Casting Rods are great tools for throwing tackle far, allowing the angler to cover a lot of water whether it be from a mobile platform like a boat or the shoreline.
Casting Rods are differentiated from Spin/Spinning Rods by the components that accompany the rod blank. When a rod first begins as a blank it can’t be called a true casting rod or spinning rod until the spine is found, the reel seat is attached, and the guides are mounted.
In the case of the casting rod, the reel seat is facing up and the spine is exactly opposite of the reel seat with the guides on top of the rod most usually aligned with the reel seat. Casting rods have been around since the late 18th century. The casting rod we are familiar with today got its true identity with the advent of the modern-day open-face reel in the late 1930s.
Casting Rods are easy to identify and a bit hard to define. Here we cover the main components of what is considered the modern casting rod. It is true you can "cast" any rod but the components of the modern casting rod have evolved quickly in the last twenty years providing the angler with an almost infinite number of combinations to get them exactly what is needed.
Casting Rods are built from one or more of these components; Graphite, Carbon Fiber, and Fiberglass. The blank is called a composite when combining any of these three. These materials have different properties; if you know more, it is simple to select the right rod.
The grip is an important part of the casting rod. You can choose between different grip styles, materials, and lengths when you are looking for what suits you best. We want you to know the attributes of several types to choose from so you can find the best grip for your casting rod setup.
Handles, Reel Seats, and Grips set the foundation for your workhorse, the reel, and they create your contact and connection to the rod. These components can take up a fair bit of real estate on your rod, so the goal for most rod builders is to have functional comfort without the weight.
The running guides cover almost all guide positions on the rod with the exception of the tip-top guide. These running guides are placed on the casting rod at points of bend on the rod to ensure the line feeds out of the reel smoothly and when under stress the line loads on the road evenly. There are two main types of casting rod guides traditional ring guides and newer microwave guides. Guides are either aluminum alloy, titanium, or an alloy that has been powder coated.
There is one tip-top guide for a casting rod. It serves as the last connection you have to your line, tackle, and your fish. The tip-top guide is also the portion of your rod that can take the most abuse. Much like the running guides, the tip-top guide is made up of aluminum alloy or titanium. This particular guide is easy to replace and you can find many replacement kits that use a heat activated glue allowing you to replace and add new guides.
Carbon Fiber Carbon fiber custom fishing rod blanks are sensitive, light, and brittle. For many fishing situations, this is a perfect material for a casting rod. You get a fast action rod (which recovers extremely fast) allowing the angler to generate a lot of rod-tip speed creating longer casts and faster hook sets. In addition to these benefits, Carbon Fiber blanks are not as durable as other components. You will need to be vigilant when handling your rod. Any chips or hook gouges into the rod blank create weak points in the rod and often give way to significant cracks or ruptures when under pressure.
Graphite Grpahite custom fishing rod blanks are very similar to carbon fiber in their molecular composition. Graphite is another great custom fishing rod blank that performs fantastically in most fishing situations. These rods are considered only slightly less sensitive and almost imperceptibly slower when compared to carbon fiber rods. They are noticeably more durable than carbon fiber rod blanks. Although you should treat them with great care, slight knicks or tiny hook scratches won't destroy the integrity of the entire rod in most cases. Of the two materials, Graphite rod blanks get the durability award.
Fiberglass Since they were put into the fishing rod market in the late 1940s Fiberglass rods take the award for being the most mature of the three rod blank materials in the modern fishing market. Fiberglass fishing rods are slower action rods, which means they take longer to recover their shape when being bent or flexed. They are less sensitive than carbon fiber or graphite rod blanks, but where they lack in sensitivity and speed they make up in power. Fiberglass rods are considered the most powerful and durable rods. They can be bent tip-to-butt without concern. As a casting rod, fiberglass blanks are perfect for fishing a fast retrieve as the slower action will keep you from pulling the hooks out of a fish when you feel the bite. Bass fishing pros consider fiberglass casting rods perfect for spinner baits, spreader rigs, and crankbaits.
Composites Composites or the combination of Carbon Fiber, Graphite, and or Fiberglass can be made with differing amounts of these components to achieve the desired speed and action for anglers. Rod blank manufacturers construct rod blanks that are in demand from custom rod builders. Composite casting rod blanks are designed to incorporate the best part of each material to give the angler more of an all-purpose performance; the sensitivity of carbon fiber and the power of fiberglass can be rolled into a fishing rod blank, perfect for any angler.
Casting Rods, by definition, will be paired with an open-faced casting reel. When deciding on the type of reel seat to use when configuring your custom fishing rod, you should be mindful of the size of your fishing reel. There are two main types of reel seats for casting rods; saltwater and freshwater reel seats. The saltwater variety is generally thicker, sizes eighteen to twenty-four, and the freshwater is most often a size sixteen to seventeen. Your rod builder determines these sizes by measuring the inside and outside diameters of the rod blank.
Once the size of the reel seat is determined, you need to decide on the type of material you want to connect your reel to your rod. Four primary materials are commonly used; graphite, carbon fiber, plastic, and aluminum. Most builders go with aluminum or an aluminum alloy if the rod is intended for saltwater and the reel is heavier. Although not as light as some other materials, the comfort of knowing your prized casting reel is separated from the ocean's depths by sturdy aluminum is enough to keep it a frequent selection.
If freshwater is your focus, carbon fiber, graphite, and plastic are the most common. Listed in order of cost, most people choose carbon fiber or graphite because of their sensitivity, but plastic can work great and save you some expenses. The reel seat is critical when fishing by feel. The best choices are to get vibrations from your line up to your hand as quickly and cleanly as possible using dense or high-modulus materials like carbon fiber and graphite.
The reel seat is a simple part consisting of four main items; the hood, locking nut, barrel, and trigger. These items fit around the reel seat's body and anchor the reel to the rod. What holds the reel seat to the rod is pressure and epoxy. You can choose hollow or split reel seats if you want the lightest possible combination.
There are many combinations to be used, and if you know the type of water you are fishing with your custom casting rod, your casting rod builder can help you select the best reel seat for your next rod.
