Editor’s Note: Hap served as the Master Rod Builder for the H.L. Leonard Rod Company for ten years where he constructed bamboo fly rods.
Perhaps some of our Rotary fishermen would be interested in knowing how a professional rod maker selects the rods that he buys for himself. I know that many fishermen spend $100 to even $300 for a fishing rod. While I could afford that much, I have never spent more than $25 for a fly rod, and of the half-dozen spinning rods that I own, none cost over $40. Despite this, I have some of the finest rods it has been my pleasure to fish with. You see, price is not a guarantee of performance. So how do I get great rods cheaply? I don't do anything that anyone else can't do; I simply know a couple of tricks that will tell me which rod out of 100 on the shelf is perfect.
The information I’m about to share with you will apply to Spinning rods, Flyrods and Baitcasting rods. These fishing rods differ from boat rods, trolling rods and, in a limited way, surf rods in that they are designed to cast a distance, not just fight a fish. Also, remember that a flyrod is casting the flyline, while spin and baitcasters cast a weight (the lure).
There are two different aspects to our fishing rod. One is the casting characteristics; how well the rod throws the line or lure. The second is the ability of the rod to fight the fish. To a great extent these two things are in opposition to one another. Why? Power casts the line, but sensitivity and reaction speed (flex modulus) fights the fish. To have a powerful rod you must have a strong tip, but, if the tip is too strong for the fish you are catching, it will pull the hook out or break the line/tippet.
You should also know that bait casting rods have faster tapers than spinning rods, which have faster tapers than fly rods (although today the difference between spinning and fly rods is narrowing). This difference in tapers means that the fly rod bends in a shallower arc than the spinning rod, which is shallower than the baitcasting rod. This is true both in casting and when fighting a fish.
So what do we need in a rod? A high flex modulus. Think of a rod mounted horizontally such that the butt cannot move. Now pull down on the tip and then let it go. The higher the flex modulus the faster the rod will whip back to (and past) the level starting point. Fiberglass is cheap and has the slowest speed. Bamboo is faster than fiberglass and slower than graphite, which is slower than boron. We’ll concern ourselves with graphite because today most bait, fly and spinning rods are made of graphite composite. We want the faster flex modulus of graphite because hooked fish like to shake their heads very rapidly, and if the rod tip cannot flex faster than the fish can shake, Mr. Snook or Mr. Trout gets just a little bit of slack in the line. And we all know what happens then … wave bye-bye.
Arbitrarily, let's say that we have decided to purchase a 7-foot light action spinning rod for use with 8-10-lb. test line. So here we go. How to pick the perfect rod.
First, look at the rods of several different manufacturers. Test the action by holding the rod in one hand and slowly raise the tip to the ceiling, putting just enough pressure on the rod to cause it to flex (arch) as if you had good fish on. Don’t get carried away and put 20 pounds of bluefish pressure on our 8-lb. test rod. The store won't like you when they have to pick up the shattered pieces of graphite. Look at the arch and feel the pressure you are using. There will be subtle differences between the rods rated the same from different manufacturers. Try holding the butts of two rods together, making sure the butts stay parallel and flex them together. Rods marked 7-foot can vary by several inches. It is the tips that must be indexed together. Think of it this way … if you stand the rods up straight with the butts on the floor you have indexed the rods from the butt. If you raise the rods vertically until the two tips are just touching the ceiling, you have indexed from the tips. Now we can see the subtle differences between similar rods. The arch of the rods will vary.
The next two items make the real difference. Sight along the rod (with the guides down) from the butt, as if it were an arrow. It should be absolutely straight. Rotate it 90 degrees and look again. Reject rods that are not straight. A rod that bends left or right with the guides down will not cast straight. The rod will always try to throw the cast off a little, and this is a great handicap when casting 50 feet into a 3-foot opening between the mangroves.
Now, on to the thing I believe is most important - rod hop. You don't want it. What the heck is rod hop? To find out, take the tip of the rod in your left hand with your fingers tips holding the base of the tip top (the end guide is called the tip top) and place the right hand about 3 feet down from there (if you are testing a one-piece rod you may have to place the butt of the rod on the floor). Now, with the right hand holding the rod firmly (about 30 degrees above the horizontal), carefully use the fingertip grip of your left hand to pull the tip down about 8 inches. Feel the strength of the tip resisting the bend.
Now roll the tip with the fingers of both hands. As you roll the tip you will feel that the tip does not roll smoothly. It will have a stiff side and a soft side. If you apply a little more pressure and roll again a tad faster, you will feel the tip “hop.” This hop is the result of a stiff line that is created when the fiberglass or the graphite materials are rolled onto the tapered steel mandrel. Think about rolling a piece of tapered cloth on a tapered wooden dowel. The inside and outside edges, along the mandrel, will probably not align themselves perfectly and that means there will be a difference in the thickness of the material in the finished blank. Where it is thicker it is stronger (read stiffer) and the hop occurs. The rod maker tries to put the guides on the stiff side or on the weak side. Put a dozen rod makers together and ask which is best and you'll have started a wonderful argument.
But there is no law, rule, or even probability that this line of greater thickness will run straight down the rod tip. So we test rods until we find a very, very straight rod that has no hop, just a smooth roll between your fingers. That rod is a statistical anomaly, it is accidentally perfect. It will cast beautifully and fish well. Statistics say that one in twenty, or perhaps one in every one hundred rods will average out perfectly creating that outstanding rod. It will be a joy to fish with, casting straight and true every time. Of course we never make errors when we cast! Well, hardly ever.
A last note of caution: Please don't bend the tip all the way around to touch itself. That's an old fiberglass trick. With graphite it won't work and again the store owner won't love you anymore. One last thought: It is not fun to traipse from store to store testing hundreds fishing rods. But given we all like to visit our favorite tackle store, once you have decided on the make, model and length of the rod you would want, just keep checking. The store sells rods and buys more. Someday your golden rod will be there waiting.
