Power and Action explanation

[Tavery5]

There has been allot of discussion lately around the power and action of rods. I recently read a post on another popular forum that I felt like was one of the better explanaitons of the two terms. For allot of you this may be repetitive information, but I thought maybe it would be a good refresher for allot of us and maybe new information to a few. This was posted by a fellow angler "Roadwarrior" on another forum.


Much of the confusion has to do with terminology. Let's define "power" and "action" first.

Power
The power of a rod is simply a rating, which describes the overall stiffness of the blank. Power categories include Ultra-Light (UL), Light(L), Medium-Light(ML), Medium(M), Medium-Heavy(MH) , Heavy(H) and Extra Heavy(XH)

Action
The action of a rod is a rating, which describes the amount of curvature that occurs in the blank due to loading with weight. The faster the action, the further towards the tip the rod bends. The slower the action, the further towards the middle of the rod and so on.

Action categories include:
Extra-Fast: Bend very near the top of the blank.
Fast: Bend in the upper 25-30%.
Moderate: Bend near the middle.
Slow: Parabolic curvature throughout the entire length of the rod.

Action is important because it determines, in part, how much control you have over the fish. The faster the action, the more pressure you can put on the fish (and vice-versa). Many crankbait anglers want more moderate action so that the fish cannot shake free as easily. Another important consideration of rod action is casting distance. The slower the action the better the rod will cast. Rods that have a slower action have a wider curve on their parabolic bend, and therefore can store more potential energy when casting. This is called "rod loading." In effect, the more the rod loads, the more of the rod you use to cast. Fast action rods bend closer to the tip, using less of the rod to cast.

Other rod characteristics to note are recovery, sensitivity and brittleness. Recovery is a measure of the time it takes the rod to recover after a cast. When you impart energy to a rod upon casting, it vibrates. You can see the tip shaking. That shaking bats the line as it leaves the top guide, causing friction. That friction reduces casting distance. Faster action rods tend to recover faster, but do not load up as well. More moderate action rods tend to recover poorly, but load up better. If you can find a moderate action rod with fast recovery, it will outcast everything else if the rest of the playing field is equal.

Sensitivity is obviously important. You want a rod to be able to transmit the feelings you experience when your lure moves underwater, where you can't see it. Higher modulus graphite is more sensitive, although it may be a case of diminishing returns as you get higher and higher up the modulus rating scale.

Brittleness is how easily the rod will break. Most high end rods are brittle, as brittleness and sensitivity tend to be indirectly proportional. That's where a lifetime warranty comes into play!

So, all things are not created equal and if you think a $50 rod is just as good as a $300 rod, you're wrong! Buy the best equipment you can afford and focus on quality, not quantity.

For an all around rod I recommend 6 1/2' or 7' Medium Power/ Fast Action. More than 90% of all the bass fishing you will ever do can be done with this rod. Rod power is more about the weight of the lures you use than the fish you might catch. A Medium Power rod will handle most of the lures you will fish and the fight will be much more fun.

If you made it this far, I think you will agree it is a good read, and great job of explaining the characteristics of fishing rods. Again credit goes to "Roadwarrior"

[BigBassin144]

Great post Tav. There have been similar posts to this in the past, but as new members come, it's always good to have it reexplained.

This is one area a lot of people are confused, and manufacturers (specifically of cheaper rods) don't always label rods correctly. That definitely doesn't help with this issue.


BB

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

Great post Tav. There have been similar posts to this in the past, but as new members come, it's always good to have it reexplained.

This is one area a lot of people are confused, and manufacturers (specifically of cheaper rods) don't always label rods correctly. That definitely doesn't help with this issue.


BB

Thanks, I am as guilty as anyone in using the term interchangeably, but I always find it strange to hear the pro's use the terms incorrectly. Maybe there needs to be a move to create an industry standard, so we the consumer know exactly what we are buying.

[thekevster]

Great post this will help out alot of people in explaining the differences between power and action.Another thing to note however is some rod brands name the power the action so sometimes that can be confusing to people and yea some pro's mix them up too,
what used to confused me when I first started out bass fishing was when they say this rod has a soft tip etc etc because it really means action but the terminology is mixed up.

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by thekevster

Great post this will help out alot of people in explaining the differences between power and action.Another thing to note however is some rod brands name the power the action so sometimes that can be confusing to people and yea some pro's mix them up too,
what used to confused me when I first started out bass fishing was when they say this rod has a soft tip etc etc because it really means action but the terminology is mixed up.

Yeah, I never quite know what to make out of it when they say soft tip, are they talking about a med power rod with fast or moderate action, or are they describing the recovery rate of the tip. I find it all a little confusing, the only way I ever really know what someone is trying to describe is to ask allot of questions so I can narrow it down in my own mind.

[Cavs1123]

Nice post Tavery!

[Jrob78]

Great post Tav. I have to admit that it is a real pet peeve of mine to hear people say medium heavy action, it makes me crazy. Hopefully people actually know the difference and just mix up the terminology. My guess though is that a lot of fisherman don't understand the difference between action and power.

My take on a soft tip is this; it refers to the power of the tip section. It isn't action, a fast action rod with a soft tip still bends in the upper 1/4 of the blank. It just flexes easily in the tip. I have a MHF rod with what I would call a soft tip. The blank itself has plenty of power but the tip section loads up very easily.

Because it loads up well it is ideal for casting Senkos and Flukes. I can also work the weightless baits better because the tip has more "give". I feel the soft tip gives me more control over these baits. When I set the hook or fight a fish the soft tip quickly "merges" into the rest of the blank and I have plenty of power. This rod is great for these techniques because they require a more delicate approach but can be fished in heavy cover or mucky situations without sacrificing any power.

I've also used this rod for fishing 1/4 oz shaky heads. It allows me pinpoint control and plenty of power without being overpowering. I can make contact and shake the bait without jerking it off the bottom.

The flip side is this rod isn't ideal for fishing heavier baits like jigs. The rod has plenty of power for these baits but it requires more rod movement and effort to get the heavier bait moving.

Hopefully this explanation makes sense.

[BassBandit]

Rods characteristics.

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by Jrob78

My take on a soft tip is this; it refers to the power of the tip section. It isn't action, a fast action rod with a soft tip still bends in the upper 1/4 of the blank. It just flexes easily in the tip. I have a MHF rod with what I would call a soft tip. The blank itself has plenty of power but the tip section loads up very easily.

+1 Well put Joe.

It was a good article Tavs...We need to have a thread locked at the top for newbies to reference...So we dont have to recycle the same info over and over.

[cody77]

Great info. Thanks!

[thekevster]

Originally Posted by BassBandit

Rods characteristics.

There is also moderate fast lol which some people use I personally dont use them does anyone know what there used for besides
flipping and pitching,I just use fast action for that.

[BigBassin144]

Originally Posted by thekevster

There is also moderate fast lol which some people use I personally dont use them does anyone know what there used for besides
flipping and pitching,I just use fast action for that.

I've seen MF action rods listed as pitching/flipping rods (like you said, a lot of crankbait rods, spinnerbait rods, and even topwater rods.

BB

[thekevster]

Yea some people like to use moderate for that but I am not to familar with moderate fast I guess its just a preferance thing again just like some people like extra fast vs fast action.