# slow action for UL



## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

I've been looking at some ultralights that are extremely slow action rods.. as in they flex all the way down to the handle. Parabolic action in other words. I haven't seen any normal spinning rods like this, only ultralight. Is there any advantage to slow action for ultralight fishing? It seems like it would be kind of a cross between fly fishing and spin fishing, as far as playing the fish. Seems like it might be dificult to set the hook though.


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

One reason for the slow action of most UL rods is that it's the manufacturers' way of reducing the number of failures due to abuse. If they built UL rods with actions similar to some of the finesse bass rods with limber tips that really lock down in the mid and butt sections, the number of broken rods would increase, because there is not enough material in the tip section of an UL blank to take the abuse of high sticking. Personally, I would love to find a 6'6"-7' blank with a 1/32-3/8oz. lure rating and extra fast action, similar to a drop shot rod with power reduced from tip to butt, but I haven't found such a beast, yet. It would be perfect for tossing UL jigs and such.

Like you said, the action is a bit of a hinderance to the hook set. One option is to go to a longer UL rod that moves more line, helping you to set the hook. I've moved to rods ranging from 6'-6'8" in UL and L power for most of my UL fishing in recent years. The added length is beneficial to both casting and hook setting when compared to the shorter 4'6"-5'6" UL rods. The longer rods also give the fish a great lever arm to fight with making little fish feel like they are pulling harder. There are still times when short ULs are useful, when fishing in very tight quarters, or ice fishing to take it to the extreme.

The slower action UL blanks have their advantages as well. The slower action ensures that you are less likely to apply a load to your line that is capable of snapping your line (during both the hook set and the fight). Rods with slower actions will recover slower than rods with faster actions (blank materials can enter the equation here as well) making them a bit better at keeping lightly hooked fish on the line. Another application for slower action rods is when fishing live bait. When comparing a slow action rod to a fast action rod that cast the same optimal weight, you will not need to move the slow action rod as quickly as the fast action rod (related to the resonant frequency of the rod), helping to keep the live bait on the hook. When you really lean into a cast with a fast action rod and live bait, the bait often flies off the hook. This is a bit less likely to occur with a slower action rod.

There is one thing that is certain about UL fishing, particularly with a slower action rod, a big fish will certainly test your fish fighting ability, and is a lot of fun.

Joe


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

grub_man said:


> There is one thing that is certain about UL fishing, particularly with a slower action rod, a big fish will certainly test your fish fighting ability, and is a lot of fun.


I'm liking the sound of this . Many of the UL rods I am seeing seem to have moderate to moderate-fast action, but some are slow glass rods. One that I am looking at is the Bass Pro Microlite Glass rod.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Micro-Lite-Glass-Spinning-Rods/product/36946/

I've checked it out in person a couple times, and its _really _floppy. I guess for the price I should just go for it. It will probably make a decent rod to keep under the seat in the car, for those times when it would be nice to check out a small creek or pond.


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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

Check out some of the Fenwick rods. I have an HMX series, 6' light power moderate-fast action IM7 graphite rod that I just love. It's super sensitive and gives great action to my smaller baits. Fighting bigger fish, and even smaller fish has been a blast. They make them in quite a few different lengths, powers and actions. They run from $80-$90, and are well worth it.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

My main river stick at the moment is a different brand's IM7 med-light haha. It's been great for everything I have hooked on it, from smallmouth and white bass to large catfish and saugeye. However, I think a small UL for creek walking/pond harassing/panfish/odd trout trip would be a whole lot of fun. I will check out the Fenwick brand though next time I go to BPS, I keep hearing that name on here.


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

The whippiness of the fiberglass ULs comes from the stiffness to weight ratio of the material. It takes more fiberglass than graphite to make a rod of the same power, resulting in a heavier rod with more inertia. This is where the material comes into play in the resonant frequency of the rod. It takes a heavier rod with a lower stiffness to weight ratio longer to damp vibrations. Those whippy glass UL rods can be fun to fish as well and they are as durable as they come.

If you're looking at shorter UL rods, next time you are Bass Pro Shops, take a look at the Browning Superlight combo they have. I bought one about 6 years ago or so, and they haven't changed since then. The rod is 4'9", has a moderate fast to fast action, and is a surprisingly nice rod. The reel is nice as well, but the plating on the reel doesn't hold up the best. It shows some wear and tear.

