First, and most importantly, saltwater fishing gear have all their metal parts specially treated, so they will resist corrosion better than their non treated counterparts.

Sea water fishing rods and reels tend to be heavier and more durable than fresh water fishing gear as well. In spite of this, if you are just beginning to attempt saltwater fishing, and you don't want to invest in saltwater equipment just yet, you really could use your heavier duty freshwater gear, provided you meticulously clean it when you are finished, in order to prevent damage in the future.

In the past, rods really were nothing more than a mechanism from which to drop a hook into the water, so you could pull in a fish when it took your bait. Now, the more sophisticated mechanisms are complex tools to help you cast farther and more accurately.

The average length is about ten feet, but rods are available from two to twenty feet in length. Generally speaking, the longer the reel, the better your advantage is when it comes to casting great distances as well as helping to set the hook and making it easier to reel in the fish.

Rods generally have guides and wire loops to help your line travel from the reel outwards and allowing it to be easily retrieved after the cast or when reeling a fish in.

When fishing for a type of fish where there is a lot of casting and retrieving your line, you might want to consider a spin cast rod. Conventional spinning rods are better when fishing for the larger types of fish such as shark or tuna, Surfcasting rods are very massive and quite long. They are constructed very heavily to facilitate casting a huge weight a long distance and getting it out there where the big fish are! Fly fishing rods are being used more and more in salt water to cast streamers. They are very thin and flexible.

Saltwater fishing rod grips are the part of the rod you hold onto. They may be made of rubber, or foam, and on the really good models, they are usually made of cork.

Basically speaking, fishing reels are for storing deploying and retrieving your bait, hook, and line. They use mechanical technology to make it easier for fishermen to handle large and strong fish. They utilize a drag system to make it easier to control the fish and to reel the line in once a fish is on your line.

Spinning reels are probably the easiest to use. If you are fishing for anything less than the big saltwater fish, they should work well for you. They have a line spool that is fixed in place on the bottom of the rod. They are the best choice for light tackle and particularly good for beginning fishermen.

Spin Cast Reels reduce line twisting and tangling that sometimes happens when you use a traditional spinning reel.