Fishing rod size

Lots of questions about what size rod and reel. I like an ultra lite, but I want one that will take an 8 pound line. I don't like tying a lighter one or trying to see it. Also, I can horse a bigger fish. Brought in a 8 pound plus bass on an ultra light reel and 5'6" rod with 8 pound line. If you are in a smaller kayak I suggest a 6'6" rod and up to a 7' in a larger yak. Everything changes when we shift to salt water. I generally carry at least 3 fishing rods when I go fresh water and four or five in salt. Getting a milk crate is a must as you need the extra storage and rod holders. Lots of fun things to add to your crate.

I have a 6' medium action spinner rod that I fished with decent success all of last year - and by success I mean if I set the hook I brought it in 80% of the time. Fished 8lb monofilament line with my only complaint being the persistence of lots of memory in the line (used a super cheap Zebco line which was part of the problem) and this contributed to somewhat shorter casts with my lightweight top water lures than I would have liked.

For this year, I just purchased a 5'6" light action spinner that I'm going to be stringing with 10lb braid and a 5'-6' fluoro leader. Taken it out once so far (strung with the 8lb mono line) and really enjoyed the action of it - able to feel what the lure is really doing on the bottom and mistook several rocks and bumps for nibbles...and the braided line is only going to increase the sensitivity!

Alright, so I'm back on this topic.  After several months of fishing with the above mentioned 5'6" light action rod I have decided that a light action rod does not suit my fishing style.  I've lost more fish in the past few months than I have in the entire time I've fished - I couldn't set the hook unless they ate the entire lure!  

That leads me to this post...I've sold the Diawa and I'm in the market for a new rod.  I've narrowed it down between two 7'0" Medium-Heavy action Abu Garcia's and I'm having trouble deciding between them.  (Vendetta) (Vengeance)  Both are rated for 8-14lb lines and 1/4-3/4oz lures...so my big hang-up is what, if anything, is the difference between a $50 and an $80 rod?

I've narrowed reel options down to three. (Lew's Carbon Fire) (Abu Garcia Orra 2S) (Lew's Speed) My conundrum here is that it's not even comparing apples to oranges, it's like apples to green beans to a doughnut.  All three are different retrieve speeds (current reel is a 4.8:1 so all 3 are going to be faster, but how noticeable is 4.8 compared to 5.2 or 5.8 vs 6.1? does it even matter?).  Both of the Lew's reels feature 10 ball bearings...but maybe the Abu's 6+1 run smoother or is more durable over the long-haul?  And again, am I really going to notice the difference between a $50 reel or an $80 reel, much less a $70 vs $80?

Every combination is an upgrade over what I currently have (Abu Garcia Ike Dude Combo and I'm perfectly satisfied with it, I just want to invest in something of a bit higher caliber and keep my current 6'0" as my secondary) - so if it were you, what combination would you choose and why?

So I've done more research and developed another question - how "fragile/brittle" is a graphite rod blank?  I've only fished with fiberglass rods thus far and I certainly don't want to invest in a $50-$80 rod and have it break because I get too excited and try to horse a fish in with a high-stick.  

Normally I'd say to myself "okay, just be careful to keep the tip low while you're fighting and no big deal." But being new to this whole kayak fishing thing I haven't really caught enough fish to know how I react when I'm pulling one in other than "pull strong and reel fast, don't let him get away!"  I feel that the Medium-Heavy action I'm looking for will help offset some of the poor technique but I've read where graphite rod blanks can break with as little as 2lbs of stress if bent in a certain way or compromised due to being beat and banged during transport.  

Not that I intentionally abuse my rods, but I do typically put them in the bed of a truck around my yak and head to the lake...or bend them into the cab overnight so I'm loaded and ready for an early morning but can still lock them up.  This type of handling hasn't resulted in any failures to date, but again, I'm not sure just how fragile these graphite rod blanks may be.

I found this article to be extremely informative and put a lot into perspective...especially the second-to-last paragraph

Graphite rods
Gary Loomis helps explain the differences and dispel a few myths
By Craig Baugher - 19.Dec.2003


Ever since the introduction of the first graphite rod by Fenwick in 1974, myths about this mysterious material have been growing and circulating the globe like wildfire. How many times have you been told that the difference between IM6, IM7 and IM8 is the difference in quality standard, or that the higher the modulus, the more graphite was used to produce the rod?

With there being so many misconceptions surrounding this material, Gary Loomis – one of the world’s foremost authorities on graphite rod design and founder of the G.Loomis Corp. – agreed to lend his expertise to eliminate these myths.

