Rods & Reels Qn

Post all fishing related questions here such as tackles, fishing techniques, rigs, fish ID, etc. All the technical stuff about fishing.

Moderator: Handlinefishing

Post Reply
User avatar
teamilk
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 89
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 4:07 pm
Fishing interest: All types of fishing, Prawning
Location: Simei

Rods & Reels Qn

Post by teamilk »

hello! sorry noob question. didn't really bother about these specs till i am shopping for rod and reels

What's the meaning of:
For Rod:
1)Light/Medium/Heavy action?
2) Line Rating (lbs) ?

For Reel:
1) Max Drag?
2) Gear Ratio " ? : ? : ?"

Was shopping online for reels, until i see all these specs, and i realised i never really know what these are....
Sorry for noob question!

PS: If u are going to say stuff like "depends on what type of fishing u are going for....." then my answer would be maybe off the jetty? pond fishing? offshore?

appreciate all your answers! :lol:

User avatar
MrTurtle7
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 7:30 pm
Fishing interest: Surf fishing, lure fishing.

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by MrTurtle7 »

Hello
For the rods, action refer to how much the rod bend under pressure.
A heavy action would mean that most part of the rod would bend while light action refer to bending of the topmost part of the rod only.
Generally, a heavier action would make casting easier but lack the pumping power to bring up and control the fish.
Line rating generally refers to the stregth of the line thats suitable for the rod.

As for the reel, max drag refer to the maximum weight required to pull out line when the drag is set to maximum.
Gear ratio refer to how many times the reel will turn when you turn the handle for 1 round, like 5.4:1 mean that the reel would turn 5.4 times with each turn. However, the line you take in would be proportional to the size of the reel.

Correct me if i am worng :)

User avatar
Chatellany
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 48
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:18 am
Fishing interest: Learning luring and getting into surfcasting.

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by Chatellany »

Yes, like mrturtle7 said. For the rod action thing Peace has mentioned before. Fast action means the tip of the rod will bend when engaging in a fight with the fish, or when there's a weight tugging at the end of the line. Medium heavy means it will bend at the middle section of the rod, and heavy means it will bend at the butt joint nearby. For the max drag, sad to say I oso dunno lol. I think it's the maximum weight you can 'pull' with your reel as derived from it's name. Gear ratio is something like how many turns per handle equals to one turn of line into the spool, or how many turns per handle equals to one turn of the spool. That your got to wait for Peace to clarify to you, looks like he's pretty busy these days lol.

User avatar
Chatellany
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 48
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:18 am
Fishing interest: Learning luring and getting into surfcasting.

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by Chatellany »

Btw which online site you shopping at? Isit local website? So far I only Noe of fishingbuddy and easterntackle, damn their its are damn high end ESP for easterntackle.

User avatar
teamilk
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 89
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 4:07 pm
Fishing interest: All types of fishing, Prawning
Location: Simei

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by teamilk »

Hello
For the rods, action refer to how much the rod bend under pressure.
A heavy action would mean that most part of the rod would bend while light action refer to bending of the topmost part of the rod only.
Generally, a heavier action would make casting easier but lack the pumping power to bring up and control the fish.
Line rating generally refers to the stregth of the line thats suitable for the rod.

As for the reel, max drag refer to the maximum weight required to pull out line when the drag is set to maximum.
Gear ratio refer to how many times the reel will turn when you turn the handle for 1 round, like 5.4:1 mean that the reel would turn 5.4 times with each turn. However, the line you take in would be proportional to the size of the reel.

Correct me if i am worng
Thanks alot Mr. Turtle! appreciate your explanation. what's best is u explained in layman terms. and not anyway chim chim terms. :yay:
finally i understood.
1 more thing is......u said for drag, "max weight required to pull out line when the drag is set to max." can i say that u meant "max weight can 'tahan' when the tension is set to tightest?"

also, 1 more question. if the rod's line rating is...lets say 6-16lbs. can i load heavier line? like 20lbs? 30lbs? what effect will cause to the rod?



thanks for your reply too Chatellany... appreciated!
Btw which online site you shopping at? Isit local website? So far I only Noe of fishingbuddy and easterntackle, damn their its are damn high end ESP for easterntackle.
anyway, both the websites u mentioned i didn't go. lol
i went fishingkaki forum and the most common selling website: ebay singapore. LOL
the price is crazy high for some items too. but if u look carefully and closely, there are some reels that are dirt cheap. saw 1 combo, shimano rod (6ft) n reel (IX 4000) selling for S$46. BUT. the shipping cost is about S$46 also. lol....
so ultimately the price is about close to 100.
as for fishingkaki, i am just look see look see. see can grab any good offers. my friend got a shimano sienna 4000FB for 80 bucks. good deal. good condition.

so while im bored at office, might as well surf for equipment. ::x:

User avatar
RaymondAng
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:58 am
Fishing interest: Any type of fishing as long can go fishing.
Location: Punggol
Contact:

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by RaymondAng »

Bro, I got a New Shimano Sienna 2500FD for only $52 and the 4000FD think is around $60.
The shop is at Hougang you can go there to look see. The boss very friendly.
Blk 698, Hougang st 61 #01-12.

