Fishing rod strenght question ...

[pecheux]

Hi Y'awl,

I several (5) Berkley Cherrywood fishing rods. (yes I like em) and comparing 2 of them, one 7" Medium action and another 6.5" also medium action, both recommended for up to 12 pounds gauge mono ... the longer one is also bigger in diameter size.

Do I then presume they are similar in strenght in pulling a fish out of the water ? Or is the bigger one stronger ?

In terms of ... Is it diameter or the Medium action qualification that counts ?

Tx

 

[mars bar]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

OK Frenchie, What type of fishing are you doing? Just remember a 5 lb bass doesnt pull 5 lbs under water. I like to go the lightest I can because isn't that why we fish, For the fight. Sorry about the Frenchie But all my friends are called that, as I'm called "wooden head" I would think that the tip section of a longer rod would be more sensitive to a light bite as in Pickerel (walleye). A bass would smash a lure, so it wouldn't matter which rod you used. Just remember one thing ... a light bite... sensitive, longer rod, a hard bite short and stiff rod.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

....Do I then presume they are similar in strength in pulling a fish out of the water ? Or is the bigger one stronger ?.....In terms of ... Is it diameter or the Medium action qualification that counts ?

The term "action" is often misused interchangeably with "power." Action is how "fast" the tip is- the stiffer the tip, the faster the action. Power, on the other hand, has to do with the overall backbone of the rod. Lower end rods (yes, I like the Cherrywood rod I have, too, but it is still a lower-end rod) don't always list power as separate from action but will say medium or light or heavy and a lure weight range and leave it at that.

Anyway, IMHO nets are for pulling fish out of the water- a heavy rod may have a lot of backbone, but it is for hooksetting and playing the fish, not lifting them.

My 2C

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

Mark is correct on the power part but I have to chime in on the action. The softer the tip, the faster it is. Take a fast action and an extra fast action rod, feel the stiffness of the rod tip section, whip the tip rapidly by moving your wrist up and down. You'll will see that the softer tip one moves faster. If they are the same power and action then they're the exact same thing except for length. You'll want to use the longer rod for casting distance and the shorter one for accuracy. A medium power rod is use with lures that the fish basically hook themselve, i.e crankbait, spinnerbait, top water, rig with circle hook. A heavy or medium heavy is needed if you're going to be setting the hook hard, i.e worm, jig. Power designation has nothing to do with strength.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

Mark is correct on the power part but I have to chime in on the action. The softer the tip, the faster it is. Take a fast action and an extra fast action rod, feel the stiffness of the rod tip section, whip the tip rapidly by moving your wrist up and down. You'll will see that the softer tip one moves faster.

The action of a rod has nothing to do with tip speed. It's all about the point where the rod starts to deflect under load.

There is nothing "soft" about an extra fast action rod. There is certainly no whip in one. If a customer comes in and request that I build him a extra fast action rod the last thing he wants is a soft, whippy tip. It should be stiff all the way to the tip without a load.

Generally speaking, the power rating relates to a rods back bone. The action relates to where the back bone of the rods begins. The faster the action, the closer to the tip the back bone begins.

The diameter can affect both the action and power of a rod but.....a larger diameter doesn?t necessarily mean a heavier power or a faster action. It depends on the materials used and the design of the blank.

 

[fishon13]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

I also use the berkley cherry woods, I have 4 in total 2 6'5" and 2 7' that I run fluggers on with 4lb test line for a cheap rod you get what you pay for. Just this season alone I've returned 4 all broken, one into three pieces. I would never (again) use these rods to pull a fish into the boat. I broke two with 4lb test trying to lift fish into the boat. For fresh water I think you should use whats comfortable to you, and best balances your rod reel combo. In fresh water I look at a rod as disposable for salt water on the other hand there's only two types of rods I use star custum and a couple of bill boyd tarpon customs with ambassador 9000. My dad gave the latter ones to me as soon as I was able to cast. He used them for five years prior to me getting them so there at least 30 years old. In april I caught a 7' sand tigger shark in obx on the 9000 with 45lbs test, the reason I mention this is in fresh water you can pretty much know what size fish your going to catch so thats why I think its more a comfort and type of fish your targeting issue than strength. When in salt even if your targeting snapper the size range of fish can be dramatic. So to make a short story long buy a net.

