I was pouring through the search feature on drift rods and found an interesting response that I can't seem to no longer find again. I believe someone wanted to make a float rod out of a 12'-13' 6wt blank. Another rodbuilder responded saying that this particular blank wouldn't make a good float rod because the tip was soft (slow action ?) thereby making line mending and hook setting somewhat of a problem.

The 2 piece St Croix 13' blank is listed as fast action , and everyone's favorite 2 piece 13' Forecast is listed as moderate fast. All of the ratings I've seen so far start at slow, moderate, mod-fast, fast, & then extra fast.

What action does a float rod really need to be? And what would be the difference between a fly, spinning, and spey blank if all had similar length and line/weight ratings and were all moderate-fast blanks? Thanks.

Since there is no set definition for any of those discriptions in the industry, you get what the manufacturer describes it as, same ithe lure weight and line specs. The CC data system is the only thing I've seen that gives me a definitive answer.
Right now a fast or extra fast fly blank is in the range of a mod fast spinning blank and that is a moderate bass blank. Confused yet? LOL.

It also depends on how much line is out, the specie of fish you are targettng, and where. In the East, where the rivers are slower and narrow, they use "noodle" rods and very light tippets.
In the West, where the streams move quicker, and a typical drift is longer, with more line in the water, it's hard to get a good set with a wimp rod.
And an 8 pound tippet would snap real fast when attached to a wild summer run Skeena River steelhead.
A typical west coast float rod would have been a 9'6" 10 weight flyrod, lengthened to 10 plus feet.
Once the rod factories started to catch on, and make "dedicated" float rods, they made them 10-11 feet, and about an 11 weight flyrod rating. Now, with the CCS format, it's hard to say who's doing what.
One maker's heavy is another's medium. etc.
I know this doesn't really answer your question the way you'd like. But it's still a matter of working out all the variables where you fish, and for which specie.

Tim,

Like the previuos posts have stated it all depends on what the manufacture calls it. Converting a spey rod into a float conversion is perfectly fine. In fact around the Great Lakes it's becoming more and more common. Usually these type of rods are used for larger river systems such as the Big Manistee, Niagara, etc. These rods are able to handle the large amound of weight that's required to cast the bait out in to the far seams.

To answer your question about all float rods being fast action. That's not the case. I think the faster action is a trend most of the manufactures are taking (higher modulus graphite). A few years back slower action rods like the Hardy, Sage GII, and St. Croix SCII were the main rods beiing used. All of these rods used either a lower modulus graphite or a combination of glass and graphite. Hope this helps.

Randy