As for your Question
"max weight can 'tahan' when the tension is set to tightest?"
Yes it will need that much strength to make the line peel off the reel

lets say 6-16lbs. can i load heavier line? like 20lbs? 30lbs? what effect will cause to the rod?
You may load heavier but never set the drag above the rod line class or ever soon you will need a new rod.
Also heavier line do no cast as far to thinner line.

User avatar
Peace
Site Editor
Site Editor
Posts: 4168
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:48 pm
Fishing interest: Handline fishing
Location: Singapore
Contact:

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by Peace »

Sorry for the late reply. The rod rating thingy can be very confusing since not all rod manufacturers define the terms the same way but you guys seems to have understood it already. :) A 6-16lbs line rated rod with max drag 5kg(on rod) for instance means that you may compromise rod action or break the rod if you exceed either of the specifications. Note that the max drag doesn't always tally with the max line lbs and is often lower.

For max drag on reel, it simply means that the reel components and build is made to withstand up to that stated drag. You'll notice that reels can often be set beyond its rated drag by either over tightening it or changing to better drag washers. Setting a reel beyond its stated drag setting is a very bad idea. The shaft can get bent from overloading and bearings can wear out faster.

Retrieval speed of a reel cannot be solely defined by its gear ratio alone. It depends on the spool diameter to know the actual amount of line retrieved per turn of the handle. For example, a low gear ratio reel with large spool diameter may retrieve more line per handle turn than a reel with high gear ratio with small spool diameter. The required speed of retrieval depends on the type of fishing you're using the reel for. High retrieval speed may be useful for certain types of lures or jigs and also reeling in your terminal tackle fast enough to pass over rocks, especially at breakwaters.

The price to pay for high speed is loss in power, torque or cranking power to be exact. (when comparing two reels of similar design) However, we should also note that the efficient design of the gearing system itself can have improved torque, not just by lowering gear ratio alone. ie. Shimano's High Efficiency Gearing (HEG) and Daiwa's Digi Gear.

Yes, you're still going to get the "depends on what type of fishing you're going for" because it is what determines the particular quality of the reel that will deem important to you. You know Jetty fishing is pretty general too, we can do jigging baitcranking or surf and such on a jetty. :p

User avatar
teamilk
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 89
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 4:07 pm
Fishing interest: All types of fishing, Prawning
Location: Simei

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by teamilk »

RaymondAng wrote:Bro, I got a New Shimano Sienna 2500FD for only $52 and the 4000FD think is around $60.
The shop is at Hougang you can go there to look see. The boss very friendly.
Blk 698, Hougang st 61 #01-12.

As for your Question
"max weight can 'tahan' when the tension is set to tightest?"
Yes it will need that much strength to make the line peel off the reel

lets say 6-16lbs. can i load heavier line? like 20lbs? 30lbs? what effect will cause to the rod?
You may load heavier but never set the drag above the rod line class or ever soon you will need a new rod.
Also heavier line do no cast as far to thinner line.
thanks for the shop recommendation bro! i'll drop by if i have the time.
do u happen to know the price they selling for 6000 and above?
Peace wrote:Sorry for the late reply. The rod rating thingy can be very confusing since not all rod manufacturers define the terms the same way but you guys seems to have understood it already. :) A 6-16lbs line rated rod with max drag 5kg(on rod) for instance means that you may compromise rod action or break the rod if you exceed either of the specifications. Note that the max drag doesn't always tally with the max line lbs and is often lower.

For max drag on reel, it simply means that the reel components and build is made to withstand up to that stated drag. You'll notice that reels can often be set beyond its rated drag by either over tightening it or changing to better drag washers. Setting a reel beyond its stated drag setting is a very bad idea. The shaft can get bent from overloading and bearings can wear out faster.

Retrieval speed of a reel cannot be solely defined by its gear ratio alone. It depends on the spool diameter to know the actual amount of line retrieved per turn of the handle. For example, a low gear ratio reel with large spool diameter may retrieve more line per handle turn than a reel with high gear ratio with small spool diameter. The required speed of retrieval depends on the type of fishing you're using the reel for. High retrieval speed may be useful for certain types of lures or jigs and also reeling in your terminal tackle fast enough to pass over rocks, especially at breakwaters.

The price to pay for high speed is loss in power, torque or cranking power to be exact. (when comparing two reels of similar design) However, we should also note that the efficient design of the gearing system itself can have improved torque, not just by lowering gear ratio alone. ie. Shimano's High Efficiency Gearing (HEG) and Daiwa's Digi Gear.

