Understanding rods

Started by sharkman, June 14, 2019, 08:25:52 PM

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Rivverrat

Quote from: oc1 on June 15, 2019, 07:54:12 PM
   In the age of spectra it gets even more confusing....  
-steve

  A lot of them like St. Croix  list heavier spectra line for a rod rating vs what the same rod is rated for mono. I asked St. Croix about this & came away assured of one thing, no one there that I talked to knew either... Jeff


oc1

So if you exceed the line rating is the rod going to break?  I don't think so.  As the pressure/pull increases, a well made rod held perpendicular to the fish will continue transferring power to lower portions of the rod (nearer to the butt).  At the same time the tip straightens out and points to the fish so it will not break.  The fisherman, much less the line, is not capable of breaking a well made blank a few feet from the butt.  The material is just too strong down there.  High-sticking negates the transfer of power to the butt and is about the only way to break the rod.

So, if the line rating does not reflect the breaking point of the rod, then what is it?  Is, for example, 10-15 pound just the line weight that most people would use on that type of rod?  Well, the guy who may have used 10-15 pound mono in the old days is getting the better performance from 20-30 pound spectra now.  He still used a 10-15 pound rod though.

It makes no sense.
-steve

Newell Nut

The only rod that I have broken is a St Croix 50-100 musky blank. Tech support told me all the musky guys used 28 lb of drag on that rod. I set my Newell at 20 lb and 5 seconds into a big red snapper and it exploded about 3 inches above the fore grip. They replaced it with one of their high end offshore spinning rod blanks. This thing is a beast and I would never put a spinner on a rod like that. I have never built anything out of it yet and I have tried to break here at the house. It is extremely strong but I have so many Hercules Seekers that it just sits in the plastic. One day I will build a bottom rod out of it. I do not think a fish can break that blank.

Dwight

Benni3

I had a cedros rod I think it was 40lb to 80lb ,,musky,,very nice,,,  ;) but it was not braid friendly,,,, :D so I gave it to a friend,,,,, ;D

jurelometer

#19
Quote from: oc1 on June 17, 2019, 06:45:22 AM
So if you exceed the line rating is the rod going to break?  I don't think so.  As the pressure/pull increases, a well made rod held perpendicular to the fish will continue transferring power to lower portions of the rod (nearer to the butt).  At the same time the tip straightens out and points to the fish so it will not break.  The fisherman, much less the line, is not capable of breaking a well made blank a few feet from the butt.  The material is just too strong down there.  High-sticking negates the transfer of power to the butt and is about the only way to break the rod.

So, if the line rating does not reflect the breaking point of the rod, then what is it?  Is, for example, 10-15 pound just the line weight that most people would use on that type of rod?  Well, the guy who may have used 10-15 pound mono in the old days is getting the better performance from 20-30 pound spectra now.  He still used a 10-15 pound rod though.

It makes no sense.
-steve

The combination of lure weight and line ratings are derived from the power of the rod (amount of force required to bend it).   So somebody that casts 1-3 oz plugs to  muskie with 12-20 lb  mono should find that a "muskie" rod with a rating in this range to be  about the  the right power.   If the same rod is used for the same fishing with the same lures, but now with braid,  the braid used is typically a  higher test than the mono.   The rod works about the same as before, and is still probably as much the right rod for the job as it was with the lighter test mono. 

So I think the rating "system" sort of makes sense, but agree that an entirely rational interpretation of the ratings can lead to choosing the wrong rod.  A freshwater graphite  casting rod rated for 50lb braid has a very good chance of blowing up if you set the drag to 18 lbs and set the hook on a 30 lb  yellowfin.  But a saltwater  jig stick  rated at 50 lbs.  should  handle this just fine.

Quote from: Newell Nut on June 17, 2019, 10:58:38 PM
The only rod that I have broken is a St Croix 50-100 musky blank. Tech support told me all the musky guys used 28 lb of drag on that rod.  [snip...]

28 lbs?  gotta love those muskie guys.  If they really used that much force, there would be a lot of shallow water muskies getting airborne on the hookset.  :D

-J

oldmanjoe

  I think the line weight rating is just a guide for the size guides and layout that the blank was setup for with a few reels in mind .
   If you play around with a rod guide calculator ,you will see how it changes .
     For the spinning rods that i have played with , there is a big difference .
    Here is one of the calculator that i use for starting points.   
     http://anglersresource.net/KRGPS.aspx
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Lowprofile

Those are California ratings.

Steelhead, sturgeon and halibut all run about the same size (5-30lbs) and you want a soft tip and typically use 12-15lb line from a boat. I'm guessing it's 8ft because that's standard length for kayaks and outboards.

sharkman

What size weights do you use?