Fishing rods come in all lengths, styles, weights, and actions! Guides can be made from agate, Teflon, stainless steel, and more. Some rods are one piece while others can be 2 or more sections. The handles can be cork or some other composite. Reel seats are ring slide ins to screwed and threaded secure bases. 
So, what part of the rod is the most sensitive? In truth, the most sensitive part of the rod are your hands that are holding it! A great rod transfers the sensations of feel and bites to your hands and arms. Feeling a bite, structure, or action of the lure or bait is essential in detecting rod sensations.
Great fishermen want to feel everything. When I do casting seminars and demonstrations, I talk about how the fishing rod is a lever. The longer the lever, the faster and stronger the rod. I then ash spectators how they can add 2 feet of length to their rod, so they can feel more, set the hook faster, cast further, and land larger fish. As they scratch their heads, I extend my arm in line with the rod.
Ta Dah, your 2-foot-long hand, and arm become part of the rod you are using. You can now feel more from every part of the fishing cast and bites. Your fingers are also important when feeling light bites. You may add the fingers of your other hand to lightly touch the line and wait for that soft bite.
The 2 feet longer rod now allows you to set the hook faster and more effectively. If the fish you just hooked is a pig, the 2-foot longer rod, extended over your head, is now more manageable and fun to catch. You will also find that extending your arm, to make the rod longer, will help you to land fish faster. This means, that for Catch and Release, the fish will have a better chance to survive, when released.
A quality fishing reel also is an important part of the rod, but this is for reeling the fish in, and allowing the drag to do its thing. A fly reel disc drag is the best choice. A smooth drag, on an extended spinning reel spool, makes for a better drag option. The drag is the most important part of a quality fishing reel.
Tight lines and Screaming Reels!
Montana Grant
