Balanced Tackle
"Balanced Tackle" is a term not many people may have heard of, but put simply, it refers to a balanced outfit, where the line braking strain, the rod, the reel, the sinker or lure weight and the hook size all suit one another.
When an outfit is balanced, every part of the setup works at its most effective and efficient level, and the angler can largely ignore the gear and concentrate on just fishing. On the other hand, an unbalanced rig has the user constantly battling to stay in control. If you're fighting with equipment, you can't give your full attention to catching fish.
Outlined below are the most common sources of tackle imbalance. By reading thru the symptoms, you should be able to find the cause of your particular problem and cure it before the results become to severe.
| Symptoms | Cause | Result |
| The rod doesn't bend much, even when a large fish is hooked. Casts are generally a little short and erratic. Many bites are missed. | Rod is too heavy or the line is too light. | Increased risk of breaking the line on the fish. Lack of "feel" when hooking a fish. Reduced casting range and accuracy. |
| The rod bends alarmingly on even small fish. Casts are erratic, being often high and short, with the sinker sometimes breaking off. | The rod is too light or the line is too heavy. | Too much "give" reduces the control one has over a hooked fish and makes lifting them very difficult. In extreme cases, the rod may break on a big fish or a snag. |
| Outfit feels tip heavy and tends to droop down towards the water when held lightly in one hand. The line level on the reel reduces rapidly after a few tangles or bust offs. Many bites are missed. | The reel is too small. | Lack of sensitivity when hooking a fish. Onset of angler fatigue from fighting tip heaviness. In extreme cases,there may not be enough line on the reel to fight a big fish that runs hard. |
| Outfit is butt-heavy and swings up at the tip when held lightly. The reel takes on much more line to fill than what is usually needed. | The reel is too big. | Some loss of sensitivity and some angler fatigue, although not as bad as with a tip-heavy outfit. Expensive to fill a reel because of the excessive length of line needed. |
| Casts are high and short. Sinkers and lures sometimes snap off during the cast. | Casting weight is too heavy. | Reduced casting range, loss of sinkers and lures, cut fingers when using a spinning reel. In extreme cases, the rod may snap near the tip. |
| Casts are short with little accuracy. | Casting weight is too light. | Casting range and accuracy seriously handicapped. |
| Many fish lost during the fight, especially when attempting to turn or lift the fish. Hooks sometimes straightened or broken. | Hooks too small for the rod and line. | Line and/or rod is too strong for the hook. This can cause the hook to be torn out of the fish's mouth, become straighten or are broken. |
| Many bites are missed. Fish are often dropped during the fight. | Hooks too big for the rod and line. | Line and/or rod are unable to properly set the hook. Barb is often not set in and the fish are able to shake the point free while reeling in the fish. |
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