Extra Fast, Fast, moderate fast, medium...

[MUSLENUTZ]

What am I going to experience physically when fishing a fast vs a medium or any other. I have a fast and I have a medium. The medium feels like it’s got more bend and less control. What am I looking to notice?

[Paul Roberts]

Here's a video I made that should help.

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

You're mixing terms. Check out the rod characteristics article in the forum library 

[MUSLENUTZ]

29 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said:

Here's a video I made that should help.

 

Paul well done. Thank you!

30 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

You're mixing terms. Check out the rod characteristics article in the forum library 

Where is this lol I can’t find it. 

[Loomis13]

Essentially: Extra Heavy, Heavy, Medium Heavy, Medium, Medium Light, Light, Ultra Light are the terms used to describe the power of the rod.

Extra Fast, Fast, Moderate Fast, Moderate are terms used to describe the action of the rod, or where the rod blank begins to get into backbone. 

 

Some companies will use medium to describe the action of the rod, but normally that is used as a term for describing power. So you end up rods that are labeled Medium Heavy Fast or Medium Moderate.

 

 

[Choporoz]

15 hours ago, MUSLENUTZ said:

 

Where is this lol I can’t find it. 

I can't find it either, but I know there are a number of threads with good charts and/or explanations....like this good post from RW that I found in the wayback machine

On 3/2/2006 at 8:20 AM, roadwarrior said:

Much of the confusion has to do with terminology. Let's define "power" and "action" first.

Power

The power of a rod is simply a rating, which describes the overall stiffness of the blank. Power categories include Ultra-Light (UL), Light(L), Medium-Light(ML), Medium(M), Medium-Heavy(MH) , Heavy(H) and Extra Heavy(XH)

Action

The action of a rod is a rating, which describes the amount of curvature that occurs in the blank due to loading with weight. The faster the action, the further towards the tip the rod bends. The slower the action, the further towards the middle of the rod and so on.

Action categories include:

Extra-Fast: Bend very near the top of the blank.

Fast: Bend in the upper 25-30%.

Moderate: Bend near the middle.

Slow: Parabolic curvature throughout the entire length of the rod.

Action is important because it determines, in part, how much control you have over the fish. The faster the action, the more pressure you can put on the fish (and vice-versa). Many crankbait anglers want more moderate action so that the fish cannot shake free as easily. Another important consideration of rod action is casting distance. The slower the action the better the rod will cast. Rods that have a slower action have a wider curve on their parabolic bend, and therefore can store more potential energy when casting. This is called "rod loading." In effect, the more the rod loads, the more of the rod you use to cast. Fast action rods bend closer to the tip, using less of the rod to cast.

Other rod characteristics to note are recovery, sensitivity and brittleness. Recovery is a measure of the time it takes the rod to recover after a cast. When you impart energy to a rod upon casting, it vibrates. You can see the tip shaking. That shaking bats the line as it leaves the top guide, causing friction. That friction reduces casting distance. Faster action rods tend to recover faster, but do not load up as well. More moderate action rods tend to recover poorly, but load up better. If you can find a moderate action rod with fast recovery, it will outcast everything else if the rest of the playing field is equal.

Sensitivity is obviously important. You want a rod to be able to transmit the feelings you experience when your lure moves underwater, where you can't see it. Higher modulus graphite is more sensitive, although it may be a case of diminishing returns as you get higher and higher up the modulus rating scale.

Brittleness is how easily the rod will break. Most high end rods are brittle, as brittleness and sensitivity tend to be indirectly proportional. That's where a lifetime warranty comes into play!

So, all things are not created equal and if you think a $50 rod is just as good as a $300 rod, you're wrong! Buy the best equipment you can afford and focus on quality, not quantity.

For an all around rod I recommend 6 1/2' or 7' Medium Power/ Fast Action. More than 90% of all the bass fishing you will ever do can be done with this rod. Rod power is more about the weight of the lures you use than the fish you might catch. A Medium Power rod will handle most of the lures you will fish and the fight will be much more fun.

Now for the details. I'll list the Power and Action and a specific rod:

If I were to fish one rod only: 7" M/F spinning. G.Loomis GLX PR844S

If I can fish two, my other rod would be: 7' H/F baitcasting. G.Loomis GLX MBR844C

For technique specific applications:

Light fishing: 6 1/2' ML/F spinning

Soft plastics: 7' M/F spinning

Crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater: 6 1/2 or 7' M/M or MH/M baitcasting

Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits: 7' M/F or MH/F baitcasting

Jigs, C-rigs and heavy and/or deep running lures: 7' H/F baitcasting

And to break it down just a little further, I fish a Heavy Power/ Slow Action glass rod for big, treble hook lures.

and this pic Dwight posted a few months back:

[Paul Roberts]

15 hours ago, MUSLENUTZ said:

 

Where is this lol I can’t find it. 

