Purpose-built Rods

[wazatherfisherman]

Fishing rods have changed greatly over the years, from Steel or Bamboo to Rangoon Cane to split Cane, then solid fibreglass to hollow glass, on to Graphite, Carbon fibre or combinations of several of these materials. The newer technology also includes the strengthening of these materials with things like 'nano particles'. Never has there been so much choice.

The quality of "off the rack" rods has improved dramatically, with the major manufacturers like Shimano, Daiwa etc producing better and better qualities of ready made products, covering many popular species, with varying price ranges from budget gear to top of the range stuff. Like most things you buy, the higher-end of the product range you go the bigger the price tag and most of the time, a better quality end product.

Go back some years and although there were some good ranges of 'shelf' rods, it was generally accepted that if you wanted a 'special' or high end rod you had to think carefully whether to buy 'off the shelf' or consider a custom build. Custom build? Either built by one of many smaller rod builders- that were often affiliated with tackle shops- or built by home builders/the fisher themselves. By getting a 'custom' rod you would have the specifications that you wanted- albeit at a higher price normally than most shelf rods, however by building yourself, it was generally accepted that you'd be saving money and ending up with what you wanted at a lower cost, so plenty of fishers had a go at building their own rod.

Due to shelf rods being higher quality these days, most fishers it would seem, can fill their fishing rod needs by simply grabbing a ready made rod from the tackle stores and with many of the bigger manufacturers selling different ranges price-wise, they can find what they need with relative ease. The stickers on most rods now provide line strength ratings along with cast weight ranges, assisting the buyer with this information takes a lot of the guess work out of selecting what you want, but regardless there are heaps of great shelf rods, many fishing styles still aren't totally catered for.

Since the production of better quality spinning reels, with far superior gearing, body strengths and drag systems, spinning reels have taken over a great percentage of the market and are most fishers 'go-to' type reels. Add to this, the most popular fishing styles these days are mostly lure-related and usually involve the use of 'super-lines' like braid, gel-spun etc- which are perfectly suited to this type of reel- and the modern spin reels are the market that 'shelf rods' are centred around. There are of course rods built for overhead reels, with both bait-cast and larger sizes for jigging and light game fishing, but in general, rod production in the main is focused towards spinning reels.

 Few rods nowadays are built for side-cast reels, which sadly seem have lost favour with younger fishers, largely in part because they are not suited to the new super lines. Specialist Luderick rods also don't seem to be produced in many varieties, nor land based game rods or distance casting rods built for overhead reels and high speed spinning- these outfits to a great extent have also been transitioned to spin reels. So we have a few categories that have 'gaps in the product range indeed. Luderick rods, rods for side-cast reels and some 'specialist' rods for spinning reels are still needed, so a home/custom build is still required in many cases.

As stated previously, by building yourself a rod you would expect to save money, but sadly these days with cheap labour sources overseas and so many building components available via the internet, there just aren't the savings there once were and often home building might end up costing considerably more than a shelf model. A tackle rep was telling me a few years ago, that they were having rods made on imported American blanks, that had their grips and winch fittings assembled in Australia then had guides added and bound overseas before being returned to Australia as finished rods and regardless of the transport/freight charges it was still cheaper than doing the complete build here because the guides, binding and finishing coatings could be sourced so cheaply 'outside'.

With the advent of hollow fibreglass enabling lighter, stronger rods at very competitive pricing, the bigger Aussie companies like Butterworth (who were eventually taken over by Snyder) produced a large range of quality rod blanks which covered pretty much all the popular fishing styles. They adopted an easy to understand labelling system for their blanks (and rods) which comprised of a two or three letter prefix denoting the blank's action or 'taper' (the actual shape the blank would become under load)., then it's 'strength'-known generally as 'wraps' (of fibreglass used in construction) followed by the length in inches and sometimes followed by another letter. For example 'MT7144L' would translate to 'Multi-taper' 7 wraps of glass, 144 inches (12ft) the 'L' following might suggest 'light tip' or another 'FMT72L' would mean Fast-multi-taper, 72 inches (6ft) L- light tip. Some other examples of letter prefixes were 'BF'-Blackfish (Luderick), 'JS'- Jig-stick, 'SS'-Surf spin, 'RT'-Roller tip'(game fishing blanks usually).

