Fishing is an activity that makes you relax and happy. It makes your day memorable and gives you time to spend with nature.
The fishing activity needs the essential tools that quietly enhance the performance of catching the fish. The fishing rod is the main fishing equipment that you need.
Fishing technology has introduced many advanced tools for better casting. There are different types of fishing rods according to the fish species, size, design, power, action, and water type.
It gives you a wide variety of rods and important things with incredible features. If you are a beginner or a professional, this article will be helpful for you. It will help you know entirely about fishing rods and their particular type.
It finally explains every fishing rod’s key features to help you choose the best one for your fishing style.
Main types of Fishing Rods
There are seven main types of fishing rods. All the rods are designed to catch particular fish species.
The composition of the material is an essential thing in the manufacturing of fishing rods. It makes the fishing rods strong, flexible, and comfortable to use.
The seven main types of fishing rods are:
- Spinning Rods
- Baitcasting Rods
- Trolling Rods
- Fly Fishing Rods
- Telescopic Rods
- Surf Fishing Rods
- Ice Fishing Rods
1. Spinning Rods
The spinning rod is the most popular fishing rod among anglers. It is essential for freshwater fish, especially trout, panfish, bass, and walleyes.
It is suitable for beginners and is known as the most versatile rod for fishing. It gives the best fishing experience to the fishermen.
A spinning fishing rod is light in weight, flexible, and versatile. The spinning reel is attached with the spinning rod underneath the handle. It is excellent for bait casting and lure casting.
It is easy to use for beginners because of its small size. The short-length rods are easy to carry and help in catching aggressive fish.
Because of its short handle length, you can easily handle the spinning rod with one hand. It provides comfort while handling and refers to being the best rod at the beginning level.
Pros
- The spinning rod is most famous for its fast action.
- It is cheap if we compare it to other fishing rods.
- It is prime in casting short distances.
- It is flexible and non-breakable.
- It is best for freshwater fish.
- It is the best choice for beginners.
- It is short in size.
- It has a comfortable handle.
Cons
- It only catches small fish and is not able to catch big sized fish.
Related: 9 Steps Of How To Spool A Spinning Rod To Catch More Fish
2. Baitcasting Rods
Baitcasting rods are all-rounder fishing rods. They are available in different sizes, from 5 to 16 feet long. They help throw large baits and also for floating fish.
Baitcasting rods are light in weight, and the manufacturing material is graphite or carbon composite. Due to this material, the rod is lightweight, flexible, and durable.
A baitcasting rod works so that you can catch fish by holding the rod in a stand. The rod holder helps in using the rod differently and more attentively.
The rod holder has the fishing rod tightly and notifies you when it catches a fish because you can easily detect even the tiny bites of the fish via vibrations on the rod.
Baitcasting rods are the most important type of fishing rod, which helps anglers to fish comfortably and enjoy fishing with multiple uses.
Pros
- You can catch big and small size fish using baitcasting rods.
- Baitcasting rods are the all rounder fishing rod.
- Graphite and carbon composite makes it durable or strong.
- It is available in different sizes.
- It is light in weight.
- You can easily hold the rod over the rod holder during casting.
- Different sizes of baitcasting rods are available for a wide range of targets.
- It is a 2 piece rod and easy to assemble.
Cons
- The baitcasting rods are expensive as of their quality.
- They are available in pieces and need extra care while traveling.
3. Trolling Rods
Trolling rod is one of the main fishing rod types used when moving a boat, ship, or any other form of transportation.
The water vehicle and lure also move through the water. Rods for trolling are rigid, along with reels with lots of lines and large reels.
You can use a trolling rod mainly for trolling fish, not for other types, including ocean and big lake fishing. In simple words, you can easily troll the fish by presenting the lure with it.
Quality material
Different types of rods are manufactured from quality materials, making them durable and able to work in large water bodies.
The trolling rods are typically manufactured with fiberglass, graphite, and cork handles. You can use trolling fishing rods to catch large sized fish, specifically tuna species and marlin fish.
