Leverage vs control?

[BlakeMolone]

From what I understand a longer rod gives you more control of a fish but a short rod has more leverage but less control of wear the fish goes. But I always here people saying that a long rod has more leveraged so im a bit confused.which is right?

[Raul]

Confused, a longer rod will provide more leverage than a shorter rod, it 's the lever principle of physics.

[SirSnookalot]

I always thought the more leverage you had the more control you had. But if that's the case why are tuna sticks 5'6 to 6' which is a short rod, so I really don't know if longer or shorter gives the best leverage.  

[vatech]

Okay, so this is my understanding. A fishing pole is essentially a third-class lever with the fulcrum exhisting at the ending point (where your hands grip) of the level/stick. The physics principle at work here is "Work = force * distance." Assume your force (rod yank) is held constant, a longer rod (distance) then will then create more work (power) in the form of a stronger hookset. A longer rod has more leverage.

This gets drastically more complicated when you consider the action of rods.

It would be fun to take a physics applied to fishing course!

[MarauderYak]

When it comes to bass fishing, the action & power of the rod come into play more than mechanical advantage (leverage).

But for the sake of discussing leverage, think of the rod like a solid lever.  To have a lever you must establish the fulcrum (pivot point).  Most commonly this would be which ever hand is the furthest up the rod.  The amount of "power" felt at each end of the lever is equal to the force applied X the distance from the pivot point.  So if you take a 6' rod and grasp it 2' from the butt end, and put your other hand on the butt end & press down with 2 lbs of pressure, you'd be at a stand still with a 1 lb weight on the tip.  2 lbs X 2 ft = 4 ft lbs.  1 lb X 4 ft = 4 ft lbs.  So the longer the distance from the pivot point to the tip, the more leverage the FISH has.  A 6' Tuna rod will have a long foregrip to allow you to establish the pivot point as far up the rod as possible.

So if all rods were broom sticks, you'd want a shorter rod with a longer butt section for more leverage.  But when talking about bass rods it isn't quite that simple.  For starters, the first "x" amount of force applied to the tip is working to bend the rod, and the rod itself then has stored energy that will work for you.  In addition, the action of the rod effects the amount of leverage as well.

[MarauderYak]

Okay, so this is my understanding. A fishing pole is essentially a third-class lever with the fulcrum exhisting at the ending point (where your hands grip) of the level/stick. The physics principle at work here is "Work = force * distance." Assume your force (rod yank) is held constant, a longer rod (distance) then will then create more work (power) in the form of a stronger hookset. A longer rod has more leverage.

This gets drastically more complicated when you consider the action of rods.

It would be fun to take a physics applied to fishing course!

Beat me to it. I was typing my previous post before this was posted.

Edit:  Just re-read your post.  There's a problem.  In your equation "distance" does not represent the length of the rod, but length from the butt to fulcrum.  If you consider the force on the rod TIP to be constant (ie the fish), the the longer the distance (fulcrum to tip of rod), the more work the fish can do on you (mechanical advantage goes to fish).

[BlakeMolone]

Thanks that makes a little more sense

[RoLo]

I've explained this phenomenon several times before, so rather than rehash it again,

I'm just going to re-publish one of my old posts regarding "rod-length":

A common misconception, even among so-called "professionals" is that a longer rod gives the angler more leverage.

Indeed, greater length is always associated with greater leverage, but exactly who benefits from that leverage

depends on where the FULCRUM is located. The fulcrum of a fishing rod is the anglers hand, now imagine that you're

prying a boulder using a lever whose fulcrum is next to your hand. When the length of the fishing rod is increased,

it's the FISH and not the fisherman who benefits from greater leverage. Would you rather lift a suitcase with a 10-ft pole

or would you rather lift it by the handle? When all other things are equal, rod length will affect the following:

SHORTER ROD

1) Greater Power (the shorter the rod, the more leverage is taken away from the fish)

2) Greater Casting Accuracy

3) Greater Sensitivity (provided all else is equal)

4) Better Maneuverability (in tight cover, under docks, when lip-landing, et al)

5) Shorter and slower lure travel as per wrist & arm movement (beneficial for finesse fishing and in cold water)

6) Easier Transport & Storage (in the car, in the boat and in the house)

7) One-Piece Blank (no dead spots)

8) Lighter Overall Weight

LONGER ROD

1) Greater Casting Distance

2) Greater Rod Stroke & greater Line Speed

(beneficial during the hook-set when using mono line, but less important with braided line)

3) More line clearance between rod-tip and bottom of boat (important on party boat to reduce hull abrasion)

4) Greater reach for retrieving a hat that's blown into the lake 8-)

When living in New Jersey, I did more than my share of so-called standup fishing during the 1970s.

Very short rods called Strokers are used to go toe-to-toe with powerful game fish like yellowfin tuna

and mako sharks without the aid of a fighting chair. Fish weighing several hundred pounds

were routinely whooped using rods with an average length of 5½ feet.

If you hooked up with a 500-lb tuna on a 10-ft long rod, you'd be in Trouble City!

Without a fighting chair you'd be on the ocean halfway through the night, and probably still lose in the end.

As a function of physics, we're always dealing with a seesaw exchange between Speed and Power.

The Stroker rod sacrifices speed for power. With each pump of the short stroker the fish isn't moved very far,

but the greater number of pumps is translated into greater power. It's the same principal as "low gear"

in your car transmission, where more turns equals more power, nuff said.

     

Roger