very quickly, so it’s important that it stays channeled to achieve maximum accuracy and distance. Some companies now make conventional rods with super-tiny “micro guides” all along the blank. It’s believed that the smaller the guides, the more accurate the cast, especially when used with the ultra-thin braided lines and super lines popular today. The small diameter and fast taper of conventional guides also aid in accuracy in short, delicate presentations with methods like flipping, which are much harder to achieve with a spinning rod.
FLYROD With the exception of the first guide on a fly rod—which is wider and thicker and known as the stripping guide—fly rods are built with light thin-wire guides, oen called “snake guides.” Since the reel never comes into play in terms of cast distance or accuracy, snake guides are designed to simply let the fly line pass through freely and without obstruction while adding as lile weight to the rod as possible. To that end, it’s important to always make sure snake guides are aligned properly and don’t have any grit or residue buildup on the inside. You want the guides to remain as smooth as possible to maximize your casting distance and accuracy. The stripping guide is wider and beefier because it takes the most strain when stripping streamer flies. You’ll oen find two stripping guides on heavier fly rods used for saltwater fishing.
BIG-GAME ROD Uniquely designed for the rods that stand up to tuna, marlin, and swordfish, roller guides have heavy-duty metal frames and feature one or two smooth wheels on bearings that turn freely within the frame. Big-game rods with roller guides are not meant to be cast, but are almost exclusively used for trolling. The bearings up the chances that the thick-diameter monofilamentline typically used for big-game pursuits won’t catch or snag in the heat of the moment, but, more important, they ensure that line flows through the guides as smoothly as possible when a fish grabs a lure on the troll and starts peeling drag. Some rods designed for jigging may feature a roller guide at the tip or as the first guide closest to the reel, but if you’re looking for versatility in a saltwater rod, you’ll likely want to skip the rollers.
SPINNING ROD Spinning rod guides taper more drastically than those on any other rod. Because spinning reels have wider spools and retrieve line in wide loops, the first guide closest to the reel is oen referred to as the gathering guide. This guide is the widest in diameter on the rod, which both allows line being retrieved to wind on the spool evenly and doesn’t constrict line coming off the reel during the cast. This helps achieve smoother, longer casts. Make sure your spinning reel is the proper size for the rod you’re using. If it’s too big, the gathering guide may not be wide enough to wind the line properly, causing loops and tangles in your spool. Many anglers prefer spinning rods with to guides or more, because the more guides, the greater the taper as the line passes through, and the more accurate the cast.
8
LET THE ROD
DO THE WORK
7
Perform Emergency
Guide Repairs
A broken guide shouldn’t be the end of a perfectly fine rod, or a great fishing trip. For strength, durability, and speed, nothing beats a strip of shrink-wrap to attach a new guide. In the fall, local marinas or boatyards have scraps from winterizing that you can pick up for free, and you can buy an assortment of guides at local tackle shops. Make a repair kit and keep it in your boat.
STEP 1 Cut a triangular piece of shrink-wrap long enough to wrap three times around your rod. The width of the base should extend beyond the foot of the guide.
STEP 2 Cut off the threads and foot of the broken guide with a razor.
STEP 3 Selectthe appropriate-size guide replacement.
STEP 4 Tape the new guide to the rod blank.
STEP 5 Wrap foot (. cm) with shrink-wrap.
STEP 6 Heat with a lighter, but be careful not to get the flame too close or you risk melting the shrink-wrap.
STEP Repeat steps through 6 on the second guide foot.
Spinfishermen and baitcasters can throw a line with greater distance and accuracy by leaving half a rod’s length of line hanging from the rod tip when casting. This extra length causes the rod tip to flex deeper when the cast is made, generating more power fromthe rod with less effort from the wrist and arm. The reduced physical exertion permits beer hand-eye coordination.
9
Have a Cane-Do
Attitude
10
Know Your
bluegill
You could use one of those fancy side-scan sonar depthfinderswith the new underwater fish-eye orthographic readouts. Or you could go cut a switch of bamboo and do a lile cane-pole fishing. If you choose the laer, a decent cane pole is as close as the nearest stand of bamboo. Ordinary backyard bamboo works just fine for panfish, bass, and small catfish. Make a cane pole our way, with the line anchored to the pole along its entire length, and you’ll be able to land anything that doesn’t pull you into the pond first.
STEP 1 Start by cuing yourself a straight piece of cane about feet ( m) long. Next, trim the leaf stems as close as possible. Saw through the fat end at the boom of a joint
so the bu end will have a closed cap. Finally, smooth the rough edgeswith sandpaper.
STEP 2 Tie a string to the slender tip. Suspend the cane as it dries to tan color (could take several weeks). Straighten a curved pole by weighting it with a brick.
STEP 3 Using an arbor knot, aach -pound ( kg) line a few inches above where you hold the rod. Lay the line along the length of the pole and whip-finish the running line to the rod with old fly line at two spots—a few feet apart—in the middle of the rod and at the tip. (You do this so if the rodtip breaks, the line will remain aached to the pole.) Aach a -foot (6 cm) monofilament leader. Total length of line from tip of rod should be to 6 feet ( to m). Finish with a slip bobber, split shot, and a long-shank hook.
Most anglers cut their teeth as kids chasing these easy-to-catch scrappers at the neighborhood pond or creek. Bluegills will eat anything from a fresh, lively cricket to a ball of stale white bread on a hook. Don’t want to use bait? Any little fly, small spinner, soft-plastic grub jig, or tiny crankbait will do. But these aggressive fish aren’t all child’s play; serious grown-up anglers invest a lot of time hunting the biggest of the big in lakes and reservoirs across the country, as bluegills can break 2 pounds and are excellent on the table. The current world-record bluegill weighed in at an amazing 4 pounds, 2 ounces (2 kg). If it’s jumbo fish you’re after, search around weedbeds, humps, and brush piles in 5 to 0 feet (.5 to 3 m) of water. If you just want to catch a whole mess and don’t care about size, find the local public dock, cast a worm under a bobber, and start having fun.
