THE FISHING ROD

The rod has two purposes: to cast and to retrieve. To cast, the rod is a launching platform. It guides the line, provide a lever and spring action that gets the bait out. Then the line guides, lever and spring are used to retrieve the fish.

Fishing probably began with a spear. That was followed by nets, poison, hook and then came the fishing rod. We can trace fishing rods back to ancient Egypt when reeds or light flexible wood was used to catch fish in about 500 A.D. In the 1840's, lighter more flexible and durable bamboo rods came into use to replace the wooden rods. They remained the choice of anglers for over a hundred years.

In the 1940's tubular steel and aluminum rods came into use. They were quickly replaced in the mid 40's with solid fiberglass rods. By the 1950's tubular fiberglass rods came into use followed in the 70's by tubular graphite rods.

Graphite is a well-known conductor of electricity. During an electrical storm, put down your rod immediately. Better yet place it in the rod locker of your boat. Failure to take precautions makes a lightening rod out of you.

Making a fishing rod is a many step labor intensive process. Companies do not just turn out rods on a rod machine with raw materials going into one end and a gleaming finished rod coming out the other.

Four of the key features of the fishing rod are: the blanks, reel seats, guides and sensitivity.

There are three factors in a rod blank. The strength of the blank is the expected weight the rod can lift without breaking. The action is the deflection curve of the rod when loaded, either during the cast or retrieve. Power is the resistance of the rod to bending. A heavy power rod will begin bending at the same point of the lighter power rod of the same action, but the heavy power rod will bend less.

Strength, action and power of the rod are dependent upon several variables. The first of these is the mandrel diameter and taper(s). This is the base design of the rod, determined by the planned purpose. That is an ultra light or perhaps a rod for a big flathead catfish. The second variable is the material used in construction, followed by the quality of the materials and placement.

While the basic processing steps used to manufacture tubular rods have remained the same for over twenty years, significant improvements have been made in the raw materials, and the ability to efficiently process the materials with consistent results.

The reinforcing fibers used are predominantly fiberglass, graphite, or a combination of both. A composite is formed of a matrix resin which binds the reinforcing fibers and holds them together. The use of graphite in rods has significantly improved the actions and functionality of the rod. Resin systems have continuously improved for adhesion to the fibers, toughness, and durability with more processing ease.

Manufacturers place great emphasis on the quality of materials and placement. The pattern shape, placement and orientation of the material positioned on the mandrel forms the action and bower of the rod. Interactive techniques are used to reach the desired design.

In consideration of the parts of a rod, the angler needs to look at each with a discerning eye. Reel seats on a rod demonstrate a number of significant improvements. The reel seat connects the reel to the rod. One the first improvements was to connect the reel seat to the blank.

Lighter weight materials and design enable one to connect the reel to the rod with a good tight fit and yet still be able to easily remove the reel with no marring of the reel foot.

Guides are aptly named in that they guide the line along the rod blank. The materials from which they are made must be wear resistant and smooth so as not to harm the line. Through rod design guides are sized and spaced to maximize casting distance and retrieve without the line touching the rod blank. The design of the guides themselves has improved with lighter weight, double foot for strength at casting stripper guides, single foot for lighter weight and more unrestrained action.

A rods sensitivity is the ability to feel the fish strike or the bait action. It can be linked to: reduced weight, high modulus, fiber orientation and rod action.

Reduced weight begins with less overall material. The use of high modulus material, lighter reel seats with less dampening material between fingers and the rod or reel seat design. Handle material, such as cork and EVA, that is light weight, vibration carrying and non slip also contribute to the rod sensitivity. Often overlooked is the fact that the ferrules, which joining sections of a multi section rod, will provide good vibration sensitivity tip to butt if crafted properly. Balance also contributes to the sensitivity of the rod. Less fatigue provides not only for better casting accuracy but also to sensitivity.

High modulus is also called modulus of elasticity. It refers to the slope in a stress strain curve where deformation is reversible and time independent. In engineer language that translates to, “If bent it will return to the original shape.”

High modulus materials can be extremely stiff. Less overall material can be used to obtain a given action. Being able to achieve a given action with less material has the advantage of increased sensitivity.

However, less material can make the rod more susceptible to damage. It is therefore very important that the rod be designed using an appropriate use of material to achieve a good casting/retrieve action, while maintaining damage resistance so that the rod can survive normal use.

Fiber orientation will transmit vibrations along the rod blank extremely well. The use of unidirectional fibers is those orientated in a longitudinal direction. They are complemented by the use of hoop fibers which are fibers laid perpendicular to the rod blank axis. These hoop fibers provide the burst strength, the resistance to splitting along the blank axis.

When it comes to rod action, the angler is looking for a faster tip with a backbone in the rod blank. Faster tip action limits most of curvature during casting to the upper portion of the rod.

Modern rod construction has provided the means to have increasingly faster tip actions. These actions can provide more sensitivity, but are not suited for all fishing situations.

Rod construction is a continuing process of evolution. It is a process of change from a lower simple, to a higher more complex state.

When fighting a fish, do not hold the rod above the handle area. To do so causes the load to be transferred to a small diameter section of the rod. That increases the stress on the rod rather than reduce the pressure on yourself or the fish.

                                                       Don Gasaway – The Ground Pounder

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