RAIL RODS?

[LTM]

Bryan,

What defines a rail rod and what lengths do you recommend for 40#, 60#, 80/100#?

Leo

[Bryan Young]

Leo,

I know little about rail rods except they are made so that you rest the rod on the rail and this will allow you to use our weight to push the butt end of the rod down while pulling the fish up.  I've watched a few videos, but other than that, rail rods are new to me.  Sorry, I cannot help, but there are a lot of long range fisherman here that would be able to provide additional information.

Bryan

[Nessie Hunter]

I have seen Plates that you can affix to a Rod that allows you to use the rail without so much damage & pressure on the Rod...

Edit;
Just googled Rail rods,  amazing what you can learn.   
Lots of info I wasnt aware of..   

[JGB]

Leo,
Rail rod is by definition a rod designed to be placed on the rail of a long range boat (the rails are high enough).
they are build so that you can get significant leverage by placing your body weight on the butt of the rod. Many have developed techniques like sitting on the rod, straddling the rod, leg over the rod or simply rod under your arm pit while kneeling. In order for this all to work the rods are extremely stiff in the butt and very stiff in the mid section.A stand up rod generally has more parabolic flex through the mid section. If a parabolic rod is used on the rail it will tend to bend too much in the mid section making it difficult to gain line. The final thought on the rail rods is that they are designed to be placed on the rail (fore grip area) and not break under very heavy bending pressure. One of the issues with rail rods is the fore grips take a beating and can be shreaded afer only one fish.

Jim N.

[LTM]

Thanx Guys,

I appreciate your contributions and details.  Id been interested in the rail rod concept for a little while now since I injured my lower back; even used the straddling the rod technique with suprising success (Calstar 6465H).  With my back sensitivity/limitations Im very interested in something for the 40# to 60# class.  I was wondering what rod lengths are use for these rods as well as material (glass or composite)?

Jim: I suspected that the mid section of the rod must be reinforced to some extent to withstand the bulk of the pressure from resting on the rail as well as a faster taper than parabolic.  And thanx for mentioning the abuse to the hypalon on the foregrip.

Leo

[Jim]

40-60#  class you'll want at least 7ft.
Graphite composites rule the roost now, and most guys cover the foregrip with a hot shrink wrap called X wrap, or a product called '3M Cold shrink'. Both are replacable if they get torn. There is a rod builder named "Saltydawg" who makes rods with a great foregrip for railing. I had him build my latest . . . awesome.

[JGB]

Leo,

The going trend (kind of) is to go to what I call very long rods (8-9 feet) with a soft tip section. This is to get the bait way out there and get the fish that are out of reach of everyone else. For me I just can't see battling a large fish (100# +) on such a long rod. I would get beat up. Also now days you will often have to deal with a kite line 10-12 feet over your head. It's bad enough trying to cast with a 7' rod and keep it under the kite.
BTW Most fore grips these days will hold up for 30-50# leader fishing.

I fish mostly 30-40# for everything and I tend to use finesse techniques for YFT in the 65-125# range.
My personal preference is 7' railable rods with a fast tip that is slightly parabolic in the top 40% of the rod. The concept is a soft tip to make casting 1 oz sardines easy and the rod will fish with an effective length of around 5.5' with a full bend in it. This is to make it easier to leverage the fish while still having enough length to move the fish around when coming to gaff. This all comes at a cost $$ since this usually requires a graphite composit. I will be trying a set of New Makaira offshore rods  for 30-50# in about 10 days to see if they cut the mustard. If they hold up they will be a great value at $180 each. Seems a little silly to match a $475 reel on a $180 rod. I have a hard time justifying $500 for a Phoenix hybrid at this time. There will be a few on this trip to check out.

Have fun,
Jim N.

