Rod choosing

When looking for a suitable type of rod to use for soft bait fishing, the rules that apply to the reel are much the same: The rod must be light enough for casting all day but powerful enough to handle any large fish you hook up on. It must also be sensitive enough to enable the angler to detect any enquiry from a fish.
Graphite rods fit into this requirement perfectly and when fitted with the appropriate guides, grips and reel seat you have a rod that is awesome to use all day.
Rod selection can come down to the type of soft bait fishing it is intended for: boat, kayak or land with each requiring its own set of rules.
Longer rods are more suitable to boat and shore while kayaks require much shorter in comparison. It is very important to get the rod length right as all graphite rods are susceptible to point loading or high sticking which is a term for loading up the rod usually at the top part in a way as to bend only a small area of the rod causing it to snap.

Rod action

The correct way to handle a graphite rod is to make sure you always keep it loaded up with weight over the entire area from butt section to tip.
A good rod action required for soft bait fishing is what is termed ''parabolic action'' and this is the amount of stiff section in the rod which is generally just under half the rod length with the remaining tip section allowing a more tapered flexible action.
The stiffer part of the rod is for lifting the fish while the softer tip section allows for better action when flicking soft baits as well as acting like a shock absorber when a fish hits the bait. This shock absorbing effect is important because the braid line you are using has no stretch at all.
Most soft bait fishing requires the setting of the hook or jig head but if you have the correct rod rating, action, weight and length for the job you will find that a rod will often set the hook itself.

Graphite blanks

Graphite rods come in different ratings from IM 6 to IM 8 and this represents the amount of graphite content in the rod blank with IM 8 having the highest content.
The higher the graphite content, the lighter and stronger it will be, but the down side to this is that such rods are much more prone to damage while transporting or handling and far more easy to break from point loading, so greater care is needed.

Rod components

The best type of grips for this style of fishing are made from cork, not only does it feel nice in your hand but also allows better sensitivity enabling you to feel any enquiries from fish as opposed to EVA or foam grips which some anglers prefer. Cork also seems to be much lighter than EVA foam.

Next we have the reel seat which should be the correct size for your reel allowing it to sit nicely on the rod.

Rod guides need to be very good quality also because of the use of braid line which is extremely sharp when under tension and can cause excessive wear on guides of lesser quality.

Lastly when choosing your rod and reel it is a good idea to match them up together when in your tackle store and check how they feel together, do they seem balanced in your hand? You will know when you are holding the right rod and reel that suits you it''s just a matter of getting out there and making your choice. Again the best thing to do is seek professional advice from your local tackle store and ask for the person who fishes this style.