Rods

[Pross]

OK, this will sound like a stupid question from someone who already fishes but I'm confused on various types of shore and boat rods. My rod (Shakespeare telescopic beach rod) has a 6oz casting weight. Does that 6oz include the weight of bait, rigs etc. or is it just the lead? What confuses me is that some baits weigh quite a lot. Also the weight categories for boat rods I know relate to the line weight but are the rods capable of coping with much greater weights. I'm thinking of getting a second rod and most of my fishing is off piers, rocks and sea walls. Would I be best getting another beach rod? Also, on reels, are multipliers much more difficult to use than fixed spool?

[Fishing Forum Admin]

OK, this will sound like a stupid question from someone who already fishes but I'm confused on various types of shore and boat rods. My rod (Shakespeare telescopic beach rod) has a 6oz casting weight.

Well Im far from an expert but it includes the bait ext

I'm thinking of getting a second rod and most of my fishing is off piers, rocks and sea walls. Would I be best getting another beach rod

I would say yes as a telescopic rod are not very good , you will also find you will be able to cast better as the rod action is much better

Also, on reels, are multipliers much more difficult to use than fixed spool

I would say so Im still getting my head round my multilier so stick with fixed spool unless you need to cast 100 yrd plus to reach the fish

[Pross]

Thanks for that, I'll stick with my fixed spool I think then.

[andyg]

Originally Posted by Pross

OK, this will sound like a stupid question from someone who already fishes but I'm confused on various types of shore and boat rods. My rod (Shakespeare telescopic beach rod) has a 6oz casting weight. Does that 6oz include the weight of bait, rigs etc. or is it just the lead? What confuses me is that some baits weigh quite a lot. Also the weight categories for boat rods I know relate to the line weight but are the rods capable of coping with much greater weights. I'm thinking of getting a second rod and most of my fishing is off piers, rocks and sea walls. Would I be best getting another beach rod? Also, on reels, are multipliers much more difficult to use than fixed spool?

Hey Pross,

Telescopic rods are not so good as 2/3 piece rods (casting, control, power, play, etc.) In saying this, expensive telescopic rods now may well outperform cheap 2/3 piecers, you get what you pay for.

When it comes to casting weight, i.e. 6oz – this is a guide from the manufacturer and is on the conservative side. The baited rig weight is negligible, and 6 oz is the max I ever cast with, I prefer 4-5oz grip leads (you only need heavier weights to hold bottom and grip leads do this anyway).

Boat rods – Think of their rating as the maximum amount of weight you can dangle from the end of the rod before it breaks – because you don’t cast with them and therefore this pressure isn’t exerted on them (uptiders are the exception and a different topic). So a 20lb boat rod should be strung with 20lb line max – this is because the boat rod may buckle when you dangle 25lbs from it, but if you use 20lb line, the line will snap before the rod breaks; this is one of the main reasons reels have a drag function i.e. the line will feed out rather than snap. So concisely, a boat rod can be set up with as much weight as required to hold bottom when anchored.

Multipliers v Fixed Spool? The debate rages…………. tangles occur with both in my experience and I don't know which I can get more length from. Stick with what you've got until you have mastered it, then move on - that's my advice - Paul-Sunderland is your man for this topic really.

Hope this helps

AG

[Ben]

i liker my multi but if you caught a fish im not really sure how you would play it cause even with the talk right up its still hard winding ins ome weed or sumthing

[steve devon]

the greys rods say like 6oz + bait instead of 4-8oz so i dont think it is bait aswel

i no my rod what says 4-8oz would never cast an 8oz with bait aswel

[SPLODGER]

The weight rating on rods are a guide for the total maximum recommended casting weight i.e. 6oz could be 5oz lead plus 3 small baits or 5 oz lead + 1 largish bait. A rods performance can be affected by the style of casting, i.e. a stiff rod can be made to bend more easily using an easy cast OTG whereas a soft rod can be made to appear stiffer casting with a more oblique angle between rod and lead, i.e. south African OTG, by changing the position of the lead relative to the rod you could make a rod perform differently with different weights and possibly handle heavier weights than those stated. However the ability of the rod to recover will also affect the performance of a rod relative to the weight being cast.
On the subject of which rod to buy a good guide is to determine the type of ground you intend to fish, clean, mixed or heavy and the type of fish you intend to target, as most manufacturers produce rods according to these factors. For example when fishing heavy ground and kelp for cod you might elect to use a tournament type rod i.e. Century kompressor grand prix or WR300, ZZiplex HST Vmax 1 or similar. For mixed to heavy ground you might choose a Century CM, or kompressor sport. For clean to mixed ground you might choose a century kompressor lite or conoflex source, for close to medium work and in estuary or creeks for flatties you might choose a conoflex source estuary, or century ultra lite. To complicate matters it also depends on your casting ability. In general each rod is designed to do a certain job and I’m not sure there is a one for all rod. Best thing to do is tell a reputable tackle shop what you want from a rod and your casting ability and they should point you in the right direction.
Fixed spool or multiplier? I prefer a multiplier but for most general fishing a fixed spool reel should do the job, unless your a tournament casting master and are trying to squeeze out a few more yards I don’t think there's a great deal to choose between as long as its a good quality reel. 0ther than on the tournament field the only time I think a multiplier has a real advantage is over rough ground (assuming you're using the right multiplier) because the gears tend to be better at handling this type of fishing. If you do a lot of night fishing then the last thing you want are overruns and birds nests (even with all the braking options on modern multipliers) on a multiplier so unless you've become accustomed to using a multiplier stick with the fixed spool.
Boat rods are generally rated by line class, choosing one depends on the type of ground, water depth and type of fish you expect to encounter. I do all of my boat fishing off Whitby over rough ground and wrecks in deep water which mostly involves jigging with pirks and muppets using 50-80lb braid or mono. I therefore use a 50lb class pirking rod (slightly longer than a standard stand-up rod to impart more action into the pirk), any skipper would be happy to point you in the right direction on tackle.

I don’t think there is an out and out solution when it comes to choosing tackle; the tackle needs to be suited to the angler’s ability and the conditions in which the tackle is to be used. Try and be more specific in your requirements and think about the type of fishing you intend to do. It sounds a lot to consider but it can also be fun, it’s all part of the joys of sea fishing and choosing the right tackle can enhance that experience.

[steve devon]

good advice