Basically, what’s a good rod for Baja?
Well, asking me that question is like asking Imelda Marcos which shoes to wear dancing or Tiger Woods if he can win the Masters using only one club! I’m a confirmed tackle junkie like lots of you. I have rods I insist that I NEED and keep buying more telling myself I NEED them, but there’s no way in this green planet that I will EVER be able to use all these rods! I’ve got rods I bought or were given to me or made for me 5 years ago that still are still in plastic. But, by gawd…I NEEDED ‘em at the time!
Don’t laugh. Many of you are the same way and you hope to heavens your significant other doesn’t ever discover the truth because we all justify the purchase of our toys by telling ourselves (and others) that we NEEDED that 665 XXH with roller guides or we would simply die. And we swear we will use them into infinity…just like that boat…and that shotgun. . . and that jetski and…and…and… Right?
We’ll, here’s my take on rods.
I love long rods. My hands tremble when I know I can grab my long stick and fire an iron the length of a football field and skip jig it and bounce it off the heads of crashing tuna. I love knowing that with a flick of the wrist, my ‘dine can be right on the boil or inches from the paddy.
And then the strike and the hum and that special chill you get when you look up and see your long rod bent perfectly in a classic “high stick” and you lean into your rod on that first burning run!
Rewind. Stop the film.
But that’s not always practical for Baja. I love long rods, but for the Baja, I’m a short rod guy. (And that has nothing to do with the fact that I’m also a short guy too!)
My typical Baja stick is under 7 feet long for several reasons.
First, if you’ve never tried to jostle through a busy airport with a nine-foot rod tube, try it sometime. See how many friends you make as you whack people on the head or try to transport it.
Next, the airlines are getting more and more restrictive on the size of tubes. One airline that starts with the letter before “E,” charges as much as 100 bucks ONE way. OUCH. For 200 extra bucks, my jig stick and other long rods can stay home in the closet.
From the perspective of fishing over the years, I’ve found that I really don’t need the long stick. Most of the time I’m on a cruiser or panga. A long stick is good to get distance on a cast and get your bait or jig away from the boat. That’s a truism when you’re on a party boat. You’re subject to the fact that there’s probably a lot of other anglers aboard and no one is going to move the boat so you can be closer to the fish. Hence, you gotta cast to the fish and the ability to throw distance is a plus.
In Baja, you’re not on a party boat. If the fish are 50 yards away, well duh…MOVE THE BOAT!
That means I do not need quite such a long rod, even if I wanted to throw irons since getting “distance” isn’t as important.
Long rods are notoriously bad for fighting fish anyway. The longer the rod, the harder it is to put pressure on a fish. It’s like being on a teeter-totter and giving your partner a longer end. It’s harder to lift your partner and easier for your partner to lift you. Same thing with fishing.
A shorter rod gives you, the angler, better lifting ability. That’s why trolling rods are short pieces of artillery and not long and “whippy.” They can “pull.”
My ideal Baja stick is between 5.5 and 7 feet long. It does have a softer tip (perhaps up to the 2nd but no more than the 3rd guide from the tip) which is known as a “fast taper” rod. This allows me the ability to cast, but does not diminish my ability to fight fish.
That’s because the rest of the rod is basically backbone stiff. This is where I get my lift.
The thing with fishing in Baja is you never know what’s gonna bite your worm. One minute it’s a punk dorado and the next Moby-the-Blue-Marlin is hooked up. If I’m on a long stick or a stick that’s as soft as a noodle, it’s gonna be a long long day and probably pretty painful both when I’m fighting the fish in the hot Baja sun and then when that slugger finally pops off. Seee-yaaaaaaaaaaa….
Bottom line, the shorter rod, does the job.
That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.
That's My Story 
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