Question on Rod and Line Ratings

Started by George4741, November 26, 2013, 02:25:25 AM

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George4741

If I spool a Penn 114H with #80 mono and set the drag to 20lb max, must I use an 80lb rod?  Or can I get by with a lighter rod, such as a 50-60lb rod?

George
viurem lliures o morirem

Shark Hunter

Life is Good!

Dominick

George:  IMHO that If you set the drag at 26lbs (1/3 the line breaking strength) you may still use a 50lb rod.  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

wallacewt

hi george
what i do i load rod and reel up with a
bucket of water,(bricks)till the line just clears the blank,
weigh the b/water,you have your max drag.
hope this helps 

Ron Jones

Many years ago, before this forum I think, Alan posted his method for pairing a rod to a reel and adjusting drag. As I remember he said hang weight from line and lift rod until it is bent to where you are comfortable and then adjust drag to where it just starts to slip. I've done that for years not really looking at what the manufacturer put on the label and it has done me well.
Ron
Ronald Jones
To those who have gone to sea and returned and to those who have gone to sea and will never return
"

john2244

Hello George,  

If you are using your 114H with 80# line as a trolling outfit then I would say a 50/60# rod would be fine.   The type of fishing I do,  which is live bait fishing, I try to match the rod to the line weight I am using.  A general guide I use is:  80# line with an 80# rod = 150 fish,  100# line with a 100# rod = 200# fish.  I have seen 150# YFT caught on 50# rods and the rods were overmatched.  The rods were bottomed out leaving no lifting power left in the rod.  But, we all do it a little different. If your target fish is 60# and you are using 80# line for various different reasons then a 50/60# rod may be fine.  Every reply you get will probably be a little different.

John

Tightlines667

Personally I try to match the rod's rated line class to the line being used.  I typically try to keep the line's class appropriate for the reel (what the frame, spool, and internals can take and keeping line capacity in mind as well.  When trying to match line capacity, drag at strike (~1/3 of line breaking strength), max effective drag, and overall line capacity needed to a particular style of fishing and target species...It's important to err on the side of caution.  Depending on target species, style and fishing location you want to think about worse case scenarios...I.E.  What is the biggest creature lurking near by that I may get Hooked up to, consider having to fight the fish in poor sea conditions, not being able to chase/back down effectively on the fish, what it's going to be like if I lose alot of line off of the spool (I.e.  increased drag at reel, increased drag at hook due to line dragging through the water, decreased retrieval rate/crank, etc..).  The point is it typically pays to overestimate your quary, it's easy to back of the drag a little if you want to 'play' a fish more, but it is not fun to lose that fish of a lifetime because your gear is under matched.  You need enough back bone in your rod to handle a drag setting of at least 50% of your optimal drag setting, and you should aim for a reel with line capacity and an effective drag at least twice of what you actually plan to use for your target species.  I think one of the most common mistakes fishermen make when chosing a line test for their given reel (esp.?w/mono) is to spool the reel with heavier test at the expense of capacity.  You should be thinking about being able to catch the monster w/o losing more then 1/3 of the line off of your reel.  After this point all factors start to sway towards the fish, and your gear ends up working against you.  Many of the local guys here are spooling their 130 class reels with 200, 300, or more test lb mono.  They do this to try to: 1)be able to put extreme pressure of the line, control the fish's head and land them quickly so as to insure max fish quality at the auction block, and 2) the line can be retrieved via tue 'hand assisted' method, and the line is more durable to abrasion, wear, and is typically more cost effective in the long run.  The problem is: 1)The reels are not designed to produce enough effective drag to actually make use of the increased line test, and 2)Things (line drag,?spool diameter,?etc) start working against you when you lose as little as 100 yds of line off of the reel(if your trolling a bait back 150ft that means if the fish is capable of making a 50 yd run your gear is starting to get strained and become inefficient on both ends of the line. The many advantages of smaller diameter line over higher test larger diameter line usually means you should aim to use the lowest test, you can get away with (other factors, reef, structure, etc..not withstanding), and still be 3X the drag setting you want.  I have caught many large pelagics on light line, and have lost many on heavy line (usually due to gear/hook/crimp/knot failure.  So I recommend using a larger reel then you think you need, a well-matched rod (see Alan's previous post regarding matching your 'working' drag setting to the rod, and higher line capacity/larger spool diameter.  Although  there are many good small, lightweight reels, which are fun to fishvwith and can be perfect tools for the job....Don't lose that fish of a lifetime because your either your rod, reel, or line are mismatched!

Just a few of my thoughts :)
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

SoCalAngler

#7
Most rods are rated for the line class and drag used in said line class. Most rods action is best fished in the middle of their rating. Lets take a few rods as a example, first a rod rated 30-80 lb. A rod rated like this will fish 80lb but the action is better suited to fish 50 to 60lb. Next a 20-50lb rated rod would fish 30-40 best and last a 30-60lb rod would fish 40-50 best. Alot of which rod to use comes down to the feel to the angler and application for which the rod will be used. Such as deep around structure you may want to set the reels drag on the high side to be albe to turn the fish away from the structure before it can bust you off. For this a rod with a stiffer action would work better. On the other hand fishes with softer mouths may need a softer rods action to help in not pulling hooks.

With the above said some of the newer rods (mostly jigging type) that are rated for spectra lines have a very different rating. I have no idea how in the world they know what topshot I will be using and their rods are WAY over rated. I have seen these types of rods rated to fish 80lb spectra that I think fishing 30-40lb topshots would bottom them out.

Bunnlevel Sharker

Alot of guys with 200lb line is for abrasion on the beach.........or for pier pylons or similar structure. I match reels to rod through feel. Every rod is different, put the reel on it and pull some and see what feels good to you
Grayson Lanier

Shark Hunter

#9
I haven't crossed the 200lb mono line yet. I'm still fishing straight 130lb. I am fishing a 24' leader as well. 12' 480lb cable to 12' #22 tooth proof wire. If I get broke off with this set up, then I'll step up.
I have to catch a Big Shark with Sal's 14/0. Then I'll probably spool my 16/0 with straight 200. Probably Izorline or High Seas.
Life is Good!

George4741

Thank you all for the advice.  You've been a big help.

Quote from: SoCalAngler on November 26, 2013, 07:45:52 AM
With the above said some of the newer rods (mostly jigging type) that are rated for spectra lines have a very different rating. I have no idea how in the world they know what topshot I will be using and their rods are WAY over rated. I have seen these types of rods rated to fish 80lb spectra that I think fishing 30-40lb topshots would bottom them out.

Yes, I have one of those rods, a thin whippy thing rated for 65-200 lbs (really ??? ??? ???
viurem lliures o morirem

Bunnlevel Sharker

I bet those jigging blanks will take more than the average person can dish out
Grayson Lanier

floating doc

I'm thinking of trying one for bottom fishing for big grouper. One concern is whether a big reel will balance on one.
Central Florida

Bunnlevel Sharker

I talked to a guy with a 6/0w and 9/0 on the heavy okuma ones, he said it was the most fun you'll have on the beach
Grayson Lanier

floating doc

That's interesting; a jigging rod for the beach?
Central Florida