Casting Rod Questions

I'm looking to buy a conventional casting rod in the 8-9' range with a 1 - 5 oz lure weight.  My question is:  the site I'm looking at rates the rods for 1) power (medium, heavy, etc) and 2) action (fast, extra fast, etc).  What do these categories mean?  What would be good for a conventional type "rocket launcher" that I can use off my yak to toss 3 - 5 oz. swimbaits  for rockies and lings?

Thanks in advance for the advice,

Dave

Here's a pretty good explanation of power and action from the St. Croix website.

http://www.stcroixrods.com/content.asp?id=70

Lure rating is another term that requires context.  A rod rated to cast 1 to 5 oz lures may perform optimally with a different range of lure weights when fished in a jigging application.

Why would you want such a long rod for fishing for rockies from the kayak?  There are lots of advantages to a shorter rod (7 to 7.5 foot) for jigging applications as opposed to a longer rod.  Particularly when casting distance doesn't really matter, as in the case of rockfishing.

EK

I have a few 8 foot rods and I find them a pain in the butt when trying to 'leader' and keep/release. You often end up high stickin' I like 7' to 7.5 footer. Easy to handle and long enough to reach around the bow.

Here's a pretty good explanation of power and action from the St. Croix website.

http://www.stcroixrods.com/content.asp?id=70

Lure rating is another term that requires context.  A rod rated to cast 1 to 5 oz lures may perform optimally with a different range of lure weights when fished in a jigging application.

Why would you want such a long rod for fishing for rockies from the kayak?  There are lots of advantages to a shorter rod (7 to 7.5 foot) for jigging applications as opposed to a longer rod.  Particularly when casting distance doesn't really matter, as in the case of rockfishing.

EK

Thanks for the great info KZ.

When I was out with Norm (Nawm) on a number of occasions, he had this 9' stick that could literally mission control style launch a 3-4 oz fishtrap.  He would then do a real slow retrieve, using the end of the rod to lift up the fishtrap periodically then let it settle back to the bottom.  It is the most effective rockfish and lingcod catching method I've ever seen.  On at least 4 different occasions he out fished me and everyone else in the group.  He has at least outfished me by no less than 3 to 1 every time I've been out with him.  It's not just luck; this thing works.

In general, I've always liked casting for rockies and lings.  I feel like I can cover more area.

This is definetly not a casting rod. Well I could cast with it if I really wanted I guess. I don't need to reach around the bow. I'm on a kayak. My wife had this made for me specifically for my kayak and I love it. When a big ling is up at the kayak its right there not 7 feet away.43 inches overall length with a ShimanoTLD star5.2:1 reel

and i will call it mini me  that is a cool rod. like others have said i would stay in the 7' range i have an 8' and it dosent fit in the car, yak, or house for that mater.

 That's Cute Craig you might wanna turn that reel around and put some more line on it
Gonna try it for Dinos???

I know duh! I just stuck it on there for the pic. wasnt even thinking. The plane, boss the plane.

That's Cute Craig you might wanna turn that reel around and put some more line on it...

That's too funny!   

Thread Jack, Thread Jack. My fault, my fault.

Check the descriptions in the St Croix link--that's great info. For rockfishing, you generally want a fast action rod. But if you intend to use it for launching lures, maybe go with a slower action--that will allow you to sort of catapult the lure without too much effort (remember we're on a yak so no running start a la Happy Gilmore).

That said, I would never use a rod longer than 7.5ft for kayak rockfishing.....ever. I prefer extra-fast action rods in the 6-7ft range. And I do both casting and straight jigging, depending on the kelp and structure. Why do I prefer shorter rods for this type of fishing? Go out and have a couple 50-fish days, and you will understand.

Why would you want such a long rod for fishing for rockies from the kayak?  There are lots of advantages to a shorter rod (7 to 7.5 foot) for jigging applications as opposed to a longer rod.  Particularly when casting distance doesn't really matter, as in the case of rockfishing.

EK,

I've had days were a "horizontal" presentation just flat produced, to the tune of almost a fish a cast, when vertical jigging was sloooooow. This was with plain old diamond jigs. That said, I like the 7 foot rods better overall than the 8 foot deck hand type rod I own, at least on the kayak.

DaveW,

You might look for a Muskie fishing rod in Medium power. I wound up getting a few inexpensive 7' MH Muskie rods rated to 3 ounces, but they'll reliably launch lures to 4-5 ounces. I'm slinging the heavy lures more than casting though. Medium Heavy is overkill for CA, but a Medium would probably be just right for the local lingasaurus.

Regards,
Scott

I've had days were a "horizontal" presentation just flat produced, to the tune of almost a fish a cast, when vertical jigging was sloooooow.

I've had a bunch of days like that.  I just thought my jigging technique was poor.   One day when Norm was really outfishing me, he was also really out-casting me - like 2x as far.  And I was using a big spinning setup.


Thanks for the info, Scott.  I was thinking of a big "steelhead/salmon" rod?

That said, I would never use a rod longer than 7.5ft for kayak rockfishing.....ever. I prefer extra-fast action rods in the 6-7ft range.

Absolutely.

So here's Norm's reply to me about what you "short stick" guys say:

I haven't been on the boards much lately, just too busy.  I totally disagree though.  I find that 7 1/2 to 9 foot rods allow for easy passing around the bow when the fish change direction and they aid in casting distance.  The sitting position does not allow for a full body cast.  It's kind of like swinging a baseball bat, if your legs and torso can't get involved you lose significant power.  My favorite rod for slinging swimbaits in the kayak is actually 9 feet long and I have never felt any disadvantage using that rod, even when landing fish.  The only thing I would say is that if the rod is not very stiff, you would need to be careful about high sticking (holding the rod straight up in the air) when under load and trying to draw the fish closer to the boat, as this may case a blank failure.  Never has been a problem for me though.....

Norm