Describing rod action and speed

Walter & Group...

Message on rod action and speed from Zigi Kovacs :

Hello Gordy,

I find this discussion about action and speed of a rod very interesting. Possibly, because neither my, nor most of my students have English as our mother tongue. Most of the fly fishing and casting stuff are in English and a straight translation does not always function. Talking about slow and fast rods is exactly one of them. When I say fast, people think about moving fast, and not about moving a shorter distance, and therefore arriving there earlier :-)

Traditionally a tip action rod is called a fast rod, while a deep bending rod is considered being slow, and it would also be right so, if we only had one material to make fly rods of. Of course length makes a difference too, as ceteris paribus, a shorter rod is always faster but let’s keep this out.

From my understanding, action is, how a rod bends when loaded and speed is, how fast the rod recovers from that bent position. This speed is not only depended on the action of the rod but also on the material of the blank.

Naturally, how much the rod is loaded, makes also a difference. For instance, when some beginners have difficulties with their quite tip action rod, they are often better off with a heavier line, which makes the rod working deeper and slower.

I would clearly separate the terms. The action of the rod is one thing, the modulus of the blank is an other, and how fast the rod is, a result of these. The length of the rod and the actual load can also make some difference, and these all together give a feeling over the speed of the rod and give the rhythm of the cast.

I have made some drawings, trying to illustrate my thoughts, as explaining and discussing such a subject is always easier when illustrated. Do they make sense, or have I overseen or forgotten something?

Best regards

Zigi

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[GH]

Zigi,

Agree.

When we say, "how a rod bends" we often mean, "where a rod bends".

Your drawings are crystal clear. I archived them.

Well done ! your diagrams are below . (Also as pdf attachment) :-