Rod Casting Problems

[Lady Fisherman]

Hi there. I've had some problems lately with my rods. When I try to cast them the lure/bait simply spins around and no line comes out. This problem has went on for a while. I'm just using a basic closed reel. I've only been fishing for about 2 months and I'm mostly self taught. I have only one friend that fishes and he told me it was because I'm low on line. However, I asked a random fisherman I saw out at the creek about it the other day and he told me I had enough line and the problem was the oil in the gears was in the wrong spot and I just need to dip it in the water. Dipping it in the water DOES work but I have to do this every 15-30 minutes or so which is obviously not very practical. I told this to my friend and my friend said the guy (who told me he had been fishing for 20 years) was wrong and "the gears are never the problem. You're just low on line."

I'm looking for a more solid answer. Should I replace the line or no? If it is the gears, is there a way to fix this without dipping the pole in the water every 15-30 minutes? Perhaps taking the bottom off and spraying the gears with a spray bottle full of water? Or using some sort of oil?

I know a lot for only fishing for 2 months because I do a lot of research on the internet but I just can't seem to find a good answer on this. If you need any more information just let me know. Thanks!

[LuckyHandsINC.]

When you say basic closed reel do you mean a push button spincast reel?

[islandbass]

Hopefully you can give us more of a description or image of the type of reel you have.

As a general rule, you are correct that is is not practical but it is also not a good idea to dunk your reel into the water to help make it function.

From what you have described, I too would be inclined to guess as NYBassin did that you might be using what is called a spincast reel. Here are a few images of reels commonly used. Hopefully the one you use resembles the shape of one of these so we can know for sure.

Baitcast Reel (Low Profile)

Spinning Reel, aka "Open Faced Reel"

Spincasting Reel, aka "Close Faced Reel"

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

More detailed description of your reel will help us diagnose. I'm sre it's an easy fix. Regardless, dipping any reel under water is the last thing you want to do. Any benefit is temporary and masking the real issue. Under-spooling on a spin-cast reel can cause what you describe.

[Lady Fisherman]

Yeah I imagine it would help if I knew what I was talking about. Being self taught means not knowing what things are called.

This is not the exact reel but mine greatly resembles this.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

That's what I thought. The face piece should unscew so you can see the line. It should be about 1/8 inch below full. If so, reassemble and tie the of the line off on a tree or similar object. Walk off 100 feet of line. point the rod at the tie off and pull back to stretch the line and hold it for a few minutes. Dampen a rag with WD-40 or similar silicone and pinch the line to coat it and keep tension as you reel the line back on. This should get you going again.

[The Rooster]

I'd get the Kevin VanDam Line and Lure treatment and spray the line with it to help make it cast. The closed face reels, because of design, sometimes will wind up the line loosely inside the reel. After a while this lets the line get bound up, and sometimes even wrapped around the spool shaft inside the reel, meaning the face must be unscrewed and the line unwound from around the shaft to get it untangled again. My dad uses an old Johnson Century 100B reel that recently had this problem. He thought the reel had stopped working and he needed a new one. I took it apart and fixed it in 5 minutes. Just had the line wound around the shaft and wouldn't cast.

In any case, discontinue dunking the reel. Like others said, it is not a good thing, it allows dirt to get inside the reel and collect in places it shouldn't. This will cause problems later that are worse than the one you are having now.

Also, it's not the gears either, they are greased up from the factory and have nothing to do with the cast of those type reels. Only the retrieve.

I believe this is a line issue. It's either the line bound up, or it could be that you've used and cut off most of the line through using it and retying, and now you are down to just a small amount left inside the reel. This would cause casting issues if the line was too low. For that, it's as simple as changing the line out again to refill it. It's simple to unscrew the face of the reel and have a look to see if you have enough line, or that the line is where it belongs and not wrapped up around the shaft, or just wound loosely on the reel only. Start there. After making sure the line is wound right, I'd treat the line with the KVD as I suggested. You can get it online at Bass Pro Shops, or maybe at a tackle store close by. It's about $10 per bottle but well worth it. It increases cast distance for sure, and it does so by making it easier to cast to start with. It seems to soften my line, and that will help a lot for making the line lay right inside the reel on the spool which will help avoid problems on subsequent casts. If you find you need more line, then I'd get the Berkley Trilene XL in the red box in the pound test you want, depending on the size of reel you have. Heavier lines don't work as well on smaller reels. It could be anywhere from 4# line up to 12# as a general range. I'd suggest 6# to 8# for most types of those reels. I like the Berkley Trilene XL for how easy it casts but Stren original is similar also, it is in a purple box for easier identification at the store.

