James RickardWhat does rod action mean
January 16th 2008 04:23
When it comes time to choose a fishing rod, it can be so darned confusing! If you venture in to the forest of rods at your local sporting goods store or department store, it's easy to be intimidated. AND it never seems to fail--there's some local in there talking to the guy behind the counter and you wonder if you'll ever know what they mean as they start spouting dozens of fishing terms you've never heard! Hang in there, read this post, and maybe you can fit in with them.
Part of the answer to the mystery of picking out a rod can be found on the rod itself. Printed in very small type, right above the handle, is some basic information. The "action" which I'll cover in a second, is mentioned along with suggestions as to lure and line sizes.
Basically, action refers to the "feel" of the rod. How much flex it has or, maybe you'd rather call it, how "willowy" the rod is. What ever--these guidelines should solve some of the mystery for you:
Ultra light action--as you can probably figure, these rods are pretty flimsy and can fish very light tackle. Ultra lights are great for kids or adults when panfish such as blue gill and crappie are on tap.
Light action--these are slightly heavier versions of the previous rods. As you can probably deduce, these will handle slightly bigger fish. Oddly enough, it's often better to start with a light action rod and work your way to an ultra light when you become more proficient!
Medium action--It doesn't take a genius to figure that these rods are in the middle of the scale! They aren't called medium for nothing. This is a good action for most of the fish the average person runs into. Personally, I'd say about 97% of my fish are caught with a medium rod. Of course, that total includes a few that shouldn't be!
Medium heavy action--you can crank things up a notch and go for something slightly bigger like steelhead or salmon. If you're after fish running 10-20 pounds, or 4.5 to 9 kilos, this is the rod action for you.
Heavy action--it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that these are they big boys of the lot! Naturally, these are able to raunch bigger fish from the water. These are a must if you're going to be fishing where there is heavy vegetation and you'll be yanking fish out of weeds.
This will, hopefully, give you a better understanding on what the different actions mean. If you can afford it, and enough situations arise, it's nice to have a light, medium, and heavy so you can change rods as situations change. However, I must say, it all boils down to personal preference. I've caught fish I shouldn't on a medium rod and used an old Zebco my dad gave me all during last summer. It goes against everything I tell people about buying a rod but, there were sentimental and superstitious reasons for using it.
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
Part of the answer to the mystery of picking out a rod can be found on the rod itself. Printed in very small type, right above the handle, is some basic information. The "action" which I'll cover in a second, is mentioned along with suggestions as to lure and line sizes.
Basically, action refers to the "feel" of the rod. How much flex it has or, maybe you'd rather call it, how "willowy" the rod is. What ever--these guidelines should solve some of the mystery for you:
Ultra light action--as you can probably figure, these rods are pretty flimsy and can fish very light tackle. Ultra lights are great for kids or adults when panfish such as blue gill and crappie are on tap.
Light action--these are slightly heavier versions of the previous rods. As you can probably deduce, these will handle slightly bigger fish. Oddly enough, it's often better to start with a light action rod and work your way to an ultra light when you become more proficient!
Medium action--It doesn't take a genius to figure that these rods are in the middle of the scale! They aren't called medium for nothing. This is a good action for most of the fish the average person runs into. Personally, I'd say about 97% of my fish are caught with a medium rod. Of course, that total includes a few that shouldn't be!
Medium heavy action--you can crank things up a notch and go for something slightly bigger like steelhead or salmon. If you're after fish running 10-20 pounds, or 4.5 to 9 kilos, this is the rod action for you.
Heavy action--it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that these are they big boys of the lot! Naturally, these are able to raunch bigger fish from the water. These are a must if you're going to be fishing where there is heavy vegetation and you'll be yanking fish out of weeds.
This will, hopefully, give you a better understanding on what the different actions mean. If you can afford it, and enough situations arise, it's nice to have a light, medium, and heavy so you can change rods as situations change. However, I must say, it all boils down to personal preference. I've caught fish I shouldn't on a medium rod and used an old Zebco my dad gave me all during last summer. It goes against everything I tell people about buying a rod but, there were sentimental and superstitious reasons for using it.
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
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