XF rod for weightless

[riverbasser]

Thinking about getting a new spinning rod for weightless presentations and it seems most prefer an XF action and I cant figure out why? maybe im thinking about this wrong but when throwing baits that weigh around an 1/8th oz wouldn't a slower action make the lure load the rod up better? also wouldn't a slower action allow you to play the fish a little better? please correct me if im wrong.

 

so what action do you prefer for weightless rigs and why?

[Fishin' Fool]

For soft plastics you want a fast or Xtra fast action. I've really never noticed much of a difference between the two for weightless senkos.

[Poolshark]

I think that the x fast action supposedly helps with hook sets with the medium powered rod. Especially if setting the hook from a distance. also, I feel it helps twitch and work the small plastics a little better. I used for a long time a 6'8 mxf spinning setup and 8 lb fluorocarbon and it worked really well for me. 

As of late, Ive switched to a medium fast avid and a curado 70 and honestly think that the casting distance has gotten better and when spoiled with light braid/ floro leader I've not noticed any difference in hooking landing them. I like this because I hate line twist. 

So I think it comes down to what you prefer. So long as the rod has a soft tip for casting and enough backbone to set the hook. 

 

 

 

[riverbasser]

6'8 is about what I'm looking for and will be using 20 to 30lb braid so no line twist. Thanks for the answers

[NHBull]

1 hour ago, riverbasser said:

6'8 is about what I'm looking for and will be using 20 to 30lb braid so no line twist. Thanks for the answers

IMO 20 to 30 lbs braid for the baits you mentioned is overkill.

10 lb will be fine and it will cast a mile

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

A slower rod will not necessarily load better. A fast tip can be soft and a mod tip can be stiff. 

[riverbasser]

17 minutes ago, NHBull said:

IMO 20 to 30 lbs braid for the baits you mentioned is overkill.

10 lb will be fine and it will cast a mile

Well we are talking braid so 20lb test is probably like 8lb mono when you compare diameter. I appreciate your opinion but I have had zero issues with line in this application.

10 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

A slower rod will not necessarily load better. A fast tip can be soft and a mod tip can be stiff. 

This is something I did not consider, I should stop assuming all brands are alike in the descriptions

[Darren.]

58 minutes ago, riverbasser said:

Well we are talking braid so 20lb test is probably like 8lb mono when you compare diameter. I appreciate your opinion but I have had zero issues with line in this application.

 

With respect, line diameter really doesn't matter when it

comes to braid, especially on spinning reels. I know some

disagree, but @NHBull is right that 20-30 is overkill for

weightless plastics.

 

That is not to say you *can't* use it or *shouldn't* use it,

because that's entirely up to you!  What it is saying is

that we're talking 10# braid; most at that pound test have

a breaking point above the stated strength.

 

So when NHBull says "overkill", he means there's not a whole

lot you can't do with 10# braid with regard to weightless.

Punching and flipping? Maybe not the best...

 

I use 10# and 15# on my spinning gear. 20# will work fine, too.

I've use up to 30 and 40 with spinning and - TO ME - it is more

than needed. Heck, I use 20 for baitcasting!  Use whatever you

feel most comfortable with and slays some bass!

 

As for rods, I do like a MXF or MLXF (St. Croix) with weightless.

That said, my Carbonlite MF has a stiffer tip than my Compre MXF...

Both can set the hook very well.

 

The quick hookset of an XF rod is what I like best, which may be 

why a lot of us prefer XF tapers. Sometimes that super-quick reaction

lift of the rod with a "stiffer tip" is all that's needed to set the hook.

 

As with rod brands, power is relative to the manufacturer, so is 

taper, unfortunately. Nice if there was a standard...

[riverbasser]

Thank you @Darren. what you explained about why you like XF is what I was looking for, your reason makes sense to me I will just have to find out if I feel the same since to this point I've never owned an XF spinning rod. 

 

As for line I want to say again I respect your and @NHBull opinion about line and while I don't disagree I haven't had had any negative experiences while using 20lb braid and until I do i see no reason to change. No biggie there though to each his own. Thanks again yall.

[Angry John]

I use 20 because thats what i had at the time and have never used anything lighter than 20.  My next go around i will try 10 or 15 but i see no loss in the 20.. .  I can say that it has worked out well because i fish small 4" swimbait with an owner weighted hook on the same rod and it works out well.  If you multi purpose a rod, the lighter lines might not be the best idea.

[dsqui]

12 hours ago, riverbasser said:

6'8 is about what I'm looking for and will be using 20 to 30lb braid so no line twist. Thanks for the answers

I don't get it why no line twist... line is line no matter the diameter it all twists.  Not to beat a dead horse but that line is over kill u may not notice it but u are not casting to ur full potential with heavy line like that for light baits lighter line would cast farther.  Not a big deal fishing chocolate milk but on clear lakes could be costing u fish and u would never notice the issue.  I don't mean because of the fish seeing line I'm talk in about you having to be closer to the target.

[WIGuide]

I really like my X-fast action rods. The tips are really soft and load well, but it transfers to power very quickly so it's a lot like getting the best of both worlds. You get the finesse type rod that has the power to fight a fish once you hook into one. 

[badgerboyng]

Extra fast tips bend near the tip, where the rod is relatively light - thus, extra fast tips are soft and allow you to cast light/weightless lures well. On the other hand, mod-fast, moderate, and slow tapers bend further down into the blank, closer to the handle. This means that slower action rods bend further into the rod's "backbone" which has two effects: 1) it makes the tip more stiff, which makes it more difficult to cast light lures but helps the rod load heavy weights well; 2) causes the rod to bend more when under load (i.e. when a fish is on). 

 

So it can be confusing, but essentially extra fast tapers load light lures better, and moderate/slow tapers load the fish better. However, some people like that extra fast rods transition to a stiff backbone quickly, as it allows them to easily guide the fish away from cover, whereas with a slow rod, the fish can load the rod so deeply down the blank that it may be difficult to rip the fish away from cover. 

 

For your purposes, I recommend an extra fast tip.