One thing to do that will help with line binding issues is every so often you'll want to make a long cast and then wind the line back while pinching the line between thumb and finger so it winds tightly inside the reel on the spool. Slight to moderate finger pressure is all that's needed. This isn't needed as often when fishing baits that provide natural resistance while reeling them back such as spinnerbaits or crankbaits, but when fishing live bait or soft plastic lures (fake worms for example) then sometimes this lets slack get in the line which can cause the binding problems after multiple casts and slack build up. Every reel needs this from time to time but it's easier to see when it's needed on reels where the line is exposed. On the closed face ones where you can't see the line you may just have to do it as a preventative maintenance about every 20 or 30 casts or just whenever you seem to notice it not performing as well.

Welcome to the site, and welcome to the fantastic world of fishing!!! Once you start, you'll never stop!!! It took me just one time to know I would always do this. I came home from that first trip, consciously aware of that fact.

[Lady Fisherman]

Thank you for your replies!

I have noticed my line keeps wrapping around the shaft loosely. I have been tying it off on a tree and reeling it in with pressure as I was shown by one man before and it has helped. However, it only seems to help for a very short time, especially on my 20lb test line/rod/reel. It seems to help for a longer period on my 10lb test line/rod/reel but again it only works for a short while. But I did try to walk off 100 feet of line like DVT said and I wasn't able to get 100 feet before my line ended so it sounds to me like my problem may just be that I'm low on line.

I think the KVD spray sounds like a good idea. I doubt anywhere around where I live carries it but there's always the internet. How would one spray this on the line though? On a portion pulled out of the reel tied to a tree? Or on the lot of it somehow?

And thank you for the welcome to the site. As for the welcome to the fishing... I may have only fished for 2 months but I fish 4 times a week, generally 4+ hours at a time and I have a 2 tray plano tackle box full of lures worth a couple hundred easily. You are very right about never stopping once you stop. Fishing is for life.

[Grey Wolf]

You should upgrade to an open face reel and elimate some of your problems. JMO

[The Rooster]

I would second Grey Wolf's opinion, but you can do that as time goes on. To upgrade to an open faced spinning reel, you'd also need a new rod for it too. They use a different kind of rod.

For the KVD spray, just remove the face of the reel, it just twists off, and then saturate the line with the KVD spray. You can also spray it on the original spool before you wind it on and then reel it in.

[Lady Fisherman]

I'll keep that in mind for the future. I think I'll go with open faced reels/rods from now on.

I believe both of my rods need lines replaced so I'll do that from the get-go. The thought of it increasing cast distance is a nice little bonus. I can almost cast to the other side of the local creek where the big bass are as it is. That should get me to the right spot.

Thanks for all the help and any more to come.

[NBR]

I think 20# line is too heavy for a spin caster! I wouldn't go over 10 and probably choose 8.

[Lady Fisherman]

If you mean 20lb test, that's what came on the reel when I bought it.

[The Rooster]

What particular model of reel is this exactly?? Also, what does the rod say on the blank, near the handle, for what power/action it might be?? Such as medium, medium heavy, and so on (it might just be letters like M or MH too)?? The rod should give a line and lure size suggestion on it also.

[new2BC4bass]

Just because it came with 20 lb. test line doesn't make it right. I imagine most reels come with the cheapest line the manufacturer can find. My daughter has bought a couple cheap spinning outfits. I have to change the line shortly thereafter.

Less than 100 feet means the line is too heavy for the reel or you need to refill or you have a very small reel which means 20 lb. is way too heavy. I'd refill with 8 lb (10 lb. max) line as previously suggested. This line weight will land any bass that swims as long as you aren't fishing in heavy cover. If you need heavier line, then I would switch to braid. It has a very small diameter to strength ratio. I think you will find that the 8 lb. line will cast much better than the 20 lb. on this type of reel. Only a guess on my part, tho.

I've only used one spincast reel. A Daiwa mounted on an ultralight rod. Used 4 lb. line to get enough on it. Too small for ultralight far as I'm concerned because the miniature spool diameter made casting very far tough even with 4 lb. line.

