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Rod knowledge explained


Guest fishum

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Guest fishum

I wanted to ask about fishing rods in quality,strength,weight.I am asking this question like a new person to fishing even though I?ve been out there for 40+ years and never gone into rods thingo.There seems to be a lot of users of the silstar rods which are not over priced and strong like the ugly sticks.I did get one of these Wilson Texalium rods which are getting good write ups.Did i overspend ?But in reality how can one walk into a tackle store and pick up a rod and have the bend test by the sales person and get sold on that rod.I mainly want to know this for rods up to 7 foot which are used for boat,jetty.Understandably your going to buy a rod for the type of fish you are targeting,so if you are after a rod for gar then you need something light for feed back (feel).Or snapper will need a stronger rod.How much of a Difference will a $80 rod perform up against a $300 rod.When the only thing this stick has to do is bend and not breakAre we going by what the tackle store sales guy says and believing him ?How much are you spending and why

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[i:2mgmb5p8]I mainly want to know this for rods up to 7 foot which are used for boat,jetty[/i:2mgmb5p8]You may have answered your own question?? IMO it this scenario is one suited to a "general purpose" rod rather than a "specialised" outfit. In that, you are probaly correct, Silstars, Uglies, Penns etc. will all suit this without the need to spend big dollars. They also tend to be much more "abuse" friendly than the 'specialised" rigs. The only thing needed to consider is the Line Weight and "comfort", Eg:- Tommies or Snapper, does the curve give ya control, is the butt giving enough "purchase" or is the rod Over-powering ya, will it "Lift" the catch etc.These Rods generally cover a broad range of "useage" and 2 or 3 will probaly suit all fishing as described. One can still spend Mega Bucks for this but IMO it is not necessary to do so for "General Purpose" jetty & boat.Having said that, I trust people can understand that one wouldn't use a "dedicated" Soft Plastics rod to cast a patternoster rig or berley float from a Jetty. This is where the Dollar kicks in, the outfit has to be capable of casting the lightest weight yet strong enough to handle the pull/weight of the fish. The rod tip must recover quickly from casting rebound, be light enough to hold and cast for long periods and feel like an extension of your own arm. Generally, one would need several of these rods, each matching a certain line class and cast weight. These rods a far less forgiving than the "General Purpose" and cannot be abused as such.In a nutshell, it is really " Specialised & Balanced Tackle" versus '' General Purpose", ya won't find to much "Specialist" tackle in the "Chain Stores".In so far as "difference" goes, one only has to go to a tackle store and "feel" the difference between the costs. IMO, some are a bit over the top as I don't think some rods are that much better than it's counterpart, but the same can be said for cars and otherPS:- I also have Silstar, Penn, Tica, Shimano etc, for Bait & Boat "General Purpose" but I also have "Custom Built" for Bait , Fly Rods, Soft Plastic, Hard Body and "Coarse" in the upper price bracket as well. Same with reels, I have my "General Purpose" and my "Specialised" {SMILIES_PATH}/smiley.gif

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As far as I'm concerned, just like most things you purchase, quality, durability and strength is relative to price. Having said that, if you want the newest technology (ie: Texalium alum braid wrap or Daiwa Titanium tips) or the upgraded parts (ie: silicone guides, cork inserts, etc), then you'll definately pay for the priviledge.Rods are a little different to other items though, coz if you're after strength and durability, you'll choose cheaper fibreglass blanks, but if you're after lightweight and balance, you'll go for the more fragile and expensive graphite.Regardless though, in my own view, you get what you pay for. A $300 rod is gonna give ya a lot more trouble free service and comfortable use than an $80 rod, and you'll no doubt treat it better, coz you've invested more into it.Does that mean you'll be even happier with, and get better service from an $800 rod though? I don't think it'll catch you any more fish than the $300 rod, and it wont last any longer than a $300 rod, but you will get the best components available, you'll get ya rod custom made for you, and you'll have the bragging rights and pride of knowing you have the best available at the time.I guess to draw comparisons, it comes down to cheap a Hyundai Excel ($80 rod) will get you to where you want to go. If you have the funds available, a Holden Statesman ($300 rod) will get you there too, and in a lot more comfort, but if you really want bragging rights and to turn heads with the latest and greatest, then why not travel there in a Ferrari ($800 rod)!Are you a Hyundai, Statesman or Ferrari sorta bloke? Coz they all do the same job, but they're all aimed at different budgets and different areas of the spectrum.For me, most of my gear is aimed at mid range ($300 rods) so that I know I'm getting quality equipment and decent components which are gonna stand the test of time. However, when it comes to some of the more specialised gear, and I know I'm gonna be using it often, them I'll gladly move up a grade to the $800 section. As for the $80 gear, the only reason I have that stuff is to loan to others and to stop them touching my good stuff, or to keep layin around as "disposable" items which simply gets used, abused and then discarded.

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Hey fishum, I used to be right into this subject, and keep up with all the latest developments.Things were easy once, at least with the 2 Aust. blank manufacturers, Snyder and Butterworth. They had a very detailed catalogue of their products which made choice pretty straight forward. All the blank model codes meant something e.g. MT4120 = a multi taper blank, 4 wraps of fibreglass and 120 inches long. The catalogue would also specify what line class suited this blank best, and also the optimum casting weight in ounces.That's blanks I'm talking about. Off the shelf rods are a different story, although some of them, if you look close, will have the line class and casting weight printed somewhere above the foregrip. Personally I'm very suss of a lot of off the shelf rods as there are a lot of asian made blanks of dubious quality used in them.There are only 3 main types of construction used, Graphite (or carbon), fibreglass and a composite of the two with the graphite part usually being in the lower 2/3 rds.The thing with graphite is that it is expensive, but makes a much better rod if casting is to be the rods main task. If casting is not a big priority then good old fibreglass is just as good, and cheaper and more robust. The old Ugly sticks had a great reputation, but in truth the solid tip (as opposed to hollow ) was just a cheap way to manufacture the blank. Never the less they were good blanks for general purpose fishing.If you just want a general purpose boat/jetty rod, fibreglass is fine, it's slightly heavier than graphite, but cheaper and much less fragile. But try to find a rod which has been made by a known quality blank manufacturer. The best way to pick a rod is to pick it up in the shop and put a bit of a bend in it by putting the tip end down on the floor, guides up (prefferably on carpet) and just get a feel for it. I can hear the tackle shop guys squirming here, but hey, bad luck boys. All you need worry about is the punters sticking the rods in your overhead fans. See if there is any specs printed on the rod as to it's line class and casting wieght. The rods taper should become evident here, slow medium or fast. ie is it like a crowbar with a wet noodle on the end? (fast taper) or is does it bend gradually all the way from the tip through to the grips? (slow taper). Nothing wrong with waving a few rods around and bending them in the shop, even if it does make the guyts behind the counter a little nervous.

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Guest fishum

Thanks guys for your replies..Ok so if boat fishing a rod is not to important,just depends if you want to lay out more money but not get a real big difference.Am i reading this right.ofcourse i'm talking about straight down.Be a different answer for casting as its like bream fisho's looking for a lot more..

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Yeah mate, for the boat go fibreglass, but with good quality Fuji guides. I think Wilson use good kilwell blanks ( made in NZ ) If you do any livebaiting you want a beefy rod but with a light whippy tip, otherwise the motion of the boat with the rod in a holder will tear the hook out of your bait. If not livebaiting, just find something with a medium taper, that feels right.

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