With conventional fishing rods (i.e. all rods other than a fly rod) you have some non-negotiable components like guides, grips, handles, reel seats, butt caps, and sometimes a hook holder. The components that typically contain metal are the guides, handle, reel seat, and hook holder. When looking for a rod to use in saltwater fishing, ensure the metal included in your rod is corrosion-resistant.
You can find rods with stainless steel guides or coated guides, which are factory sprayed with a corrosion-resistant coating. Fuji offers a line of corrosion-resistant guides called Corrosion Control (CC) which is a proprietary alloy treatment that has been found to be superior to stainless steel. REC makes a nickel-titanium guide called RECOIL GUIDES. They are also widely used due to both their corrosion resistance and their overall durability.
Make sure your rod has one of these or a set of guides that are expressly designed for marine use.
When choosing handles and reel seats, the choice is somewhat simple. Handles, Reel Seats, and Grips set the foundation for your workhorse, the reel, and they create your contact and connection to the rod. These components can take up a fair bit of real estate on your rod, so the goal for most rod builders is to have functional comfort without the weight.
To achieve this, many rod manufacturers use plastics or carbon fiber components with limited amounts of metal. If looking to use your rod in saltwater, make sure the metal included is aluminum, and better yet, marine grade aluminum. This is specifically manufactured for use around saltwater.
Another related item to consider is the size of the reel you are using with your saltwater rod. In the example of a trolling rod designed to hold larger reels, you’ll notice the reel seat is almost always clad in metal to hold the larger reel which can put torque on the reel seat. Make sure the metal on your saltwater reel seat or the winding check on your fore grip is made from aluminum or zinc and nickel-plated alloy to ensure you will not regret it later on.
Hook Holder / Hook Keeper
The placement of the hook keeper is truly an item of personal preference. It can really depend on the tackle you use and how you transport your fishing rod. However one of the most curious items in reviewing saltwater and freshwater rods is there are rarely saltwater rods that have hook keepers. It’s a bit of a debate as to why few saltwater rods have hookkeepers. Some of the most rational arguments are that saltwater captains can be a superstitious bunch and including hook holders might just “cast” their luck in the wrong direction. If you’re open to tempting fate, as some custom rod builders are welcome to do, make sure your hook keeper is made from a metal alloy that resists corrosion.
You’re certainly able to use your freshwater rod in saltwater. But the burden of care is something that makes rod owners think twice. If you are one to throw caution to the wind make sure you spray your rod down after each trip in the brine to increase your odds of having sustained luck. In addition to spraying your rod down, keep an eye out for pits or pockmarks on the surface of your non-marine-grade metal parts. These blemishes will be small and hard to notice at first, and freshwater and saltwater will penetrate these spots and begin to eat away at the metal from the inside.
Look closely at the components and tell your builder where you fish most frequently. If you happen to spend time on saltwater, make sure your metal parts are marine grade. You’ll be glad you did.
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