I'd like to extend a welcome to this site also. You are doing the right thing by coming here and asking questions. Plenty of people willing to offer help. IMO you will enjoy using a spinning reel much more than a spincast. Maybe it was because I had such a small spincast reel, but I found my spinning reels to be much easier to use day in and day out. Two things to remember with a spinning reel. 1). Always close the bail by hand before reeling, and 2) don't keep reeling if line isn't being wound onto the reel.

I fished spinning reels for a good many years, but didn't know rule 1 until joining this site. It is suppose to alleviate line twist. Same for rule 2.

Good luck catching those big fish on the other side of the creek. Seems the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence no matter what we are doing.

[Lady Fisherman]

The reel for my small rod just says "Authentic 33" on it and nothing else. The one on my larger rod says "The Hawg 733 Ball Bearing."

As for the rods... I didn't realize they said all that info on them! My small rod isn't much help. It only says "Zebco Dura Action 562M." My uncle bought it for me many years ago but I DO know that it is a 10lb test rod. My bigger rod says 8-17lbs on the rod itself. I had asked the store employee for help picking a rod and he told me it would take a 20lb line and although the rod says 8-17lb the tag on the rod did say 20lbs.

For lure weight, I have no idea on the small one. The larger one said 1/4-3/4 and it is medium action.

I appreciate all the patience you guys have. I don't really know what information I need to provide and then when you guys tell me I usually have to go look. The trials of a self-taught fisherwoman....

[BEARCATJER]

Maybe I should have started a new thread ,but I am having a problem with my open face spinning reel. I have been fishing off and on for 40 years and have used open faced reels pretty much exclusively all that time. Lately, I am frequently finding that when i cast my line is getting all fouled up and I have to remove much or all of it because it gets so snarly I cant even play it out and re-wind it back onto the reel. I have actually had this problem with both a regular size open face reel...Shakespeare cheapy..and a nice Shimano ultra lite reel I like to use.

I figured i must be putting too much line on the reel so i replaced the line with a lot less than i had on them before...didnt solve the problem...I have used everything from 8 to 12 to 14lb test line ...same problem. I cant figure it out but it sure takes the fun out of fishing even when you have an extra rod and reel along as i always do.

The only thing I can think of is that maybe i am trying to cast my line and lure too far and for some reason that causes the line snagging. I fish from a kayak so when it is windy rather than paddle myself back into "position" I try to make a longer cast to save time,but I cant say my problem has only arisen from trying to make a long cast. I have never had real expensive reels but have only had this problem during the last year.

When i put new line on a reel i always make sure it goes on evenly reeling the line onto the reel from the spool of line.

Any helpful feedback will sure be appreciated.Fishing from a kayak isnt easy and this problem is ruining my fun!Thanks!

[Sam]

Hey Lady,

Great question and very good replies by the gang.

If you are goning to go with a spinning combo, please consider the following:

1. Look at the line test limitations on the spininig reel of your choice.

2. Think of the baits you will be throwing with the spinning rig.

3. Look at the specifications printed on each rod you are considering.

4. Make sure the rod's line test is within the paramaters of the spinning reel's data.

5. Check out the rod's bait size limitations to be sure they are acceptable.

6. A size 2500 spinning reel is a good size for largemouth bass.

7. A medium heavy rod with a fast action tip is a good selection.

8. The more graphite in the rod the more sensitive it will be.

9. Go with at least a 6'6" or 7' rod.

10. Put the reel of your selection on the rod and see how it feels.

11. Get some good flourocarbon line that falls within the reel's specifications.

12. Spool it up using the KVD Line Conditioner; put the bait on; and go fishing!!!!

Good luck and let us know how you do.

By the way, go to YouTube and look up "Flipping ahd Pitching" so you can learn how to pitch and flip with the spinning rod. Denny Brauer is the master of flipping and pitching so check out his web site, too.

[LuckyHandsINC.]

Maybe I should have started a new thread ,but I am having a problem with my open face spinning reel. I have been fishing off and on for 40 years and have used open faced reels pretty much exclusively all that time. Lately, I am frequently finding that when i cast my line is getting all fouled up and I have to remove much or all of it because it gets so snarly I cant even play it out and re-wind it back onto the reel. I have actually had this problem with both a regular size open face reel...Shakespeare cheapy..and a nice Shimano ultra lite reel I like to use.

