Morning all, I have another random, probably unanswerable question.

Now, is there a defining moment in a casters ability when they should start to be using a fast actioned rod, this question purely relates to distance work and casting for the hell of it. I understand "Its not the whip, it's the driver"( Quote from Steve Parton on here I think).

But the big boys of casting seem to be using fast action rods, so there it is, when should one progress to using them ?.

Thanks in advance

Sean

Hard question. I'd say go and try one, and see if it suits you. Most people don't have a developed enough understanding of casting, or how to alter it, to change from one style to another depending on the rod, so I wouldn't say it was a case of 'when to progress' to one, I'd say it's case of seeing whether it suits you or not.

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The theory behind fast action rods, is that they are supposed to require less effort to cast for extended periods of time, in the hands of an expert caster , than medium and slower actioned rods. of course, it's subjective. If you are spending a full day out on a lake and will be making hundreds of long casts throughout the day, if you are a competent caster, a fast actioned rod might suit the application better. Slower to medium actioned rods are easier to cast for the novice to intermediate caster, but require significantly more effort. So, for the type of fishing day thay you plan to have, you would select the rod for the situation. if you are fishing a small stream, and will be making shorter casts and fewer of them, a slower rod would suit better. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but they both have their place in a diversified arsenal. I would go as far as to say, that if you feel that you need a faster rod for the type of fishing you are doing, then give it a try, but if you are not a good caster, a fast action rod might not be the answer. You could of course overline it to slow it down, but then you are going to lose the benefit of the faster rod.

If you want to see a seriously fast actioned rod - try tournament gear - it isn't fishing tackle but you'll understand immediately why you probably don't want such an item in your armoury .

Fast is about doing it with force - medium you do it with timing .

Stop theorising and go practise is the best advice I can give - that and try a lot of rods .
I once cast a 7footer from some evilly useless factory in Mainland China that needed 10 yards of Leadcore to wind it up so it actually bent a bit - rated 5/6 it was ! Most interesting and quite dangerous !

Just practise

Steve P

sorry, I duplicated in error

Choosing a fast action rod may not be considered as progress by all.

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I don't agree with that, at all, no matter what rod you use the timing still has to be correct.

The faster rod I find is better for a longer line, it will hold it up there better and will actually bend a little more, it also recovers a lot faster so it is ready for the next cast.

If there is a casting club near you, tag along and I'm sure people will let you have a go with the faster rods.

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I think you should start with a fast rod then go softer......
The number of people who learn on "forgiving rods" is obvious, there timing sucks albeit they learn to haul which hides a multitude of sins.


Get the distance thing out your system then learn how to fish.

yes come to the casting club ,first thing some of them do is pull as much line of the reel as they can then try to blast it out, learn to cast 10 yards correctly first ,no matter the rod you have

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Yep I agree.
Get it all out of your system. Distance,buying hundreds of Rod's, Line's, Reel's etc etc etc.
Learn to cast one rod/line
Oh what a boring life that would be.


Brian

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