What action rod used for kayak trolling stripers?

[Mattybofmd]

I'm just curious when it comes to jig heads with paddle tails 1 ounce and smaller what kind of rods do you guys use? I have some moderate rods I like for regular cranking but are they best for trolling or should I use something stiffer?

[brianisoutside]

I'm just curious when it comes to jig heads with paddle tails 1 ounce and smaller what kind of rods do you guys use? I have some moderate rods I like for regular cranking but are they best for trolling or should I use something stiffer?

Try them, trolling is nothing more than cranking.


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[yakscientist]

I use mostly just regular ugly stiks and an ugly stik elite...I think they're all fast action. I think another important aspect is how you set your drag. You want it not tight enough, with a little give for fish strikes, but loose enough so you're not pulling in green fish.

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[J.A. Veil]

The title of your post mentioned rod action rather than brand of rod. Here is some good background.

Several different aspects of rods affect how they perform - power and action. Power refers to the general strength and bend-resistance of the rod. Most rods are designed with ultralight, light, medium-light, medium, medium-heavy, or heavy power. Some are available in extra-heavy power.

Action refers to how the rod bends when put under load. Action is usually expressed as slow, medium, fast, or extra-fast. A fast action rod bends mainly in the outer end, whereas a slow action rod bends throughout most of its length. A slow action provides more whip for casting light lures. A fast action gives better hooksets when jigging.

Another consideration for trolling in a kayak is the rod length. There was a post about rod length in the past year or two that gave a lot of great information about how and why each poster chose the length they did. You can do some searching for that post.

For some types of fishing, having a very sensitive rod will improve your catching. Many anglers spend extra money to get high quality graphite rods with upgraded guides and reel seats. For trolling from a kayak, this is not necessary. You can do well with a fairly basic and inexpensive rod.

I troll 6' or 6'6" spinning rods ranging from med-light to med-heavy, depending on how heavy of a lure I use. Most of the time I use a medium rod. All the rods I buy are fast action. I also find that I can use most of my rods for more than one style of fishing. I no longer buy inexpensive rods for trolling. Instead I use the same higher quality rods (St. Croix Premier or Avid Inshore rods) that I use for casting or jigging and put them to good use in trolling too.

[Mark]

John clarified the action ratings of rods well and as others here have noted a fast action rod is probably the best all around rod for trolling. I use medium-light weight rods with fast tips when trolling for stripers.

I can also use those same rods for casting subsurface lures because essentially the same thing happens when casting subsurface lures as when trolling -- a determined and motivated fish attacks a moving lure. brianisoutside noted this. The fast tip reacts quickly and improves my chance of a hookup.

Having a dual purpose rod onboard a kayak is nice because of space limitations. I can cast or troll with the same rod. However, that is not the case when I throw topwater. I use a slow action medium-light rod for that. That rod is a poor one for trolling so I don't even attempt it. Where a delay in hook-set is preferable for topwater to give the fish time to come into full contact with the lure, it is not desirable for trolling. That same flex and pause would enable many fish to spit the hook on subsurface lures. While I can certainly catch fish on top with a fast action rod, I will have more hookups with a slow action rod.

So rod action is indeed critical, even more so for kayakers who don't have room to line their decks with numerous rods like a bass pro.

[brianisoutside]

The rods I use are cheap daiwa combos, they are medium heavy. I wanted something that could handle a bigger jig if I chose to use it. But they are fine for lighter quarter ounce jigs too.
Try the rods you have and see how they work for you and then decide.


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[mike o]

While I usually like to use light tackle. When i'm trolling I use the same rods I use for jigging. I sometimes use jigheads as heavy as 1 1/2 or 2 ounces so I use medium heavy rods.

[baitball]

Both Mark and John Veil hit the nail on the head.

To put it in layman's terms

1. Action is related to hook set: Fast = quick hook set; Slow = well, as the name implies, slower hook set
2. Power is related to "strength" of rod: Heavy = less bend, more "strength"; Light = more bend, less "strength", but more sensitivity.

My advice is to not overthink it, especially if you are just starting up. Before you know it you will have an extensive quiver of rods and wondering why you have so many . Troll with what you got for now.

However, if you are going to make an investment, a Medium power rod with a Fast action tip will get you something in the middle and will do just fine for Chesapeake Bay trolling just like John Veil suggests. If you have space and think you will be doing lots of topwater casting along with the trolling, then follow Mark's advice and get yourself a slower-tipped rod to garner an edge when setting the hook (but don't use it for trolling).

Good luck!