I figured i must be putting too much line on the reel so i replaced the line with a lot less than i had on them before...didnt solve the problem...I have used everything from 8 to 12 to 14lb test line ...same problem. I cant figure it out but it sure takes the fun out of fishing even when you have an extra rod and reel along as i always do.

The only thing I can think of is that maybe i am trying to cast my line and lure too far and for some reason that causes the line snagging. I fish from a kayak so when it is windy rather than paddle myself back into "position" I try to make a longer cast to save time,but I cant say my problem has only arisen from trying to make a long cast. I have never had real expensive reels but have only had this problem during the last year.

When i put new line on a reel i always make sure it goes on evenly reeling the line onto the reel from the spool of line.

Any helpful feedback will sure be appreciated.Fishing from a kayak isnt easy and this problem is ruining my fun!Thanks!

When using spinning gear their is a few steps you can take to avoid line twist and tangles.

First and probably most important is to make sure you flip the bail back with your hand. Do not crank it back with the handle.

When you start your retrieve put tension on the line by holding it between your thumb and forefinger to make sure the line is tight against the line roller when starting your retrieve.

If your bass fishing with lighter tackle stick with 8# or less line I like 8#. If your using heavier tackle you can go up but 8# is fine for everyday bass fishing.

With a steady retrieve these steps should eliminate much of the problems. If your using a jerky or erratic retrieve this can cause some problems too. In this case you can point one of your fingers down so the line hits it before it enters the reel. This will keep tension on the line when reeling.

REMEMBER SLACK LINE IS THE ENEMY.

[islandbass]

I'll keep that in mind for the future. I think I'll go with open faced reels/rods from now on.

I believe both of my rods need lines replaced so I'll do that from the get-go. The thought of it increasing cast distance is a nice little bonus. I can almost cast to the other side of the local creek where the big bass are as it is. That should get me to the right spot.

Thanks for all the help and any more to come.

That is almost always the case with me as a shorebound angler.

Open faced aka spinning reels are cool for sure.

You are well on your way to broadening your fishing horizons. I have no doubt you'll probably have your first spinning rig soon and casting reel shortly afterward. The rod you use with your spincast reel should accommodate a casting reel but that would take away your excuse to buy a casting rod.

This is known as the influence of the "bait monkey." If you don't know who this character is, you soon will. We all have one and yours has just been dormant. It's that inner jiminy cricket in the deepest recesses of your mind that makes you want to acquire fishing gear of any kind, and sometimes for no other reason than impulse.

The monkey cannot be caged, silenced, or denied 100% of the time.

The Bait Monkey

Keep us posted on your progress. Many of us have been down the road you're on now.

[Lady Fisherman]

That is almost always the case with me as a shorebound angler.

Open faced aka spinning reels are cool for sure.

You are well on your way to broadening your fishing horizons. I have no doubt you'll probably have your first spinning rig soon and casting reel shortly afterward. The rod you use with your spincast reel should accommodate a casting reel but that would take away your excuse to buy a casting rod.

This is known as the influence of the "bait monkey." If you don't know who this character is, you soon will. We all have one and yours has just been dormant. It's that inner jiminy cricket in the deepest recesses of your mind that makes you want to acquire fishing gear of any kind, and sometimes for no other reason than impulse.

The monkey cannot be caged, silenced, or denied 100% of the time.

The Bait Monkey

Keep us posted on your progress. Many of us have been down the road you're on now.

Oh believe me I got on that road long ago when it came to lures! I have a big tackle box and it's very full. I might need to show you a picture.

Might I ask what exactly a casting rod/casting reel is? I'm really clueless what the difference is between different rods and reels.

[The Rooster]

A casting rod has the trigger underneath it near the reel that you hook your finger on to cast it so it doesn't fly out of your hand. Casting reels such as baitcasters (low profile and round, both) use these, as well as spincaster reels like yours is. The guides on these face upwards when in use.

Spinning rods usually have much larger guides on them, especially the first one near the reel. They do not have a trigger on them. The guides on these hang down below the rod when in use.

You may look through a bass pro shops catalog and see listed for sale what they call a casting rod AND a trigger rod. The difference there is that a casting rod has what they call a pistol grip, for just one hand. The trigger rod has a long handle behind the reel for two handed casting. That's the only significant difference there. Generally when someone says a casting rod, they can be referring to either of these, short handle or long, but it goes without saying that it will have a trigger on it.