Pros
- It is constructed with the best quality material.
- It is solid and durable.
- It is best for large fish.
- It catches fish from large water bodies.
- It moves along with the water transport ship, boat, etc.
- You can easily troll fish by trolling rods.
- You can make long casts as well as short casts by trolling rods.
Cons
- It is designed only for trolling.
- It is not versatile as compared to other fishing rods.
- It shows the best results for trolling fish.
4. Fly Fishing Rods
Fly fishing rods are the supreme type of fishing rod. It is designed to cast fly fish from large water bodies, even the ocean.
It is available in the highest quality, making it lightweight, flexible and adjustable. These have comfortable handles that are also available in different sizes and weights.
This fishing rod brand offers you a wide range of fly rods and multiple features. Using fly fishing rods makes you an expert at catching fly fish.
Fly fishing rods are usually longer than other fishing rods. You can easily target the fish from a far distance.
It is available from a minimum of 9 feet to a maximum of 14 feet. This fishing rod is best for casting many fish species from the ocean. It uses lightweight lures, and it also requires a lot of space.
So carefully clean the casting area for smooth retrieval and targeting. Using a fly fishing rod is more difficult than the other fishing rod. Because you have to fly a line with multiple flies, it takes proper attention and focus to achieve the target.
Pros
- It is lightweight.
- It uses flies or other insects to attract fish.
- It catches big sized fish from the ocean.
- You can use it for fly fish and other fish species.
- The casting of fly fishing rods requires a lot of space.
- It is available in adjustable lengths.
- You can manage minimum to maximum length with adjusting points.
Cons
- It only casts large sized fish.
- At first, it was hard to learn.
- It is used for fly purposes.
Related: How To Fly Fish With A Spinning Rod: 4 Best Methods
5. Telescopic Rods
The telescopic fishing rods are portable and small in size. It is just like the telescope in structure and compact in use. The adjustable length of the telescopic rods makes them adjust easily.
The telescopic fishing rods make it easy to catch fish from the lake or the sea. It is tiny in size, just like the pen size.
The smaller size of this type of fish rod makes it easy to carry without any difficulty. It is among the most advanced fishing rods and is capable of catching almost all types of fishing.
It is lightweight, portable, strong, and versatile. It is that version of a fishing rod that is always ready to cast. You did not need to prepare the rod because it can be used immediately.
Pros
- It is portable.
- It is versatile and strong.
- It is a smart rod with a compact size.
- It can catch every type of fish.
- It is strong and flexible.
- It performs the best action for catching fish.
- It does not need any pre planned preparation.
Cons
- Due to telescoping or compact size, sometimes casting faces difficulty.
- Sometimes it can easily break down.
6. Surf Fishing Rods
Surf fishing rods are essential and commonly used in the sea. Although you can not use them for all fishing types, these rods have the ability to catch fish from the beach, sea, shore, inshore, offshore, and surf.
It is available in all sizes and also comes with the additional length. It is manufactured with superior quality material.
The quality material of a surf fishing rod protects it from corrosion and the effects of ocean waves. Surf fishing rods are all durable and come with a long or thick rod style.
Besides being able to catch large fish from different water bodies, it also provides comfort to anglers. It is most suitable for casting over long distances because of its length.
Surf fishing is the most enjoyable style, and this rod helps you enjoy it.
Pros
- The surf fishing rods are long.
- It is best for large casting distances.
- You can easily make casts while surfing.
- It catches big sized fish.
- It is durable and strong.
- It protects the rod from corrosion and storming of the ocean.
Cons
- It is heavy compared to other fishing rods.
- You can not ideally use it for small water bodies like rivers or lakes.
Related: How To Surf Fish: A Beginner’s Guide To Surf Fishing 2022-23
7. Ice Fishing Rods
As the name of the fishing rod suggests, it is the type of fishing rod that pulls fish from the ice. Using an ice fishing rod, you can catch fish from the ice and perform best in this condition except in other fishing conditions.
It is a small rod that generally looks like a spinning rod with a shorter length. You can use a spinning reel with an ice fishing rod, enhancing the catching performance.