[redsetta]

For me I just can't see battling a large fish (100# +) on such a long rod. I would get beat up.

x2 - that's been my experience also...
Cheers, Justin

[Nessie Hunter]

http://www.peacetoken.com/rail-plate.html

[Westii]

I will be trying a set of New Makaira offshore rods  for 30-50# in about 10 days to see if they cut the mustard. If they hold up they will be a great value at $180 each. Seems a little silly to match a $475 reel on a $180 rod. I have a hard time justifying $500 for a Phoenix hybrid at this time. There will be a few on this trip to check out.

Have fun,
Jim N.

Jim,

How did the Makaira rods do?

[Keta]

For me I just can't see battling a large fish (100# +) on such a long rod. I would get beat up.

x2 - that's been my experience also...
Cheers, Justin

I have a 7' 150lb rail rod (Seeker 2x4 blank) that does not beat me up much more than my shorter rods when using the rail properly.  If I was going to do another it will be a Seeker 2x3 blank 130lb rod though, the 2x4 is too much for me at 140-145 pounds.

[elnath]

http://www.peacetoken.com/rail-plate.html

Using the lower rod section (versus using the foregrip) as the fulcrum point for a rod on the rail (as the Peacetoken plate does) seem like a really good way to turn a 1-piece rod into a 2-piece rod......

[SoCalAngler]

Leo I'm not sure some know what rail rods are so here are some examples.

Calstar Graphiter
GFGR 765XH 6.5' 7 FUJI CAST AFTCO 60-130 Heavy
GFGR 765XXH 6.5' 7 FUJI CAST AFTCO 80-130 Heavy
GFGR 765XXXH 6.5' 7 FUJI CAST AFTCO 80-UNLIMITED Heavy
GFGR 770H 7' 8 FUJI CAST AFTCO 50-80 Heavy
GFGR 770XH 7' 8 FUJI CAST AFTCO 60-120 Heavy
GFGR 770XXH 7' 8 FUJI CAST AFTCO 80-130 Heavy
GFGR 770XXXH 7' 8 FUJI CAST AFTCO 80-UNLIMITED Heavy

Seeker Rail Boss
RR50-6 1/2′ 6'6″ 40-60
RR60-6 1/2′ 6'6″ 50-80
RR80-6 1/2′ 6'6″ 60-100
RR100-6 1/2′ 6'6″ 80-OMG!

Super Seeker
NEW SS 1 x 3 -7'  SS-21x 4 7'  60 (80-100) 130
NEW SS 2 x 4 -7'  SS-2 x 4 7' 60 (100-130) 130
NEW SS 3 x 5 -7'  SS-3 x 5 7' unlimited

Do you see a common theme? All are from 6.5' to 7'.

With the Super Seeker line you see a 1 X 3, 2 X 4 and a 3 X 5. The rods are rated in kind of a way people familure with big game rods should understand.  Big game rods usualy come with a XH, XXH, XXXH and XXXXH rating depending on the line test used for the rod. With the SS rods a 1 X 3 means it has a tip rating of a XH rod and a butt section rating of a XXXH. The 2 X 4 has a tip of a XXH and butt of a XXXXH and so on. Hope this helps

[LTM]

Dominic/SoCal,

Thanx for the listing and clarification on Seekers coding/class. Well I hadnt visisted this thread since about June but evidently Im not the only one interested (over 1K views) so I thank you for all the rest.  Like Ive said before, you MUST be reading my mind with your timing and thanx again for your due-diligence for details.  I can now take the info you have given and apply "personal professional over-run" to it and figure-out what works best for me. I always look forward to your comments and posts.  Sal,  JGB, Justin, Dom, etc, etc I havent forgot about you guy at all (or Alan or Bryan) and appreciate all who contribute to make this site FANTASTIC for a fishing nut like myself.  I feel comfortable here.

Good fishing, peace and blessings Dominic and all,

Leo

PS Hope I didnt mispell your name, been away from the site for a little while.

[john2244]

In the Calstar rod I think the 7465 series rods are considered more of a rail rod than the straight 765 series rods. At least, 5 years ago that was my understanding, this info could be outdated now.
John