I'd be willing to bet if you bought the Zebco Hawg 733 as a combo (rod and reel both) that the tag on the rod you bought said 20# because the reel came prespooled with that. If they were bought separately and the tag still said 20# but the rod says 8-17 then go with the rod's ratings itself. The smaller line will cast better for sure. Sounds like the 2 rods you have are both going to be medium in power, based on the one saying 8-17 line, that's a general medium line rating for most rods, and the other rod having an M in the model number, I'd bet it's a medium also. A lot of rods that are medium heavy would have an MH in it instead.

But you basically have a Zebco 33 reel (a classic for a lot of guys, they swore by these for many years), which I'd put 10# or even 8# on, and the other is a heavier Zebco Hawg 733 so you could go heavier on it if you wanted, but I'd still probably not put any heavier than 15# on it, and likely just 12# only....if it were mine. Performance should improve a lot that way, much more than the 20# line on it now.

Lure weight is a reference to the sizes of baits that a rod can cast effectively without being overloaded by it, and also still put it out there a good distance. The 1/4 to 3/4 range your one rod lists is a medium range for most rods and also liable to be the general range most of your baits would fall in (half of what's for sale out there is in this range). But you may want to cast something in the range of 1/8 or even less. The rod might still do it but not as well. Distance would not be as much. It might be harder to get it where you want it because the rod wouldn't load up enough on the backswing as you cast (this helps to launch the bait like a slingshot when it loads up and releases). Also a heavier bait would possibly make the rod feel overloaded as you cast. Some more expensive rods with a lot higher graphite content might even snap under the weight of an overloaded rod tip with too heavy of a bait. It's not as likely to happen as you might think but it can happen, none the less. The lure weight range on the rod is a general guideline to tell you what the rod is best suited for. Not all rods have it though, but most do. They all have a range, just some neglect to list it ( go figure).

That's one reason I like Shimano rods. They list action and power, lure weight and line weight. All of that info is on each rod they make.

I don't mean to confuse you further, but this is probably a good time to let you know that even though your rod says medium "action", it is likely referring to "power" instead. Power is a rod's overall resistance to bending (as examples, a light powered rod is weaker than you have, medium power is in the middle and is what you have, and medium heavy would be stiffer, and so on). Action refers to the point at which the rod tip flexes, such as fast, extra fast, moderate, or slow (none of your rods say this obviously or you would have listed it, I'm sure). You can tell what you have by flexing them some to see, but I'd say your rods are in the fast to maybe medium fast range if I was to guess. Extra fast bends in the top 1/4 length of the rod, fast bends more into the 1/3 range, moderate would bend into the mid section, and slow would be throughout the entire length of the rod blank. Each has it's own use in the fishing world. Fast is generally good for most things. So, consequently, a medium rod with fast tip would be pretty good overall, which is what I'd suspect you have. This is a lot of info to take in, but since we were talking about rod specs, I thought I'd throw it in there. It's not of major importance that you learn it right away, but still good to know about anyway and would give you something to think about for any future rod purchases. Again, not trying to muddy the water, just providing as much info as I can.

[LuckyHandsINC.]

Oh believe me I got on that road long ago when it came to lures! I have a big tackle box and it's very full. I might need to show you a picture.

Might I ask what exactly a casting rod/casting reel is? I'm really clueless what the difference is between different rods and reels.

A casting reel is the top picture of the three posted by island bass on the front page. In my opinion they are the most fun but take a little practice to get used to. The casting rod is like what your using now with the guides and reel on top and a trigger underneath while the spinning rod has the guides and reel underneath the rod.

[Lady Fisherman]

A casting rod has the trigger underneath it near the reel that you hook your finger on to cast it so it doesn't fly out of your hand. Casting reels such as baitcasters (low profile and round, both) use these, as well as spincaster reels like yours is. The guides on these face upwards when in use.

Spinning rods usually have much larger guides on them, especially the first one near the reel. They do not have a trigger on them. The guides on these hang down below the rod when in use.

You may look through a bass pro shops catalog and see listed for sale what they call a casting rod AND a trigger rod. The difference there is that a casting rod has what they call a pistol grip, for just one hand. The trigger rod has a long handle behind the reel for two handed casting. That's the only significant difference there.

