Blank terminology

[ba229]

Just looking at the descibtions used to define the characteristics of blanks. I am looking for a 12ft surf rod to match up with my new alvey 600A5.

Came across this page http://www.ausfish.com/snyder/blanks.html


Abbreviations used - S - Surf, RT - Regulation Game Tackle, BF - Blackfish, CR - Club Rod, FS - Fast Surf, MT - Multi Taper, FT - Fast Taper, GT - Gator Tail, SC - Spin Cast, M - Magnum, FMT - Fast Multi Taper.

Could someone explain what the action of the following mean?

Surf
Fast Surf
Multi Taper (seems to be in all the tackle shops as the standard)
Fast Taper
Fast Multi Taper

Thanks
Alex

[Heath]

Picked this up from a website. Might help ???


Have you ever heard the term "rod action" or just "action", used in a fishing setting before? Perhaps also mixed in somehow with the term "rod taper". Most likely, you have, and came away confused about it, too. This is unfortunate, since figuring out "rod action" and "rod taper" is really quite simple. It is also important, as the "rod action" and "rod taper" governs much of what you fish for and how you fish it.

You see, the action of a fishing rod is simply a fancy way of measuring how flexible or how stiff the rod is. This is also known as the "taper" of a fishing rod. The tips of all fishing rods are all flexible to one degree or another. The reason for this is to facilitate casting, control and hook setting. Exactly how flexible the fishing rod is, though, will vary depending on the taper of the fishing rod - also known as the "action" of the rod.

Thus, a "fast action/fast taper" fishing rod will bend very little, really only the tip of the fishing rod will bend, when put under pressure. A "medium action/medium taper" fishing rod will bend for about half of its length. A "slow action/slow taper" fishing rod will bend for most of its length - virtually the entire fishing rod is flexible and can easily bend.

So, what are these different tapers and actions in fishing rods used for? The reason knowing about the different actions in a fishing rod is so important is because they have a big effect on how and what and where you fish. Here's a quick breakdown on the ideal uses for the different types of actions/tapers in a fishing rod.

Fast Action/Fast Taper Fishing Rods - These fishing rods are ideally used when fishing for large game fish, particularly fish that you really have to set the hook hard in. The stiffness in these fishing rods allows for more power during the hook set. Additionally, these fishing rods are ideally suited where you the power to "haul out" a fish from the weeds or lead them around obstructions.

Slow Action/Slow Taper Fishing Rods - On the other hand, if you use live bait or fish for panfish and such, a slow action or slow taper fishing rod is just for you. The flexible nature of the fishing rod goes a long way towards preventing the live bait (such as worms and small minnows) from coming off the hook during the cast. Additionally, the slower action of the fishing rod also prevents you from, when you hook a small fish, literally sending the fish high into the sky during the hook set. Slow action rods are also much more fun to catch small fish on since the fish put up more of a fight. If you primarily fish for panfish, crappie and such, a slow action fishing rod is highly recommended.

Medium Action/Medium Taper Fishing Rods - These are the workhorses of the fishing rod world. These fishing rods provide the angler with pretty good small fish fishing while also allowing for pretty good control and hook setting in larger freshwater fish. In other words, these types of fishing rods are the most versatile around and probably will be the best rod to get for an angler who fishes in a wide range of conditions and for different types of species.
And that, really, is all there is to it in figuring out the different tapers and actions in fishing rods.

[MTpockets]

Thanks Heath, very informative mate.
Makes a lot of sense indeed.
cheers
Les

[ba229]

Yep that helped heaps.

Thanks