Rod Differences

[Alan Reed]

What do you think truely separates one rod from another? I don’t want think to turn into a brand or warranty discussion. I am strictly taking about performance.

Obviously sensitivity is a huge part, so how do you judge that when you are comparing rods?

[CroakHunter]

If a true and fair comparison, the only way to do that would be to have the two rods, the same two reels, with the same line and same bait tied on. Then fish them both side by side choose which one was more "sensitive". I use " " because what is sensitive to you, may not be sensitive to me. Every person is different, Just like every rod is different. 

[Angry John]

There I more involved imo.  How does the rod fit you.  Like the reel seat?  How about the handle length and material.  How much does the rod weigh.  How quality are the guides.  Is the length and taper what I want.

[Columbia Craw]

Fishing rods are a composition of materials and design. Good materials with bad design or great design with sub standard materials will show up in the rod's performance.  What separates one rod from another is how materials and design come together to provide action, power, balance, , weight, comfort, visual appeal  and the level of sensitivity an angler is looking for.  The more you fish, the more discriminate you become in what you want in a rod. 

[MickD]

The best indicator of sensitivity is weight.  Especially in the tip area.  So how do you weigh the tip area?  You don't, so look for short wraps, small guides, and low  total weight.  the lightest rod that will cast the weight you want to cast most likely will be the most sensitive.  The highest lure weight spec on the rod, while not totally objective, is about the best indicator there is of power.

 

There is an objective test procedure that gives reliable data on power and action, called CCS.  If you're interested,

http://www.common-cents.info/

[dodgeguy]

The first two things I want are blanks that don't break and reel seats that don't let your reel wiggle. Next is quality guides and good guide alignment and wrapping. The rod should be light.action and power depend upon what you want or like for how you fish.i prefer cork handles.i personally like rods with a Matt black finish.i feel coatings just add weight and lose sensitivity.last but still important is value for your money. Exotic extremely high priced rods are nice but don't catch you any more fish.

[Catt]

From a previous thread & should be a sticky!

 

Good evenin' folks,

I may be about to open a SERIOUS can of worms with this thread, but what the heck.....here goes anyway. Being in the blank distribution business, I get asked A LOT about the construction and makeup of the various graphite rod blanks that I sell. And, I have to say that whenever somebody asks me about modulus I just cringe! Here is why; It seems that about 90% of the folks that email me want to know what the modulus is of the blank(s) they are considering buying. When I ask "Why do you want to know that" they can't really give me an answer....they're just convinced that higher the IM rating is better. Here is how the conversation usually evolves:

Mr. Customer: What modulus is that blank made from?

Andy: Well, if you must know, it's about 40million Msi

Mr. Customer: What does that mean?

Andy: Well, it means the blank is made from the material you have come to know and love as IM6

Mr. Customer: Oh, that's too antiquated...I only fish with IM7 and higher.

Andy: Really? Did you know that the difference between IM6 and IM7 is not the modulus it's the tensile strength?

Mr. Customer: Really?

Andy: Yeah REALLY!

Mr. Customer: Eh Hhhmmm....erreer, uh, oh....well uh....well Bass Pro Shops says...

Andy: Forget Bass Pro shops...let's look at the numbers (at this point Andy whips out his trusty data chart that illustrates the differences between the different fibers that actually have IM designations). Here take a look at this. This comes from a chart put together by the folks at Hexcel (http://www.advancedcomposites.com/technology.htm)

The number on the far right is the modulus of the fiber, and the number in the middle is the elongation to failure or stretch.

Hexcel IM4 600 40

Hexcel IM6 760 40

Hexcel IM7 780 40

Hexcel IM8 790 44

Hexcel IM9 920 42

Mr. Customer: You Mean all this time I thought I was getting a higher modulus fiber with the higher IM rating, when what I was really getting is a fiber that stretches more?

Andy: Well, in some cases you are, and in some cases you arent. The fact is though that the difference between IM6 and IM7 is nothing in terms of modulus, and compared to IM8 it's only slightly higher. Wow...look at that IM9 actually has a lower modulus than IM8...go figure Now, many companies are using fibers with a much higher modulus, like 57 and even higher, however these fibers don't necessarily use the IM ratings. So, whenever you see a fiber with an IM rating...BUYER BEWARE! THE HIGHER THE IM RATING, DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THE HIGHER THE MODULUS!!!

The point is this folks...just because you have a blank made from a high modulus fiber, doesn't means it's a good rod! And vice versa, just because you have a blank with a low modulus...even the original fiber blanks were made with (33 million) doesn't mean it's a bad or outdated rod. It's all about what the designer does with it.

I know there are some of you that may already know this, but judging from the amount of calls I get on a daily basis from folks who ONLY want IM7 or IM8, but can't really tell you why, I have to believe they don't really know what they are talking about at all. They've just been sucked into the marketing machine that leads people to believe that the higher the IM rating, the lighter and more sensetive the material, which is not always the case.

Be forewarned that there is A LOT more to graphite blank construction, performance, quality, sensetivity, weight etc... than just what modulus the fiber is. There are lots of other variables like flag patterns, and wall thickness, and resin systems, and mandrel design....It's all about the talent of the designer, and what he is able to do in terms of the sum of those variables...not just the friggin modulus!

Whewww...ok I feel better now...

My aforementioned explanation of modulus and IM ratings is by no means meant to be anything more than a brief primer for the folks who didn't realize what the differences with the IM ratings were. I hope this clears things up a bit, and I hope that some of you will chime in on this as well. Oh, here is a link to the Hexcel page for those of you who want to investigate the matter further. Do a search for IM6 and you'll get some interesting info. (if you're into that kind of techie junk).

[www.hexcel.com]

[www.advancedcomposites.com]

Now, this gives you some ammunition...next time you stroll into BassPro, and some yahoo tries to sell you a rod based on it's IM rating, ask him to explain to you why the higher IM ratings are better. When he replies by sayin' that the higher the IM rating means more sensetivity, less weight etc....just tell him that you have a blank at home made from IM2000, and see what he says.

Regards,

Andy Dear

Lamar Manufacturing

[scbassin]

Catt that was a excellent reply.

[RPreeb]

Fun to read - now I may know a little of what NOT to worry about when I go shopping, although I mostly haven't a clue what you said. 

[HookRz]

The only thing that separates one rod from another is how it feels in my hand. 

[S Hovanec]

On 11/11/2017 at 11:27 AM, Catt said:

From a previous thread & should be a sticky!

 

I remember when Andy originally posted that on RBO.  I copied and saved it on my computer for just such an emergency as this!

[Lures'n'Liberty]

14 hours ago, HookRz said:

The only thing that separates one rod from another is how it feels in my hand. 

That's what she said. (sorry, had to)

[Bucky205]

One of the oldest sensitivity test out there when comparing two rods is having a friend hold the tip against their adam's apple and count to ten.  You will definitely feel differences in the way the rods transmit vibration to your hand.