This labelling system was pretty easy to learn and most tackle shops became adept at being able to make recommendations by simply looking at the numbers printed on the last few inches of the blank's butt-end.

Selecting the type of taper was largely dependant on the fishing style the rod was intended for, with different tapers suited to different target species/styles. Some examples of different tapers would be: 'slow taper'- which were rods/blanks that would gradually bend throughout their entire length in a quite uniform curve, (usually designed for Luderick or fly rods for Trout). These slow actioned rods were primarily designed as a 'shock absorber' through and through, with just slightly more power in the last third/quarter of the blank and adept for species that were more 'lunge-fighters' than long runners. The action of the blank's bend is the factor which tires the fish out and the majority of slow taper rods were constructed for use with relatively light line. Dedicated Squid or 'Egi' rods are another example.

At the other end of the scale you have 'fast taper' or 'extra fast taper' which only really bend for about the first quarter of the rod, before stiffening up along the rest of their length. These rods have very quick 'response' times (which is the recovery time from being bent) eg- during casting or striking a fish- back to their normal straight position, these provide both accurate casting and heavy lifting capabilities as well as very direct response- a good feature for fishing deep water offshore.

The middle of the taper range have actions like 'medium taper' or 'multi-taper', with medium relating to the bend generally extending to about half to two thirds of the length and multi often having a slightly less uniform curve with a softer first third transitioning a bit more power in the second third of the length. Common uses for medium taper are 'regulation' game rods and distance casting long rods. Multi taper as the name implies have a combination of soft tip section, medium mid section and more powerful butt section. These have probably been the most versatile and well used longer blanks on the Australian market and used to be the largest range, with blanks designed from Luderick and Bream rods, right up to heavyweight Groper and Mulloway rods.

After selecting your taper/action, the next consideration is how powerful the blank needed to be, with fibreglass being constructed of a number of fibre sheets known as 'wraps', with the more wraps the thicker the walls and the more robust each blank would be. An example would be a Luderick rod that might have as few as 3 or 4 wraps against say a rod suited to casting a larger sinker and a bait like a whole Pilchard- which would have 6, 7 or even 8 wraps of 'glass. A real heavyweight rod for Kingfish or Mulloway might have 9 wraps, as would a blank suited for deep water jigging. Generally, the more wraps, the heavier in weight the rod would be.

When blank selection had been made, choosing the other components for your build was relatively easy, as there were limited choices in grip materials, winch fittings and guides- also known as 'runners'. Grip choice for the main was either Cork or Hypalon (the precursor to todays EVA), if you chose Hypalon it was pretty cheap, long lasting, comfortable to hold and came in a large range of lengths and diameters. Choosing Cork there were normally 3 options: pre-formed and drilled slide-on tube types (which included various shaped styles), Cork tape with adhesive backing and also individual cork rings that came pre-drilled in different thicknesses and wall diameters. The Cork rings were normally about 1 to 2 inches wide and were glued together after being slid onto the blank and provided both a comfortable feel as well as lightness- many fishers still like the feel of Cork as a rod grip and the beauty of using the rings was that you could have really exacting sized grips as opposed to the pre made type which generally came in only a limited amount of tube lengths.

Winch fittings were available in chromed Brass, pressed Aluminium and eventually Graphite and were pretty much 'tube' shaped barring a small range brought out by Fuji that were lightweight bind-on's which became very popular with those making Luderick rods as they were only about 1/4 of the weight of other types.

Guides have changed constantly over the years, from hard chrome to stainless steel and often incorporated guide inserts to assist with minimising friction from hard running fish. During the 70's-80's the most popular and often used guides were Fuji brand built on stainless steel frames around Aluminium-oxide inserts. At the time they were the best option for minimising friction, with only roller guides on game fishing rods deemed better performance-wise.

