I’m a United States Coast Guard–certified master captain, and I have been fishing since I could walk. I grew up working on charter boats in and around Long Island Sound, and reliable fishing gear has been paramount not only to my profession but also to my life.
- I tested 18 rods (and 14 reels for the companion guide to this, which is coming soon) from the respective places for which they were designed: beaches, rocks, boats, and riverbanks, spanning from tiny Catskill-mountain streams to New York City’s East River, and New Zealand river mouths to Caribbean grass flats.
- To supplement my own expertise, I enlisted the help of veteran New York City–based light-tackle charter Captain John McMurray; “Extreme Field Tester,” seminar speaker, repeated International Game Fish Association record holder ”Crazy” Alberto Knie, who is revered as one of the best freshwater and inshore anglers fishing from shore on the East Coast, and puts gear through “excruciating” tests up and down the coast. I also consulted Anglers Journal editor-in-chief Charlie Levine on the ideal spinning-rod-and-reel setup for a casual angler.
- Throughout all iterations of this guide, I have also consulted exhaustive spinning-reel reviewer Alan Hawk, who pointed me toward our all-around recommendation.
- Apart from consulting the notables above, I enlisted expertise, field-testing assistance, and other input from within a wide circle of other fishing acquaintances including other charter captains, editors, and amateur rod builders.
- And I took legacy into account: Certain models have withstood the better part of a decade of testing, surviving several unforgiving households and certain sets of hands.
- Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.