 

[pecheux]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

The term "action" is often misused interchangeably with "power." Action is how "fast" the tip is- the stiffer the tip, the faster the action. Power, on the other hand, has to do with the overall backbone of the rod. Lower end rods (yes, I like the Cherrywood rod I have, too, but it is still a lower-end rod) don't always list power as separate from action but will say medium or light or heavy and a lure weight range and leave it at that.

Anyway, IMHO nets are for pulling fish out of the water- a heavy rod may have a lot of backbone, but it is for hooksetting and playing the fish, not lifting them.

My 2C

I simply phrased it wrong ... I meant rod strenght comparison in pulling a fish towards the boat ... I do have a net .. LOL Sorry I mislead you.

 

[pecheux]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

I also use the berkley cherry woods, I have 4 in total 2 6'5" and 2 7' that I run fluggers on with 4lb test line for a cheap rod you get what you pay for. Just this season alone I've returned 4 all broken, one into three pieces. I would never (again) use these rods to pull a fish into the boat. I broke two with 4lb test trying to lift fish into the boat. For fresh water I think you should use whats comfortable to you, and best balances your rod reel combo. In fresh water I look at a rod as disposable for salt water on the other hand there's only two types of rods I use star custum and a couple of bill boyd tarpon customs with ambassador 9000. My dad gave the latter ones to me as soon as I was able to cast. He used them for five years prior to me getting them so there at least 30 years old. In april I caught a 7' sand tigger shark in obx on the 9000 with 45lbs test, the reason I mention this is in fresh water you can pretty much know what size fish your going to catch so thats why I think its more a comfort and type of fish your targeting issue than strength. When in salt even if your targeting snapper the size range of fish can be dramatic. So to make a short story long buy a net.

Well I dont have no Dad giving me fishing rods .. I'm the Dad ... LOL I might have been lucky but have been using those Cherrywood for years without any breaking on me ... but then the biggest fish I've caught with the 7" rod was 28 inches Walleye and 32 inches pike and 22 inches snapper ... so I guess it was not put to the test. I do use a net ... I was questioning a comparison between 2 different lenght rods that had the same "medium action. Seems Action has little to do with the rod backbone.

Tx

 

[pecheux]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

The action of a rod has nothing to do with tip speed. It's all about the point where the rod starts to deflect under load.

There is nothing "soft" about an extra fast action rod. There is certainly no whip in one. If a customer comes in and request that I build him a extra fast action rod the last thing he wants is a soft, whippy tip. It should be stiff all the way to the tip without a load.

Generally speaking, the power rating relates to a rods back bone. The action relates to where the back bone of the rods begins. The faster the action, the closer to the tip the back bone begins.

The diameter can affect both the action and power of a rod but.....a larger diameter doesn?t necessarily mean a heavier power or a faster action. It depends on the materials used and the design of the blank.

I guess I had it all wrong comparing ACTION with Back bone of a fishing rod. Thank you for the explanation.

 

[pecheux]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

The term "action" is often misused interchangeably with "power." Action is how "fast" the tip is- the stiffer the tip, the faster the action. Power, on the other hand, has to do with the overall backbone of the rod. Lower end rods (yes, I like the Cherrywood rod I have, too, but it is still a lower-end rod) don't always list power as separate from action but will say medium or light or heavy and a lure weight range and leave it at that.

Anyway, IMHO nets are for pulling fish out of the water- a heavy rod may have a lot of backbone, but it is for hooksetting and playing the fish, not lifting them.

My 2C

Thank you for detailing ... I was abviously on the wrong track thinking Action had anything to do with how solid the rod is ... My comparison question regarding 2 different rods was not clear.

 

[pecheux]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

OK Frenchie, What type of fishing are you doing? Just remember a 5 lb bass doesnt pull 5 lbs under water. I like to go the lightest I can because isn't that why we fish, For the fight. Sorry about the Frenchie But all my friends are called that, as I'm called "wooden head" I would think that the tip section of a longer rod would be more sensitive to a light bite as in Pickerel (walleye). A bass would smash a lure, so it wouldn't matter which rod you used. Just remember one thing ... a light bite... sensitive, longer rod, a hard bite short and stiff rod.

No offense ... all members of my family are "International" in residence and speech ... LOL I fish mainly for bass, pike, and walleye.

