The Dead Rod: Friend or Foe? By Matt Walsh Whether it be clients during a guide trip, tournament fishing with a co-angler, or just out fishing with some friends the question almost always comes up: “Why don’t you put out a Dead Rod?” The short answer is, “I’d rather be good with one rod than bad with two.” The actual rational behind the question is the belief that with two rods, twice the amount of fish will be caught. Yes, that may be true sometimes, but not always. The water conditions, structure, and presentation will dictate when the Dead Rod can be your friend or your foe. What is a Dead Rod? The primary distinction between using (where legal) multiple rods and the Dead Rod approach is whether or not the rod is in your hand. Holding both rods is entirely different from the Dead Rod approach. Typically, a Dead Rod is placed in a rod holder while the fisherman is holding another rod. This is usually done when using a “hands on” technique such as casting crank baits or jigs, live bait rigging, or pulling spinners. Some anglers tire when holding two rods or find it difficult to manage more than one rod at a time. The Litmus Test The underlying question when making the decision to use a Dead Rod or not, is one of efficiency and time management. Ask yourself and be honest; Am I able to effectively present both baits in the fish strike zone at all times? In other words, am I actually spending more time fishing with the Dead Rod or is a disproportionate amount time, concentration, and energy being spent tinkering with it? Doing so may take attention away from both rods rendering them both ineffective. This is the Law of Diminishing Returns -where more is not necessarily better. In a perfect fishing world, the Dead Rod set up is balanced. With the correct weight and the right amount of line out, matching the speed of the boat and structure. Requiring minimal maintenance until a fish is on -“The dead” becomes alive, so to speak. In the real world there are line tangles, line in the propeller, snags, lost tackle, floating debris, swallowed hooks, bait stealing pan fish, and missed fish. I have seen unattended Dead Rods broken by standing timber, slip out of the rod holder into the water and even a duck tangled in the line! Taking into account the water conditions and the structure will help eliminate many of these pitfalls. Grim Reaper of Fish or Fishermen? Before reaching for a Dead Rod, make sure boat control is not an issue. Wind pushing the boat into shallower or deeper water requires constant line adjustment to the Dead Rod. The wind can also make keeping a consistent speed difficult, moving the bait up and down the water column. Making constant position corrections with the boat can create a pendulum effect with the front and back of the boat just crying out for the line to get caught in a propeller. Simply put, if the boat’s speed and position can’t be controlled, then the placement of the Dead Rods presentation can’t be controlled either. Some structure or bottom content is more Dead Rod friendly than others. Obviously, snags and debris in the form of submerged timber, rocks, and weeds create problems. A Dead Rod can be used in these situations by raising the presentation above the snags as long as the snags are uniform in height; but sooner or later they seem to jump up and grab your rig. Working up and down steep contours or drop offs requires continuous depth adjustment to the baits presentation. With the Dead Rod set at one depth, it could be dragging bottom one minute and 10 feet above the bottom the next. Large sand, mud, or gravel flats are ideal for using a Dead Rod especially when drifting. Drifting usually allows for the boat to be turned so that all the lines are positioned on the same side of the boat. In this situation, the Dead Rod can be placed close by and always visible, thus making adjusting the line and detecting strikes much easier. Often times, fish will prefer the Dead Rod’s action created by the rocking motion of the waves. The Set Up The unattended or out of sight Dead Rod is the culprit of many Dead Rod mishaps. To reduce missed bites, dragging around weeds/debris, or fishing with out any bait all day, set the Dead Rod on the same side of the boat as the rod that is being held. Sure, the line spread is reduced, but this can be an advantage with two different presentations going over the same fish a preference in presentation may become apparent. This way the rod is in your line of vision allowing for early detection of strikes and snags. Doing so reduces diverting your attention by the constant twisting and turning that goes on trying to monitor both sides of the boat. Not to mention the constant mental distraction of wondering, “Is the bait still on the hook?” or “Did I have a bite?” An 8’6” bait cast rod with a soft tip (Steelhead Rod) spreads out the presentation. The soft tip telegraphs every little change in bottom content. The rod tip will visually have cadence or rhythm. Any change in that rhythm is an alert that something has changed. The combination of the rod’s soft tip and the stretch of monofilament line buys you some extra time to react to a bite while placing minimal pressure on the fish. A bait cast reel with a flipping switch is a must. The flipping switch allows for letting line out with one hand while continuing to fish with the other hand. It’s fast and most importantly, the rod your holding is still fishing. Unlike, the “ole’ upside down spin cast reel in the rod holder trick,” the bait cast reel is upright and in position to set the hook. No more rumblin’, stumblin’, and bumblin’! An extension for rod holders has some advantages. When you are standing, the extension reduces the distance and angle of reaching for the Dead Rod. This will decrease the amount of time and effort it takes to both put in and pull the rod out of the rod holder. The Dead Rod = Versatility Yes, two rods can cover more water than one but the real advantage of the Dead Rod is versatility. The Dead Rod allows for experimentation with different baits, tackle combinations, and colors that are different from the rod being held. Cover more than one depth by setting the Dead Rod higher up in the water column or imparting a different action to the bait by dragging it along the bottom using the waves to create its motion. The Dead Rod can be a time saver by enabling you to work two depths and two techniques at once. One of the most effective techniques is casting crank baits to shallow water cover or shoreline. To do this, position the boat on the break line and place the Dead Rod in the rod holder using live bait or jig/plastic. While the rod casting crank baits is covering the distance from the shoreline to the boat, the Dead Rod is covering the break line. Simultaneously, covering two parts of the structure while using two different techniques. The Grateful Dead The next time you are out on the water and find yourself reaching for a Dead Rod take a minute and determine: Can I effectively control the boat? Is the bottom content or structure conducive to this technique? Do I have the right equipment? Can I fish two rods with ease? If your answer is “Yes” then pull out your friend because in this situation the Dead Rod can be pardon the pun, deadly. Author Matt Walsh is from South Dakota and owner/operator of The Walleye Wrangler Guide Service (www.walleyewrangler. com -PH 605.359.8699). |
| When used properly the Dead Rod approach can be, well- deadly. Photo courtesy of The Walleye Wrangler Guide Service. |