Loomis began by explaining that the identifiers IM6, IM7 and IM8 are the trade numbers used by the Hexcel Corp. to identify their product and is not an industry quality or material standard, although the Hercules Fibers produced by the Hexcel Corp. are the benchmark that most companies use to compare their materials. The confusion is compounded because a number of rod manufacturers use materials produced by companies other than Hexcel and yet identify their rods as being IM6, IM7 and IM8, which by itself means nothing.

What an angler needs to understand is how the word “modulus” pertains to graphite rods. Modulus is not a thread count, as many would have you believe. Modulus basically equates to stiffness. The higher the modulus, the stiffer the material is by weight, meaning less material is needed to achieve the same stiffness of lower-modulus materials. This results in a lighter product.

“You have to remember, weight is the deterrence to performance,” Loomis said.
Stiffness also equates to responsiveness – that is, the rod’s ability to store and release energy. The higher the modulus, the faster and more consistent a rod is able to store and release its energy, which enables an angler to cast farther and more accurately.

But you cannot talk about modulus without including strain rate, or the measured strength of the material. While modulus is reported in millions, strain rate is reported in thousands. An acceptable strain rate for a fishing rod is 680,000 or higher. A graphite rod made from IM6 Hercules Fibers will have a modulus of 36 million and a strain rate of 750,000.

With the original materials used for graphite rods, as the modulus rate increased, the strain rate would decrease, resulting in the rods being more acceptable to failures because of brittleness. However, through the advancements of materials, technology and engineering design, companies are able to produce high-modulus, high-strain-rate rods. These new high-tech fishing rods are super-light, responsive, and extremely sensitive and strong.

But the misconception of brittleness still plagues them, and the reason for this is because as the modulus gets higher, the less material is needed and therefore used. This means that the wall thickness in the blank, which is basically a hollow tube, is thinner. “Remember what I said before – weight is the deterrence to performance,” Loomis said, and went on to tell a story:

“I had a gentleman come in with a fly rod that broke near the handle, and he was asking for a new rod. I examined his broken rod and knew from the break – it was splintered – that his rod broke from abuse. So I asked him how it broke, and the man, being sincere, told me it broke while fighting a fish. I explained that it would be nearly impossible for the rod to break this way. But to be fair, (I told him) if he could break another rod the same way, I would give him three brand-new rods of his choice, but if he couldn’t, that he would pay for the repairs, and the man agreed.

“So I took him out in the back by the shipping docks and handed him an identical rod. With the rod in his hands, I grabbed the blank and asked him to apply the same pressure he was using when it broke. The man was applying a great deal of stress on the rod, and it wasn’t breaking. So I asked if he wanted to apply even more pressure, and the man responded that he didn’t think he could, but he insisted that is how his rod broke.

“So then I told him, ‘We are going to break this rod, so that it breaks just like yours did.’ I then laid the blank on a rubber mat and I kneeled on it by the handle, and we tried it again but it didn’t break. Then I laid it on the concrete and kneeled on it. Examining the rod, you couldn’t see it was damaged, but this time the rod broke just like his did, and the man simply asked where he needed to pay to get his rod repaired.”

The point of this story is that these high-modulus, high-strain-rate, thin-walled rods are extremely strong and are highly unlikely ever to break under normal use. Almost all rods are damaged by other means – an angler accidentally stepping on them, hitting them against a hard surface while casting, or storing them where a toolbox or some other heavy object can slide into them. Then, with the damage done, the rod collapses while under the stress of fighting a fish. So while high-modulus, high-strain-rate rods are not brittle, they do require more care in storage and transport.

There is a graphite rod made for every angler and their lifestyle. Composite blends (a mix of graphite and fiberglass) can take a lot of abuse. Intermediate modulus rods (33 million to 42 million) with high strain rates (700,000 or higher) still offer a lot of sensitivity and responsiveness and are quite durable. The high-modulus, high-strain-rate, extremely light rods are usually a rod manufacturer’s high-end product. These rods are the ultimate in responsiveness and sensitivity, and they cost a lot more than the average fishing rod. As with anything that costs this type of money, you would want to take a lot better care of it, including using protective cases to store and transport them around.

Hopefully, you now have a much better understanding of graphite as it pertains to fishing rods, and as a result, understand the care you need to employ with their use, storage and transport. Finally, armed with your newfound knowledge, you will be able to make a much more informed decision the next time you purchase your next graphite rod.