Guide 'evolution' left row from top down: Hardloy insert heavy duty guide, Gold plated AFTCO roller, Black/gold AFTCO roller, lighter weight budget roller, high-end Alutecnos roller, one legged super lightweight AFTCO light-game roller Top row left to right- polished stainless steel 'Varmac' with reinforced leg, porcelain insert brass (pretty old one this model), Fuji 'colour guide' with porcelain insert seated in plastic shock ring, the next 3 are all polished Agate stone inserts in different coloured Agate- all highly polished and hard surfaced for 'ultimate' smoothness (so the advertising said!) Second row left to right- Abulon guide marketed by ABU with colour insert, Fuji 'hard' guide with black insert, next 2 are budget aluminium oxide inserts in chromed brass frames, Fuji black oxide, then a Tungsten ringed guide for using with either wire line or lead-core lines. Third row- Fuji Aluminium oxide guide in luminous shock-ring (there are literally thousands of rods built using these guides), Fuji high bridged Aluminium oxide ring, then a silicone carbide high end guide in both double and single leg configurations, single leg hardloy and the latest in American single leg colour guides without insert. Bottom 2 are both American Tackle Co types, first one with stainless insert, second with oxide insert.

New space-age materials have found their way into the rod guide market, with materials like "Torzite", Titanium Carbide, Silicone Carbide and Alconite gracing quality builds with the intention of making the use of super lines friction free, while remaining 'cut-proof' and non marking, but for most fishers using sub 10kg line, the extra expense of many of these probably just isn't warranted performance-wise unless you're building specifically for giant tropical species, Marlin or large Tuna. Of course if you want to treat yourself to the high-end range of components or you'd like a rod or two that have the top of the range gear, by all means spend more because as stated earlier, you get what you pay for.

In years past, if you wanted to decorate your build there weren't that many options, the most common way was to do a decorative bind using the same general colour scheme as used to bind the guides on. Diamond or Chevron patterns were carefully bound on and although they don't help with the fish catching, they certainly add a dimension of professionalism and attractiveness to the finished product.

Today there are heaps of options to 'bling-up' a build. Coloured grips, guides, and even winch fittings are available along with coloured spacer rings, winding checks and spacer tubes (which make good resting points for 'fragile' areas). Decorative binding has evolved to elaborate designs including weaving ornamental shapes and patterns, often doing these sort of decorations takes far longer than to build the rest of the rod, but gives a unique and often 'one-of' individuality to the finished rod.

 

Rod 'Bling' above including spacer tubes, coloured butt caps in different configurations, ring spacers and various winding checks on the right. Although there are some minor advantages of this type of decoration, their primary use is for looks rather than functionality.

Two more examples of 'bling'- top one is a Diamond wrap in cotton followed by a genuine Abalone shell decoration. Note the difference in looks with the Abalone shell ending by being covered by a 'winding check' (the small tapered gold ring) affixed at the end of the black grip as opposed to the Diamond going into the grip without winding check (which looks better!) The Diamond pattern I bound on this rod an FMT84 (my Hairtail rod) about 1998 and the Abalone about 2001 on a Super Barra blank (roughly a FMT84 but slightly more powerful) built as a double-handed spinning rod. They're both old, however functional-wise, still in great working order and both have original guides.

 

Examples of winch styles: top left is alloy with spaces cut out for weight reduction, then a 'Titanium finish' trigger grip for a baitcaster, Left to Right below- 2 different sized Fuji bind-on types which are super lightweight, Graphite type, Full metal game winch, original chromed brass with double locking nuts, modern American Graphite, pressed Aluminium-super light, quality-made Alloy with cushioned seat and double lock nuts, Graphite trigger.

This is just an example of what you can use. I hope this inspires someone to have a build

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by wazatherfisherman
picture doubled up!

[noelm]

Great post, as an old rod builder myself, and having lived through the jigging craze of the ,70-80s and fished for everything from Whiting to Marlin, I know exactly what you are saying. These days with a moderate budget you can walk into a shop and buy almost the exact rod you need/want, decades ago, it was look for a blank and build it yourself only.

[Green Hornet]

Another great read Waza that stirs up plenty of old memories. 

