Friday, August 14, 2009

Fishing Rod Length Is A Factor With Ultralight Bass Fishing

By Zyna Sahmine

So I have been ultralight bass fishing for a long time now, and one question that comes to mind pretty often is how does rod length really effect our fishing? I could come up with a million answers, so could anybody, but I did think of a list of things that I know you should pay attention to when you are about to buy a new pole.

Some people believe that you must use a short rod in the 4 1/2 foot to 5 foot length. They believe that this length gives you the most whip, and backbone for fighting the fish. This is a common misconception however.

The shorter fishing rods are great for fishing in areas that are heavily covered by overhanging trees, or other debris that you could easily get your lures into. The short fishing rod provides great accuracy once you practice enough with it, to get the hang of it. Shorter rods do decrease your casting distance however, as they will throw a bait the shortest distance out of all of the rods.

Rods used in ultralight bass fishing that are around 5 and a half feet, to 6 feet long are generally considered neutral or balanced when you talk about distance, accuracy, and backbone. These rods do generally well in all 3 categories, provided you go with a good manufacturer.

Accuracy is downgraded slightly going to these lengths, but a 6'0" rod with a nice backbone makes a great tight area flipping stick for lighter weighted jigs. When the fish in the area you are targeting are known to be smaller, this technique will beat others time and time again.

Fishing rods in this category are for general use as well, based on the attributes of accuracy, distance, and strength. Knowledgeable anglers will be able to tell the difference between the different lengths, however, most fishermen will not be able to tell.

The longest of the ultralight rods, 6 1/2 foot and longer provide the longest distance for casts. This is good for throwing spinnerbaits or topwaters, you can get them going so far that it is hard to see the little baits!

Talking about distance on the long rods can't go without talking about the accuracy. It is very poor on rods of this length, or longer. When you can empty the whole spool, you can't really be accurate.

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