In the realm of fishing, rods can made from many materials such as bamboo to graphite/carbon fiber. The two most common rod materials being  graphite/carbon fiber and fiberglass. 

Carbon fiber (or graphite rods) rods are made up of graphite strands that are woven together into sheets, resin applied and then rolled on a mandrel under intense pressure . Depending on the quality of the fibers and construction method will actually, in my opinion, dictate the quality of the rod and its performance. As with anything, there are pros and cons associated with these rods.

Pros: Light weight, extremely sensitive, accurate casting ability and powerful.

Cons: They are brittle and rigid, just a little nick can potentially cause failure and they have a higher cost than other types of rods.

Fiberglass Rods or commonly called E-glass rods are made up of glass fibers woven into sheets, resin applied and then rolled on mandrels under pressure. Over the years, the process of making these rods have improved by leaps and bounds making them better and better. 

Pros: Least expensive of the rods, durable, rod flexibility, low maintenance and are relatively light weight.

Cons: low sensitivity, lower power, least accurate when it comes to casting. 

 Composite rods are a combination of carbon fiber and fiberglass or other fibers depending on the manufacture and the rod's design. They cost more than fiber glass rods but less than carbon fiber rods. The rods action is generally determined by how far down the fiber glass goes before meeting the carbon fiber. 

Pros: Versatile, durable, more sensitive than fiberglass, less expensive than carbon fiber rods, lighter than a fiberglass rod.

Cons: Not as sensitive as carbon fiber rods, more expensive than fiberglass, heavier than carbon fiber rods.

Rod Rating

The line rating is put here as more of a reference (along with the lure weight) to  the rod's power. To light of a line and it could break the line prematurely and to heavy of a line could break the rod. That's why using the correctly rated line with the rod is important.

The Lure rating (represented in grams or ounces) represents the weight of the lure the rod can cast efficiently. To light of a lure results in a short cast because it couldn't load the rod properly. To heavy of a lure results in a slow cast because the load is more than what the rod can efficiently handle (or is rated for) and it could potentially cause the rod to break prematurely.

Rod Power  referrers to the rods ability to handle weight or load and is most commonly referred to as the back bone of the rod. In a more specific term, it is the amount of weight needed to bend the rod to its rating. To put it simply, the heavier the rod's power rating, the bigger the fish it can handle.

Rod Action is actually the speed at which the rod returns to its normal state from a loaded state. The load being the pressure applied to the tip causing it to bend and the normal state being the rod at rest, not under any load. Some rods are known to have a parabolic bend which means it has uniform bend from tip to butt which commonly referred to as a slow rod. Fast action rods are very responsive and are great for hook sets since the hook sets under the action of the rod and slower rods are good for working certain lures.