I use the Common Sense System to get the relative ratings of my Casting rods and since many of the rods require over 200 cents to deflect 1/3 of the overall length, I’d like to know if there is a conversion to an ERN number. The Rosetta Stone Chart tops out at 173 cents. I don’t know if there is an advantage to having an ERN number, but I’m curious.

The ERN number refers to relative rod power, so yes there is an advantage to having it.

Dr. Hanneman has recently revised the chart to include heavier listings for the more powerful casting and spinning rods and it will appear in the Volume 10 #3 issue of RodMaker.

In the meantime, you can compare blank power by the number of cents required. Not quite as simple but still helpful in many cases.


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Thanks Tom, I'll look forward to seeing #3.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ve been under the impression that the ERN power rating would apply to any rod regardless of length. My rods are not particularly powerful. (The lure weight ranges are approx ¼ to ½ once). However, the rods are relatively short (5’6” to 5’9”) by todays standards. Is it possible that the “short” length is resulting in an inordinate amount of weight (pennies) required for the 1/3 deflection?

Keep in mind, Jim, that Hanneman's primary interest when he developed the system was to help fly fishermen match up rods and lines with casting distances and preferences for power and action. And, the most powerful flyrod on the planet has about the same power as a Loomis 0 or 1 power Mag Bass taper. Fly rods are just not very powerful rods compared to spinning and casting rods.

ERN is measured at the point of 1/3 deflection for a blank of any length. I'm guessing that Hanneman's next table will probably extend the ERN table into the 30 range, since lots of medium heavy or heavy freshwater rods probably get up into that range. We'll find out soon enough.

Steve



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2007 02:22PM by Steve Kartalia.

Length won't matter - it measures power no matter what the length is.

Even a 12 weight fly rod blank is not terribly powerful compared to a heavy bass rod blank. The scale can go higher and with Dr. Hanneman's new version it does.

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Steve and Tom,
Thanks for the clarification.