The handle is also called a grip and is where you hold the rod. The butt it the thick part of your rod closest to the handle. The tip is the most flexible part of the rod and is located at the very top of the rod. Guides are the rings that go all along the rod that guide your fishing line.

If your rod is not coming together, stop immediately. Look at the instructions. Is there a locking mechanism of any sort you’re missing? If you force the rod together, you risk damaging it permanently. On most rods you will need to rotate the pieces together. Do this by holding the female ferrule and rotating the male piece while they are adjoined. [4] X Research source This will lock in your rod.

Be cautious not to over tighten the reel. If you force the threading to turn past what it is built for, it can crack and ruin the rod. [6] X Research source Remember with threading that right is tight and left is loose. When looking at your rod from the back end, threading right will tighten it. In other words, rotating clockwise will tighten the thread, while rotating counter-clockwise will loosen it.

Use caution here. If the bale does not lift easily, you may be looking at the wrong piece. You should never have to strong-arm your bale up. Check that the spool of line unwinds the same direction as the reel turns. If they do not match, you’ll have unnecessary twists and knots. If they are not the same direction, simple flip the spool to have the directions match. [8] X Research source

Test the direction of the spool again by reeling in a small amount of line. If the reel does not rotate the same direction as the spool you’ll need to start over after fixing the direction of the spool. [10] X Research source

If you’re looking for an all-purpose lure, try a spinner. A spinner is a metal piece that will spin in the water as it moves. This attracts a lot of attention and should be used in a particularly difficult-to-catch location. [15] X Research source

Since fishing line is so difficult to see, it is often recommend that you practice knot tying with string or shoelaces.

To correctly wind the knot down, you may find you need to moisten the line. This can be done by moistening your fingertips with saliva and running the line over your finger. [22] X Research source