Kind of a basic question. If I have two blanks one 7'6" and one 7'0" and they are both Med Heavy and both have a Fast Tip. Will they feel the same except for one being longer? Will the 7'0" be a little stiffer?

Thanks.

The lengths of rod blanks are just one design factor in how the blank will perform. The material(s) and how it(they) is(are) cut and the amount used will be more significant in determining how the actions turn out. Putting your blanks under the same load should tell you something about how they will respond as rods.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2014 11:27PM by Ross W Pearson.

Thanks Ross,
I don't have the blanks yet. I am considering which one to order to build a bait caster. They are listed as the same specs, from the same manufacturer. They are rated for the same line size, same lure weights. The 7'6" would have one more guide.

Thanks again.

If you are able to talk with a technician with the manufacturer, they could probably answer your questions pretty well and help you make your choice. It would be the next best thing to having both blanks in your hands for comparison.

If they are from the same manufacture like you have said I would bet money that they are actually the same blank with just the tip cut a bit shorter on the 7ft version. That said I would guess the longer rod would be a bit faster in tip action/sensitivity. You could confirm my suspicion if they give tip top diameters. I would think the longer rod would have a bit of a smaller tip.

Assuming they are the same blank but one is just cut shorter, perhaps the manufacturer cut from the butt end. that's a big assumption in the first place. I would like to think the manufacturer designed each blank to it's own taper and specs, including those only 6 inches apart in overall length. I would do as Ross suggested.

eric
fresno, ca.

If one has just been cut shorter, then the action won't be the same. Some companies indeed do this, but many others have individual mandrels for building different lengths in the same power and action.

As far as whether or not they'll "feel" the same, not quite, as the longer blank will have a broader weight distribution, and will, of course, weigh a little more to begin with.

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Ron,

Yes, I would venture to say that the shorter rod, even if it had the identical CCS ratings for power and action, would FEEL stiffer. I cut almost every blank for the rods that I build and although the power is reduced and the action slows, the resulting shorter rod feels stiffer and more responsive to me. CCS values can be misleading when it comes to rod length. Not to say that the values are not valid, but some of the rods other characteristics will affect how the rod feels.

It's not the CCS that would be misleading in that instance - it would be the person interpreting them and wrongly thinking that equal ERN and AA numbers in two different length blanks are supposed to represent blanks that "feel" the same. All those numbers would indicate is that the two blanks have equal power and action. But I'm sure some do make the mistake of correlating just those characteristics without regarding how length affects the overall "feel" picture.

For "feel" you want to use the CCS Frequency component which will accurately showcase the difference in "feel" between two blanks with similar power and action, but in different lengths. The short blank will "feel" stiffer because it will respond and recover more quickly than the longer one.

It's important to use the right tool for the specific job and Frequency is the best place to go for comparing "feel."

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Ron,
There are several manufacturers who have virtually the same mandrel for the 7 foot and the 7 foot 6 inch blank.

The difference is, for these particular manufacturers, an extra 6 inches of blank length in the butt section of the rod.

i.e. if you lay the two blanks side by side, starting from the tip, they are identical down to the end of the 7 foot blank. Then, the 7 foot 6 inch blank just gradually increases in size.

If you were to hold or grip these two rods at the same 6'5" from the tip, they would be identical in power and action.

But, of course all manufacturers do not use the same mandrel and could have a radically different action between the blanks.

Be safe

As Tom said previously, although two different length rods could be made on the same mandrel, the shorter rod won’t be the same action, nor will the power. The manufacturer would probably spec the shorter rod differently. It’s not likely that the two blanks in question are made on the same mandrel, but since manufacturer’s ratings tend to be vague or ill-defined, it’s possible.

I hope you guys don't mind me jumping in here, but I have a kinda related question. The tip to a spinning rod broke about 4 inches from the tip, taking the next guide with it. I put a new tip top on it and have been fishing it since, it's fishing fine. My question is: since the tip broke, how does the action change in relation to that break? It's a medium power, moderate action blank to begin with so it's fairly slow and is great for throwing light inline spinners, it still does this well. I'm more interested in the theoretical change in tip action, if any. Is it safe to assume that the action is slightly faster than moderate now? I figure since the most flexible part of the rod is now gone and the rod is shorter, that will make it "feel" a little stiffer than before...? I didn't have a chance to fish the rod a bunch before the tip broke so it's hard for me to discern the difference.

Thanks allowing me to jump in!

The action is now slower and the casting lure weight range would be a little higher than it was previously.

Yes it should feel a bit stiffer, and actually is.

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Adam,
Four inches is quite a bit off the tip of a rod, but since it was a moderate action to begin with and probably has a very slow taper, it might be acceptable to you, especially if the rod was fairly long to begin with. Being 4” shorter would make it slower and definitely stiffer. The power rating would also increase as well as the lure weight range. Assuming the current tip size is still relatively small, it may be more sensitive than it was…….if that’s a plus for you.
I have cut many rods down, but rarely that much off the tip. There are pros and cons and IMO, I’ve found that spinning rods are less tolerant of tip cutting of more than an inch or so. On several of my “failed experiments”, I ended up stripping the rods and rebuilding as casting rods, which proved to be more serviceable with the slowed action.

Thanks. Great info as usual. Have to do some thinking now.

Thanks. Great info as usual. Have to do some thinking now.

Tom and Jim, thank you for your answers, I really appreciate it! There is such a wealth of knowledge on here, I am really happy that I found this site.

Jim, it was a 7' rod so it being a little shorter isn't a big deal. I really like the way it casts now versus before it broke, talk about a silver lining, eh?!