Hi Folks...

Seeking enlightenment...

Understanding the terms, as I have read:

Action: flex of the rod. Fast action implies the end will bend, whereas slow implies that much more of the rod will bend.

Power: How much force it will take to "express" the action as described above.

Please correct me if in error here. So my BIG question....

for greatest sensitivity (to most easily feel that sometimes precious, gentle, and short-lived nibble) what combination, in your ever-so-humble opinions, of action and power will provide the best sensitivity?

Thanks all...tight lines!

Go to rodbuilding.org and, check out FAQ or do a search. More info on your questions then then you can ever digest.

What do lamiglas rod numbers meen?

I know Loomis is the the first three are length in inches and the fourth number is the power raiting.

What is a 1313t lamiglas? 8'6" 10-20

I've got a Loomis IMX 1084c that I use strictly for drift fishing. It is 9' with a line rating of 8-12, has a fast action and medium power. IMHO you cant beat this rod for drift fishing. Don't know if this was the kind of post you were looking for but I hope it helps.

Chromeo

The best rods demonstrate a progressive action under progressively increasing loads. Here are the words of wisdom of veteran rod designer Don Green:

In the ideal rod, the tip section of the rod flexes and loads to handle shorter casts. The rod should only flex into the midsection for making longer casts. The rod should only flex into the butt section when fighting a fish. The worst thing in the world is to "run out of butt". If the rod is flexing deep into the handle/grip while fighting a fish, you've got the wrong rod for the application.

That's a pretty broad statement he makes, and obviously the application for which you are buying the rod makes a big difference.

A light sensitive tip is oh-so-important for detecting that subtle bite while drift fishing, or allowing a fish to really chew on a trolled/mooched herring or a backtrolled/plunked Kwikfish, flexing the rod well into the mid-section without the fish feeling a lot of resistance until he has turned away with your goods. At that point, the reserve power in the butt section will bury the hook point home. A rod with this type of action is also popular with boondoggers/side-drifters. This is what most people refer to as a SLOw action.

Contrast that with jigging or backbouncing heavy leads, which requires you to lift a considerable weight repeatedly. A light tip in the first 10-12 inches is important for detecting the bite, but a good rod for these applications shouldn't flex much beyond that when lifting the lead. Otherwise you spend all day fighting the flex in the rod (before the lead even moves) just to properly work your goods. If the rod flexes into the midsection or deeper for anything less than a fish on, then you've got the wrong rod for the application. This is what is commonly referred to as FAST action.

Power can really be summed up by how much weight the rod can physically lift when it is bent into the butt section. The maximum line rating is a pretty good indicator of power.

Hope that helps.

That is so not correct. Try it (dead lift the max) and you WILL break most if not all your rods

Stihlhead

I think you misunderstood my post. The line rating is only a relative indicator of power, not an absolute pound-rating of what the rod can lift. In other words, it is reasonable to expect that a rod made by a given manufacturer rated, let's say, for upto 30# test will have twice the power of one rated at 15# test. No rod in my arsenal (and I have quite a few meat-sticks) can come close to lifting 15# let alone 30#! Please do not try this at home, folks!

If a rod can generate even 5# of lifting force, it's a VERY powerful rod. My favorite king stick (Loomis SAR1265c) rated for 10-40# bends deep all the way to the cork grip and feels like it is ready to explode when I tie it to a 5# dumbell and lock the spool with my thumb.... the weight just BARELY comes off the ground.

But one must also remember that the sensetivity of a rod can very well depend on how much lead one is fishing.

If you take a SAR 1265C for example and just bounce an ounce or so of lead with it, the rod is not loaded up and will not detect the bite as easily as when you are fishing say 6 ounces of lead. The opposite can be true as well. If you decide to fish 12 ounces of lead with the rod, the rod will be overloaded and again, have a hard time reacting to the bite.

BTW-I've seen that quote from Don many times before but it is ironic that the most progressive rod in Sage's lineup is the VPS (old RPL). GLoomis mastered progressive actions in their GLX and a couple other manufacturers have followed suit.

for greatest sensitivity (to most easily feel that sometimes precious, gentle, and short-lived nibble) what combination, in your ever-so-humble opinions, of action and power will provide the best sensitivity?

To answer this question several factors must be taken into consideration. What conditions you are fishing in, ie fast water or slow water (dictating how much lead you are going to use), what kind and how big are the fish that you are fishing for and do you to prefer to control the fish or have the fish dictate what is going to happen. Slow action light power rods load up faster with less weight and too much can give your rod a dead feel. Fast action heavy power rods will feel like a broom stick unless they are loaded properly with the right amount of lead (which may be way too much to fish properly with in some situations). The most important thing is the right tool for the job at hand. If you have to use so much lead that your rod feels sluggish and has a constant load into the mid section you are using the wrong rod for the situation. For most of my fishing I use a fast tip light to moderate power. I feel this combo fits most of my needs when banking it or drifting on the rivers that I fish. When the water is low it is loaded a little light but a fast tip will let you feel those little nibbles because it will allow for a transfer of small vibrations well. When I am banking it and the water is fast and high my rod is loaded a little heavy but again the fast tip because it is a little stiffer than a moderate or slow tip compensates for the over load by taking some(slightly) of the burden out of the mid section of my rod allowing me to have that quick snap that I like to set the hook. IMHO it is the best all round combination for my kind of fishing. For pulling big kings out of rivers I like a heavy power rod with slow to moderate action. The tip loads with less lead and you have the backbone to pull those fish and turn them when needed. Now with the slower tip you don't get as much vibration transfer but when a king hits it is more like an earthquake than a vibration. LOL I just love it, WHACK, rod almost slaps the water, KING ON!!! I don"t know if this will help you or not or even if anyone agrees with me but that's my story and I'm stickin to it because it seems to work for me.

... and then there is noodle rods
talk about "run out of butt" :rolleyes: