what are the different types of rods meant for as far as crainkbaits, worms, pitching all that do-dads and whatnots

Ultra lite
medium lite
medium
medium heavy
heavy

pretty self-explanatory. the heavier the rod, the more backbone it has. You wouldn't want to fish a deep crankbait on a heavy rod that doesn't flex at all. Conversely, you wouldn't want to fish a jig in deep water on anything less than a medium.

I use medium for everything. But I'm poor and broke and live in a box.

well IRONMAN, it's kind'a like that movie Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler...see the rich dude had a big bag of many sophisticated golf clubs, but poor ole Happy only had a few old beat'n up clubs and he wasn't as refined as the rich dude, but in the end Happy got the cash, the girl and Grammy got to keep her house...LOL...so you see it's not the arrow it's the Indian...so don't be concerned that you don't have all the new do'dad's...it's all about having fun !

what I don't have in rods ive got in tackle. Trust me

rod riot in the morning!

It's not the quality of the equipment as much as it's the skill of the guy using it.

Says the guy with the nearly brand new boat


Power, action, length are all important factors (to me at least). You try to chuck a 1oz jig on a moderate action med power rod and you're going to slap yourself in the back of the head and miss/lose fish. How many, it's hard to say. But if one fish matters, then your rod should too. jmo

sorry IRONMAN, I didn't mean to imply..LOL

Naa man your exactly right. Ive got lots of rods but two I use exclusively: my spinning and low profile baitcaster. Ive got several round reels on heaveir action rods that I just don't like because after casting a heavy action rod all day I just get worn out. I like to use a softer action rod to help sling that one oz jig to where I want it I also use braid to make up for some of the flex the rod has so I kinda balance my gear out to compensate while many people have a different type of rod for each type of grass on the lake.

Your right. But I'm really not a big jig fan so flinging out a one oz jig is not something I do regularly. I'm more for throwing spinnerbaits and soft plastics.

These terms usually relate to the stiffness of a rod (or action--which I think is misleading and a bit confusing). But essentially, the above terms relate to the weight of the lure that said rod can cast efficiently--which corresponds with a recommended line size (so your line breaks before your rod does).

There is also the flex of the rod to be considered (often referred to as the taper). The flex terms are usually extra fast, fast, moderate (or medium), slow. These terms describe how much of the rod bends under load. Extra Fast rods bend at the tip. Slow rods bend into the handle. I think these are the terms one needs to be familiar with when selecting a rod for a particular application. Once you've determined how the rod is to function (a crankbait rod), then choose the appropriate stiffness for the weight of the lure being cast.

Crankbait rods are typically medium or medium/heavy moderate flex rods.
TX rigged worms are typically medium or medium/heavy fast flex rods
pitching and flipping rods are heavy, xfast rods.
dropshot is usually medium/medium lite, xfast rods

but, then again, a lot of it has to do with preference. I think rod companies have really helped by labeling the rods according to the technique they recommend, but you may find you like a rod better doing something else.

This guys got it.

Then you have to figure in different action rods as well lol. Slow fast extra fast there seems to be a new variable in buying a rod every day. I have a fairly stiff rod I use on deep cranks . It has an extra fast tip back bone to pull them out and plenty of give to not pull out the hooks.

Since I quit tournament fishing I've made a big change in how I play a fish. Now I just want to get the hook barb buried...then if at all possible I'll back my drag way off and let the first make good runs and jumps. Playing a fish is more fun on a light rod but especially if you're bit on a long cast...it's hard to drive the hook past the barb with a light or med rod..so I think you need the good hookset first...so use a med hvy or hvy rod....but use about 12 lb line and very light drag.