I am in the process of selecting a blank for trout, and "bait" fishing from the surf.

A couple of friends have built the loomis P844GL2 and really like the rod.

I have casted them and do like it. But before I make the purchase I looked at the All Star selection ( I have a 1267 and love it) and noticed the BESP845, a comparison looks like this:

Brand Model Length piece Line Lure Tip Butt Action Power Weigth Price
Number
Loomis P844GL2 7.0 1 8-14 1/4-5/8 5.5 .494 Fast Medium ?? 79.00
All star BESP845 7.0 1 8-14 1/4-5/8 5 .580 Fast Medium 11/4oz 62.00

These two alledgedly have the same action, yet the loomis has a much (.86" or 14%) smaller butt, yet a larger tip

What effect does the larger tip have on that class rod ?

Does this mean that the loomis doe have a slower taper, is this indicative of a parabolic action ? ?

Does this mean that the balance point on the loomis is closer to the tip ?

Loomis does not list the weight for their blanks, do any of you (or anyone else ) know what that blank weighs ??

You can't simply go by butt and tip diameters, although they are good indicators of what action to expect, sometimes. Wall thickness of the blank also plays a role in how much power any particular section will have.

Now if the CCS numbers (AA and ERN) were provided for these blanks, you'd have a perfect means of comparing their action and power in an accurate fashion. Just one more reason why the CCS is so important and why the manufacturers should all adopt it as soon as possible.

Until then, you're going to have to rely on people who have fished both. I have a Loomis 844 and it's definitely a fast action blank. It is not tip heavy. I have no experience with the All Star model, although it would at least appear to be as fast, perhaps moreso, than the Loomis. But there's no guarantee that it will be. You could be looking at a large diameter-thin wall butt area.

.........

Tom,
The power and action of a blank are a function of the taper, wall thickness, material used and the diameter. Two blanks could have very simular pwer and action but have very different butt and tip dimentions. For example, two blanks could have the same power but one be larger in diameter and the second smaller diameter but be thicker walled. Or they could have the same power if one was a little smaller in diameter but constructed of a higher modulus (stiffer) material.

I am not picking on you with this because I know that the term parabolic is often used to describe the action of blanks or rods. I don't know where it came from but no rod or blank is parabolic. If it was it would be equally stiff in the tip and butt section and less stiff in the center of the blank. If you look at a satelite antenna it is parabolic. Or to put it another way a parabola is the graphical solution to a type of quadratic equation and that graph looks nothing like any rod or blank you or I would want.

Tom you and I must have been typing at the same time.

I just finished watching Blazing Saddles for the 387th time and all I can is this:

Emory... you use your tongue purtier than a $20 "lady".

Tommy Lindsay - I think this conundrum can be broken by the (one) rod component supply company who has BOTH of these rod blanks IN-STOCK. Call the Supplier that you most want to deal with and buy from. Talk to their staff expert and explain to him what you are trying to decide, and which power, action-taper and "backbone" you prefer. (Ask if they have a blank weight on the Loomis, or can tell anything by percieved weight in hand. This is not entirely conclusive, but may help.) Plan on placing your order with them. Be prepared in your mind beforehand to consider any of the other variables (price, color, reel seat size, arbors needed or not) which may influence your decision. This way your phone consultation is briefer.

Tom & Emory are, of course, both quite correct in that a narrower butt ID may have more backbone. These two rods are likely to be quite close in handling characteristics, because their ratings are so close. After all that's why you picked them and pitted them against each other. So, chances are, you won't go wrong, either way, Tommy.

[But if I may add my humble opinion: I'll be surprised if the All-Star is not at least as stout in the butt as the Loomis. And the All-Star is less expensive, and probably won't need arbors if you use an 18mm seat. And, as far as the tip-top size goes, rod tips that are within 0.5 / 64ths of each other are within the smallest reportable difference, and that difference is likely to be insignificant.] IMO. Best Wishes, Tommy. -Cliff Hall, Gainesville, FL-

Hmm... Well I shall expose more ignorance....

Who carries both Loomis and All star ??

Thanks