Yes, you're still going to get the "depends on what type of fishing you're going for" because it is what determines the particular quality of the reel that will deem important to you. You know Jetty fishing is pretty general too, we can do jigging baitcranking or surf and such on a jetty. :p
thanks alot peace. think i understand a little. gotta read through thoroughly and carefully cos i briefly ran thru while at work. lol

appreciate all your help! :) :D

User avatar
sgpu
Forum Patrol
Forum Patrol
Posts: 455
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:34 pm
Fishing interest: luring, parking, bottom

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by sgpu »

the day i decided i wanted to squander on a decent tackle i was hoping i would get a brief, direct write from people like peace, too.

today, i like to share with what i learn so far. (an example)
http://www.daiwa.com/reel/detail.aspx?id=197
Reel size 5500, max drag 33lbs (approximately 14.9kg) === Rod 20lbs- 40lbs === line 30lbs
how do you snapped a rubber band? no cutting. by stretching it apart with a fair amount of force. same principle apply to fishing.
reel don't spoil, rod might break, line might snapped.

max drag, so as to let your fish swim with a bag of rice sack weighing 15kg. so as to tire it, then you can reel it inshore. rod, other than keeping it bend, tension is lock between your tackle and its mouth. fish rod must be able to withstand shock coming from your catch. most fishes would attempt to shake off the fish hook. why must there be tension? so as to engage a battle against your fish with a hook.
so your line strength and reel strength should be in the range of your fish rod. else, both equipment might overpower your fish rod as a result breaking it.

What's the meaning of:
For Rod:
1) Light/Medium/Heavy action?
actions and Light/Medium/Heavy are 2 different classfications.
http://www.stcroixrods.com/pdfs/STC_2011_Cat.pdf
take a look, quite interesting
2) Line Rating (lbs) ?
it simply suggest the line strength to use. anything beyond the higher or lower. high overpower your rod, will break it. low, your line snapped because your rod over powers it.


For Reel:
1) Max Drag?
the amount of force to overpower your reel. in order to start the spool moving, turning.
2) Gear Ratio " ? : ? : ?" example. ratio. 1: 4.6, 1 main handle turn = reel spins 4.6 revolutions. line retrieval in revolutions.


it is tough to find a tackle that suits the best of your every world.
to go deep, bottom fishing, you need stronger tackle, and they all come bigger size. it's so unlike our lap top, everything becomes smaller as technologies advances. with a deep bottom, it's tough to do luring, but you can do surf, or bait fishing on shore or jetty. so long as the number are suitable. yes you might use one for both boat, and jetty. :D
若要人不知, 除非己莫为

'tio bo'???

User avatar
teamilk
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 89
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 4:07 pm
Fishing interest: All types of fishing, Prawning
Location: Simei

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by teamilk »

thanks alot for the explanation sgpu.
now i think my rod my line is overpowering my rod. :shocked:
lol...

anyway i think all of your advices here are precious to new, inexperienced anglers.
:yay:

User avatar
sgpu
Forum Patrol
Forum Patrol
Posts: 455
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:34 pm
Fishing interest: luring, parking, bottom

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by sgpu »

teamilk wrote:thanks alot for the explanation sgpu.
now i think my rod my line is overpowering my rod. :shocked:
lol...

anyway i think all of your advices here are precious to new, inexperienced anglers.
:yay:

you need not worry about the overpowering part as you can adjust your drag. unless you meet a one way ticket monster like a 10 - 20kg sting ray or even more that is.
若要人不知, 除非己莫为

'tio bo'???

User avatar
Peace
Site Editor
Site Editor
Posts: 4168
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:48 pm
Fishing interest: Handline fishing
Location: Singapore
Contact:

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by Peace »

Oh yes, as general rule of thumb you should set your drag to 1/3 of your line breaking strain. You can do this by loading your rod and measuring the force with a weight scale.

User avatar
teamilk
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 89
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 4:07 pm
Fishing interest: All types of fishing, Prawning
Location: Simei

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by teamilk »

adjust drag.....so for this case i have to loosen the tension? (line overpowering rod)

eh sorry but i don't understand the meaning of "drag"
i would assume its the tension?

User avatar
Peace
Site Editor
Site Editor
Posts: 4168
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:48 pm
Fishing interest: Handline fishing
Location: Singapore
Contact:

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by Peace »

Yes, the drag is the part that controls the line tension. If you're using a line that is heavier than the rod rating, adjust the drag for according to rod rating instead. ie. 1/3 of rod's line rating.

User avatar
teamilk
Line Untangling
Line Untangling
Posts: 89
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 4:07 pm
Fishing interest: All types of fishing, Prawning
Location: Simei

Re: Rods & Reels Qn

Post by teamilk »

ahhh i see
thanks alot !!

Post Reply