Buy the gear here. Finesse fishing is a collective term for fishing with light equipment primarily for bass, but also for zander.
When talking about finesse fishing, it often involves methods like Texas, Carolina, dropshot, Ned, Neko, or Wacky. These are productive fishing techniques that have achieved great success in recent years. Since it's about fishing that is often to be performed with finesse - read careful presentation and gentle retrieval - you should choose a rod and a reel that harmonize with the method. A light, sensitive rod combined with a smaller reel allows you to retrieve the bait with precision, feel subtle bites, and then quickly hook the fish. Should you choose a spinning or baitcasting reel? Well, there really isn't a right or wrong, just choose the reel that feels right for you.
Here, we’ve marked which reel sizes are suitable for this specific rod. The type of reel to use with a rod depends on whether it’s a spinning, casting, saltwater, or similar rod, so if you’re unsure,feel free to double-check. That the same rod can have multiple reel sizes depends on the fishing style you’re pursuing.
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Rod length
Rod length grouped in feet + cm.
Are you a beginner and need guidance?
For regular fishing with a casting rod, you can easily group the lengths like this:
5-6 feet - Children/juniors 6-7 feet - Easy to handle - Perfect for boats. 7-9 feet - Most popular, especially for fishing from shore. 9+ feet - Coastal fishing and river fishing, etc.
Rod length when transported
Refers to how many centimeters long the disassembled rod is. This can be good to know if you’re traveling or packing it into a motorcycle bag.
Rod type
Refers to which type of rod this product pairs with. The most common rod types are spinning rods and casting rods. Casting rods pair with trolling reels, saltwater reels, low-profile reels, and baitcasting reels. Spinning rods pair with spinning reels.
Max casting weight
Casting weights simply refer to the weight of the lure a rod is intended for. A rod with a casting weight of, for example, 10-30 grams is optimal for casting lures within that weight range. Exceeding it risks breaking the rod during casting, while using lighter lures makes casting difficult.
Fish species
Here, we’ve categorized the products based on which fish you want to hook. We’ve relied on what manufacturers specify, but also on experience of what usually works. The list could almost be endless, and many things work for more species than we’ve listed, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
