Picking the Right Inshore Rod

Tobin Strickland – CAM Special Correspondent:

Many overlook the importance of selecting the right rod for the job as it relates to casting artificial lures. There are five things to consider with casting performance in regard to graphite rods.

The first is the modulus of the graphite in the blank. Higher modulus graphite weighs less and is stiffer. Then there’s power of the blank, the tip action, the weight rating for the blank, and finally the rod length.

For example, a medium power 6’6” or 6’9” rod, with a fast tip rated for 1/8 to 1/2 oz. is a great rod for inshore casting and fighting speckled trout and redfish with lures that range from 1/8 to ¾ oz. This rod specification will be well suited for topwater and subsurface walkers. A medium light rod power with a fast action tip may cast the smaller lures slightly better, lures like the Mirrolure Little John on 1/16- or 1/8-oz. jig head or a swimbait hook.

The higher the graphite modulus of the blank, the lighter the blank will be and still keep the performance. For example, for my soft plastic rod, I use a Lew’s Custom Lite Speed Stick in a medium lite action, 6’10” and rated for 1/8 to ½ oz. It’s constructed from 85 million modulus graphite. It’s light, casts far and accurately and is extremely sensitive. I can still cast larger lures such as She Dogs on this blank, and it makes for a lighter stick working lures all day.

Tobin Strickland created TroutSupport.com – Tech Support for speckled trout and redfish anglers.

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