Choosing the Correct Fishing Rod

When it comes to fishing rods, what the heck does itfish. I personally use medium action rods for my
all mean? There are all kinds of things written on thewalleye and smallmouth bass fishing in Canada.
fishing rod itself, and all of them have a different "feel".Medium action is also a good size for trolling smaller
I'm going to attempt to clear up some of the confusionlures.
for you, although at the end of the day it comes downMedium Heavy Action - This size rod is great for
to personal preference. I've seen a lot of anglers thattrolling most lures. Medium heavy rods are also great
have one fishing rod that they use for all of their fishing.for most salmon and steelhead fishing. As the name
This is a mistake and a sure fire sign that said anglersuggests, these rods are to be used in situations
doesn't catch many fish. I'm not suggesting that youwhere you're after bigger fish (10 to 20 pounds as a
should have a locker full of 50 different rods, but yougeneral example), although it's also a favorite size for
should have two or three available for differentlarge mouth bass anglers.
situations.Heavy Action - Obviously, these are your big boys.
Fishing rods come is the basic actions listed below.Largemouth bass fishermen will use rods this size to
This information is printed (in very small lettering) on thefish heavy cover and the like. Also, when you're fishing
rod itself, directly above the handle, along withfor big pike and muskie, heavy action rods are a must.
suggestions as to lure and line sizes. My suggestion isThese rods are used for really big fish (over 20
that you have at least three rods to choose from forpounds as a general example). This action rod is also
ant given fishing situation.used for heavy trolling, such as that done with
Ultra light Action - these rods are used for fishing verydownriggers.
small lures. Ultra light rods are perfect for small streamAfter this brief overview, you should have a better
and river fishing, such as when you're wading. Theunderstanding of what the different actions of fishing
heavier the current, the longer rod you will want. Ultrarods mean to you as an angler. As mentioned earlier,
light rods are a great choice for trout and pan fish.you will probably want at least three different fishing
Light Action - Light action rods are used for the samerods for different fishing situations. That way you can
situations as ultra light action rods. If you're just startingpick and choose as the situation changes. As an
out, start with a light action rod and work your way toexample, I use my four foot ultra light rod for most of
ultra light. Again, these rods are perfect for trout andmy small river and stream fishing, but in the springtime,
pan fish fishing.when the water is really high, I switch to my five foot
Medium Action - Medium action rods are right in thesix inch ultra light rod. The longer rod makes it easier to
middle of the scale (imagine that). Medium action rodsfeel bites in heavy current.
are to be used when wading larger rivers for larger