 

[John_S]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

This may help: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/rodselection.html

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

I'd be damn! I got the tip action backward all along. :redface:

Dingbat> can you build me something like a Daiwa Steez? would like a 6'6" worm/jig rod.

 

[pecheux]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

This may help: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/rodselection.html

This link says it all ... thank you

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

Thank you dingbat and imported_John. Your explanation and picture did a much better job saying what I meant than what I typed. There are now a bunch of more educated consumers.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

Now to learn why people pay $200 for a rod when my $10 cheapie has worked for years... If anything I would think multiple (different) rods would make fishing more difficult, as you have to memorize the qualities of each one.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

Gosh- I have fourteen rods and want a couple more! Those different "qualities" make different rods ideal for certain tasks. Most of my rods are lower to mid price point sticks, but they work. Many cheapies don't and I won't buy them.

Different purposes? For one, my favorite bottom bouncer rod is a Shimano "composite." Coupled with a mid-sized spinning reel, it actually transfers line-feel surprisingly well, and it's general softness provides good shock resistance since I use braided line to the bouncer with a mono leader. But it has early enough backbone that when you get a hit you can still put some pressure on the fish. But I don't like casting with it. My favorite to cast a lure, however, is another low-priced spinning rod- a 7' Quantum "Torsion" graphite with Shimano reel and 6# mono.

I don't think multiple rods makes fishing more difiicult- it makes it easier. Take the following three rods for example. My heavy 8' Okuma rod and line counter reel is a perfect leadcore set, while the 9'6" 'glass fly rod set in a big trolling handle with 20# braided and 6# mono leader makes a great streamer or crank trolling rod, and my cheapie 8' Berkely "Heavy" spinning rod does OK duty on bottom bouncing at speed but even better to hang a dipsey off of. But I wouldn't stream fish with any of these three. That is what my ultralight St Croix does well...

I don't have any $200 rods yet, but having held a few mid-one-hundreds St Croixs and a couple of other higher priced sticks, I can see they have their place. But at that price my 14 rods would be only four or five. That's an important point for me.

 

[nimmor]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

If anything I would think multiple (different) rods would make fishing more difficult, as you have to memorize the qualities of each one.[/QUOTE]

That is why several Pros like Rick Clunn have gone to one rod and reel. He fishes with say ten rods but they all have the same action and the same kind reel on them. But he is a power fisherman, uses fast moving baits and very little finese. It reduces his relearning curve from switching rods with differant actions. I have thought about it but it just wouldn't fit my style of fishing.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Fishing rod strenght question ...

I'm an avid surf fisherman. Water conditions, types of fish available to catch, weather varies constantly. I may be throwing a 1 oz jig to sea trout one minute and a school of 40 lb Jacks the next. Need to change from casting 1 oz to 6-8 oz. baits to the Jacks. One rods isn't going to do that.

I keep 6 rods on the truck. Most are built to throw in a very limited weight range typically, 1-2 oz. at most.

The average, custom built surf rod is right around $350. I have a couple pushing $500 pretty hard.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Fishing rod strength question ...

Re: Fishing rod strength question ...

If anything I would think multiple (different) rods would make fishing more difficult, as you have to memorize the qualities of each one.

That is why several Pros like Rick Clunn have gone to one rod and reel. He fishes with say ten rods but they all have the same action and the same kind reel on them.[/QUOTE]

I can see the advantage to that in certain kinds of disciplines. Bass fishing probably lends itself well to the single-rod approach. Casting-centric fishing probably would as well. But as a multi-species angler who primarily uses trolling techniques- even with bottom bouncers for Walleye- multiple rods become a necessity.

As a way to learn a discipline, however, limiting your rod to a single bait or your rods to a single stick can teach you (force you!) to learn how to work a particular lure well. Years ago I remember watching Babe Winkleman or Al Lindner (don't recall which) do a show discussing how they had spent the whole season fishing a single lure or bait no matter what the conditions as a way of forcing himself to learn how to "make" a lure produce in all situations, and not just in the one or two ways he was good at. Another time I saw an article by someone who had done the same thing with an Original Rapala for trout, bass, northerns and walleye.

I have never been able to force myself to do that, but then again I don't make a living fishing or writing about fishing. Hmm...