Question About Rod Action

[Tuckahoe Joe]

I hear you guys talk a lot about rods with fast or extra fast tips, slow, moderate, ect.  To be honest, Im a little lost on this subject.  What does the rods action actually affect?  Im sure that the different actions are better for different lures/presentation but I don't really know the difference.  Any info is greatly apprecitaed.  An example or two and what each action is best for would be great.

[skeletor6]

I hear you guys talk a lot about rods with fast or extra fast tips, slow, moderate, ect.  To be honest, Im a little lost on this subject.  What does the rods action actually affect?  Im sure that the different actions are better for different lures/presentation but I don't really know the difference.  Any info is greatly apprecitaed.  An example or two and what each action is best for would be great.

 

I'll help you out here Joe and also confuse you at the same time. 

 

First off, there are no absolutes when it comes to actions and what they actually mean. Manufacturer's assign ratings at will and they will vary from rod series to series and across brands. In general, here is what a rods action chart will look like....

 

 

So, as you see it is the degree of deflection from a line parallel to the rod blank. In general, a slower action rod will have more of a parabolic type of look to it when it is under load. The tip will flex further down into the rods backbone. An extra fast rod will get into the rods backbone much quicker.

In a generic situation, you can think of it as an XF action as having a stiffer tip and the action will get into the backbone of the rod much more quickly. The tip will have less give to it in most situations. Contrarily, a slower action rod, such as a moderate, will bend much further down into the backbone and the tip section will be softer. This is good for crankbaits as it will not overpower and rip the bait from the fishes mouth. 

 

Now see these general statements do not hold true in all situations. A great example is in a designed dropshot rod. Manufacturers may make the tip section of the rod extremely soft and giving while having a stronger backbone, thus the action may look more like an XF or F or whatever someone decides it to be, but yet not have a stiff tip at all. My shimano cumara dropshot rod is good for that CUSDX72M. It is rated as having an XF action, but it is quite soft in the tip. Contrarily, you can pick up a St. Croix and there extra fast actions are usually very stiff.

 

Another general feature I have noticed is that XF actions both get into the backbone quicker and get out of the backbone quicker. Sort of like a bungee effect, some users who are looking for some serious power will like to use a slower action tip because once that rod flexes down lower into the backbone it will stay pinned there and allow one to haul a fish out. I like to think that XF tips usually use involve the tip-section more as the power of the rod since it does not flex so deep into the blank. Whereas, the slower action rods involve more of the blank as its power source since it bends down further into it.

 

What I am trying to do is just give you as many different examples or different ways to look at it so maybe you can get some kind of an idea about what is going on. What is tough is there is such a large variance among manufacturers and there interpretations. I like to thoroughly examine the tip section of my rod and add some weight and pull down and see how the rod bends and notice its properties and the degree of deflection that it has. Also, I like to see how much force it actually takes to get the tip of the rod to move to figure out the stiffness of the tip. Then I decide if the action of the rod is something that I find desirable for the technique that I am going to use.

 

Others may have different interpretations about what these mean to them and have different properties they look for in a rod. I really feel the action of a rod is so crucial to how that rod is going to fish. Really it is an art-form in some aspect, some actions just feel right and are very responsive to what you are looking to do. Good example for me is the GLX BSR852 vs the NRX 852s....they are rated the same, but the action on the GLX version just feels "special".

[roadwarrior]

Nice job!

 

Here is some more on the topic:  http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/35514-rods-power-and-action-%C2%A0defined/

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Wow...thanks you guys!  Both of your explanations were really thourough.  Im gonna bookmark this thread and the link in RW's post for future reference when buying new rods.

[Hooligan]

More info here.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/109887-rod-designations-and-what-they-mean/?fromsearch=1

One of my pet peeves is referring to a rod as a "fast tip" or "extra fast tip". It is the blank taper, not that of the tip section alone. I can't stand that terminology; generally it is repeated by many that really don't have any idea what it is that they're describing in the first place.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Thanks for that Hooligan.  So heres another question.  How much more castability would I get from a 7 ft rod as opposed to a 6'6'' rod of the same power and action?  Does that extra 6 inches really make that much of a difference?

[Jrob78]

More info here.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/109887-rod-designations-and-what-they-mean/?fromsearch=1

One of my pet peeves is referring to a rod as a "fast tip" or "extra fast tip". It is the blank taper, not that of the tip section alone. I can't stand that terminology; generally it is repeated by many that really don't have any idea what it is that they're describing in the first place.

 

What's even worse than that is when people say med. heavy action or heavy action or heavy action with a good tip.  WTH does that even mean??  You hear pros do it all the time and some rods are even labeled that way.  It makes my skin crawl when hear people say that.  Either they don't know the difference or don't care, it makes you sound like a moron when you say it though.

[skeletor6]

More info here.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/109887-rod-designations-and-what-they-mean/?fromsearch=1

One of my pet peeves is referring to a rod as a "fast tip" or "extra fast tip". It is the blank taper, not that of the tip section alone. I can't stand that terminology; generally it is repeated by many that really don't have any idea what it is that they're describing in the first place.

 

That is an excellent post referenced in the link....its worth a read to anyone wanting to learn more on the subject.

[Hooligan]

Yes, you'll notice a difference. Both in accuracy and distance, with the 6-6 being more accurate. I can generally cast a 7-2 about 30 feet further than my 6-8 of the same series and spec. Yet, the 6-8 is fifty times more accurate.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Yes, you'll notice a difference. Both in accuracy and distance, with the 6-6 being more accurate. I can generally cast a 7-2 about 30 feet further than my 6-8 of the same series and spec. Yet, the 6-8 is fifty times more accurate.

Ah...thank you.  I kind of assumed longer rod=longer cast but I didnt' realize it was a trade off between distance and accuracy.  I may look into a longer rod.  Since I do all my fishing from the bank, that extra distance would open up a good deal more water to me.