Selecting The Best Inshore Fishing Rods
When it comes time to choose the best inshore fishing rods, most anglers are left puzzled by the number of choices in length, action, construction and how these elements affect the rod. Let’s see if we can’t help simplify choosing an inshore rod.
I could see the water bulge as a big fish moved toward the splash of my ¼ ounce jig and plastic body lure. This light–weight lure can be a real challenge to effectively cast on some rods, but my seven-foot long rod handled the cast just fine.
When the big redfish reached the area of my lure, I bumped the lure once and the water exploded as the big red jumped all over the lure. One of those famous big redfish runs began, and the line peeled off my reel as the big red charged down the bayou making a wave and clouds of muddy water.
Inshore rods will face upper slot reds on a daily basis and should be able to handle these fish well.
It took me a while and I had to be patient, but my inshore spinning rod did its job, and I finally had the big red exhausted at boat side. I reached to the fish and carefully removed the hook from its jaw and lifted it up for a quick photo from my buddy. The red revived quickly and when I let it go, it moved strongly away from the boat.
My new Sam’s Super Salt rod was faced with a number of challenges on this fish, but as the best rods for redfish and trout do, it met these challenges and performed perfectly.
Let’s get one thing straight. When we look at the entire inshore fishing gear setup, the rod is probably the most crucial element of the package. The rod will largely determine casting distance, and the rod provides the leverage used to manage the action of the fish. For most inshore anglers, using the best inshore spinning rod will determine largely the success of fishing.
Inshore Is Not All The Same
There’s probably no rod in any angler’s arsenal of rods that faces such varied demands as an inshore casting rod. In any day’s fishing, an inshore rod may be called upon to fish lures and bait over shallow grass beds, and then the same rod may have to work jigs along deep water and drop-offs, and then the same rod may have to horse hooked fish away from docks and bridge pilings.
There are many demands placed on inshore rods.
Inshore rods need to be able to cast soft live bait such as shrimp and minnows while still having the strength to fight really big fish when they come along.
Inshore rods face a wide range of challenges from smaller fish on light lures in shallow water.
Inshore rods also need to be able to make long distance casts when the angler is working flats. Sometimes working fish will be seen a long way off and a rod which can’t propel the lure to reach the fish is just not going to be a good choice for these conditions.
The best inshore rods have to have the stiffness to move a big fish away from structure. Inshore rods have a lot of demands placed upon them, and a poorly made rod will not give good service for a serious inshore angler.
Views From a Guide Who Has Fished Inshore for Decades
Captain Richard Rutland has spent a lot of time fishing the inshore waters of the Mobile Bay system and he has some good advice for anglers who want to purchase good inshore saltwater fishing rods.
“Inshore rods need to be application specific- different lengths and actions to suit different ways of fishing,” Rutland noted. “When I’m fishing a jig and grub on bottom, I like a shorter, say seven foot long rod with softer action and more limber. When I fish a Slick Lure, I prefer a seven foot- three inch to seven foot-six inch long rod with medium action spinning rod and medium light power. When I’m throwing popping corks or topwater lures, I want a medium fast light action rod in the seven foot-six inch range.”
When this sort of beast shows up in shallow water, the rod must be of high quality to meet the challenge.
When fishing live bait, Rutland goes in a different direction.
“When I am fishing live bait, I go softer on the action and power of the rod. You don’t have to work live bait as you do artificials, and a more limber rod is more forgiving and helps hold the hook when fighting the fish,” he said.
“If I were limited to a single inshore rod, I’d take a seven foot three inch long baitcasting rod with extra fast action and medium power. I’d have it strung with 30-pound test Spiderwire Stealth Smooth braided line,” Rutland said.
A Good Series of Inshore Fishing Rods
B’n’M Poles of Mississippi is famous for producing some of the most popular and well-built crappie rods to be found anywhere. But B’n’M is also a maker of some first-rate rods intended for inshore saltwater use.
The Sam’s Super Salt line of rods is built to offer inshore anglers all of the qualities which make a good inshore rod. These inshore fishing rods are made on all graphite blanks, and they feature stainless guides to minimize line wear and tear and also insure long life. The Portuguese cork handles are easy on the hand for long days of hard fishing, and the short rubber butt cap eases pressure when fighting big fish.
These Sam’s Super Salt Series of inshore rods are some fine fishing tools, strong, and affordable.
“A lot of the properties required for inshore rods were sensitivity, rod bend amount and location, were similar to our freshwater rods. We wanted to make sure our inshore rods had strength, tip sensitivity, and were built of materials able to withstand the saltwater conditions,” says B’n’M President Jack Wells.
“This line of inshore rods does have features that higher-priced rods have, the handle, very good cork and the butt knob, and we can put these nice features on a pole that folks can afford,” “ In December of 2021, our Sam’s Super Salt inshore rods will be sold in Gulf Coast Wal-Mart stores, but anglers can order these rods right now directly from us,” he said.
For a price point of $55.99 to 64.99 for these excellent rods, anglers will have to look far and wide to find another inshore rod that provides this kind of quality at this price.
Contact Information
B’n’M Poles
662-494-5092
Capt. Richard Rutland
Cold Blooded Fishing
251-459-5077
