Guides
Guide quality is essential on most rods, especially as you move up in power.
Guides have two main purposes: they protect your line from friction, and they distribute force over the length of the blank. In both cases, more is almost always better than fewer, as more points of contact reduce the stress at any one point on both line and rod. (On spinning reels, they also help channel line from the spool, which is why you’ll find a large “stripper guide” nearest the reel on most spinning rods.)
Guide material
Guides are attached to your rod via feet, and they’re secured with adhesives and some form of wrapping.
Three things are important here:
- the guides need to be securely attached,
- the guides need to be strong enough to take some abuse, and
- the guides need to be corrosion resistant.
A common material for quality guides is stainless steel. It’s strong, it’s rugged, and it resists corrosion.
Blank Material
Blanks can be made from a variety of materials, including carbon fiber, graphite, and fiberglass. Some feature composite construction, using more than one material in the blank that provides their backbone.
Graphite/carbon fiber
Graphite is a common blank material, providing strength, stiffness, and light weight in a single package. Usually described with the word “modulus,” fishing blanks that have higher modulus numbers are--diameter to diameter--stiffer than those with lower numbers.
Graphite also provides excellent sensitivity, a hallmark of high stiffness.
But graphite’s weakness is brittleness, and when pushed too far, it tends to crack and break.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass is older rod technology, but that doesn’t mean it’s not excellent rod tech.
Fiberglass rods tend to be heavy, just like fiberglass boats, and inch to inch, foot to foot, they’ll weigh more than the other options. That said, fiberglass blanks can be very flexible and amazingly tough at the same time. They can also be extremely rigid in short, tubular lengths, making them an ideal option for offshore trolling rods.
Where fiberglass doesn’t shine is sensitivity or fast actions (except in very short lengths). It’s just not as stiff as other options.
Composites
Some rod manufacturers combine materials in an effort to wring the best from each of them. One common example is a graphite core - providing stiffness and strength - around which fiberglass is then wrapped - offering flexibility and toughness.
When done well, these composite rods perform very well.
Length
Rod length matters.
Generally speaking, the longer the rod, the further it will cast. And generally speaking, the shorter the rod, the more accurately it will cast.
A good place to start is 6’6” to 7’. That’s the sweet spot of distance and accuracy: any shorter, and you’ll lose range; any longer and accuracy will suffer.
Spinning Reels
Drag
The first thing I look at on any reel is the drag.
First, I assess where it is. The best drag systems are located directly over where they’ll be working, and as a result, the drag knobs are usually located on the end of the spool.
Some spinning reels have dials positioned elsewhere, but these rely on a more complicated mechanism and tend not to work as well or last as long.
Second, I take a hard look at the maximum setting and assess whether or not it slips at that weight. For spinning reels, I’m looking for a maximum setting that matches the size and weight of the species I’m after, and by stringing some strong line on and testing the drag with a weight, I can get a sense of whether the drag can hold.
This is more about assessing the quality of the drag than testing that maximum: I’m never going to set the drag that high!
Finally, I like to spool-up some medium-weight line for that reel, set the drag to roughly a third of that, and then see how smoothly it allows me to take line. What I want to feel is a constant, smooth release--no jerking, catching, or slipping.
Gear ratio
A reel’s gear ratio describes the relationship between the crank and the spool: how many turns of the spool does one revolution of the crank create? For instance, a gear ratio of 5.2:1 means that one turn of the crank spins the spool 5.2 times.
This matters for two reasons.
For some lures, a slow, medium, or fast retrieve is ideal, and matching a reel’s gear ratio to its intended use can improve action. For instance, shallow crankbaits and topwater lures tend to work best with a fast reel, defined by a gear ratio higher than 5.2:1.
The second reason you care about gear ratio is that, in combination with the spool’s size, it impacts a reel’s speed. Faster reels are better able to maintain tight lines when a fish runs straight at you, keeping tension on your hook.
Capacity
Line capacity matters.
On a properly filled spool, you won’t outcast the line on your reel. But over a day’s fishing, you might need to cut line--whether to mitigate abrasion, recover from a really poor cast, or release a deep snag.
Your reel needs to hold enough line to see you through the day without needing to re-spool.
Baitcasting Reels
Durability
Baitcasting reels tend to be pricey, and nothing is more frustrating on the water than an expensive piece of tackle that stops working after a single season.
The reels we’ll recommend have a well-earned reputation for durability, making the most of your money. And while we’re not beholden to any manufacturers- we tell the truth, good or bad, about every product- three names are worth remembering: Daiwa, Penn, and Lews.
These three manufacturers are producing some of the best reels I’ve ever used, and if you stop and have a chat on the water with your fellow anglers, chances are, you’ll see these reels on their rods.
Drag
When you’re fighting a real monster, an awesome drag is your best friend.
And from cushioning hooksets when running a crankbait, to assisting your line with a fish that would otherwise break it, you want smooth and strong to be your watchwords.
For instance, when fishing crankbaits, you may want your drag at a modest 3 to 4 pounds. You’re looking for smooth performance--just a touch of give to prevent you from ripping treble hooks free, especially if you’re not using a glass rod.
Many anglers advise that the ⅓ rule always applies: set your drag to ⅓ of the breaking strength of your line. That gives you plenty of power to torque big fish while still protecting your line and rod.
Gear ratio
Gear ratio describes how many revolutions of the spool one crank of the handle generates. For instance, a gear ratio of 7.5:1 indicates that one turn of the handle spins the spool 7.5 times.
The higher the ratio, the faster the retrieve. This speed is also represented by the number of inches per turn or retrieve per turn (IPT or RPT), for example, 31”. In this case, that would mean that every turn of the handle picks up 31 inches of line.
And speed does matter when you’re fighting a fish that runs straight for you!
It’s critical that you keep your line tight, and a fast reel really helps you do that.
Capacity
Capacity isn’t something to sneer at, especially if you need to strip and cut line while you’re fishing.
The reels we’ve selected are fairly even on this front, though there are standouts. Of course, a larger spool typically translates into a bigger reel, so there are trade-offs.
The capacities we list, for example, 12/120, are measured in mono diameter equivalents and feet.
Weight and “palmability”
Weight and comfort are critical elements of a good reel. Ideally, your reel pretty much disappears on your rod and in your hand, and a few ounces count.
We’ll note weight and discuss comfort in each of our reviews.
Final Thoughts
The best rod and reel combos deliver the goods at a fraction of the price of buying a rod and reel separately. And whether you love bass fishing or have salt in your blood - or both! - there’s a perfect combo for you on our shortlist today.
As always, we’d love to hear any questions or comments you might have, so please contact us below.
