You want a rod that is easy to use, made of good materials and won’t break when the winning fish is on the line. Most importantly, you want a rod that won’t cost a fortune.
Trust us, we have the rod for you.
Understanding the parts of a quality fishing rod
When selecting a new fishing rod, most anglers start with considering the core, or ‘blank’, that a rod is made of. These blanks can be made from a variety of materials and each material changes the characteristics of the rod. The most important characteristic, obviously, is the durability and resistance to breaking.
Different blanks also change the sensitivity of the rod, which translates into being able to feel the tiny vibrations a fish makes when it’s taking the bait. A rod with poor sensitivity means the angler may not feel that fish until it’s too late. The result? An empty hook.
After the blank, the remaining items that round out a solid fishing rod can be things like the guides and the reel.
Guides are the small eyelets that span the length of the rod and ‘guide’ the fishing line up the rod. An important note on guides is that quality rods will have more guides to spread out the stress of an active fish, increasing the durability and strength of the rod. A good metric is no less than one guide per foot of rod length, with more being better.
Lastly is the reel. A quality reel will mean smooth winding under pressure when a strong fish is on the line, without binding or unexpectedly slipping. Quality reels also need to be corrosion resistant.
About Bulldawg Trophy Series Bass Fishing Rods
Pricing, guides, warranty, and development
Now that you have a good understanding of the parts behind a quality fishing rod, let’s translate that into a rod that sets the standard on quality: Bulldawg Trophy Series Bass Fishing Rods.
When we built the Trophy Series we wanted you to have it all, so Bulldawg Rods are made from the highest quality integrated dual core (IDC) blanks constructed of TORAY Japanese fiber, which means these rods are both exceptionally durable but also extremely sensitive. Add in lightweight EVA handle grips and a split-reel seat and you’ve got one of the best performing light-weight rods on the market.
Each rod is built with American Tackle 316 stainless-steel frames with nano-lite ceramic inserts, along with added corrosion protection premium halide rings. To prevent stress on the rod, and up the durability level, we included 11 guides per rod, which drastically exceeds the recommended one per foot. You won’t be losing any fish to a broken rod.
Not only are Bulldawg Rods in high-demand, but some of these rods have been featured by top anglers all over the country, and in a number of TV shows, including the Bass Dr. and Trophy Fish Hunter.
Quality is not an issue you run into when using Bulldawg rods and to prove it we stand behind our rods with a lifetime warranty during normal usage.
If you think the best level of quality comes at an unreachable premium, we’re happy to tell you we designed this rod so it wouldn’t. Instead of simply crafting what we thought was a ‘better’ rod, we teamed up with professional fishermen across the country to torture test each rod and show us what we were missing. Our goal was to produce a rod that did not break the bank, but provided fishermen the same quality of rods as rods that sell for $200 and up.
After the testing phases, and tweaking each rod based on the pro’s feedback, we launched our Bulldawg Trophy Series Bass Rods at a price of just $99!
Choosing your Bulldawg Trophy Series Bass Fishing Rod
Spinning vs casting rods, power levels, and action
The quality of a Bulldawg Rod is going to speak for itself, but first you need to actually choose which rod will work the best for you.
Bulldawg Trophy Series Bass Fishing Rods are divided into two main categories: spinning rods and casting rods.
Spinning Rods
- 6’ 6” in Medium, Medium with microwave guides, and Medium Heavy
- 6’ 9” in Light, or Medium Light with microwave guides
- 7’ in Medium or Medium Heavy, both with microwave guides
Casting Rods
- 6’ 6” in Medium and Medium Heavy
- 6’ 9” in Medium
- 7’ in Medium, Medium Heavy and Heavy
- 7’ 2” in Heavy
- 7’ 3” in Medium Heavy
- 7’ 6” in Medium, Medium Heavy and Heavy
- 7’ 11” in Heavy or Extra Heavy
That seems like a lot of options, right? Let’s clear it up.
A spinning rod has guide eyelets that point downward and your line feeds out and down. The spinning reel rests underneath the rod. You’ll hold a spinning rod in your dominant hand and use your non-dominant hand to spin the reel.
A casting rod is more common and traditional. The guides face up, meaning when a fish pulls the line it pulls the rod downward. This has the benefit of using the eyelets more effectively and has the reel is located on top or the side.
Casting rods are more challenging to master than spinning, however. If you’re new to the sport, we recommend a spinning rod.
Within each spinning and casting category are rods of various lengths ranging from 6’ 6” all the way up to 7’ 11” and various power levels ranging from light up to extra heavy.
A quick note on ‘power levels’: These descriptors are no more complex than the amount of force from the fish it takes to cause the rod to bend. Stiffer rods (more power) require more force to bend, whereas more flexible rods (lighter power) will bend more easily. More information on rod power vs action is available here.
Bait selection and delivery
Length and power for each rod generally depend on four things:
- The type of fish you are fishing for
- The type of bait you are using
- How you intend on delivering that bait.
- Also, a shorter rod will typically work better for shorter people and longer rods will work better for taller people. That is not a hard and fast rule, but a good place to start.
Shorter rods generally allow more accuracy with short to medium distance casts, whereas longer rods are useful when needing to haul a fish out of cover like grasses, plant growth, etc., when making long casts or when using heavier lures.
To help with your decision making, all of our rods at the bottom of the rod selection page are labeled with the lures we recommend throwing with each rod, as selected by professional anglers.
Get the right rod size you need to catch the fish you want
At the end of the day, you want the rod that is right for you, and will keep you fishing for a long time. If the rod is wrong, of poor quality, or breaks, it’s far more likely to gather dust in the corner. That isn’t good for anyone except the fish.
To keep you on the water and fishing, we took the extra time to design rods that are favored by both new anglers and professionals alike. Along with that design was the importance of making the rods affordable for all fishermen. We are proud to say these rods are made in the USA, in the great state of Texas, and we know you’ll love yours (especially after you haul in those trophy fish). Get your Bulldawg rods today at www.BulldawgRods.com, and become part of the Bulldawg family!
Rod FAQs
Are fishing rods hollow?
Not Bulldawg Rods. They’re wound strands of steel and fiber that are heated together to form a strong but bendable core.
What’s the difference between graphite rods and fiberglass rods?
The material the rod is made of matters. Graphite rods work well and are best for more sensitive fishing scenarios because of their stiffness. You’ll be able to feel the twitches easier. All Bulldawg Rods are graphite rods. More on that in our rod power vs. action guide.
What rod should I use in what circumstances?
Our Rods listing has recommended baits you can use for each rod. For a good, all-around rod, consider the BD-7MC. It works well in most conditions for bass fishing with just about any kind of lure.
What are fishing rod blanks?
Blanks are the “eyelets” the fishing line runs through along the rod. The more blanks the better the rod, generally.
What fishing rods do the pros use?
Pro anglers usually have several different rods depending on the bait and kinds of fish they’re catching. Pro staffers around the world, including FLW Tour champion Jason Lambert, have used Bulldawg Rods with repeated success.
Will my fishing rod snap?
It’s extremely unlikely, at least among Bulldawg Rods under normal conditions. If it does, contact us and we’ll replace it under our limited lifetime warranty.
Will fishing rods float?
Probably best you don’t drop them in the water, they’re not very buoyant (unlike our neutrally buoyant XRM series baits, which go great with the Trophy BD-7MC series.)