Author Topic: 11ft rods / Rod Weight (Read 851 times)

Alain Barthelemy · « **on:** September 29, 2011, 10:08:52 PM »

To lessen arm fatigue, a lighter fly rod is always perceived as better, but this is only part of the story as it pertains to longer nymphing rods.

Given the trend towards 11ft rods, people forget the torque on your wrist grows linearly proportional to the rod length (for a given force on the end of the rod, an 11ft rod exerts 10% more torque on your wrist and shoulder than a 10ft rod). The mass of the rod and its balance plays a part, but the force due to gravity from the distributed mass of a 3oz fly rod along its length is small compared to the torque imparted by its length. One reason to carefully balance your rod with a reel of appropriate mass is the torque due to the reel's mass negates some of the torque from the rod tip. Your hand on the grip is a fulcrum that acts on a severely unbalanced seesaw. The balance also effects the perceived swing weight for a rod.

A final consideration is wind. Wind also adds to the torque. The longer the rod, the harder it is to extend in any sort of wind. The new finer blanks are better as they possess less wind resistance.

I love the 11ft rods too, but for these reasons, I am starting to believe a thin blank 10ft rod may indeed be the best trade-off length. Think about it.

IHPGFY · « **Reply #1 on:** September 29, 2011, 10:35:29 PM »

Not knocking you on this one Alain, I think you're on to something. However, isn't it funny how the strive for an "edge" or "the" rod, set up whatever seems to change as frequently as we change our underpants. I gave up on it all recently for a couple of reasons, 1. cost. 2. how much difference does it make and lastly 3. a competent angler should be able to catch fish with any rod you put in their hands, period. Now, that being said, get whatever you want out of it as long as it makes you happy.

I will say this back to your thoughts, the trend towards lighter gets is not always the best option. Just my 2 cents, very well thought out and written answer to a not so easy situation to explain.

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #2 on:** November 11, 2011, 08:44:12 PM »

I was going to start a new topic, but saw this one was on track and relatively untouched.

I've been chewing on this issue for the last year too: "what's the perfect long nymphing rod length?

My 10.5ft Echo Shadow still stands as my "go to" rod after much testing. Mind you, I haven't tested nearly as many rods as some on this forum so I relinquish to those with more experience on the subject. And of course, so much of this has to do with one's personal tasted. But, 10.5 in my book, at least as it pertains to the Shadow is a great blend of response and length. Not to say that there aren't times when I enjoy my 11foot CZN, but it's primarily on big open water when I'm slinging heavy bugs.

What are your thoughts? What rod length do you find "comfortable" in most situations?

Also, has anyone dabbled with an 11+ nymphing rod? Maybe 11.5 or een 12 footer??? I'd love to have one in my bag for the suitable fairway.

Alain Barthelemy · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2011, 07:32:49 AM »

There is a factory-made 11.5ft 3/4 JMC Elite you can get from Europe. I have the 11ft 2/3 in this model, but I don't use it much (if anyone wants it let me know).

The desire to use longer rods when nymphing is to hold more line off the water. I have found you can lessen this requirement by tactical wading and simply getting closer to the quarry. For this reason, 10ft seems about perfect to me. I believe in time, the trend will go back towards 9.5 and 10 foot nymphing rods. Some people don't realize that fatigue in your arm plays a major part in your presentations. Notice how early in the day you are able to keep your arm static, but later on your leader starts to jump around; this is due to fatigue. It is not such a factor in pocket water, but in slow sections it is important.

If your arm gets tired and you have trouble holding still, hold a portion of your leader (near the sighter) in the water itself and that will anchor the rig.

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2011, 05:24:48 PM »

I think you're probably correct in that the general "long" nymphing rod market will settle in around the 10ft length. However, for the competitive angler striving for every little advantage the extra reach can be invaluable on certain water types. Especially for shorter anglers who may not be able to tactically wade into tough positions.