I've Heard About Acid Rain, Acid Reflux and Acid Wash, But Acid Fishing Rods?

Until two nights ago, I never had heard the term "acid rod" even mentioned. Then, while talking to my boat-mechanic buddy, he raised the issue. Not only did he talk about it, he showed me what one of the rods looks like, and even went on to say he uses it regularly for his froggin'.

Turns out that an acid or "spiral wrapped" rod is a conventional or casting rod with guides that start out on top of the blank, then rotate around the rod, leaving the final guides and tip under the blank (see photo above). To me, it looks like one of those old two-piece rods like I used to buy occasionally, and nearly every time you'd check the alignment of the guides, you'd find they wouldn't match up right. It was that annoyance that drove me away from buying any more two-piece rods in recent years.

In a nutshell, this guide placement reduces torque, allowing you to fight larger fish on lighter tackle with less fatigue. In the words of one author, "I'd go so far as to say that acid-wrapped rods represent the greatest innovation to fishing since the invention of the reel."

Acid-wrapped rod design allows for a lighter build, with better overall balance and weight distribution throughout the blank, resulting in more power and sensitivity. In short, the design makes it possible to design a conventional rod that performs and handles like a spinning rod.

With spinning rods having a "bottom guide" design (guides are located on the bottom side of the blank), fewer guides are required, which means they can be spaced farther apart from one another to maximize the blank's potential. The result is a lightweight, yet powerful, balanced rod.

A typical "top guide" conventional rod (with guides resting on top of the blank), on the other hand, requires a greater number of stronger, taller guides placed closer together to achieve the same potential. Subsequently, however, the rod becomes inherently heavier and stiffer.

More weight equals more fatigue on the user, resulting in less fishing time. While you may not think a few guides make a difference, ask someone who's into jigging, and they will tell you a few grams can make all the difference in the world when working a rod for hours on end. A good fisherman always is looking for a slight edge over the next guy and having less weight creates a clear advantage. The less you need to think or worry about your gear, the more you can focus on the task at hand: landing more fish.

When you're fishing with a top-guide conventional rod, torque is being applied to the reel seat and the tip of the rod when it's under a load. This torque forces an angler to tightly grip the rod to prevent it from twisting or rolling over your hand, resulting in more fatigue. The industry standard to correct this issue is to add more guides to reduce this twisting motion. With acid wrap, the line seamlessly is transferred to the bottom side of the blank, which eliminates the torque on both the reel seat and the rod tip. The result is a more balanced and evenly distributed weight-management system when under a load. The guides rolling over and managing the line from underneath the blank stops the rod itself from trying to roll over, stopping the need to fight your gear and letting you concentrate on fighting fish.

Another factor that inhibits balance on a standard conventional setup is that your reel naturally is heavier on the cranking side (handle side). This imbalance becomes more dramatic while under a load, causing even more instability, which cannot be eliminated from a conventional reel. However, it can be compensated for in the spiral-rod design.

The spiral always should twist away from your cranking hand, causing the rod to balance out when under a load. As the fish applies slightly heavier pressure to the side, the guides are twisting, and you're naturally applying pressure to the side you're cranking on. The outcome is an almost perfect balance. Without the need to focus on balancing your rod, your mind and body can focus on balancing more important tasks. The end result will be better quick decision-making, which ultimately makes you a better player.

Another issue caused by lack of balance related to standard conventional rods is when an angler tries to "crossover" or "roll" the line to the side of the rod that the fish is swimming on, in an attempt to stay in contact with it. This is a natural reaction and one that causes a lot of unwanted wear and tear on your equipment. As a fish repeatedly darts left or right, this motion creates friction between your guides and line, which can result in equipment failure. The transfer of the line to the bottom of the blank minimizes the friction caused by a crossover, resulting in less equipment wear.

Together, these factors lead to a better all-around fishing experience. A lighter design, with no torque and precision balance, means a conventional rod that performs and handles like a spinning rod. The weight distribution allows for a lighter, more sensitive tip, with a strong backbone for heavy lifting. This design allows manufacturers to build rods that have the power to take down giants and enough sensitivity to feel even the slightest hit.

People who make acid-wrapped rods have a warning for those who would laugh at the guy next to them with the goofy, unorthodox rod. "Know this," they say, "the battle to gain any competitive advantage over your adversary in an environment that is unforgiving to mistakes is a battle of inches, and that guy with the goofy-looking rod is starting miles ahead of you."