As a land based game angler back in the 70's and 80's there was nothing suitable that was production made and "custom" builds were the only options. Whether it be a spin or live bait rod, I seemed to always have a project going, experimenting with blanks of all shapes and sizes, trimming tips and butts to create something better than I was currently using.

I still have quite a few Butterworth and Ironglass blanks that I built up for spin, surf and luderick sitting out in the rack that I couldnt possibly part with.

Its interesting to see that the old Butterworth and Snyder glas rods/blanks still have a strong following and second hand retail market, with a good condition example selling for far more than an "off the rack" rod of today.

I can't see well enough to bind my own rods these days, but when I want something special now I get Gary Howard to build them for me. He does a great job for a good price. 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Green Hornet

[Rebel]

Great story and plenty of Info.

Well done.

Thank you.

[frankS]

Waza. That is a very well written and informative article, you have pretty well covered all that is need for anyone to grasp what rods are all about.

Over the years I have built many custom rods and I do prefer using them myself.

One thing I would suggest to a new rod buyer is that you buy from a specialist tackle shop, not that they sell better rods it's just that If you buy from a  department style store the rod you like probably would have been looked at and handled many many times before you look at it and has probably been bent and twisted in all forms of shapes and put back on the rack with a crash against fixtures and other rods etc often replaced with bent or loosened guides and fractured blanks, especially any rod containing Graphite.

With the tackle shop you are far less likely that the rod has been roughly treated, although still no guarantee that some careless individual has examined and miss treated the item.

Does anybody realize you can snap a graphite rod easily like a stick of uncooked spaghettis , or at least fracture it so that when you get a decent fish on the rod will snap.

Unknowingly many people go to a store and handle rods and don't even realize they are damaging the rod.  

PM me IF you want to know how to snap a so called unbreakable rod , but don't do it with one you use.

Frank

 

[big Neil]

What a brilliant write up Waza. I have to admit to being dumb in many of anglings finer points. I have always bought rods in the past based on the absolute minimum of knowledge of what was required for my particular purpose. Pretty much choosing the correct line weight 2-4kg, 3-6 kg, etc. Apparently these have changed now to something like PE1, PE2,etc. Not sure of the information being supplied here, with that particular system of information from supplier to end user?? Maybe you can enlighten me and anyone else who is interested?

I never took much notice of anything else until I started lure fishing for Cod with overhead (baitcaster) rod and reel gear. It then became a bit more significant to "get things right".

Somehow I have fluked it and got by with the numerous rods which I've purchased over a lot of years of fishing.

No doubt the pedigree of a particular rod has major significance to some anglers, luckily I've managed to thoroughly enjoy many, many years of angling as an idiot. Having said that I fully support the concept of needing particular fishing equipment for some purposes... like fly fishing, luderick fishing, beach fishing, etc.

Glad you're back to writing your highly informative articles mate. Hope you're well and continue your great work on this forum. Neil

[wazatherfisherman]

2 hours ago, big Neil said:

What a brilliant write up Waza. I have to admit to being dumb in many of anglings finer points. I have always bought rods in the past based on the absolute minimum of knowledge of what was required for my particular purpose. Pretty much choosing the correct line weight 2-4kg, 3-6 kg, etc. Apparently these have changed now to something like PE1, PE2,etc. Not sure of the information being supplied here, with that particular system of information from supplier to end user?? Maybe you can enlighten me and anyone else who is interested?

I never took much notice of anything else until I started lure fishing for Cod with overhead (baitcaster) rod and reel gear. It then became a bit more significant to "get things right".

Somehow I have fluked it and got by with the numerous rods which I've purchased over a lot of years of fishing.

No doubt the pedigree of a particular rod has major significance to some anglers, luckily I've managed to thoroughly enjoy many, many years of angling as an idiot. Having said that I fully support the concept of needing particular fishing equipment for some purposes... like fly fishing, luderick fishing, beach fishing, etc.

