Glass -VS- Graphite Cranking

[Tavery5]

We have had allot of good conversations around why each of us prefer glass or graphite. I come across this well written article and thought I would share it.

The controversy continues between fiberglass versus graphite. Some professional bass fishermen recommend fiberglass rods for cranking, others stand hard and fast on the platform that graphite is the way to go. So which is it, what is really going on here? For the first time, we'll explain the differences and advantages of each so that you can make an informed decision on your next cranking rod purchase.
Let's cut through the confusion and get to the heart of the matter. Part of it comes down to sensitivity. What makes one rod more sensitive than another? First, we have to define sensitivity. Most people think it is a stronger vibration, but that's only part of the equation. Sensitivity is the velocity of vibration propagation.

Rods of different modulus ratings have different velocities of vibration. The higher the modulus of the rod (also depends on the way the rod is manufactured), the faster the vibrations from a bite travel from the line to the rod and finally, to your hand where you feel it. The faster the signal, the stronger it feels. This is why high modulus rods are said to be more sensitive.


Modulus of rods

Graphite

High-modulus --------------- 51 million modulus and up (HM)

Mid-modulus ---------------- 38 - 47 million modulus (IM6, IM7, IM8, IM9)

Low/standard-modulus -- 33 million modulus

Fiberglass

S-Glass -----------------------13 million modulus

E-Glass ---------------------- 6 million modulus



With a high modulus rod, you feel the signal the fastest, and it's also a stronger signal. This enables you to set the hook faster. The problem is, it's possible to set the hook too fast, before the fish fully engulfs the bait. The result can be a lost fish because you pulled the lure away from him. When that happens, one thing is for sure, it's not going to be a Hallmark moment. This is one of the main reasons some professional bass fishermen love fiberglass rods... by the time you feel the hit and react, he has it, and you have him. Also, the slower reaction and recovery (damping) of a fiberglass rod can be more gentle and forgiving on fish; the harder recovery of higher modulus graphite rods can result in opening up a larger hole where a fighting fish is hooked, allowing the hook to come out. Moderate action rods can be more forgiving, but not to the extent of a low modulus rod.

On the other side of the coin, higher modulus rods have the potential to cast farther due to their more efficient nature. Yet, oftentimes even a fiberglass rod can heave a crankbait farther than you can get a good hookset, so this might be a moot point. With graphite, you can feel more of what is going on as you retrieve your lure, such as when the plug is hitting the tops of weed beds or the bottom. Proponents of graphite cranking rods claim this as a major advantage over the seemingly "dead" feel of a fiberglass rod in comparison. Finally, some advocates of graphite cranking rods point out that they are lighter than their fiberglass cousins. However, if you are dragging a big-lipped crankbait around the lake, you may not be able to feel the difference between an only slightly lighter graphite rod over glass.

It should be pointed out that highly sensitive rods are especially recommended for slack-line techniques such as worm and jig fishing for a couple of reasons. For one, a quick hookset is sometimes needed for worm fishing in order to prevent the fish from having enough time to swallow the bait, to prevent gut-hooking. Also, when there is slack or a bow in the line there will be less sensitivity than with other tight-line moving techniques. Think of the simple play telephone kids make, a couple of cans or cups connected by string. You have to pull the string tight to hear anything. The same concept applies here. A rod with higher sensitivity can help overcome these problems.

Other things besides the modulus of the rod can influence the sensitivity of a finished rod. The type of line used, and the way the rod is constructed, including different grip materials, line guide configuration, even the thickness of the grips, can all contribute to or detract from sensitivity. For example, thicker or softer grips will impede vibration. Handles designed where there is less or thinner grip material and places where you can touch the blank can make a rod more sensitive. Generally, rods constructed with light components tend to enhance sensitivity of the finished product, or, to be more accurate, detract less from sensitivity (the rod will never be as sensitive as the naked rod blank, before it's built. Everything that is added to the rod, such as grips and guides, add weight and damping which reduce sensitivity.) However, as more and more rods are built similarly, such as the overwhelming trend of split-grip handles found on rods today, the rod blank is often the main determining factor in sensitivity.