Due to its size, it is convenient to catch fish on ice. It is easy to put the lure into the hole from the ice with the short sized rod.
It can catch both small and medium-sized fish species. The quality material makes it strong, rigid, and comfortable to handle. It cannot catch large or big-sized fish and may break after catching them.
Therefore, it only catches small to medium-sized fish with a small fishing rod because it has no capacity to deal with heavyweight fish.
Pros
- It is small in size and easy to handle.
- It catches fish from the ice.
- It is just like a spinning rod.
- It uses the spinning reel for superior performance.
- It is strong and deals with the fish under the ice.
- It catches small to medium sized fish from the ice.
- It is less expensive.
Cons
- It has a short length.
- It is best for fishing under the ice.
- It is not able to catch large sized fish.
- It can not bear heavy weight and can also damage the rod.
What material is used for making fishing rods and fishing reels?
The use of quality material in the construction of fishing rods is the prime thing. They are constructed with superior quality material that makes them usable.
Knowing the material used in making fishing rods is more important when you want to buy your first fishing rod and reel.
If the material of the fishing rod is good, it will make it qualitative. It develops various features in rods that are strong, durable, easily handled, comfortable, and flexible.
The various ingredients or materials used in the quality products of the fishing rods are fiberglass, graphite, carbon fiber, aluminum, titanium, ceramic, EVA handles, and other quality materials.
These quality materials made the rods essential to use for all fishing styles. They perform the best casting and make your fishing stress free from damage or breakage.
A quality fishing rod and reel make the fishing experience better and more enjoyable. The products you are using have good quality, durability, and reliability. Therefore, material quality plays a vital role in the performance of the different fishing rod types and uses.
What’s the difference among different types of fishing rods?
All the fishing rod types described above are different and differ from each other. The significant difference is the type of fishing used in water bodies.
These fishing rod types differ based on action and power of the fishing rod, length or size, quality of material used in manufacturing, versatility, flexibility, strength, and durability.
Some fishing rods perform better for freshwater fish, while others work for saltwater fish. Each fishing rod has specific features and functions that help the anglers to enjoy fishing as per the environment or type.
Each fishing rod is designed for the particular fish species and assists in catching them accordingly. Fishing rod types and uses are quite clearly described, and all these rods are worth purchasing for good results.
All rods have specific differences from each other, and all have expert angling techniques.
So all this matter of selection is based on your choice of fishing type and style. Each type of fishing rod is suitable for a particular fishing style.
Conclusion
We disclose the 7 main types of fishing rods in this article. All kinds of fishing rods have different styles and uses.
Each rod has specific features and properties according to the fishing technique. Just like the fly fishing technique has fly fishing rods for best performance, and trolling rods work best to troll fish in water.
Many rods make your casting style easy as you can fix them in rod holders and easily focus on the target or strike. So the pro versions of rods and uses are defined with proper details.
We hope this guide will help us understand the different types of fishing rods and enhance our performance. It also works the same for your fishing achievement.
So follow this guide and get knowledge about the main types of fishing rods properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common type of fishing rod?
The most common type of fishing rod is the spinning rod. It is a lightweight rod and easy to handle. It is best for freshwater fishing. It has vital features that help catch bass, trout, panfish, and walleyes. It is the all time best recommended rod for the best casting experience.
What is the most versatile type of fishing rod?
The rods become versatile after fulfilling many standardized aspects of manufacturing. The medium action, small length, lightweight, and composite rods are more versatile. The spinning rods mostly perform a versatile style and give the best results in fishing.
What is a good all round fishing rod?
The baitcasting rods are the best example of all round fishing rods. It has the capability to catch small fish as well as large sized fish. It gives strength to the rod and makes quick casting of fish.
What type of fishing rod is good for beginners?
The spinning rod is the best recommendation for beginners. Because it is light in weight and has a comfortable handle, it is easy to assemble and needs no extra effort for adjusting. It makes effortless casts and is helpful in the new water fishing. So it is a good rod for beginners.