Glad you're back to writing your highly informative articles mate. Hope you're well and continue your great work on this forum. Neil

Hi Neil glad you enjoyed the post, as for the 'PE rating' I don't know why manufacturers try and go that way, particularly because different PE ratings have varying breaking strains- which in my opinion tells us nothing! 

Some years back they tried a similar idea- you might remember they bandied around the idea of using Newtons for strength ratings?- Didn't catch on either!

I think it's a flow-on from overseas marketing and try to ignore it! KG's or LB's fit my thinking, regardless I'm behind the times and to me these PE ratings are a bit too general. Maybe there's a place for them in regard to super heavy line classes associated with braid, but when I was actively club fishing nobody dreamt of using any heavier line than 50lb and that was for live bait fishing off the rocks- 30lb mono was deemed heavy tackle!

As for not knowing things, it's just stuff that seems (or is!) meaningless. I always enjoy your posts as not only are they informative and entertaining, they are visually stimulating to me. Part of the reason I love our sport so much is because it's an 'ever-expanding science' with infinite variables.

I wrote much of the post while in hospital and am glad to be home again amongst my fishing stuff!

Regards mate Waza

PS- There's a bit more to come in this post but I ran out of space and can't sit at the computer for too long each time yet

Edited April 2, 2022 by wazatherfisherman
PS added!

[frankS]

Waza. Glad to hear you are back home, we should catch up again, maybe when this weather clears up a bit I might be able to take you out in the boat, maybe a Hairtail overnighter ?. 

I'm with you regarding this P E crap , keep to the old lbs or even k's but leave this high tech rubbish out of fishing.

Frank

[wazatherfisherman]

1 hour ago, frankS said:

Waza. Glad to hear you are back home, we should catch up again, maybe when this weather clears up a bit I might be able to take you out in the boat, maybe a Hairtail overnighter ?. 

I'm with you regarding this P E crap , keep to the old lbs or even k's but leave this high tech rubbish out of fishing.

Frank

Hi Frank be nice to catch up- I can't do much at the moment because I have to keep the leg elevated, but hopefully not for much longer. Would love to do a Hairtail trip, they have been around for a few weeks already, so could be a huge year for them- they are even getting them west of the Harbour Bridge at the moment. Still getting them in Newcastle Harbour albeit not big ones. 

Yes to keeping PE out of fishing dialogue! Too 'general' and gives no genuine line strength, just approximates- maybe for super-heavy stuff but don't see the point of using 120-150lb line to catch fish as you'd need to be 'superman' to get genuine utilisation out of it! 

[big Neil]

I'll look forward to reading the rest of your post Waza. Look after yourself mate. Neil

 

[Blackfish]

Geeeezzzz All and sundry in your post Wazza about Rod building and components certainly bought back some memories with that array of runners.

Just one thing Waz, wasn't there a Black Fuji runner that was a low profile and built like a tank, late 70's.

Thanks for taking the time to write it up.

Edited April 2, 2022 by Blackfish

[noelm]

I guess in this day and age, custom building and using a rod you built yourself is probably just for "kicks" it is certainly not cheaper. Building rods can be kind of fun, very time consuming, but rewarding in the end. Fancy diamonds and so on certainly look the part. I used a very crude home made roller setup, made out of 4X2 pine and some plastic rollers I scabbed off some furniture (I might still have it around somewhere) to tension the thread I used to pull it through a thick book with a bottle of water on it, worked a treat and completely free! I have a story some might relate to, I used to build rods on the kitchen table, and had a small bottle of Acetone to wash the brushes out in, one day I accidentally tipped the Acetone over, melted the Lino tiles on the kitchen floor in a few seconds......I was banned from the house after that, out in to the cold, miserable shed!

[noelm]

8 minutes ago, Blackfish said:

Geeeezzzz All and sundry in your post Wazza about Rod building and components certainly bought back some memories with that array of runners.

Just one thing Wax, wasn't there a Black Fuji runner that was a low profile and built like a tank, late 70's.

Thanks for taking the time to write it up.

Yes there was, I used them for jig rods, I think they might have been called simply "heavy duty" but I am not sure, still got some new ones.

