As I was looking at today's Academy Rod Sales ad, I was curious about what rods were made of. Now I don't know diddly squat about rod building and hardly anything about the components and what they are made of. To make a long story short....as I was looking at the descriptions.i.e. One for freshwater and one for saltwater, I then saw one for freshwater and saltwater. Are the ones for freshwater made with CHEAP components and subject to RUST easy? Why can't all rods be made suitable for saltwater environment and that would of course cover freshwater use.

Rods are made out of a variety of materials including fiberglass and graphite. Some rods are marked with IM6 or IM7 or similar. The IM stands for Intermediate Modulus. As the IM number increases, in theory, the rod 's stiffness increases as well. The interesting thing to note is that that IM6 and IM7 are actually trade names from the Hexcel Corporation. There is not industry standard, so manufacturer to manufacturer their is nothing that would cause two different IM6 rods to be in any way similar in build or strength.

Freshwater to Saltwater is a advertising gimmick in certain ways, but salt water rods due are often made from better materials to resist rusting. However, there is no guarantee that it will last longer.

I'd guess it also has to do with intended techniques....I wouldn't use a frog rod that's designed for bass fishing to catch flounder.

As Cpt. Craig said there is not really an industry standard as it pertains to rod blanks. as it pertains to the rod blanks themselves, there is nothing really different between a saltwater blank and a freshwater blank. The guides, reel seat etc are usually made of stainless to prevent salt water corrosion which of course drives up the price. IMHO I believe the Inshore rods/reels are a gimmick, they are of course more expensive. If you have freshwater equipment it will be OK for occasional use in saltwater, just make sure you flush the rod with freshwater and clean the reel after use.

As mentioned above, the majority of rods fall into 3 categories. GRAPHITE, lighter, more sensitive rod blanks. Eglass or Sglass rods which are made from fiberglass and are designed to have more of a parabolic rod stretch and then composite, a combination of the 2. Plusses and minus's for each one, but I prefer straight graphite for most my applications, as I LOVE to feel what the lure is doing. Using graphite for CBs is considered verboten, but who cares. MOST anglers rip the hooks out of the fishes mouth the stronger rods and do NOT back up on the drag so a 3# fish can pull drag on it. Just a tidbit of decades of cranking CBs. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains