OK. Here is another cant sleep thought that I am having trouble trying to put my thoughts on paper with. I think that it is a general consensus that a moderate to mod-fast action is preferred for throwing crankbaits. My mind gets a little foggy when I start thinking about extending rods or the same action being applied to different length rods so once again please forgive me.

Lets take a CB66MH and lets say that it is the perfect DD6 cranker but is a little under powered for a DD14 (just play along. My point is that one crank is a little heavier or has more pull). It is a moderate Action and it loads very well with the DD6 and it has that perfect give that keeps big girl on the line. OK, now I know that this is stretching it but lets say we extend the butt of this rod 12 inches or so and use the same rear grip length. Now this rod is more powerful and the action is now considered faster as the rod can be loaded more while increasing the AA. The lure range should remain the same on the lower end but increase a bit on the upper end. Essentially, I still have the same CB66MH upper end of the rod that should be able to load a DD6 very well and the action will remain the same at a giving pull but it also has some reserve power left in her.

So, if the AA and power are measured using the entire length of the extended blank it will be a bit faster and more powerful but will remain similar in action when not fully loaded and using a DD6??? Now I have a rod that has an increased AA and power but fishes just like the original 66 version (with additional length of course)??

Now, with the extended CB blank I can now throw the DD14 as I gained the additional power to do so by extending the butt. However, the action is now considered faster. I know that the additional pull of the DD14 will increase the load on the blank and it will be closer to fully loaded prior to a strike. This may result in hooks being pulled on aggressive strikes but if the hook up is successful, what make this faster action blank any less forgiving than the slower CB66 before the extension was added? In my mind, they should both have that perfect give after hook up as I had with the original rod yet it is considered faster.

Sorry for the winded post. I am not sure if I made a whole lot of sense but I feel a little better. lol.

Scott,
Keep things simple.
Just do all of your CCS measurements from the reel seat. When it comes down to it, that is where the action on the rod happens. i.e. from the reel seat forward.
In reality, what difference, does it actually make to the rod, if the reel seat is stationary, but you have a 5 inch, a 10 inch, a 20 or 30 inch back grip.

You are still holding the rod at the reel seat when casting and landing fish, so, I would believe that the rods function and action would be identical - as long as you did not move the reel seat position, with respect to the tip length.

Does this seem to be the right thing, or are there other factors that need to be considered?

Take care
Roger

AA is a constant for any given length. It doesn't change. Same with the more traditional terms - a fast action blank is a fast action blank regardless of how much you load it. Action is determined by where the blank initially flexes. All rod blanks, including very fast action blanks, will flex deeply into the handle as you continue to load them. But that doesn't mean the action has changed.

Power, probably more so than action, determines how "forgiving" a blank is. But power isn't a constant necessarily - the deeper you flex the blank, the more power you're applying. To keep from tearing hooks out or for more forgiveness, you need a softer blank, or a softer tip, neither of which necessarily dictates a fast action.

..............

I think the general consensus for preference in a crankbait rod has more to do with Power than it does with Action. The manufacturers kinda play games with the Power Ratings (and lure ratings) for crankbait rods (and all others too). Although the Actions may be slower with the crankbait blanks and the blanks may be listed as “medium heavy” or “heavy” power, their actual powers may be considerably less than a comparably rated non-crankbait blank. When you see one of the “pros” on TV putting a deep bend in his big powerful cranking rod, the rod is really a lower powered rod than its non-cranking “equivalent”. It’s understandable that many manufacturers have chosen to use either a blend of lower modulus graphite or a composite with fiberglass, which is more flexible and allows greater bending to prevent blank failure.

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AA is a constant for any given length. It doesn't
> change. Same with the more traditional terms - a
> fast action blank is a fast action blank
> regardless of how much you load it. Action is
> determined by where the blank initially flexes.
> All rod blanks, including very fast action blanks,
> will flex deeply into the handle as you continue
> to load them. But that doesn't mean the action has
> changed.
>
> Power, probably more so than action, determines
> how "forgiving" a blank is. But power isn't a
> constant necessarily - the deeper you flex the
> blank, the more power you're applying. To keep
> from tearing hooks out or for more forgiveness,
> you need a softer blank, or a softer tip, neither
> of which necessarily dictates a fast action.
>
> ..............

Tom, maybe I am missing something but don't you read the AA by deflecting the rod 1/3 of it total length? Wouldn't that angle increase (Faster) if that same blank was extended 12"?

Yes and no. You take the measurement at a certain location. There is no other location to take it from. So a deflection equal to 1/3rd of the blank's length is the only place where AA can be taken. If you take it at 1/4 deflection, or 1/2, you are not obtaining an AA reading.

Now if you increase the length by 12, then you would still be taking the measurement at a deflection equal to 1/3rd of its length, which would now carry an additional 4 inches. So, yes, the AA would increase.

What I meant was, just because you flex or load the blank more deeply, that doesn't mean the action has changed.

.................

Scott,

I don't have the numbers or formulas to prove it but generally as power increases and action becomes faster in your case, you will rip more hooks. The good news is that the power and action increase may be small enough that there is no statistical significant difference in total fish landed vs. total fish hooked ratio. After all, you are only extending the rod by 15%. Overall power and action may not linearly increase with length.