Rod Power

“Power” describes how resistent a rod is to a given load. For example, a rod that bends only a little under a 10lb load has more power than a rod that bends quite a bit under the same load. When you hear an angler say “This rod has a ton of backbone”, what they’re really saying is the rod has a lot of power.

There are seven designations for rod power, denoted as Ultralight (UL), with power 0, all the way to Extra Extra Extra Heavy (XXXH), with a power of 7. An XXXL rod with a lot of backbone is designed to catch larger fish and cast heavy lures, where an ultralight (UL) or light (L) power rod is used for targeting smaller fisher using lighter lures.

 

If you’re just getting started, select your rod power based on the general size of the fish you’ll be targeting. For small fish (e.g. panfish, trout, etc.) go with lower power. For predatory fish (pike, muskies, stripers, etc.) select a rod with a heavier power rating. If you’re planning on doing some serious saltwater casting from the shore, you’ll want a surf fishing rod with extra-heavy power, or greater.

A rod’s power rating will correspond to it’s line and lure rating. A rod with a heavy power rating will typically have a higher line and lure weight rating than a rod with a light power rating, which will havea lower lower line and lure weight rating.

 

A medium-light to medium power fast action rod will typically support a line rating of 6-12 lbs and lure rating of 1/4-1 oz. If you are spooled with a line and lure rating within this range, then your rod will partially load up to your action rating as you retrieve your lure through the water. For example, if you’re using a rod with a “fast” action rating, then your rod should bend about 10-15% as you retrieve. This leaves you with about 10-15% more bend to allow you to sense any bites and set the hook.

When you use a line and lure combination that is heavier than the recommended load for your rod action (e.g. 20lb line and 2 oz. lure) then your rod will oveload, you’ll lose the ability to effectively mnitor the bite and set the hook, and in a worst case scenario you may even break your rode.