Phelan Stewart sent the first question to Ask Pike Angler. Phelan asks:

Is a six foot spinning rod is strong enough for pike fishing?

Thanks for sending in the question Phelan.

Pike fishing rods come in a range of sizes. Jerkbait rods tend to be short at around 6 foot long. Specialist spinning and lure rods start from about 6 foot long and go up to 9 or 10 feet. Bait rods tend to be longer at around 10 to 12 feet in length.

There are good reasons for selecting a rod that is the correct length for the type of fishing you want to do. Longer rods will cast a bait further and help you reach over bankside vegetation.

Shorter rods are easier to use on a boat where casting is not important. Shorter rods are also more suitable for spinning and lure fishing as they are lighter, easier to carry, and less demanding on the angler who is repeatedly casting lures.

Strength

The other important factor in selecting a rod for pike fishing is the rods strength. Rods are usually made for a specific type of fishing.

A pike rod will be much stronger than a rod that was made for roach, bream or tench. Carp rods and pike rods have similar strengths and each can be used for both types of fishing.

Pike will put quite a strain on a rod so you’ll want to use one with a test curve of at lease 2 pounds. The test curve might be written on the side of the rod. If not, you can test the strength by attaching the line to pair of scales and bending the rod tip to 90 degree right angle to the handle.

So the answer is that a six foot spinning rod might be strong enough for pike fishing, but length alone is not the important factor. The strength of the rod is not related to length. Look for a rod that is strong enough to play and land a pike and is the right length for the type of fishing you do.

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