll cranks 2.5-4mph so when I hook into a big walleye it is an absolute car crash. Having a rod that can handle this shock and stand up to pulling a planar board in as well requires a serious backbone. Also keeping in mind if anglers are using leadcore then a stout rod is a must.
Now on the other hand, if I’m not trolling that deep in that I don’t need lead to get to my desired depth I’m more than happy rigging my bottom bouncer rods I talked about above with some cranks and just straight trolling them out the back. In fact, I really prefer to do that when I’m fishing alone and a deep diving cranks gets to the depth I want to be.
Vertical Jigging
Length: 5’10-6’3
Power: Medium/Medium-Light
Action: X-Fast
The ideal vertical jigging rod is going to be a little shorter as this can keep you right under the boat and really help with rod control. Once again you’re looking for that x-fast tip to help with sensitivity. That medium/medium-light back bone is where you get a good hookset, especially when a bite catches you off guard.
Lindy Rigging
Lindy rigging is by no means my specialty so I don’t want to spread theories that I only have a limited experience with. What I will say is Lindy rigging seems to vary a lot by anglers as some prefer long 8-10ft rods and others prefer rods more “normal” length. The key to Lindy rigging is you need a sensitive rod to feel the bite to be able to feed line before the fish feel the weight. After that you’re going to prefer a little longer rod, I’ve done it with 7ft rods, just so you can pick up slack easier and then get a good firm hookset.
Hopefully this makes rod buying slightly less stressful and helps anglers get a better feel for the correct situation to apply their current rod arsenal. Fishing rods are our connection to the fish and I personally always have a little more confidence when fishing with a select rod or two. This makes it critical that anglers really experiment with different rod types so they can find their favorite as confidence is the best thing you can have in your tackle box when fishing. Good fishing!