I'd be willing to bet if you bought the Zebco Hawg 733 as a combo (rod and reel both) that the tag on the rod you bought said 20# because the reel came prespooled with that. If they were bought separately and the tag still said 20# but the rod says 8-17 then go with the rod's ratings itself. The smaller line will cast better for sure. Sounds like the 2 rods you have are both going to be medium in power, based on the one saying 8-17 line, that's a general medium line rating for most rods, and the other rod having an M in the model number, I'd bet it's a medium also. A lot of rods that are medium heavy would have an MH in it instead.

But you basically have a Zebco 33 reel (a classic for a lot of guys, they swore by these for many years), which I'd put 10# or even 8# on, and the other is a heavier Zebco Hawg 733 so you could go heavier on it if you wanted, but I'd still probably not put any heavier than 15# on it, and likely just 12# only....if it were mine. Performance should improve a lot that way, much more than the 20# line on it now.

Lure weight is a reference to the sizes of baits that a rod can cast effectively without being overloaded by it, and also still put it out there a good distance. The 1/4 to 3/4 range your one rod lists is a medium range for most rods and also liable to be the general range most of your baits would fall in (half of what's for sale out there is in this range). But you may want to cast something in the range of 1/8 or even less. The rod might still do it but not as well. Distance would not be as much. It might be harder to get it where you want it because the rod wouldn't load up enough on the backswing as you cast (this helps to launch the bait like a slingshot when it loads up and releases). Also a heavier bait would possibly make the rod feel overloaded as you cast. Some more expensive rods with a lot higher graphite content might even snap under the weight of an overloaded rod tip with too heavy of a bait. It's not as likely to happen as you might think but it can happen, none the less. The lure weight range on the rod is a general guideline to tell you what the rod is best suited for. Not all rods have it though, but most do. They all have a range, just some neglect to list it ( go figure).

That's one reason I like Shimano rods. They list action and power, lure weight and line weight. I don't mean to confuse you further, but this is probably a good time to let you know that even though your rod says medium action, it is likely referring to power instead. Power is a rods overall resistance to bending (as examples, light is weaker than you have, medium is in the middle, and medium heavy would be stiffer, and so on). Action refers to the point at which the rod tip flexes, such as fast, extra fast, moderate, or slow (none of your rods say this obviously or you would have listed it, I'm sure). You can tell what you have by flexing them some to see, but I'd say your rods are in the fast to maybe medium fast range if I was to guess. Extra fast bends in the top 1/4 length of the rod, fast bends more into the 1/3 range, moderate would bend into the mid section, and slow would be throughout the entire length of the rod blank. Each has it's own use in the fishing world. Fast is generally good for most things. So, consequently, a medium rod with fast tip would be pretty good overall, which is what I'd suspect you have. This is a lot of info to take in, but since we were talking about rod specs, I thought I'd throw it in there. It's not of major importance that you learn it right away, but still good to know about anyway and would give you something to think about for any future rod purchases. Again, not trying to muddy the water, just providing as much info as I can.

Your post has been very helpful. Thank you so much!

What would be your guess for lure weight on my smaller pole? It is thinner than my big pole and the tip is very flexible. It came with a reel and line so the three ( the rod being the third) are all 10lb test. I'm not sure on the length but I'd say it's about 5'-5' 5".

And I completely understand providing the info on the whole action/power thing. Feel free to give information. I want to learn all that I can. I do quite a bit of research on fishing. This was one thing that just seemed better to talk to someone about rather than research myself.

Also, my larger pole is a bit thicker than my smaller one, as I said, and the tip is not as flexible. It's stiffer but not as stiff as the catfish rods. The rod and reel did not come together. And the length of the rod is 6'.

[The Rooster]

On the smaller one, if it has a pretty whippy tip then I'd definitely put 6 or 8 pound line on it and keep it set up to cast lighter baits. It might throw a 1/8 oz. bait just great if it loads up easily. I'm only guessing but it could have a range from 1/8 to maybe 5/8, or it could still be 1/4 as a bottom range instead of 1/8. However, the rating is only a guide and some rods can perform outside of their ranges. I can throw 1/8 baits on a rod that I have rated for 1/4. It throws 1/4 oz. baits farther but the distance I get with 1/8 is still good, and accuracy counts for more than distance anyway. Distance just means I can get to the fish if I can aim. Accuracy means I can get where the fish ARE.