exceeding lure rate on light rod opinions

lukereneeseth · #1 19-04-2012, 05:01 AM

in a predicament with rod choice at the moment and cant seem to find the solution...

Gary Howard North Fork 7" 2-6lb 1/64-1/8th...

now 1/8th equates to 3.5gr. i specifically throw 1/6th jigs with 70mm plastics total of around 7 - 7.5gr.

would that be too much for such an expensive graphite rod? it does seem a relatively low rating for a 2-6lb rod. most good rods seem to be around 1-8gr or 5/16oz.

next rod up is the 6'10" 4-10lb 1/16 - 3/8 . .. . but has a long cork section i dont like.

alternately theres the GFX 2-8lb 1/32 - 5/16... but i hate the camo grips.

this is specifically for throwing landbased for flathead, trying to go lighter than the 2-5kg jewels i have for some more fun.... to be matched with a stella 1000fe 6lb sunline pe.

so taking into account jig head size will never change 1/6th + 70mm squidgy, would this put too much pressure on the top end of the rod?

bargeass · #2 19-04-2012, 05:05 AM

my samurai 201 handles that pretty easy, cant imagine the rod you mention would struggle...

lukereneeseth · #3 19-04-2012, 05:17 AM

thanks, when doing a bit off googling over the past few weeks ive seen a few people throwing 1/4 on the 201... obviously each rod may be different and these are just best performance guidelines... be good to hear from anyone with a GH light rod or anyone thats damaged expensive rod tips or snaps from over loading on jig recommendations

Breambogrinner · #4 19-04-2012, 06:28 AM

I dont think it would be too much, a rod can take a few kg, i don't think a few grams would make a difference

lukereneeseth · #5 19-04-2012, 06:48 AM

yeh i know it will be fine on playing fish out no drama there... main worry for me is ive got a pretty mean cast, being landbased i can get a 1/6th on a biomaster 2500 and shimano jewel 2-5kg from 1 side of petrie creek to the other (bli bli) bridge... thats a good 40 meters. can a north fork 2-6lb take that punishment?

guess theres really only 1 way to find out, may just end up being the hard way.... but surely the north fork tips should have some serious strength for the price they are.

silvertreva · #6 19-04-2012, 06:55 AM

dude, I have cast Maria Blues Codes on 2-4kg Gear...Very hard and felt like the rod was gunnna break but it was ok

redfinfisho · #7 19-04-2012, 08:50 AM

It would probly work ok but I hate casting heavy things on light rods it makes me nervous about every cast just doesn't feel right I was casting a 1/8th jig-head with 100mm wriggler the other day on my lox which has a 1-9g rating and to me it didn't feel right went back to the 1/16th with an 80mm wriggler and it felt way better.
It'll probly work but it might make u a bit paranoid.

tobymcclure · #8 19-04-2012, 04:10 PM

I love all my samuri reactions to bits !! However if im trowing heavy heads and bigger plastics for say flathead . Ill always put the Samuri away and use the t-curve.

One thing to think about with really light rods.. Is leader diamater.

If i use anything under 6lb i have no drama's on my ligh rods. If i go up in leader to say 8 , 10 for heavey structure or bombing for flatties the smaller guides seem to catch the leader knot alot.

Ive tried every single imaginable knot there is. The heavier 2-4 KG t-curve has slightly bigger guides ( from memory ) and i no longer have this issue..

Just somthing to think about also

Lymphocyte · #9 19-04-2012, 09:55 PM

Is there any reason you're settling on the Gary Howards if they don't have a rod that suits the bill?

There are so many rods and blanks on the market these days that if you look hard enough, you will almost always find the (near) perfect one to suit the application. Going by your description, I would be looking at the Phenix Elixir FX701, 7ft, 1 or 2-piece, 2-6lb, and a 1/32 - 1/4 (0.9-7.1 gram) lure wt range.

I've built a few Phenix blanks now and they have one of the best weight to strength ratios in the business - the weight of the FX701 blank is only 27 grams! And pre-builts go for less than $200 (ex postage) on their website.

And no, I have no affiliation to the company, even if I do sound a bit like a car salesman.

tuan · #10 19-04-2012, 10:23 PM

HAVE NO FEAR !! I have casted 20 gram slugs on 2-4 kg rods - way over the lure limits !

I am a bit more cautious with my 1-3kg and 1-4lb rods though and I would't go too much over the suggested limits - they are called finesse rods for a reason..

You can tell anyways .. just like when you fight a fish, you can instinctively tell when your line / leader is going to snap.

With the rod, if you're giving it a fair whack of a cast and it feels comfortable, it's probably fine.

JIM1 · #11 19-04-2012, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuan

HAVE NO FEAR !! I have casted 20 gram slugs on 2-4 kg rods - way over the lure limits !

I am a bit more cautious with my 1-3kg and 1-4lb rods though and I would't go too much over the suggested limits - they are called finesse rods for a reason..

You can tell anyways .. just like when you fight a fish, you can instinctively tell when your line / leader is going to snap.

With the rod, if you're giving it a fair whack of a cast and it feels comfortable, it's probably fine.

20gm slugs ans 7ft 2-4s have a casting range bigger than that dud missle they launched this week. love it when the cast ends and you only have a few wraps of backing left

lukereneeseth · #12 20-04-2012, 01:56 AM

toby- guide size doesnt bother me.... i only run around 50cm of leader and keep the knot outside the tip when casting.... ive found no matter how close you cut the braid and fluro at the knot it always hits regardless. its actually impossible for the line to not touch the guides when screaming out.

lymphocyte - ive wanted a gary howard for a while now, was goin to settle on the ENVY, but after feeling both the 2-6 and 4-10 North Fork and the 2-8 GFX in the one shop... i feel the 2-6 has the best feel of any rod ive seen lately... also had a play with the 201 Samurai and Nitro rods... im trying to go lighter than the 2-5kg Jewels and 2500 reels with a 2-6lb rod and 1000 reel... just cant seem to find a better down grad in size than the NF. i was easily going to settle on the Samurai and/or Nitro.... but then i saw the NF which matched perfect ..... cork and 1 piece.... except the lure weight, which funnily enought both the Samurai and Nitro has higher ratings of.

i suppose i can get the NF and stick to 1/8th heads and just use it an hour each side of a tide.

another side note.... the guides are exactly the same size on the 2-6lb and 4-10lb NF, and i could not notice any difference in width of rod from the last 1/3 to tip.