hi all,

here's a bunch of questions. if you don't feel like answering some of them, i understand. if you'd rather answer privately, i'm at jcrouse@justincrouse.com.

i'm trying to wrap my mind around blank action. i'm really trying to wrap it around the ccs methodology, but for now have some basic questions on action.

my general observation is that blanks are moving toward "faster" action. what does this mean in terms of casting proficiency i.e. in the field? what does a 50 plus million modulus blank offer in terms of a 30 million plus IM6 blank?

when looking at this from a user standpoint, isn't it safe to assume that someone that has always used, say, a shakespeare wonderod fiberglass blank going to have to "get used" to any of the newer blanks?

how does all of this action and power discussion translate into a typical user? If I built a rod using a higher modulus and it was for someone fishing, say, stripers on a wide river with potential high wind, but the person using it had always used an IM6 or lesser rod, wouldn't they not realize the benefits in the rod due to their casting style etc?

how do you go about determining the right blank selection for someone? how do you determine when a higher modulus is necessary? in turn, how do you convince someone of that? what factors do you use to determine the right blank for someone if price is removed? is it at all possible using the ccs or other techniques (and which would those be? guide placement in reference to spline or other?), is it possible to build a high performance rod on, say, a forecast blank? if so, how do you relate that performance to the user?


any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks in advance,

Justin

Okay, you're making this much to hard on yourself.

Action is simply where the blank flexes initially. That's all. A fast action blank initially flexes mostly in the upper 1/3rd of its length and can be made out of high modulus graphite, or red cedar. A slow action blank can be made from either of the same. The Action Angle nomenclature in the CCS just puts a number on the flex so you can have greater resolution in determing which of several fast action blanks is actually faster. Just as lengths listed as Long, Medium and Short are better stated in feet and inches, AA is a better way to represent action.

The modulus of the blank isn't going to have much if anything to do with power and action. But, the higher the modulus the greater the possibility that you can achieve the same power at less weight. Does that make sense? The higher modulus fibers are lighter for the same weight so you don't have to use as much of them to achieve the same power as a blank made from lower modulus fiber.

As far as how it affects someone's actual fishing - it's really just a matter of them suddenly having a rod with the same action and power as before but at less weight. A lighter rod is going to react and recover more quickly. It's going to be a more efficient tool and the angler will find that it's easier and less tiring to use. Casting should be easier due to the rod being lighter - more of the angler's casting input can go into casting the lure or bait and less into starting and stopping the rod.

I might also add that the relationship between wall thickness and overall blank diameter also plays a role in the modulus of the actual structure of the rod. Not all rods made from higher modulus fibers actually end up being lighter or more efficient than their lower modulus fiber counterparts. But we're moving away from the basic answers when we start to get into that discussion.

What I've given you here are some very simple answers to questions that could be far more involved, if you want them to be. Blank performance depends on many things, not just the material used to make it. But I think this should cover what you asked. Action is where the rod initially flexes. Power is, well, power/stiffness. Higher modulus fibers offer the potential for a rod to be lighter for any given power/stiffness.

.........

Justin,

Winston's "WT" rod uses an IM 6 blank......it is a $400.00-500.00 rod. Medium
to Medium fast in action. Also Scott's G2 is a similar action. Both extremely popular rods.

My point is faster or higher modulus isn't necessarily better. Use rod characteristics to suite the type of rod that will work best for the fishing situation.

Use CCS as a tool....if a customer wants a 9 ft 8 wt rod for some light saltwater fly fishing...sometimes windy conditions. You can then go to the chart and look at the AA and pick out some that are on the faster end to deal with casting into the wind. You can then look at the prices, modulus,availabilty to you, and recommend those to your customer.

hey guys,

thanks so much. i am making this harder on myself than necessary. i also just learned a lot this morning from reading relevant information in the FAQ. it'll still take me a bit to work out ccs for myself, but i get what you're saying.

thanks so much,

Justin

Justin,

Don't forget about the "complete" action. Too many people think about the action in terms of casting (and long distance casting) at that, but that's not all that we do. I put much more emphasis on short casts, mending, and how the rod feels when I have a fish on. I personally think that the recent emphasis on very high modulus blanks and fast actions is more advertising hype than anything else. I would much rather be out on a trout stream with a medium-fast action rod of about 50-55 million modulus than anything else (except maybe my bamboo rod, which has more life than any graphite).

Jim