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You don't need any badges to use Rock Smash outside battle. As for Fishing Rods, if you're getting the "..." animation above your head when using the Fishing Rod, it's working properly. It may take some time to encounter an actual Pokemon, though, so keep using the Rod until a battle window pops up.
You don't need the 4th badge to use rods. They work fine without it as I was using the water in Ecruteak to train before the gym.
This is correct, you don't need any badges to use Fishing Rods in Kanto or Johto. However, you do need five badges to use a Fishing Rod in Hoenn, which is where the confusion may have arisen from. :)
thank you
I thought rod wasn't working because a I didn't fish anything in some tries.