[wazatherfisherman]

33 minutes ago, Blackfish said:

Geeeezzzz All and sundry in your post Wazza about Rod building and components certainly bought back some memories with that array of runners.

Just one thing Wax, wasn't there a Black Fuji runner that was a low profile and built like a tank, late 70's.

Thanks for taking the time to write it up.

Hi Blackfish yes there was and also another type but I don't have any as used alternatives. All the ones pictured I still have at least one set of.

[Blackfish]

37 minutes ago, noelm said:

Yes there was, I used them for jig rods, I think they might have been called simply "heavy duty" but I am not sure, still got some new ones.

That does ring a bell ... faint because Im a bit deaf, but a bell I hear.

[Green Hornet]

On 4/2/2022 at 12:14 PM, big Neil said:

Pretty much choosing the correct line weight 2-4kg, 3-6 kg, etc. Apparently these have changed now to something like PE1, PE2,etc. Not sure of the information being supplied here, with that particular system of information from supplier to end user?? Maybe you can enlighten me and anyone else who is interested?

 

I hope you don't mind me "chiming" in here Waza.

Hi Neil. The PE rating in braid refers to the diameter rather than the breaking strain because there are so many different manufacturing methods and the breaking strain of braids of a similar diameter can vary significantly.

An example of this is say a PE 0.8, 4 strand braid may break at 8lb, whereas a PE 0,8, 8strand braid breaks at 12 or even 16lb and a 12 or 13 strand braid may break as high as 20. What I'm trying to say is 20lb braid can vary anywhere from PE 0.8 to PE 2.0, (0.148 to 0.235mm diameter).

Reel manufacturers were quick to jump onto the PE rating/diameter because it was the only consistent way to promote how much braid a certain reel would hold. The construction of the braid and breaking strain is totally up to the user and stated clearly on the packaging.

Here's a diagram stating the relation between braid diameters and PE ratings.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Green Hornet

[bluefin]

Super Barra! I have 2.   1 store bought spin. 1 Bait caster I built with a Diamond Wrap. I love the FMT72L. Extended 6" Used it the most on 2 kg. The super barra was my muscle stick at 6 Kg !!    Memories. 40+ years ago !!!

[noelm]

Just as a side note, is there any shops around these days that has a decent range of blanks? My local keeps a few, but nothing like the "old days" not that I am shopping for something, just curious.

[wazatherfisherman]

2 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

I hope you don't mind me "chiming" in here Waza.

Hi Neil. The PE rating in braid refers to the diameter rather than the breaking strain because there are so many different manufacturing methods and the breaking strain of braids of a similar diameter can vary significantly.

An example of this is say a PE 0.8, 4 strand braid may break at 8lb, whereas a PE 0,8, 8strand braid breaks at 12 or even 16lb and a 12 or 13 strand braid may break as high as 20. What I'm trying to say is 20lb braid can vary anywhere from PE 0.8 to PE 2.0, (0.148 to 0.235mm diameter).

Reel manufacturers were quick to jump onto the PE rating/diameter because it was the only consistent way to promote how much braid a certain reel would hold. The construction of the braid and breaking strain is totally up to the user and stated clearly on the packaging.

Here's a diagram stating the relation between braid diameters and PE ratings.

 

 

Thanks Pete I should have asked you in the first place! Makes sense now

[wazatherfisherman]

2 hours ago, bluefin said:

Super Barra! I have 2.   1 store bought spin. 1 Bait caster I built with a Diamond Wrap. I love the FMT72L. Extended 6" Used it the most on 2 kg. The super barra was my muscle stick at 6 Kg !!    Memories. 40+ years ago !!!

Hi Bluefin I have 1 each of those blanks and all the components still to build. Love both those and there must be heaps of both of them sitting in peoples collections/garages as they were both very popular due to their versatility

[wazatherfisherman]

18 minutes ago, noelm said:

Just as a side note, is there any shops around these days that has a decent range of blanks? My local keeps a few, but nothing like the "old days" not that I am shopping for something, just curious.

