Broken Tip Effect on Rod

[Ericmccllgh2]

Hi there, I currently fish a Veritas 2.0 ML/F 6’9” spin rod and broke the tip off of it and lost it. I’ve since cut it back to the 2nd guide so I lost ~3”. I’ve heard the Veritas rods fished heavy the begin with, would cutting it down effectively make this a medium-moderate? 
 

Secondly, I’ve been doing more creek fishing for smallmouth and considered replacing this rod. I’ve held the Bass X (new version), Mojo, Premier, and Eyecon in ML F/XF. Would I notice much improvement in sensitivity in these rods vs my Veritas? I mainly catch 1-2lb smallmouth in the creeks and I’m mainly throwing small Neds, spinners, weightless senkos/flukes, micro cranks. Thanks! 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

It all depends on how much you lose from the rod.  If you only lose an inch or 2 it makes a difference.  When you lose 6 or 7 inches then you lose just about all of your sensitivity.  

Ive held some veritas's but never fished them so I cant compare the 2.

[Jrob78]

When your rod tip breaks it makes the rod fish faster and with more power. It doesn't actually effect the rods overall power but you get to the stiffer more powerful section faster and lose part of the softer flexible tip.

 

So on your rod you could say it goes from a ML F to a M XF but that's really a generalization. It all depends on the properties of the individual rod and how much you broke off.

 

I would think on a ML spinning rod the rod would still be usable if you only lost 3" but it will definitely change how it fishes.

[The Bassman]

I started a similar discussion a while back that quickly devolved into an argument of power vs. action. I had a broken rod repaired and even a couple that I had modified due to my dislike of longer rods. My takeaway is that rods are engineered specifically to their length and any changes to that is detrimental. Doing so to salvage a broken rod is certainly understandable but in my case I've adapted to appreciate 6'6" plus rods. This isn't the 1980's when sub 6'6" was the norm. I'm showing my age here.

[MickD]

Action will get slower (as measured by CCS action angle)  when a blank/rod is cut or shortened by breaking.  It will not make a fast action into an extra fast.   From Tom Kirkman, moderator of the Rodbuilding.org forum and internationally recognized expert on blanks/rods:  "Cutting a blank from either end will slow the action. Cutting from the butt will reduce power. Cutting from the tip will increase casting weight range. How much so in any case depends on how much you're cutting in relation overall blank length. 7 inches from the butt of an 8 foot rod will make a discernible difference. Do this - tape the rod off at the point you plan to cut. Mock up a handle and guide set up from that point and see how it feels, casts, and pulls. Then decide if it's going to work for you in that configuration."

 

As others have stated, when the tip is shortened by more than an inch or two the effect is significant and usually means it won't fish anything close to what it did before.  I have never liked a rod after losing more than about an inch off the tip.  

[thunderblack]

more power! (Tim Allen voice)

[Jrob78]

3 hours ago, MickD said:

Action will get slower (as measured by CCS action angle)  when a blank/rod is cut or shortened by breaking.  It will not make a fast action into an extra fast.   From Tom Kirkman, moderator of the Rodbuilding.org forum and internationally recognized expert on blanks/rods:  "Cutting a blank from either end will slow the action. Cutting from the butt will reduce power. Cutting from the tip will increase casting weight range. How much so in any case depends on how much you're cutting in relation overall blank length. 7 inches from the butt of an 8 foot rod will make a discernible difference. Do this - tape the rod off at the point you plan to cut. Mock up a handle and guide set up from that point and see how it feels, casts, and pulls. Then decide if it's going to work for you in that configuration."

 

As others have stated, when the tip is shortened by more than an inch or two the effect is significant and usually means it won't fish anything close to what it did before.  I have never liked a rod after losing more than about an inch off the tip.  

You are absolutely right, I was thinking about it the wrong way. It is slower and not faster. The few times I've broken tips the rod is no longer what it was before and doesn't get used anymore.

[Randy Price]

I remember when SC used to sell C-Stock rods occasionally you could find a real nice Legend model with only 1-2" missing from the top.  The employees there told me an inch or two doesn't hurt the action too bad but any more than 2" and it's really no good. 

[Choporoz]

I salvaged a 7' Veritas 2.0 casting rod by cutting off about 1.5" from the tip and putting a new tip on it.  It went from an OK jig rod to a great frog rod.