GreenWeenie wrote:
A well made fast action rod should flex near the tip even more than a medium action rod. However, the problem with most fast action rods (excepting high end rods like Sage Z-Axis, Winston Biix, etc.) is the tip is too stiff because mfg use larger diameter mandrels resulting in extra material because overall it is easier and less expensive to make a straight rod this way – but the tip section is too stiff for the rod and it doesn’t protect tippets nor allow “feel” when working in close. This results in most fast action rods being underrated by at least 1 line size and difficult to load at close ranges.
A well made slower action rod will actually have a slightly stiffer tip than a fast action rod but it will bend much easier into the midsection. However, a well designed medium action rod shouldn’t be so soft in the butt section that it bends into the handle because then it doesn’t have reserve power to make a reasonably long cast.
The major casting difference between medium and fast action rods is softer rods are generally more difficult to cast than stiffer rods simply because most people have a fast casting technique and end up overpowering a medium action rod with their own strength, as opposed slowing down and letting the rod load and do the work (timing and technique is everything with a slower action rod). So, for most people faster action rods are easier to cast and control especially at longer distances because they don’t deflect as much as a medium action rod when physically overpowered and are more forgiving on mistimed casts. With a medium action rod when you start to stretch your distance you really need to let the rod load and there is significantly less margin for error in your technique.
int:
