If you asked me a few months ago, maybe even last week, what the most important thing I was looking for in new fishing rods I would have told you sensitivity. I want to feel every bite but not only that but every rock my lure hits and every wobble of a crankbait.
Before I go on, you may be wondering what other things would someone look for in a rod. Price is obviously a big issue. Strength is obviously very important. Of course weight can be an issue. When most people pick up a rod they are always impressed if it is really light. Ten times out of ten, if the option is between two rods that are about the same cost, people will choose the lighter of the two. Light usually does signal that it is sensitive because it is made out of graphite. For the most part, graphite is strong. Another general rule is that a light, sensitive rod will cost you more. The only downside to light rods is that people want rods to be lighter and lighter these days. So rod companies are making them as light and as thin as possible. And there is your Catch 22. These thin rods are more brittle and break easier than a thicker rod.
However, this post is about sensitivity and not arguing tenths of an ounce. As mentioned, a sensitive rod will be light because it is made of graphite. The higher the quality of graphite, the more sensitive and the more expensive. This all makes sense but then I started going down a rabbit hole of thought.
For instance, for the past twenty years my "trout" rod has been a Shimano Clarus. I bought two of them so my son and I could use them together. They have gotten a lot of use catching hundreds of trout, white perch, and every other panfish. I caught a ten pound striper on one of them and even my first five pound Largemouth ever. These rods cost me $60 each twenty years ago. So for sake of argument, they would be about $80 rods now. This would be on the low end of the price scale.
The question becomes how many more fish would I have felt with a more sensitive rod? The truth is, one will never know. How can I know how many fish I missed because I couldn't feel them. But... I can tell you this, I bet I didn't miss any fish. Reeling in a Roostertail or a Kastmaster means my line was always tight. So if a fish hit my lure, I'm quite sure I felt it. After twenty years, I do want to upgrade my rods. My cork handles are almost black from sweat, my oils, fish slime, dirt, and every other imaginable element. The truth is I want a nice rod, but I really don't need one. I'm looking into getting a six foot St Croix. I've been eyeing it for weeks, but the truth is I seriously doubt I will catch more trout with it.
Thinking about this lead me to many conversations at work about sensitivity along with other deep thoughts. You can buy a four hundred dollar rod for fishing the surf. You can even buy a thousand dollar custom made rod. These rods are light and strong. Some are so sensitive that you can feel every vibration of a six inch paddle tail shad. But here is the question...do you need to? As Mike Wheeler pointed out when he is casting an eleven inch metal lip swimmer if he gets a hit he is going to know it. Any striper big enough to hit an eleven inch lure is going to try to pull the rod out of your hands. Does it matter if the guy using a hundred dollar Powerstick can't feel every vibration of the lure? The answer is no. He/she is going to feel the hit of any striper worthy of being caught no matter how cheap the rod. Now, I'm not faulting anyone for buy a five hundred dollar Lamiglass. They are strong, light and extremely sensitive. They are a pleasure to fish with. I'm just saying sensitivity would be over rated when it comes to selecting a rod for stripers.
This also got me thinking that sensitivity is not even a factor to guys fishing bait. If you are not holding your rod because it is in a sand spike or a Y bank holder than sensitivity isn't important at all. For that matter weight really isn't much of an issue either if you are only making a cast every ten minutes or so.
Now don't get me wrong, while I am making an argument that in many cases sensitivity isn't as important as I had thought, I do like the feel of nice equipment. As I said, sensitive usually means lighter and better made. I'm just saying that you could get away with a cheaper rod and be plenty satisfied or at least never miss a fish.
So when is sensitivity important? When it comes to freshwater fishing the answer is when you are fishing deep or with a slack line. For example, when fishing for Smallmouth in the summer they could be in twenty feet of water or more. You need to get your line down to their feeding zone. I would almost certainly put a grub on a jighead as my number one deep water lure. I want to be able to feel any pick up or bang by a smallmouth on that bait. I have to let it sink to the bottom and many times you can get a hit on the fall while your line is slack. While hopping it along the bottom, you twitch your rod tip quickly alternating between tight and somewhat slack line. I want to feel those hits. In that case, a sensitive rod will absolutely put more fish in the boat (or in my case kayak or canoe).
Other bass fishing techniques that would require a sensitive rod would be casting jigs into cover, plastic worms on a Carolina or Texas Rig. Of course, Ned Rigs and Dropshot need a sensitive rod to be effective.
Another time when a sensitive rod would be handy is fishing bait from a boat. Whether it be straight down to catch Lake Trout or Haddock, if you are fishing deep you really want to feel the bait get taken. Species such as Tautog can have very subtle hits. In fifty feet of water with a cheap rod you could get your hook stripped of a crab and not even know it.
So what does this all mean? It means for many types of fishing you are not going to miss any fish because you do not have a three hundred dollar GLoomis. You are going to catch just as many trout on a Roostertail as "that guy". It also means that maybe if you you need to buy a couple of bass rods, you could spend a little less on a topwater rod ( where you can see a fish hit your lure) and a little more on the one made for lures twenty feet deep.
I did this very thing. I hated a rod/ reel combo that I bought in March. I only used it once, I hated the color and the microguides. It didn't feel right. So I returned it and used the money to buy a top of the line sensitive rod ( I do get a hefty discount so it only cost me an extra $16 after my refund). So I bought a Johnny Morris Platinum rod. This rod is really sensitive and I will be using for lures where I want to feel every tap. For lures such as topwaters or reeling in jerkbaits I'll use my cheaper rods.
Hope this helps you save a little money when picking out a rod...unless you just want a really nice rod anyway.
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