Pitching Rod Action?

[nralover]

I was thinking of buying a pitching rod, but I am a little confused on what to look for. I have seen "pitching" rods in everything from moderate fast to extra fast action. Which is the preferred type?

[.ghoti.]

Pitching is easier and much more accurate with a moderate-fast action rod. For flipping, you want a broomstick, but for pitching, some give in the tip section makes it all work much better.

[benthinkin]

I use a dobyns champion extreme DX705C for this exact technique. The rod is worth the $$$ IMHO. It is a designated pitching stick, but can be used for so much more. The rod can easily handle larger baits and line that is used for this technique. The rods length is a nice happy medium, is long enough for quick hook sets yet short enough for accurate pitching. Its a fast action but loads up nicely to keep the fish pinned. The most important part, its POWERFUL. With heavy line you can turn big fish.

[EmersonFish]

The reason you see so many different "actions" of pitching rods is because: A- There is no real industry standard for what make a rod a certain action. B- There is no bass-fisherman standard for what makes a rod a good pitching rod.

Generally speaking, you want to avoid a rod that is super-stiff, like an old-school flippin' stick, because it will be hard to propel a bait with a pitching motion. But you want a rod that isn't too moderate because it won't load fast enough to propel the bait with said motion. Many pitching sticks now are more "moderate-fast" with a lot of backbone, but what they get labeled by the company can be a variety of things. I think some companies try to avoid using the term "moderate" for anything other than a cranking rod because they fear it will confuse the consumer or something.

[Mr Swim Jig]

Great info guys....some new food for thought!

Thanks,