Fishing can be considered as a battlefield. If you are not armed with the necessary weapons, you will end up losing on all fronts. Therefore, you need to learn the merits of casting rod vs spinning rod and decide which to add to your armory.
If you are interested in fishing and looking forward to doing it either as a pastime or an occupation, you need to know how a spinning rod and a casting rod measure up against each other. Often, anglers who are starting for the first time have challenges telling the difference between a casting rod and a spinning rod.
When you know the right kind of rod to use for your fishing, the chances of having a successful fishing expedition is high. Some techniques need the casting rod to work best, while other fishing tactics are better performed with the spinning rod. Interestingly, there are various functions that both of them perform jointly.
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The Right Time to Use a Casting Rod
For various fishing techniques, the casting rod is the ideal tool to use due to its high laser accuracy and power. You can usually tell it’s a casting rod when you see the guide sizes are smaller and the number of guides is higher- which answers the popular question, “what is a casting rod?”
Usually, among anglers, popular and efficacious fishing lures like crankbaits and jigs are used on casting rods more recurrently than a spinning rod. Because the casting rod allows for a low-posture mounting and a seamless operation, it is easy to capture large creatures like striped bass.
Besides, the casting rod has a powerful spool orientation that allows anglers to be in control. Also, with the casting reel, anglers get a better casting accuracy. Some models allow the angler to fine-tune according to their preferred specification, which would lead to smooth and accurate targeting.
Furthermore, you can use common baits like spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged worms. Therefore, one of the best methods to select the best bait or lure to use is to opt for the one which has an average weight. If you want to use lures in a dense location, a casting rod assures you greater success than the spinning rod.
The Right Time to Use a Spinning Rod
When beginner anglers ask “what is a spinning rod”, it is because they have no idea of its immense importance to their fishing expedition. One reason why a spinning rod is a crucial tool in your fishing gear is that it is beneficial at casting light lures. And this attribute is peculiar to the spinning rod because of the mode of operation of the reel.
When the orientation of the spool is properly fixed, the line flows off the spool seamlessly. The spinning rods freely spill off in large loops, and they come with a bigger first guide, which reduces the drag as the loops get off the reel. Anglers who prefer to use top water baits would appreciate the spinning gear because it is best for delivering various kinds of surface baits.
You can cast buzzbaits and light surface plugs, and you can through the regular light and soft plastic-rigs employed in finesse fishing. Furthermore, the spinning rod is preferred to the casting rod when you want to make long casts. The same applies when you are catfishing or in the surf.
Even though the spinning rod is not as powerful as the casting rod, it allows anglers to bait fishes with tiny worms and poppers. For surf fishing and inshore, long spinning rods are the ideal choices because they are lightweight, which makes them effortless to handle in almost any scenario.
Also Read: Baitcaster VS Spinning Reel – Which One the Best for Your Need
Factors to Consider in Choosing the Best Casting Rod
It is normal for almost any angler to feel overwhelmed when they see the best casting rods around, and they don’t know the ideal one to pick. When you are shopping on the market for a fishing rod, it is crucial to remember that you will have this item around for a long time.
Hence, it would not be beneficial if you opt for the one that would have to repair after a few months or even replace. This buying guide gives you some factors you need to look out for before selecting the best casting rod. Some of these factors constitute the difference between casting rod vs spinning rod.
1. Power
A casting rod’s power means its lifting power or strength. There are heavy, medium-heavy, medium, medium-light, light and ultra-light power fishing rods in the power category. The heavy and medium-heavy powers impact the rod with ample backbone to launch heavier lures and lines and bring in big fishes.
In comparison, the light and ultra-light powers are for lighter fishing lures, lines and small fishes. When beginner anglers ask what is the difference between casting rods vs spinning rods? one of the basic dissimilarities is the function of their design. Casting rods are structured to launch heavier baits and lures to capture large fishes.
Hence, you need a caster pole that has either medium or heavy powers so that it is strong enough to cast lures, baits, and heavy lines. Also, it needs enough strength to lift large fishes out of deep waters or dense covers without breaking.
2. Material
A casting rod’s material determines its strength, performance, ease of use, and durability during fishing. Since you will be casting heavy lures most times, you need a material that offers ample durability and strength, and fiberglass gives this. The fiberglass is heavy and strong, but it lacks much sensitivity like graphite.
On the other hand, when it comes to light-weight comfort and sensitivity, the graphite casting rods are top of the league. They are strong, though they can be brittle, and they are ideal for long fishing durations. Some rods combine fiberglass and graphite materials to combine most of their positive attributes like durability, sensitivity, sturdiness and lightness in weight.
3. Line Guides
The line guides of a casting rod are the circular rings situated on the casting rod’s side that faces skywards. The purpose of a line guide is to control the fishing lines flow when you cast and retrieve. Also, it helps to reduce the friction and heat, to give way for a seamless line flow devoid of tangles.
And this attribute ensures durability in the long run. Arguably, the best line guide material that most anglers will go for is Silicon Carbide. This material gives a low-friction and super-smooth surface. Another great line guide material is Nickel-Titanium, which has strong corrosion resistance.
Factors to Consider in Choosing the Best Spinning Rod
Just like the casting rod, several anglers find it challenging to pick the ideal spinning rods for their needs. However, it is necessary that irrespective of the spinning rod you opt for, it must be easy to use, versatile and come with the right amount of power.
Even though you are a professional or beginner angler, you need a spinning rod to ensure a smooth learning curve. Below are some factors to consider before you buy a spinning rod:
Durability
When you are shopping for a spinning rod, you cannot overlook the durability. This attribute is one of the similarities that casting rod vs spinning rod share. Hence, you need to check its construction, power and its components. If you want to get a spinning rod that would stand the test of time, you can get fiberglass.
Graphite is a good option; however, it is quite brittle. Also, you need to look out for the reel seat’s quality and the line guide. To sum up, before you select any spinning rod, ensure the reel lock-down has a snug metal reinforcement.
Line Guides
It would interest you to know that your failure or success when fishing is largely dependent on your choice of line guide. It is best to get the line guide that offers low friction, and one of the ways to get this is to opt for ceramic line guides. The only downside in using Ceramic line guides is, they are quite fragile.
However, they allow for far distance target-casting. Also, some line guides are made from metal, they do not have a low friction level like the Ceramics, but they can be fully bent and restored without breaking.
Length
Before you buy a spinning rod, you need to know the relationship between the casting distance and the rod length. The rod length determines the highest distance you will get and the control you will amass during a fishing expedition. Also, the rod length is one of the primary differences between casting rod vs spinning rod.
A longer spinning rod has a faster tip speed, and the implication is, you will cast a far distance and cover a broad water area. In addition, the spinning rod’s length determines its shock-absorbent quality. If you want to fish in open and large areas using bigger baits for surf fishing, you need a long spinning rod. In comparison, if you are boat fishing or opting for a kayak, you need a shorter spinning rod.
Also Read: Best Baitcasting Reel – Top Buyer’s Guides to Buy
Conclusion
After reading this casting rod vs spinning rod review, it is correct to say that you need not rush when getting these items. You need to take ample time to conduct your research and opt for the item that suits your needs.
It is good to have both items in your fishing gear, particularly if you love fishing in any location and depth. As I have mentioned already, the difference between casting rods and spinning rods isn’t much as they have some similarities. However, you need to know their primary functions to use them for the right purpose.
