What We Consider When Selecting a Saltwater Rod and Reel Combo
Rods
Power
Power describes how much force is required to bend a rod. Together with its action, a rod’s power tells you a lot about how it will perform.
A rod’s power is determined by the material from which it’s constructed and the amount of that material present in cross-section (taper). It’s also affected by the length of the rod, with shorter lengths of the same material and taper being stiffer than longer lengths.
Action
A rod’s action describes where along its length it will begin to bend under load. Fast action rods are stiff for most of their length, bending near the tip. By contrast, slow action rods begin to give closer to the handle and reel seat, curving over a much greater percentage of their length.
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.)
Typically, you want one guide per foot of the rod, plus one.
There are some notable exceptions to this rule, namely surfcasting rods.
When surf casting, more guides can reduce casting distance--perhaps the most important job the rod has. As a result, you’ll find fewer guides on rods designed for surf fishing.
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
Modern fishing rods 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/carbon fiber - which amount to the same thing in the fishing industry - 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 sensitivity - around which fiberglass is then wrapped - offering strength and toughness.
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.
For surfcasting, 9’ to 10’ is typical to allow for the long casts you’ll be making, but inshore rods tend to hit the 7’ mark, allowing good casting but better accuracy.
Saltwater trolling rods tend to be pretty short: 6’6” or less--and that makes a medium or medium-heavy rod into a fighting stick!
Handle
Much about which handle to choose is a personal decision, and what’s comfortable to me may be misery for you. There are two primary handle materials you’ll find on rods: cork and EVA foam.
Cork
Cork is a natural material that’s warm to the touch and just soft enough to provide a firm, comfortable grip. Premium-grade cork is attractive, too, and though not as durable as synthetics, it can take a beating.
EVA foam
EVA foam is a synthetic material that provides a soft grip. A bit colder to the touch than cork, it’s generally more inexpensive and durable.
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, hesitation, 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 it tells you how quickly it picks up line. And whether you’re jigging deep or casting far to cover water, you’ll appreciate a medium to fast gear ratio.
Smooth operation
On any quality reel, the bail should close firmly, the crank should spin freely, and the drag knob should reliably adjust the setting. The anti-reverse system, too, should lock-up quickly to encourage solid hooksets.
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.
I’ll be reporting line capacity in monofilament weights. Keep in mind that you can switch to braid and either get far more line on the reel or step-up in weight to a 4- or 6-pound mono equivalent diameter.
I’ve done just that when I decided to use my ultralight for big bass!
Conventional Reels
Conventional reels are a different beast than spinning and baitcasting alternatives. And because they’ll be pitted against potentially massive fish, they’re built a bit differently and demand a few things you might not expect.
Gear ratio and RPT
The gear ratio and RPT (retrieve per turn) on a conventional reel is more important than you might think.
Yes, the baitcasting reels you use for bass need gear ratios that are matched to their application, and big surf-casting reels can always use speed.
That’s all true.
But when you hook a big tuna, for instance, a “fast” baitcasting or spinning reel just won’t get it done. Tuna can swim an incredible 47 miles per hour, and if a fish like this turns toward your boat and makes a hard run, you’ll struggle to keep a tight line unless you’re retrieving nearly a yard per turn.
The best conventional reels have gear ratios and spool sizes that work to deliver incredible speed for their size, and “too fast” really isn’t something you need to worry about.
On smaller reels, I like to see no less than 24” RPT. A good mid-sized reel should pick up about 36” per crank, and the largest reels will be in the neighborhood of 45” or so.
Drag
Offshore fishing means serious fights.
When you tie into an 6-foot shark, you need a drag that can reliably help your heavy line hold, protect it from friction, and tire that big fish.
You also want to consider the drag control.
Two options are available, a thumb lever and the usual star-shaped knob. Which one is better for you is largely a matter of preference, though the thumb levers are a bit easier to use when the fight’s on.
Capacity
If you’re fishing specks all day in 20 feet of water just off the Intercoastal, there’s no need for a big conventional reel. But if you’re trolling off Grand Isle, and you hook a 300-pound tarpon, you’re going to need a lot of line to give him room to run!
Otherwise, prepare for your heart to drop as you watch the last few feet of line whirl off your spool!
For serious offshore fishing, you’ll want the biggest, toughest reels on this list, and you’ll want them carrying yard after yard of high-strength braid to give you the most line your reel can hold. And while you always want to size your reel to the fish you’re after, you generally need much more line offshore than you do inshore.
The important thing to understand is that absolute numbers don’t tell the whole tale.
Instead, you need to compare reel to reel, size to size, looking for which brands and models pack the most punch.
Note: All reviews list monofilament capacities in yards per weight.
Construction
Monster sharks, bull reds, king mackerel, and other large, powerful game fish put an enormous amount of stress on a reel.
Keep in mind that the reel acts as your line’s anchor to your rod, and though mitigated by the rod’s action and power, line stretch, and your drag, each big fight is a test of every component comprising your reel, from the teeth on the gears to the discs in the drag to the frame that holds everything together.
Most offshore anglers prefer a solid metal body. It’s simply stronger, stiffer, and more durable than graphite. Graphite cuts weight as effectively as a college wrestler, but it just can’t offer the absolute stiffness or durability of machined aluminum.
Plastic gears have no place in conventional reels either. Their teeth will deform and break under the loads you’ll ask them to hold. Instead, solid brass and stainless steel are the best options.
Levelwind
As Garry Brummett explains, “Level wind reels feature a moving line guide that sports a pawl which runs back and forth across the front of the reel upon a worm shaft. As line is retrieved back onto the reel, the moving line guide ensures that the line is evenly distributed onto the spool, from side to side, without any large build-ups of line in any one spot on the spool. Open style conventional reels have no line guide and the distribution of the line back onto the spool is the responsibility of the angler.”
Mono is particularly prone to bunching on the reel, and care must be taken to avoid this. You’ll need to direct the line with your thumb as you retrieve, helping to disperse it along the full length of the spool.
If you don’t, bunching will impair casting--which may not matter, depending on your application--but in extreme cases, it can lock the spool via direct contact with the body.
Braid tends to lay flat, self-distributing well, so if this is your preferred main line, a level wind may not be something you need.
Final Thoughts
The best rod and reel combos for saltwater fishing are manufactured by a few trusted brands: Shakespeare, Daiwa, and Penn. If you keep that in mind, you’re a long way toward finding great tackle at a reasonable price.
We hope that this article has helped you pick your next saltwater combo, and we’re sure that whichever option was right for your needs and budget will keep a smile on your face every time you hit the water.
As always, we’re here to answer any questions you might have, so please leave a comment below!
