• 12 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Fishing Rod

A two-piece spinning rod, whole and in close-up at each end.

Parts of a Fishing Rod

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
More options

Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Handle (grip)
  2. Reel seat
  3. Blank
  4. Guides
  5. Tip-top
  6. Butt cap
  7. Hook keeper
  8. Stripping guide
  9. Windings (wraps)
  10. Ferrule
  11. Butt section
  12. Tip section

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the hook on the end of the line

All 12 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 6 main parts 6

  1. Handle (grip) Where you hold the rod; usually cork or foam.
  2. Reel seat Where the reel's foot is locked onto the rod.
  3. Blank The rod's body, usually graphite, fibreglass or a mix.
  4. Guides Rings that lead the line along the rod.
  5. Tip-top The last guide, fixed on the rod's very end.
  6. Butt cap The end cap nearest your body. You can brace it when fighting a fish.

The whole rod 3

  1. Ferrule The joint where the pieces of a two-piece rod fit together.
  2. Butt section The thick, stiff lower part of the blank, next to the handle.
  3. Tip section The thin, flexible upper part of the rod that shows a bite.

The handle end 2

  1. Hook keeper A small loop to hook the lure on when not casting.
  2. Stripping guide The first and largest guide, nearest the reel.

The tip end 1

  1. Windings (wraps) Thread wrapped round the guide feet to hold them on the blank.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. (1) Wikipedia, Fishing rod, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_rod : butt, midsection and tip; the handle and grips of cork, wood or cane; reel seats; hollow blanks; line guides; the stripping guide (the single large guide on fly rods); ferrules joining multi-piece rods. (2) Academy Sports + Outdoors, Parts of a fishing rod, https://www.academy.com/expert-advice/parts-of-a-fishing-rod : tip top, tip, butt, blank (or shaft), handle, guides and the wraps that secure them, ferrules, hook keeper, reel seat, butt cap. (3) Master Fishing Mag, Parts of a fishing rod, https://masterfishingmag.com/parts-of-a-fishing-rod/ : blank, tip and tip top, guides and the stripper guide, windings and wraps, ferrules, hook keeper, reel seat, handle and grip, butt and butt cap. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a fishing rod, or fishing pole, on one two-piece spinning rod: the whole rod, then close-ups of the handle end and the tip end. Start with the 6 main parts.

Read the full guide

The handle end

The butt cap closes the end you hold. The handle's grips sit either side of the reel seat, where the reel locks on. Just past the handle are the hook keeper and the stripping guide, the first and largest guide.

Along the blank

The blank is thick and stiff at the butt, thin and flexible at the tip. On a two-piece rod the ferrule joins the pieces. Guides, held on by thread windings, lead the line to the tip-top on the very end.

  • Only rods of more than one piece have a ferrule; a one-piece rod runs straight from handle to tip-top.

Questions and answers

What are the rings on a fishing rod called?

Guides. The first and largest, nearest the reel, is the stripping guide, and the last one, on the very end, is the tip-top.

What is the hook keeper on a fishing rod?

A small loop just above the handle where you hook your lure or hook when you are not casting.

What is a ferrule on a fishing rod?

The joint where the pieces of a two-piece or multi-piece rod fit together.

More quizzes

Show 7 more

Browse Science Quizzes