Joe


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

grub_man said:


> The whippiness of the fiberglass ULs comes from the stiffness to weight ratio of the material. It takes more fiberglass than graphite to make a rod of the same power, resulting in a heavier rod with more inertia. This is where the material comes into play in the resonant frequency of the rod. It takes a heavier rod with a lower stiffness to weight ratio longer to damp vibrations. Those whippy glass UL rods can be fun to fish as well and they are as durable as they come.
> 
> If you're looking at shorter UL rods, next time you are Bass Pro Shops, take a look at the Browning Superlight combo they have. I bought one about 6 years ago or so, and they haven't changed since then. The rod is 4'9", has a moderate fast to fast action, and is a surprisingly nice rod. The reel is nice as well, but the plating on the reel doesn't hold up the best. It shows some wear and tear.
> 
> Joe


It seems strange that a rod with the stiffness of a noodle would be durrable haha, but for 20 bucks I think I'll give it a try. After all, my old ugly stick has been around for years, and that is at least partly fiberglass (makes a good loaner/friend rod since its a tank). I will check out Browning when I go there. They have a lot more variety in store than on the website I've noticed, and many of the rods they cary also have an ultralight variant that they don't list on the site but have in store.


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

The durability comes from the different types of material used in rods. Typically as the modulus of elasticity (think stiffness to weight) goes up the durability of the end product goes down. There are a couple reasons. It takes more fiberglass fibers to make a rod of the same power as one made with graphite fibers. This means that each fiberglass fiber carries a bit less of the load than the graphite fiber. So when a fiberglass fiber becomes damaged, the extra load gets distributed over more fibers. The other reason is that lower modulus blank materials can absorb more energy before they are deformed to their breaking point.

Joe


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

That makes sense. Science!


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## RushCreekAngler (Jan 19, 2011)

kingofamberley said:


> I've been looking at some ultralights that are extremely slow action rods.. as in they flex all the way down to the handle. Parabolic action in other words. I haven't seen any normal spinning rods like this, only ultralight. Is there any advantage to slow action for ultralight fishing? It seems like it would be kind of a cross between fly fishing and spin fishing, as far as playing the fish. Seems like it might be dificult to set the hook though.


I have a rod I built back in the 70's based on the Nightcrawler secrets ultralight rods - its a spinning rod built on a fly rod blank. I use it with 4lb line and it works great - you can really throw the light lures with it. I still use it and have had no problems at all.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

RushCreekAngler said:


> I have a rod I built back in the 70's based on the Nightcrawler secrets ultralight rods - its a spinning rod built on a fly rod blank. I use it with 4lb line and it works great - you can really throw the light lures with it. I still use it and have had no problems at all.


Interesting. Is its advantage that it can throw light lures far? Or is there another advantage to a floppy slow action that graphite doesn't have?


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## RushCreekAngler (Jan 19, 2011)

The slow action is good with bait - especially with a nightcrawler - it helps to keep from casting it off the hook. That's why the guys that wrote the Lunkers love nightcrawlers book came up with these rods. You can throw a crawler and 1 small split shot quite a way out without ripping the crawler of the hook because the force of the cast is applied in a smooth action. the stress of a faster action would rip the crawler off the hook.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

RushCreekAngler said:


> The slow action is good with bait - especially with a nightcrawler - it helps to keep from casting it off the hook. That's why the guys that wrote the Lunkers love nightcrawlers book came up with these rods. You can throw a crawler and 1 small split shot quite a way out without ripping the crawler of the hook because the force of the cast is applied in a smooth action. the stress of a faster action would rip the crawler off the hook.


Gotcha. I'm still a little skeptical but for 20 bucks, what the hell. If I don't like it I can get a stiffer graphite rod.


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## walcat (Apr 11, 2004)

At Cabelas the Eagle Claw. It's fiberglass. $20 I have 2 6 ft and we use them for panfish. I have also flipped a worm for bass with a 7 ft. Like them real well.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

Ok, so I think I found the advantage to slow fiberglass UL rods. Watch these slow motion casts, and just try to do that with a graphite rod haha. I'm sold on fiberglass now.


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