Now you know the real differences in no-uncertain terms. To summarize the main advantages, fiberglass transmits vibrations slower so that you don't set the hook too fast, and have more damping to resist ripping hooks out of the bass's mouth. In contrast, a graphite rod will help give you a mental picture of where your lure is in relation to the underwater bottom and cover, allowing you to more readily adjust your retrieve speed and depth to keep your lure in the strike zone, and allow you to get more bites (hopefully!). Life is full of compromises, you have to pick one or the other, or a mid-modulus rod, a balance between the two. You can't have it all, there is no free lunch.

For recreational, fun fishing, I prefer high-modulus graphite for sensitivity. It's fun when a one-pound bass hits so hard it feels bigger than it really is! The hit can be half the fun. For tournament fishing, I would go with a lower modulus rod, one just sensitive enough for me to feel the hit every time, so I can set the hook at the right moment, every time. In a tournament, catching one more fish can mean the difference between winning and loosing.

What's your pleasure - just fun fishing, or landing more fish? Now you have the knowledge to pick the best tool for the task at hand.

[keithdog]

Thats a really great post Tavery. Lots of things are always considered when choosing any rod, and crankbaits rods are probably the most controversial. I'm not a tourney fisherman and don't get paid for the fish I catch. All my rods are graphite, even my crankbait specific rods. I like the lighter weight and sinsitivity. Plus the fiberglass crankbait rods just seem so thick and heavy. But if I were ffishing for money, I would definately try one to see how I like it. Perosnally, I just want to know when the rod makers are going to start making cane pole casting rods? hahaha

[HarveysMinnow]

Yes, that is a very informative article, with loads of good information. Unfortunately, it totally overlooks another important factor: the role of the line itself. No matter what type of rod we may have a preference for, that rod will not and cannot pick up any indication of a fish taking the bait until the line has transmitted that vibration. This is why I find it worthwhile to grip the line lightly. This not only allows the quick detection of a bite, but with spinning reels it also helps keep the line wound on the spool properly.

But, even though rod sensitivity is overated, I feel sure this debate will rage on, fueled in part by the rod makers desire to continue selling a wide variety of rods. After all, this is what keeps them in business.

/

[BigBassin144]

Pretty good article Tav, although I don't completely agree with all of it.

This has been discussed before, but IM ratings and modulus are not very good comparison of rods. Due to the fact that there is no industry standard, IM ratings mean nothing between brands. One company's IM6 could compare to another IM10.

Also, while modulus is partly responsible for a rods sensitivity, there is a lot more too it than that. A graphite rod made with 33 million modulus and few layers of "filler" and good resins will be a superior rod to one made with 75 million modulus, a lot of "filler layers" and crappy resins. And this is a downside to high modulus graphite: it's more brittle.

I don't believe modulus ratings have anything to do with castings distance. It much more has to do with action. The slower actions of glass actually increase the range of lure weights a rod can handle, and I'd venture to say that helps in casting.

And one last thing about casting with crankbait rods. If you've ever casted a moderate action crankbait rod, then you know you can't cast it the same way as a fast or XF action rod used for contact baits. Casting a cranking stick requires a slight change in your casting technique due to the slower action.

Overall though, it's a good article. Its not that it's wrong about things, I just think it leave some important bits of information out.

BB

[islandbass]

Not a bad article, Tav. I would have to agree with BB on some of it, but I think I have a good idea of what the author was trying to convey. And BB's post brilliantly clarifies what I would have also mentioned.

I believe that rods with a slower action have the potential to make farther casts because they are able to store more energy when it flexes backward.

I'll also add to BB's post that with regard to casting with those crankbait rods, I will say that slightly disagree that the cast is different. In reality, the mechanics of the cast are the are the same whether you have a rod with a fast, extra fast, or moderate slow action rod.

Bottom line, the rod is loaded (stores energy as the rod tip is bent behind the angler) and the energy is released as the rod tip starts moving toward the target. This is why I say it didn't matter what kind of rod was used.

With that said however, I think what BB is getting at is that the the timing is what will slightly differ. This is where the adjustment by the angler needs to be made. For the angler who truly knows how to properly load and unload a rod, it shouldn't take more than 3 casts to become accustomed.

