Rod tip action question

So, Ive been buying fast or extra fast tip rods, seems like this is most of the rods on the shelf. I see that there is a medium fast as well once in a while. The question is how why would one be better/worse in what situation? I assume the extra fast is a lighter tip, but got to thinking is it really?

I was just reading about it yesterday It is how fast tip returns back (stiffness ). Apparently too fast can rip fish's mouth, etc. Not sure how it all translates to various fish

so extra fast is the stiffest tip?

I use a variety when it comes to bass fishing....fast / extra fast for most worms, jigs....slow tips for crank airs, and top water....basically anything with treble hooks....just my .02

Check this out:



Generally speaking, faster tips give you a better "feel" for what's going on at the end of your line. If you're jigging, you want to be able to feel what's going on down there. Faster rods also give you a faster hook set.

Slower action rods tend to do a better job of keeping fish hooked, but you sacrifice sensitivity. Bass fishermen tend to use slower action rods when they fish crankbaits, because a faster action rod can tend to rip the bait out of a fish's mouth when it bites as you retrieve. Salmon trollers often use slower action rods because they have more give to absorb head shakes, keep tension on the line, and prevent barbless hooks from pulling out.

Interesting pic, I thought this would illustrate  how heavy rod is.

Interesting pic, I thought this would illustrate  how heavy rod is.

As I understand it, heaviness is how much lifting power the rod has after the tip deflects to that line.

Slow = Noodly
Fast = "Crisp", sensitive, etc.

Interesting pic, I thought this would illustrate  how heavy rod is.

As I understand it, heaviness is how much lifting power the rod has after the tip deflects to that line.

Here's what I had in mind.

In the bass world generally speaking the power of the rod is usually the bottom 1/3 of the rod

The chart almost looks like all those rods have a medium  tip

Interesting pic, I thought this would illustrate  how heavy rod is.

As I understand it, heaviness is how much lifting power the rod has after the tip deflects to that line.

Here's what I had in mind.

That picture shows three rods, all of which look to have a slow action (notice the bend extends back almost all the way to the butt). They have the same action (slow), but different power (perhaps light, medium, and heavy).

Interesting pic, I thought this would illustrate  how heavy rod is.

As I understand it, heaviness is how much lifting power the rod has after the tip deflects to that line.

Here's what I had in mind.

That picture shows three rods, all of which look to have a slow action (notice the bend extends back almost all the way to the butt). They have the same action (slow), but different power (perhaps light, medium, and heavy).

Yep you worded way better then I was trying todo

Here's a nice summary from the St. Croix website.  Power refers to the weight rating of the rod while action refers to flex characteristics.


http://stcroixrods.com/why-st-croix/power-action/

And here from shimano: http://fish.shimano.com/content/sac-fish/en/home/customer-service/faq.html

It seems to me that when fishing from a kayak, you'd want extra fast or fast action---or at least a "faster" action than you might use otherwise---since the kayak itself has the effect of making the rod behave as if it's squishier than it really is. Thoughts?