10 Best Saltwater Fishing Rods In 2023

How To Choose The Best Saltwater Fishing Rod – Buying Guide

Power

Everyone loves to have a bit of power in their equipment but when we’re talking about power in terms of fishing rods, what we’re talking about is the amount of power that is in the rod bank in terms of what types of fish that you’re able to catch.

In simple terms, the more powerful rod that you have then the bigger the fish you’ll be able to catch without it breaking. You may think that it’s probably for the best to go out there and get the most powerful rod that you can but if you’re only going to be catching smaller fish then this could leave you with a very stiff rod which makes it more difficult to catch them.

With the power rating, you are looking at a scale which goes from light to extra heavy. For the vast majority of people, choosing a rod that is in the middle range is more than ideal as this will allow you to catch a lot of bigger species but also give your rod a degree of flexibility.

It’s important to know what size of fish you intend to be catching before you buy a rod. For example, a heavy rod is most suited to fish that are between 12-25 pounds so you’re going to be catching fish below these weights then you need to look for a lighter rod such as a medium-light rod which is best for fish between 8-14 pounds.

Length

Length of the rod is the other buying option that you will have when you go to purchase a rod. This will dictate how smooth the rod is to cast as well how forgiving it is. The length of the rod will also affect how accurate your cast will be and also the distance that you will be able to get on your line so there are numerous different aspects that the length of your rod affects.

The shorter the rod, generally the more accurate you will be able to be with your cast so if accuracy is going to be important to you then it’s important that you get a shorter rod but the counter argument to that is that a shorter rod does take away from a few other key factors as well. Shorter rods will shoot out your lure with not much movement in either the rod or your wrist.

The problem with shorter rods, however, is that they aren’t able to deliver a lot of power into your cast so you won’t be able to get your lure very far out. Choosing something like a 7 foot rod will give you a nice mix of power and accuracy as this is in the middle ground of rod lengths.

If you want to be able to cast very far though, then you will want to look into getting a rod over 8 feet in length with are naturally less accurate and harder to handle but will deliver a very long cast. This is up to you to determine how much accuracy you want to sacrifice for a long cast, or how much distance you want to sacrifice for a more accurate cast.

Weight

The weight of your rod isn’t really a key factor as most of them will be well balanced to be able to give you a feel of weight in your hands but also a helping hand in creating the momentum that you will need for a long cast.

Most of these rods now are made from lightweight materials as if your rod is too heavy then your wrists are soon going to get tired from holding up the weight and this also puts more pressure on your shoulders and your back.

With the length of your cast you are generally be hoping that the weight of the lure will provide tension on your rod which will then fling it forward and into your water. The weight of your rod doesn’t really play too much of a part of in this but some people much just prefer the feel of having a heavier rod in your hands.

Action

When we’re talking about the action on the rod, we are talking about what happens to the rod blank when you are casting or when you are placing the rod under tension. A lot of this is due to how much action is required for you to be able to launch your lure into the air.

If you have a heavier lure then you are going to need more heavy action on your rod in order to cast it. This is many ways is related to power as that power comes from the action that is on your rod. If your rod curves a lot when under tension then it has more action than if it is more rigid.

This again is given a rating from light to heavy depending on how much action that it has. A lot of companies will list the recommended lure weight for the action of their rod and this is important as you want to ensure that you are getting the appropriate size rod for the type of fishing that you want to be doing.

Rod Blank

When we refer to rod blank what we are talking about is the body of the rod minus any of the attachments that go onto it which eventually make it a completed rod. The material of this obviously has to be very special as it needs to bend and add power to the cast but it can’t bend too much that it breaks.

At the same time, it also needs to be tough enough to deal with repeated wear as well as the harsh conditions that it will find itself in. Therefore it’s very important to ensure that you are getting a rod blank that is high-quality and going to be able to give you everything that you need when you’re out there fishing.

In order to get this mix of bend and strength most of the rods on the market are made out of graphite, fiberglass or a mixture of both. There are both great materials and will be able to deliver a top-quality rod blank. While the way it is designed is vitally important to its characteristics, you want to make sure that the base material is strong enough to withstand everything that a rod has to go through.

One Or Multi-Piece Construction

In an ideal world you would want to be able to fish with a one-piece rod that you will happily cast into the water and take with you everywhere you wanted without any issues. The one-piece rod will be able to provide you with more stability and you don’t have to worry about taking it apart and putting it back together again.

There is a big problem though with that as not everyone has the luxury of being able to carry an 8 foot rod around with them to wherever they go. This obviously makes it a big logistical problem and makes its portability very difficult as it becomes very difficult to handle away from the water.

It used to be a much harder decision as multi-piece rods weren’t quite as stable and didn’t have the same level of strength as their counterparts. These days though multi-piece rods are better than ever and have developed to such a point where there really is no difference between the two so it’s probably better to opt for a rod that you can break down into smaller pieces.

Material

As we referred to before, rods generally come in two materials which are either fiberglass or graphite and there is a clear difference between the two when it comes to quality. Fiberglass is the standard material which has been used for a long time and is a great material for rods due to it’s high about of durability to constant wear as well as it’s bend and the power that it can create.

Perhaps the biggest downside to fiberglass though is the weight that is in it as it is the much heavier out of the two materials. This added weight not only makes it more difficult to handle but it will also mean that you are less likely to be able to detect any small bites on your line. While a fiberglass rod will still be more than light enough to handle well, it just isn’t as light as graphite.

