Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

numbskull · 12-14-2016, 08:46 AM

Are those titanium Torzites vs SS alconites or are both frames the same material?

1/2 oz does matter, although how much depends on the blank's weight and action. Put them on a Harnell and you'd not notice, put them on a Loomis steelhead blank and you'd have a totally different rod.

Hang a 2 oz plug on a rod and hold it out straight. How much does it bend......not much, right? Now look at the shape of the rod during a cast with the same 2 oz plug. How much does it bend.......a lot, right?
How much weight do you need to put on a rod held out strait to bend it as much as 2oz during a cast? Turns out is around 3-5lbs. So those 2 oz are magnified 15-20X during a cast. In other words during peak load on the blank that extra 1/2 oz turns into the equivalent of 1 pound In actuality the load is less because the extra weight is spread along the blank rather than hung from the tip but you get the idea

The rod has to unload against and accelerate this extra mass so 1/2 oz of extra guide weight reduces the maximum potential distance of the cast for any given effort. You have to accelerate that extra pound as well so if you put a maximum effort into the cast you can not move the rod as fast (think how much harder it is to cast a 4 oz plug vs a 3oz plug and you get the idea). Additionally, that extra mass stays on the rod after you release your cast and increases reverberation which can cost distance.

Finally, there is the issue of rod balance. An extra 1/2 oz out the rod requires either a longer butt or heavier reel to balance, or it requires your arm muscles to work harder to counteract the increased tip weight. If you retrieve with the rod straight up and down it is less of an issue, but if you work plugs with the rod off to the side it adds up quick.

Basically, there is no downside other than cost to light guides. For a soft blank like a 1201L using light guides makes a huge difference. For a stiffer rod like a 1205, not so much.

One closing note. You can also cut guide weight by using smaller rather than expensive lighter guides. A surf rod built 25H-12H-8m-8's with alconite will probably fish as light as one built 30-25-20-12-10's with more expensive guides.

12-14-2016, 08:46 AM	#4
numbskull Oblivious // Grunt, Grunt Master iTrader: (0) Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: over the hill Posts: 6,682	Are those titanium Torzites vs SS alconites or are both frames the same material? 1/2 oz does matter, although how much depends on the blank's weight and action. Put them on a Harnell and you'd not notice, put them on a Loomis steelhead blank and you'd have a totally different rod. Hang a 2 oz plug on a rod and hold it out straight. How much does it bend......not much, right? Now look at the shape of the rod during a cast with the same 2 oz plug. How much does it bend.......a lot, right? How much weight do you need to put on a rod held out strait to bend it as much as 2oz during a cast? Turns out is around 3-5lbs. So those 2 oz are magnified 15-20X during a cast. In other words during peak load on the blank that extra 1/2 oz turns into the equivalent of 1 pound In actuality the load is less because the extra weight is spread along the blank rather than hung from the tip but you get the idea The rod has to unload against and accelerate this extra mass so 1/2 oz of extra guide weight reduces the maximum potential distance of the cast for any given effort. You have to accelerate that extra pound as well so if you put a maximum effort into the cast you can not move the rod as fast (think how much harder it is to cast a 4 oz plug vs a 3oz plug and you get the idea). Additionally, that extra mass stays on the rod after you release your cast and increases reverberation which can cost distance. Finally, there is the issue of rod balance. An extra 1/2 oz out the rod requires either a longer butt or heavier reel to balance, or it requires your arm muscles to work harder to counteract the increased tip weight. If you retrieve with the rod straight up and down it is less of an issue, but if you work plugs with the rod off to the side it adds up quick. Basically, there is no downside other than cost to light guides. For a soft blank like a 1201L using light guides makes a huge difference. For a stiffer rod like a 1205, not so much. One closing note. You can also cut guide weight by using smaller rather than expensive lighter guides. A surf rod built 25H-12H-8m-8's with alconite will probably fish as light as one built 30-25-20-12-10's with more expensive guides.