Will I snap my rod?

[Dan23]

Just wondering, if I have a 10-17lb light and tough graphite rod and use 30lb braid with 22lb of drag and hook a big enough fish will it snap it??

If I use a reel with only 15lb of drag does that mean I'll be safe?

And yes I'm talking about using the drag locked up tight for skull dragging snag hounds.

[Rocket75]

I imagine that yes it would bust, as that type of pressure is outside the recommended load for the rod, but a lot depends on the angle of the line and the condition of the rod. With that load, a minute fracture may be stressed and fail that would not have been tested otherwise. All guesswork really on my part though.

Rocket

[fishyman]

you needed that technique today dan when you got smoked

it depends how big is big really. i doubt you will snap it on anything under 50cm but i wouldnt really know i have just played with one and they felt tough.

[fishyman]

but then again.

if you have it locked up and 30lb braid and you hold the rod tip up high yes it probably would snap if you hooked a good fish.

as long as you point the rod tip at your fish it wont snap :P lol

[Dan23]

I'd be leaning all my weight behind it.

[fishyman]

what sort of fish you talking about?

if its the type that just guns it as fast and hard as it can that incredible pressure put on the rod over a short amount of time could snap it.

if its a slow sorta chugging along pull you might be right just have to be carefull

[username_taken]

If you care about your rod, you should never high stick it, let along under strain. However if your drag is well under the rod's limit you're usually okay to high stick it.

Your rod should never be the weakest link in your outfit, so if your rod is 10-17lbs, then there should be something else that's no more than 15lbs. I'd rather lose a fish and a lure than a rod!

[Dan23]

Jacks, one run of only 1m but that is too much.

[fishyman]

sounds like you have an excuse to go buy a heavier rod dan

[Dan23]

Nah, that rod is plenty heavy. I'll just buy a Tierra 4000 instead of something with a stronger drag. I think they only pull about 14lb. That's right in the middle of 10-17 so should be perfect.

Might order one in the next few weeks they're pretty cheap.

[shortie]

username_taken wrote:

If you care about your rod, you should never high stick it, let along under strain. However if your drag is well under the rod's limit you're usually okay to high stick it.

Your rod should never be the weakest link in your outfit, so if your rod is 10-17lbs, then there should be something else that's no more than 15lbs. I'd rather lose a fish and a lure than a rod!

Some good advice their username. With a graphite rod it never ok to high stick. Fibreglass do as ya please, when it breaks replace it with a graphite.

Its very difficult to break a rod if you use it correctly. obviously a straight pull instead of a high stick the rod it capable of way greater than its breaking rate.

[Dan23]

Cool, I normally wouldn't strike higher than about 60 degrees. At what angle is it considered high sticking? Vertical?

[username_taken]

lots of people high-stick because they see the pro's doing it, what most people don't realise is the Pro's generally get their rods free from sponsors, so they don't care so much if they break them.

[Dan23]

I can't afford to keep buying $250 rods so I'll take care of it:)

[kevinchen19870316]

generally u'll be fine as long as u don't high stick it.

[Cowfish13]

Yeah, I think that you could be alright unless you high stick it as well. But maybe going down to 14lb of drag or so would probably be safer.

Just a question though- With the line ratings on a rod, do they mean the total line strength that that rod could have (therefore 1/3 of that as drag pressure) or does it mean the drag pressure that the rod could have?

I've always thought that it meant the line strength:S

[Rocket75]

The info on rods is meant to be line class, so a 2-4kg rod should be loaded with appropriate line (2-4kg).

I have been told (and read) that most rods (graphite) should be capable of handling the line class up, but not much more.

One thing is for sure, if you bust your rod, one of the first questions in a warranty claim will relate to just this.

[kevinchen19870316]

i run 23lb on my 10-17lb loomis but i doubt i ever load more than 8lb on it when fighting a fish. only when the line and rod's paralell (hope u guys understand), u can have very high pressure on the fish, say 20-30lb

[username_taken]

haha kev, I've seen you high stick your loomis something crazy ... I've even got photos to prove it

[pcsolutionman]

username_taken wrote:

haha kev, I've seen you high stick your loomis something crazy ... I've even got photos to prove it

Yeh kev high sticks it alright but he never has enough drag set to harm the rod, me on the other hand:woohoo: :woohoo: lock and load lol. I dont give the suckers an inch in tight cover, Yes you will occasionally pull the hooks on a fish but better than the fish doing yah in a snag and loosing the lure and all.

Lee

[Feral]

Never broken a rod fishing, but broke plenty, walking, transporting and storing them!

[faulked]

i had very light drag on when i snapped my rod dan but i had the rod upright and pulled straight down with the line probably the worst high sticking scenario.

i believe if you cant snap the line with the rod then you will damadge the rod eventually but more importantly you will be casting less distance due to line weight than you could achieve lesss chance of a hook up on flighty fish and worse of all you cant get to use the strength of the line any way as you will snap the rod before you get the pressure on so the hole thing is pointless

most fish that have done me on snags have only ever pulled a couple of feet of leader at best through the snag so just keep going heavier leader even if you have to look at the light metal trace if you used 16lb wire on that rig and locked your drag up hard with 16lb line youd blow out how much strain you can put on something with most hit cover fish its how much pressure you can put on them at once if you use a 16lb rod and 100lb line you will still only be putting 16lb on the fish or your aiming the rod at the fish and you may as welll be using a hand line and have 500bucks in your pocket lol:laugh:

[Dan23]

thanks for your thoughts guys. I'd want to us 30lb braid more for pulling lures off snags than anything else.

I was going to buy a Kix4000 or twin power 4000 to go on my advantage but they both have up around 20lb of drag. So I might just buy a Tierra 4000 and save $100 and possibly my rod as they only pull about 14lb. Also that means I can probably buy one in a few weeks of saving.

With the fish I'm targeting, with the drag locked I doubt I'd be strong enough to high stick even if I tried.

[Mick]

I snapped my first Berkley Drop shot... High Sticked a flathead (first fish i got on it) and snap... took it back to BCF they siad no they wont refund ... but they will put it to the Berkley Rep..... I got a new rod... yipppie..

[Kingtin]

caught some nice big fish on some lighter rods that were getting out under alot od pressure and highsticking comes into it a fair bit to get the head to turn

still i wouldn't run 22lb of drag and a rod made for 17lb line

if you ant to do that i would think of upping the rod to some thing like a 16-20LB rateing

i have snapped two rods now on fish on was a good bream of about 50cm while fishing racks and i put way too much presure on it and highsticked so it came apart and the other was when i had a rod in the rod holder while flicking lures for bay snapper and one took the lure while the line was straght up and down from the rod holder so the rod holder high sticked the rod not me:P

lucky enoght i get a few rods for free so it doesn't hurt all that much

[Rodman]

Guys

The newer rods (graphite) are very susceptable to being damaged by just droping them against the gunnels of your boat. You do not see the damage but the graphite is fractured and with the first strike your rod can snap. This is the problems with new compunds that are found for rod construction.

Ken:woohoo: