In another thread I finally read someone post a thought I have had for years, WHY are rods rated by "line size" ? This is ludicrous, there are some very high end high $ rods out there with ratings like 40-100. Really? So this rod performs equally well if I'm a 25% guy fishing 40 or a 33% guy fishing 100? It's range is 10 to 33 pounds of drag and it loads up nicely and has enough recoil to be efficient and enjoyable fishing 40, 50, 60, 80 or 100 lb terminal tackle? A magic rod? It knows the anglers intentions? Personally I think rods should be rated at their peak performance on a drag curve, say 15 to 20 for a 60 lb class rod. End of rant. Anyone agree? Grass roots and all that. Maybe if we make enough noise the industry will listen
I guess I agree, but totally don’t understand. I am used to rods having a rating of the size of line. 15-30 being best to use 20lb line. A rod rated 30-100 doesn’t really restrict you to any size ? Doesn’t that mean I can use 30 lb. test 40,50,60,70,80,90, and 100 lb. test. New to me ??
I agree and it's nice that Shimano labels the rangle and on their site says the type of rod. Ie 40 bait
I have been saying for years that rods should be rated by drag pounds rather than line ratings. My 20# of drag I use on a HX Raptor equals a 60# class rod while for others that same rod would be an 80# class rod. Too late now though as I doubt the fishing industry is going to change.
The manufacturers are giving you the minimum and maximum the rod should fish , best in the middle of those #s .That's what I've always figured for what it's worth.
Remember the old 15-50# rated rods? Historically, with most rods, you can toss out the low and the high and use what's left. A 270H-8 or 870 rated 15-40 is best for 25# but works for 20 and 30 too.
Yup. went on the same rant last summer. I never realized that setting a drag by hand is useless, Then I started using a scale. Then the light bulb went off. Now we just need reel manufacturers to spool and post results of braid capacities by brand name. They should also post mono capacities by line thickness.
That's why everyone else rates braid capacity in PE numbers. Each number corresponds to a specific diameter, more or less, and for every PE number you will find a range of breaking strengths from different manufacturers and line models. American tackle distributers don't do it this way because the pound test system has corrupted everyone and most aren't smart enough to figure it out. And by most I don't mean people on this forum, I mean Joe Blow who buys all his tackle at Walmart as has no concept of what drag is.
It works the way it is. Couldn’t imagine trying to buy tackle as a newb having some pretentious sounding guy tell me I need a spring scale to calibrate my gear instead of weighing a fish. we’d never have any new anglers... I agree some rods have a broad range but that’s part of how some rods fish. Certain glass calstars are still rated 20-60 or 30-80. Doesn’t mean you fish the top or bottom. when you need a chovie rod with backbone you’ve got it, and when you’re flylining a dean and just wanna fish the middle rating they’ll work just fine too. But a new rating system is the last thing we need
The deal REALLY started with braid.Some rods came with 2 ratings,one for mono and one for braid.WTF?The rod is going to bend the same depending on the drag.I just know how I like the bend,where it shuts off and dont give a tinkers damn on what it says on the rod.FWIW,Tom
I don't think it needs to be an either/or case. If they just put the line tension that bottoms it out on the blank along with the conventional line rating that would be just fine.
not everyone worries about fishing with a perfect internet drag setting. some of us know from experience how the line rating on the rod works for us. please don't try to get changed what works....................for other people. the next time you have a custom rod wrapped, have the builder write on YOUR rod what YOU want it to say.
I had heard that a certain rod that was rated 10-80 pounds was done so by the builder so that it qualified for IGFA specs........ Besides....some rods fish heavier than stated and some fish lighter An original 870 comes to mind....15-40 pound and it's a 25 pound rod at best Newer 870 models have tighter ratings
I ain't that smart , just to start things off. But I have to assume the wider ratings are the more parabolic rods. The again I don't quite understand drag ratings versus lb test, especially braid. Understand stretch will likely reduce the breaking strength of mono, but braid? With braid you should certainly be able to increase drag to 50 percent of line strength. I am sure there are a hundred things I am not factoring in there but I stated my disclaimer in the beginning.
if it was me I would label it as wimpy, wimp, brave, and ballsy. end of my rant!! wimpy: very light fishing wimp: light fishing brave: heavy fishing ballsy: extra heavy fishing
When we finally get used to ratings like a 6465H at 30-80, 660XXH at 40-100, just use the “secret formula” 30+80=110. Divide that by 2 and you’ve got yourself a 50 lb rod. Then along comes Shimano and they rate rods with a range for braid? A rod rated for 80-200 lb Power Pro? WTF are we supposed to do with that? I believe Seeker used to label a rod with optimum drag. That makes sense.
The OSP’s are labeled with drag settings. Except mine, they forgot to put the label on it. Most of them are though. The Shimano rod ratings are definitely crazy. Especially how small the blanks are for some of the higher end ratings—those things turn into a noodle. Anyway, I guess they put a mono and a braid spec because the mono has stretch and takes more pressure to load the rod up? No idea. Not even sure that makes sense now that typed it out loud. Adrien
Then don't put any rating at all. Actually picking up the rod and feeling it has no bearing here, that doesn't help you if you haven't felt the rod or can't find it in person. The whole point is that as they stand they give such a poor reference point they mean next to nothing. Pick up a Calstar, Phenix, and Shimano with the same rating and you're going to get very, very different rods. So you hear one person saying they fish "X" rod with whatever rating and unless you've felt that particular rod you have no idea what they're talking about. Their intention is that with their whole system you fish braid significantly heavier than your leader, so they list the main lines that complement the drag settings for the leaders you would use with them. In trying to simplify the braid-leader concept they very stupidly complicated the whole thing.
