Probably the most important piece of fishing equipment you should invest in is your rod. Your rods can be likened to an artist's paint brushes -- the right brushis used for the right job. Or use the surgeon's instruments (what a grand selection) as another example -- the right instrument for the right job. It's important to realize that each type of rod is made for a specific purpose. Using the wrong rod for the wrong purpose will greatly hinder your ability to maximize your fish-catching potential.

You can divide rods into two basic categories, fast action, and metabolic. We will be focusing on the fast action rods in this series because of the type of applications that we'll cover.

A fast action rod has most of the action built into the tip (diagram 1), making it better suited for jigging, whereas a metabolic rod bends more evenly throughout its entire length (diagram 2) and is better suited for trolling and throwing crank baits. However, you must keep in mind that there are many variations in the two rod groups.

Most people use the metabolic rods. Why? Because it usually is the most common rod available at the tackle and department stores, and the fast action rods are usually more expensive.

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