Rod position

[Andy Macfarlane]

I think you might have put that topic to bed now tincatinca!

 

 

You think? I thought the question was what position do people hold their rod when playing a fish, not a lecture on the physics of rod technology/fulcrums/equilibriums. I'm sure Tinca is right but who does complicated maths on the bank when they have a 20lb pike on I ask you?

 

Obviously the angle at which the line leaves the tip of the rod varies during a fight but the point was, where do we feel most comfortable positioning the rod when a fish is on.

 

There's always one who has to take it to extreme levels isn't there.....

[tincatinca]

You think? I thought the question was what position do people hold their rod when playing a fish, not a lecture on the physics of rod technology/fulcrums/equilibriums. I'm sure Tinca is right but who does complicated maths on the bank when they have a 20lb pike on I ask you?

 

Obviously the angle at which the line leaves the tip of the rod varies during a fight but the point was, where do we feel most comfortable positioning the rod when a fish is on.

 

There's always one who has to take it to extreme levels isn't there.....

 

Ah, but the last sentence says it all. Have you caught any of those big Roach on the pin yet

[Dick Dastardly]

No one seems to have taken into account the rods action.Generally the lower the angle the rod is held to the fish the more the more powerfull lower sections of the rod are brought into play.

[Worms]

No one seems to have taken into account the rods action.Generally the lower the angle the rod is held to the fish the more the more powerfull lower sections of the rod are brought into play.

Particularly noticeable and, also a useful ploy when you are dace fishing with light tackle and hook into a nice barbel. Taking the strain off the rod tip and utilising the lower half of the mid section and butt to control the fish works well but it has its limits especially when the fish is at distance and you can struggle to control directional changes that the fish makes. However it is probably best used for applying 'side-strain' to turn a fish that is defeating all other efforts to turn its head.

 

To be pedantic Budgie it could be argued that if you are using the right weight/action rod for the fish you are going to catch then all should be well using the rod's 'standard' action. The only problem with that is that the joy of fishing is that you are never really sure quite what you're going to catch!

[weirwulf]

Being even more pedantic, one bloke I know has a good idea what he is going to catch and that is usually nothing

[Dick Dastardly]

Thats fair coment Worms.

[Vagabond]

who does complicated maths on the bank when they have a 20lb pike on I ask you?

Funny you should say that Andy.

 

When fishing from the shore in Namibia I hooked a Bronze Whaler Shark on a very stiff-actioned 14-foot beachcaster.

 

With only a butt pad to help, the leverage against the angler was frightful.

 

I found myself dong mental calculations on Newtons laws of moments, and the answers were so discouraging I ignored them !

 

A picture of the shark can be seen if you search for "Vagabonds on the Skeleton Coast"

[Peter Sharpe]

Any position you like, as long as you don't go in for that effeminate, pretentious pose of supporting the rod up the blank with two fingers of the left hand, while holding the butt of the rod in your right (or vice versa).

Edited December 15, 2009 by Peter Sharpe

[Dick Dastardly]

Any position you like, as long as you don't go in for that effeminate, pretentious pose of supporting the rod up the blank with two fingers of the left hand, while holding the butt of the rod in your right (or vice versa).

 

 

Oh No!!! What ever way this thread goes Peter please don't resurrect the old "Two fingers up the butt" business! Last time we tried to discuss this on AN it just rapidly deteriorated to an endless succession of double entendres!

[Dick Dastardly]

Funny you should say that Andy.

 

When fishing from the shore in Namibia I hooked a Bronze Whaler Shark on a very stiff-actioned 14-foot beachcaster.

 

With only a butt pad to help, the leverage against the angler was frightful.

 

I found myself dong mental calculations on Newtons laws of moments, and the answers were so discouraging I ignored them !

 

A picture of the shark can be seen if you search for "Vagabonds on the Skeleton Coast"

 

 

Spot on Dave.It amazes me how anyone ever lands one of those Bronzies set up like that!

 

Well its all came round to my favourite rod action/fish playing subject of big catfish.I'm sure many of you will have read this from me before but as its (IMO) relevant to the topic-

 

Ive watched (and still see) many anglers struggling to land large catfish all over the world simply because they are using the wrong tackle.The use of uptide style rods and indeed even boat rods may look to be the right choice for treble figure fish but believe you me it simply isn't! Ive seen people and read accounts by several "expert" cat anglers of them taking 15 -30 minutes to land such size fish on this "heavy" gear.

 

I found the best set up was a 12 foot through actioned rod of 4lb test curve,in fact a TC not a lot different to a lot of today's modern carp rods! but a very different action.Held at quite a low angle (the butt tucked into the groin and rod held no higher than around 45 degrees its quite easy to land 150lb+ fish in well under 8 minutes (a timed not guesstimated 6 minutes being the norm).

 

I don't really bother to much with the science much preferring to use practical experience (I'm quite thick you see and slow on the up take so if something happens regular enough for it to dawn on me it must be fact!!) but one "fact" I do know (which you can all go out and try/confirm if you feel the need) is that regardless of test curve/line strength/ your strength etc its extremely hard to apply much more than 11lbs of pressure with a rod held in the conventional way ie one hand on the rod and the other winding. As this can be achieved with quite light rods then why use any heavier?

 

Another factor when playing fish is that most anglers simply don't pull enough! or the tackle they are using prevents them (regardless of how powerfull it is) from actually applying enough pressure no matter how hard they pull.The fish plays them rather than the angler play them (all though simply "cranking them in" has become quite normal practice amongst a lot of newer carp anglers catching relatively small carp on well over the top gear).

 

Like I said I dont know the exact physics but the softer rod definately tires the fish quicker and far safer than these poker type short rods.In fact once the full fighting curve of the rods I use has been taken up the effective length of the rod is a lot shorter than its 12'.

 

Many people have actually witnessed this and been very suprised the better anglers among them have quickly adopted this style.However many dont and refuse to accept this.Why? I reckon simply because they like the macho image of the uptide rod/boat multiplier "Jaws" style set up!