Lighter vs. Balanced

[BigBassin144]

The discussion in my thread on the Kistler Micro Mg rods got me thinking.

The emphasis these days seems to be on lighter, lighter, lighter. Lighter rods, lighter reels. It seems the lighter they make a rod or reel, the more people want it, and the more they charge for it. But is being the lightest the best? Is less really more?

When talking about the weights of reels, most will agree lighter is better. But rods are a completely different story. Some prefer the absolute lightest rod you can get, while other would rather have a more balanced rod.

So, what about the things that make rods lighter or more balanced.

I’ll start with guides since micro guides have been such a hot topic lately. A set of micro guides will lighten up a rod by about 0.20 oz (from TT’s Kistler Micro Magnesium review). Disregarding micro guides’ other advantages and their disadvantages, everyone can agree on one thing; they make a rod lighter, and more balanced. Because they not only reduce the weight of the rod, but also reduce the weight of the rod in front of the reel seat, they are advantageous to both sides of the Light vs. Balanced argument.

Next up are the handles, and more specifically, split vs full grip. 20 cork rings (enough to make a 10” rear handle), before being reamed to fit on a rod blank, weight about 0.90 oz. When you’re talking about a 4-6 oz rod, almost a whole ounce can be quite a bit. Especially if you figure in the epoxy used to hold the cork together and to the blank. Now, I figure on the majority of split grips, less than half of the material is removed, and normally some accents are added. A fancy wrap between the grips, metal winding check or other accents, and even some of the glossy coatings used for split grips all add some of that weight back.

However, this is a situation where one must choose between balancing the rod and reducing its weight. Because, while split grips may lighten the rod slightly, they are reducing weight behind the reel seat, making the rod even more tip heavy.

Another aspect of balancing the rod comes with choosing the reel that will be mounted on it. Most of the time, the reel is slightly behind the fulcrum, it will help you balance the rod out. This is why some rods balance better with certain reels.

So, what are the advantages of a lightweight or well-balanced rod?

Well, a lighter rod will reduce fatigue during a long day of fishing. But in my opinion, if you’re a casual or weekend angler, and aren’t on the water all day long for three or more days in tournament conditions, and are getting fatigued because you’re bass fishing rod and reel combos are too heavy, you should start working out.

A well-balanced rod on the other hand has many more advantages. First of all, if a rod is balanced correctly, it will actually feel lighter than it is. Secondly, it will be more sensitive. Now, the blank itself won’t be more sensitive, but it will feel like it is. Finally, a perfectly balanced rod will probably wear you out less than a lighter but tip heavy rod.

I’m sure most of us have seen or heard of the new Shimano Cumulus rods; the lightest bass fishing rods on the market. With the lightest rod weighing in at an unheard of 2.75 oz, it brings up the question, how much lighter can rods get? Shimano has taken it so far as to even engrave the rod’s name and specs in the EVA foam handles as opposed to printing them on the blank. But I seriously wonder about how balanced these rods really are.

Also, take a look at some of the Kistler rods, or more specifically, the two mentioned in the TT article. Both are 7’ MH rods, and both weigh less than the baseline rod for their 2010 reviews, a special edition G Loomis GLX 2000. However, without a reel, the GLX balances 5” above the reel seat, while the Kistler Magnesiums, with micro and regular guides, balance at 11 and 11.5” respectively. I know it isn’t a fair comparison due to the differenced in split vs. full grips, but I doubt that a full grip would lower the balance point 6” on the Kistlers.

One last example: There are two companies that I know of that are know for not having the lightest rods, but some of the most balanced rods on the market. Those companies are Powell and Dobyns. A look at the Dobyns Champion Extreme 703 (7’ MH) shows that the 5.20 oz rod balances at 5.5” (According the TT’s review of the rod). I’ve seen rods balance 5.5” WITH a reel, so I’d say that’s pretty good.

So, what do you guys think? Is lighter really better?




BB