Hi Noel I have either sourced mine via FBook or bought from the USA where there are still heaps of 'glass blanks. Also have an address in the UK for glass fly/Luderick blanks in 1,2 or 3 pieces

[big Neil]

3 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

I hope you don't mind me "chiming" in here Waza.

Hi Neil. The PE rating in braid refers to the diameter rather than the breaking strain because there are so many different manufacturing methods and the breaking strain of braids of a similar diameter can vary significantly.

An example of this is say a PE 0.8, 4 strand braid may break at 8lb, whereas a PE 0,8, 8strand braid breaks at 12 or even 16lb and a 12 or 13 strand braid may break as high as 20. What I'm trying to say is 20lb braid can vary anywhere from PE 0.8 to PE 2.0, (0.148 to 0.235mm diameter).

Reel manufacturers were quick to jump onto the PE rating/diameter because it was the only consistent way to promote how much braid a certain reel would hold. The construction of the braid and breaking strain is totally up to the user and stated clearly on the packaging.

Here's a diagram stating the relation between braid diameters and PE ratings.

 

 

So is one to assume that rods come with a PE rating these days rather than the 3-6kg (ie) like it used to. I would still like to know what to marry my old rods with and that info isn't available in the above chart. I used to get 12-15 lb braid for my 3-6kg rod and assumed that the rod wouldn't break due to the line being too heavy. Problem is I don't know what PE that represents. DUMB bn

[Green Hornet]

1 hour ago, big Neil said:

So is one to assume that rods come with a PE rating these days rather than the 3-6kg (ie) like it used to. I would still like to know what to marry my old rods with and that info isn't available in the above chart. I used to get 12-15 lb braid for my 3-6kg rod and assumed that the rod wouldn't break due to the line being too heavy. Problem is I don't know what PE that represents. DUMB bn

Some Daiwa rods that I know of are rated in PE these days, rods at the heavy end of the spectrum in particular. No doubt other brands do the same.

Let's convert the 3-6kg rating of your rod to pounds Neil and come up with 6-12. A ball park figure of a suitable line would be PE 0.6-1.2. Obviously just look at your pounds rating, divide by 10 (or move a decimal point 1 to the left) and that's about it. Personally, on a baitcaster I'd be tending towards the heavier side of things and be going PE 1-0 or 1.2, even a little higher if fishing snaggy country.

Just fish the braid with drag settings like you would with 3-6kg mono and if you do need to up the pressure, don't high stick your rod. Try to aim to keep the butt angle between 30 and 45 degrees and all the pressure on the rod will be placed in the lower/stronger section and your rod won't break. A good example to see this in action would be to watch a few saltwater fly videos and see how anglers put a lot of pressure on big fish with a long, flimsy rod.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Green Hornet

[big Neil]

4 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

Some Daiwa rods that I know of are rated in PE these days, rods at the heavy end of the spectrum in particular. No doubt other brands do the same.

Let's convert the 3-6kg rating of your rod to pounds Neil and come up with 6-12. A ball park figure of a suitable line would be PE 0.6-1.2. Obviously just look at your pounds rating, divide by 10 (or move a decimal point 1 to the left) and that's about it. Personally, on a baitcaster I'd be tending towards the heavier side of things and be going PE 1-0 or 1.2, even a little higher if fishing snaggy country.

Just fish the braid with drag settings like you would with 3-6kg mono and if you do need to up the pressure, don't high stick your rod. Try to aim to keep the butt angle between 30 and 45 degrees and all the pressure on the rod will be placed in the lower/stronger section and your rod won't break. A good example to see this in action would be to watch a few saltwater fly videos and see how anglers put a lot of pressure on big fish with a long, flimsy rod.

That simplifies things now that I can attach a PE rating to lb breaking strain. Haven't bought a rod recently, wouldn't have heard of PE except for this forum. Many thanks for your help. bn

[Dee Why Jim]

Hi Waza - a great article.  You have an amazing way of connecting to 70/80's fishing.  I made a few rods myself back in those days - remember feeling like a more "legit" fisherman with a few homemade, one piece rods tied onto the top of the car.  Hope you are feeling better and able to get out and about

DY Jim