Graphite is a more high performance and more expensive material due to its advantages with one of the main ones being the low weight as we referred to there. That means that you’re more capable of detecting bites from the line so you can be more responsive to the fish and it also makes the rod easier to handle as well.

There is a big disadvantage to graphite though and that is its durability. Graphite rods simply aren’t as tough as their fiberglass brothers so you have to pay more for a rod that’s not going to be able to last you for as long. It’s the price that you pay for its increased performance so it’s up to you if you wanted to take that risk.

Graphite rods still perform well when fighting against fish if they have not been damaged but they are liable to nicks and bumps from the side of the rod when you are fishing which can then compromise its strength when it is then put under a lot of tension. If you’re going to be doing a lot of traveling or are clumsier then it might be for the best to opt for a fiberglass rod.

There is a new solution that has come onto the market though and they are a composite of both graphite and fiberglass with the aim being to get the sensitivity of a graphite rod and the strength that comes from a fiberglass rod. This can be seen as getting the best of both worlds but on the opposite side of the coin you could also make the case that it is getting the worst of both worlds as you have the weight of a fiberglass rod and the vulnerability of a graphite model.

There are other materials on your rod to consider as well as you want to make sure that the guides are well made as well. You could have a rod that has everything else nailed down but then have poorly made guides that ruin the whole thing so getting guides that are strong enough to withstand the weight of the line is important.

Not only do they have to withstand the weight of the line though as they also have to withstand the harsh sea environment that ocean fishing equipment has to be in. Due to this you want them to be made of stainless steel or another metal that is going to be resistant to corrosion to ensure that they don’t break over time.

There is another material though which is even better than any metal and that is ceramic as these guides obviously won’t corrode and give you a very high level of strength. You also want to check out for whether a guide is single-foot or double-foot with the double-foot option able to give you a higher level of support than any other option. There are also rods out there which have plastic guides and these are the cheapest but weakest material out there and should be avoided if possible as they are much more likely to break.

If you’re buying a rod that has an attached reel then you obviously want to ensure that this is well made as well and these products are often made out a mix of graphite and aluminum as you want to have the balance of weight and strength throughout the reel.

As you can imagine, if there is a company out there that has a rod and reel combo then they know that the quality of one has to match the quality of the other, otherwise there is no point in selling the product. Thankfully all the products that we have reviewed here are all made out of the best materials so it’s then up to yourself to then select which type of material you want to do for depending on your own personal preference and your budget.

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Handle

The handles is another important factor when it comes to rod selection and this can often come down to what type of fishing you’ll be doing. Regardless of the type of fishing that you are doing, however, you always want to ensure that your handle is comfortable and easy to grip.

If you have a baitcasting rod then it’s likely that you are going to find a pistol grip which is very common for that type of rod. This is also the handle type which is often seen on freshwater and inshore rods as well where one-handed casting would be commonplace. On traditional saltwater rods the handle is often a lot longer and will give you enough space to be able to make a two-handed cast.

In terms of materials then there are to main options that you are going to find and that is either a cork handle or an EVA handle. Cork handles are popular as they feel good in your hand but they also look great as well so there is also that to consider. EVA handles while not looking quite as good do probably have the more advantaged overall.

EVA handles are more durable than their cork counterparts which means that they are often preferred but there are other reasons too as the EVA material will also be more resistant to any temperature changes as well as not feeling the effects of any water which can eventually damage a cork handle. The practical reasons all point to EVA to being the better handle but cork is still a great material which is why it’s commonly used and it does look great as well.

Castability

When it all comes down to it you want to ensure that you are able to cast out your line in the way that you want to do it with the accuracy and distance that you are looking for. Accuracy can come from a rod with a fast action that you are able to cast with speed in order to get it to your target but this will mean that your rod is quite stiff you you’re sacrificing any potential distance.

A way to get around that is to use a heavier lure which will be able to get more bend on your rod so there are ways that you can get around rods with different levels of stiffness. With fishing rods you know that the more bend that a rod has, the more energy it will be able to store up, just the same as with an elastic band.

As you can imagine though if you have a tip that it constantly bending under its own weight then it’s going to be a lot harder to control so you’re not going to get the same amount of accuracy that you are going to get with a rod that doesn’t move about as much.

This is castability conundrum that you have and this is where you need to work out what your preference is.  As with a lot of these options, there is a middle ground to choose which will be able to give you the best of both worlds.

FAQs

Globo Surf Overview

As you can see here, selecting the right rod involves analyzing a number of different factors to ensure that you’re getting the right product for you. You always want to ensure that you have the best fishing equipment that you can whether that is selecting the best tackle box or it could be having the best line on your reel but there’s nothing more important than getting the right rod.

To choose the right rod for your situation you make sure you know what type of power that you’ll be needing on the end of your line and linked into that the right length too, as both of them are very important in determining what type of fish you’re able to catch and how far and how accurately you’re going to be able to cast your line.

After that there are other important factors as well such as the weight of the rod and the action that it can provide. You want a rod blank and a handle that is comfortable to hold and durable, whether that is a split grip or a full handle. Materials are also important, a fiberglass model is the strongest but a graphite model will give you the best performance while you also want to ensure that the handle, reel and guides are all made from top-quality materials as well.

Once you know exactly the type of rod you are looking for then you can go back to the product reviews and select the one which most closely matches your specifications to find the top rated offshore fishing rod for you. Once you have the rod you want then you can head out to the water more confident than ever that you are going to get the catches that you want time and time again, with a rod that doesn’t let you down.

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