dingbat
Supreme Mariner
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2001
- Messages
- 16,808
Line weight (strength) has nothing to do with it. However, the diameter of the line plays a huge role in the amount of friction (reel and guides) generated during the cast.A couple days ago I bought a 9 foot spinning rod combo deal from Walmart. It was pre-spooled with 17 pound test line. I'd hoped to be able to cast my lures much farther across the pond with the new rig, but it didn't happen. I only reached about the same distance as my regular rods. I figure the heavier line plus the light lure weight was the cause. I guess I need to buy heavier baits!
Casting distance is 75% technique, 20% rod and 5% the reel.
Will not get into technique, but two things are true......
1. The longer the rod, the more strength required to cast the rod.
2. The rod "throws" the weight, not the angler. Throwing "harder" doesn't translate into distance if the rod is over or under loaded during the cast.
What the specification on the rod tells you:
Line Weight is actually a measure of strength. A rod rated for #8-17 should be able to dead lift #17. The rating assumes the line breaks before the rod
Lure Weight is the min and max weight required to properly “load” the rod for casting. Casting performance drops off sharply as you approach the limits of the rated range.
Note: There is no industry standard for lure weight. Manufacturers typically under/over rate lure weights for marketing purposes. In reality, rods typically have a very narrow "effective" weight range. A rod rated to cast 1-5 oz. is a joke
The Action is one of the most over looked aspects. Generally speaking, a fast action rod will outcast a slow to moderate action rod of the same length. On the other hand, fast action rods require more strength to fight a fish due to the increased leverage (min. bend). As such, the mod-fast rods are a popular conpromise between casting and fish fighting ability