Here it is:

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/rod-actions-power.html

15 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

You're mixing terms. Check out the rod characteristics article in the forum library 

Sorry, I don't see where I'm "mixing terms".

 

I describe:

Power: The force/weight a rod can support.

Action: How that power is distributed.

 

The article you reference:

"Action refers to the "movement" of the blank. How and where the blank flexes dictates the action."

"Power refers to the blank's resistance to flexing under load."

 

[new2BC4bass]

5 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said:

Here it is:

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/rod-actions-power.html

Sorry, I don't see where I'm "mixing terms".

 

I describe:

Power: The force/weight a rod can support.

Action: How that power is distributed.

 

The article you reference:

"Action refers to the "movement" of the blank. How and where the blank flexes dictates the action."

"Power refers to the blank's resistance to flexing under load."

 

I could be wrong, but I think Mike was referring to the OP's post.  "Fast" as in action.  "Medium" as in power.  The only time I have seen Medium referring to action is in some rods rated as Med-Fast.  I have never seen a rod listed as having a Medium action.  Hopefully I am not misinterpreting Mike.

[Paul Roberts]

3 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

I could be wrong, but I think Mike was referring to the OP's post.  "Fast" as in action.  "Medium" as in power.  The only time I have seen Medium referring to action is in some rods rated as Med-Fast.  I have never seen a rod listed as having a Medium action.  Hopefully I am not misinterpreting Mike.

Ah! Yes... Doh! 

 

The term "medium action" rods has been commonly used for a long time. I always took it to mean middle "weight" -for all around fishing; Which really means medium power. I bet that one mixed term has caused more confusion than any other.

[Boomstick]

Basically there is power and action.

 

Action represents the tip and is categorized by extra fast, fast, moderate fast, moderate and slow (although you rarely see anything that's slow). extra fast is a stiffer tip and less bend where slow would have more bend in the tip. Read more here

 

The power is how the rest of the rod flexes. and is categorized by ultra heavy, extra heavy, heavy, medium heavy, medium, medium light, light and ultralight. Read more here

 

Certain rods are used for different types of lures. Lures with large, solid hooks will typically want heavier power (MH+) and a faster tip to drive that hook home while treble hooks will prefer a moderate tip as the fish can often wiggle themselves free and the extra flex keeps the treble hooks from pulling out of the fish's mouth. Smaller thinner hooks might prefer ML/F action.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

4 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

Here it is:

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/rod-actions-power.html

Sorry, I don't see where I'm "mixing terms".

 

I describe:

Power: The force/weight a rod can support.

Action: How that power is distributed.

 

The article you reference:

"Action refers to the "movement" of the blank. How and where the blank flexes dictates the action."

"Power refers to the blank's resistance to flexing under load."

 

Sorry I meant that for the OP who used Med as an action. 

[MickD]

Regarding a post up there somewhere, proper loading is imperative for easy and effective casting, but you can get proper loading with any action.  I submit that Extra fast actions are more versatile, loading effectively for a wider range of lure weights than the other actions.  Consider an extra fast action, stiff butt that goes well out toward the tip, but a light power tip.  The heavy weight lures will cast well because it is the butt power that controls the load; the tip becomes inconsequential to the loading of the rod.  With light lures the butt is inconsequential, but the tip power is the controlling parameter, and it is light power.  So the extra fast rod just may, given it's right blend of butt and tip power, cast a much broader range of lure weights.  Easily and naturally.

[MUSLENUTZ]

Is a medium power rod less likely to break over a medium heavy due to its stiffness?

[ratherbfishin1]

21 minutes ago, MUSLENUTZ said:

Is a medium power rod less likely to break over a medium heavy due to its stiffness?

I don’t think so... think toothpick to pencil, the toothpick is going to break first even though it is less stiff.  That’s not a great example but I couldn’t think of anything else on the spot.?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

26 minutes ago, MUSLENUTZ said:

Is a medium power rod less likely to break over a medium heavy due to its stiffness?

No. Not if used appropriately. 

[Paul Roberts]

3 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Sorry I meant that for the OP who used Med as an action. 

Yeah, I figured that out, with new2BC4bass' help. 

[Paul Roberts]

2 hours ago, MUSLENUTZ said:

Is a medium power rod less likely to break over a medium heavy due to its stiffness?

Ditto DVT. Rods have line and lure weight ratings. Stay in that ballpark. Breakage has more to do with how the rods are treated. If you are rough on your gear, you might consider lower modulus rods. There are of course rod lines out there that go for durability. The Ugly Stick may be the best known. But you lose fishability with such rods. The Berkley Shock series is a durable rod that offers some level of performance. All this said, graphite rods have come a long way in the durability department. They don't break all by themselves.