I thoroughly enjoy building rods and take a lot of pride in crafting rods that are purpose built for the reel, line, fishing style, etc. myself or the client requests. I always static test my rods, typically with the 2 line method initially on a new blank then use those measurements and minimally tweak when making multiples on the same blank. I've been happy with the results, but always wondered how necessary it really is considering the static load test is just that...'static.'

Let's take a 7' 10-20lb 3/8 - 1 1/2oz MF blank. Let's say I build a spinner and fish for albies. Now fighting this fish with rod tip high the load is coming from a very shallow angle as that fish could be 100+ yards out there. Same blank, could even be the same rod is now jigging for tautog. Load is coming from an entirely different, now very steep angle.

Top hand position while fighting the fish effects the blank too. Especially as you get into more moderate blanks.

Now I'm not saying throw 4 guides on a heavy saltwater spinner and call it good to go. I'm just WAYY overthinking this and trying to determine how load angle effects (if at all) rod bend and guide placement.

Dan,
If the guide train is correct, and set up correctly, the high or low angle of fishing should make no difference to the rod.

Good luck

Dan,
I think you answered your own question; one never knows what load or angle the line will be to dictate how much and how deeply a rod will be flexed. Therefore, static load testing for guide placement, even though only static, is the best tool/method we have to evenly distribute the load on the blank. Additionally, I static test both fully loaded and partially loaded (with more attention to the fully loaded) and place the guides accordingly. Even though a fish might be 100 yards away producing the shallow line angle, eventually (hopefully) it will be at the side of the boat producing a much steeper line angle. Just my thoughts; I am curious to learn what the veterans have to say.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

the places i fish, if the fish is one hundred yards out, he would be in the next state..lol.

My 2 cents.

I don’t care when the fish is a 100 yards away. My rod isn’t at maximum load then.

I care when the fish is straight down and ripping line off the reel. That is maximum load of the rod and if I load in my static testing to my drag setting it equals the actual dynamic event.

I always use a bucket of water as a load and have the rod about 30 degrees above horizontal.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Dan

Roger is correct. Set the rod up as well as you can then understand that regardless of the fish's position relative to the fisherman the rod only "cares" about the load and bend imposed by the fisherman - not the fish. Yep, it sounds strange so think on it this way; a fish 100 yards out can result in no load on the rod if the rod is pointed directly at the fish. The same is true for a fish directly below the fisherman. However, in both situations the fisherman can high stick, put excessive bend in the rod, to the point of rod failure. What you are really doing with a static load test to 90 degrees is giving the fisherman the best chance of applying maximum pressure to 90 degrees of rod bend without unnecessarily risking rod failure. Said another way, static load tests are really important and so is proper fish fighting technique.

Donald that makes all the sense in the world...comes down to providing the angler with the best chance when max pressure is applied. Perfect. Thanks!

it only took me a few seconds after hooking a fish to understand that i was undergunned or not and that it would come down to fish fighting technique and lots of luck, especially lots of luck..lol.

That's why they call it "angling"