Casting rods are also very easy to identify since they typically have a trigger on the reel seat and have a series of guides that gradually progress downwards in size as you reach the tip of the rod. The guides are also placed on the upside of the rod… opposite of a spinning rod since that is how the reel sits.

Again, rod actions and powers will help anglers determine which model will work best for what they are looking to do and to best describe these two very separate things we can break them down.

Power: power in casting rods is listed in 7 categories… Ultra Light (UL), Light (L), Medium Light (ML), Medium (M), Medium Heavy (MH), Heavy (H) and Extra Heavy (XH). Power is best described as the power it takes to move an object or fish… the bigger the fish or the heavier the lure… the heavier the rod should be… power will also determine the line rating for the particular rod… in most cases they will be similar to these listed…

UL – 2-6 lb test
L – 4-8 lb test
ML – 6-10 lb test
M – 8-15 lb test
MH – 10-20 lb test
H – 12-25 lb test
XH -17-30 lb test

Action – Action describes the amount of flex the rod has… the faster the action the less flex there is down the blank. Actions are typically listed in 5 groups… Slow (S), Moderate or Medium (Mod), Moderate Fast (MF), Fast (F) and Extra Fast (XF). The faster the action, the more accurate your casting ability will be but the rod will also have more backbone. Moderate rods are ideal for reaction baits like crankbaits and swimbaits and are best fished on fluorocarbon or monofilament..

Length – Casting rods are available in numerous length starting from 5 feet and reaching lengths of over 10 feet with the rigging and river casting rods. The most common sizes for freshwater fishing in lakes is 6’6″ to 7’6″.