[Tavery5]

I like most of you, did not agree with everything the author stated. I do however think that he touched on most of the areas that are usually debated when discussing the benefits of one over the other. He went into a little detail in the main areas and made casual mention of others. I am not sure that he intended this to be an all inclusive, end all argument, type of article, but rather hoped to point out some of the key differences and clear up some common misconception. I had hoped that this article would stir up some comments from our more experienced guys, and create some questions that we could have some good conversation around for our newer guys. Anyway, I have enjoyed the comments so far, so keep them coming.

[Jrob78]

For me, there isn't much comparison between glass and graphite. They are 2 different animals, a moderate graphite rod is going to behave completely differently than a moderate glass rod of the same power and length. I don't necessarily think one is better than the other, it's a matter of preference.

In my limited experience, glass rods aren't really much heavier than their graphite counterparts. For example, I am building on a 7'6" Lamiglas Skeet Reese honey fiberglass blank right now. The rod is almost a inch in diameter at the butt, it's huge. The blank is listed at 4 oz but weighed in at 3.6 on my scale. This isn't super light but it is very respectable for a 7'6" blank. I should be able to keep the finished rod at a very comfortable weight.

My personal cranking rods are glass or composite. I have fished graphite cranking sticks before and I prefer glass. I like the way it fishes and I like the super slow action for crankbaits, you just can't get that with graphite. You will never hear me say that I think I catch more fish because of glass, it's strictly a matter of personal preference.

[Bob Smith]

I have one graphite/glass composite rod that I use for cranking and I also have a couple of graphite rods that have a very similar action, and they are lighter, that I also use for cranking. Personally, I have pretty much evolved into using the composite rod to launch my deep divers or other baits that I tend to work slower, and use my graphite for baits like the lipless variety. the only theory that I can provide for that rod selection or priority is that I fish the lipless baits a lot harder than I do the deep diving baits and cast them a lot further. The lighter graphite and quicker action tends to favor the fast moving baits while the composite rod is easier on a soft biting fish on the deep diver. IMHO

[BigBassin144]

Yes, glass isn't always that much heavier. In fact, the Dobyns 704CB GLASS is actually lighter than its 704CB (graphite) counterpart. Figure that one out.

BB

[nofearengineer]

I'm not a fiberglass fan, but I'll never understand the emphasis on sensitivity in a crankbait rod. When the fish bites a crankbait (or any other reaction bait for that matter), it's either hooked or it isn't. The hookset is merely to drive the hooks deeper. You don't "detect" strikes fishing crankbaits. If you're one of those guys who loves to feel the thump thump of your crankbait, that's fine...but I don't think that's catching you any more fish than just watching the pumping of your rod tip.

What kills me is fishing "fashion" bringing fiberglass back, so they can sell old technology at a premium price, because anglers fall for good marketing worse than 12 year old girls and their cell phones.

I hear bloodletting is making a comeback too.

[bassboogieman]

I kinda agree with Mr. Analyzeittodeath. I use more sensitive rods for plastics and other slow presentations where bite detection is what I'm trying to feel, as well as the bottom or structure I'm fishing. I also prefer the higher end rod for spinnerbaits, I can feel the blades turning a little better with those rods. My crankbait rods are graphite, but they are designed specifically for crankbaits with mod/fast or moderate actions. I chose them mainly for the lightweight and those rods are still pretty sensitive. I can feel the lure working and every bump and dig it makes along it's travels, but bite detection isn't part of the equation. When a fish hits a crank they either get it or they don't.
Bryce, I can bring some leeches, a little blood letting and those babies ought to be totally irresistable to those smallies............... Huh? Ya in? Who needs GULP, when we can have NFE blood engorged leeches? Sounds like a sure fire, secret weapon for Wilson.

[CiK]

I think the argument will always be there, and the choice comes down to personal preference. Graphite will help you determine what you are running a crankbait over a lot better (ie: rocks, mud). Where a glass rod will be more forgiving when they inhale the bait.

I lost a few fish this year on graphite rods where the fish made a last ditch run at the boat and ripped the hooks out. Those graphite rods probably were a little too stiff those days. I am making the switch back to glass next year by building my own glass rods this winter. I am hoping for better results.

Tony