Do I need to go with a heavier rod if I go from 50's to 80's

[Fuzzy Details]

I ordered two 80W's and now I need to get some rods for them. I kinda like the rods I currently have on my 50's and was considering getting the same for the 80's?

What straight butt rod do you guys like for your 80's?

[Momentum]

Hate to tell you this but I think I'd get different rods. The rod on your 50 was bent as much as it could go with the drag hammered on a 50, imagine the drag hammered on an 80 trying to stop a big fish....that rod will probably break...and I think you'd want a little more backbone as well....

[GhostRider]

You need new rods for sure judging by that picture!

[RiskTaker]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy Details

I ordered two 80W's and now I need to get some rods for them. I kinda like the rods I currently have on my 50's and was considering getting the same for the 80's?

What straight butt rod do you guys like for your 80's?

Fuzzy:
I saw your other post as well with the inquiry on the straight or bent butt option. Now you have the blank in question too. So you are at the perfect situation where you can consider all options.

Have you considered a Stor-a-butt style Aftco base? This would allow you to have both a bent butt as well as a straight butt configuration based upon your need. (Obviously you have greater leverage on the fish with the bent butt, but I generally use the bent butt to suit the way the rods are setup on the boat.) Bent butts are typically excellent for the tip rods because they lay low and are out of the way of the jug lines.

But each boat configuaration can be a little different, so you should know your boat configuration. In some situations the small bent butt cannot properly fit in the rod holder before the bend. Or perhaps there may be a hand rail in the way which prevents the shorter bent butt from seating properly. The long bent butt (#4 Aftco) is immune to these limitations but then you may not find it too user friendly for stand-up unless you have a harness adapted for it.

For me I have several Aftco Unibutts with a 50-80 class rod (Crowder with Aftco wind-on guides). Sweet rods. The wider, " ie. longer footprint" Wind-on guides seem to translate the bending forces a little bit further down the rod, than compared to the usual fast action tip. So in that case I would be inclined to go to a stiffer rod blank, for an 80# class application. To balance that decision I got one Stor-a-butt to allow me some versatility, on an 80-130 blank:btw I have a 50 wide LRS reel mounted on this. But bear in mind that it has the same top end drag limits as a Shimano Tiagra 80 Wide, (~ 40 lbs. full spool and 80 lbs. 3/4 empty.) I cannot say for sure if I would go all Stor-a-butt as I purchase more rods in the future. But I will get at least one more the next time around.

Those may be some things to consider if you choose to purchase newer equipment; however, your existing eqipment should serve you fine in the meantime. Lower your rod tip a bit if you are at breaking high loads. Should you break a rod, consider it a learning opportunity on handlining a fish to the boat. Then you would have the perfect reason to purchase stronger new rods.

[Fuzzy Details]

In the pic you saw the rod doubled over. At that point we had the drag all the way and we were past 3/4 empty spool so I'm sure we were applying at least 50#'s of drag. The rod is rated at 40-100 lb. 5'6"

My thoughts are:

The faster action tip acts as a shock absorber since I'm using braid and no long mono topshot. (With the new 80W's I could use a long mono topshot)

Regardless of reel size you still apply the same drag settings.

I do like the thought of interchangeability between bent and straight. Tip and trolling use bent. Long baits use straight.

[Flatsfish B]

the 80 and the 50 have different drag curves. you gotta remember the pysics. on a spool diameter of i8 inches like a 50. the drag is doubled at 3/4 spool...on a 80 set to the same strike...it is doubled at half spool and even more drag at 3/4. hope this makes sense.

[neptune]

You may want to get a 6' rod with a bent butt, the extra leverage is significant and the rod can be cut down later if it doesn't have the load strength you want, the faster tip is beneficial with the braid line otherwise it is like fishing with a broomstick, look at the Alutecnos 50w, more capacity than a Shimano and less weight.

[DORADOsteve]

The weight rating of the rod is just as important as the size of the reel.

I dont particularlly care for a rod rated at 30 - 80 lb. Just doesnt seem right.

On my 50w's, I have them sitting on a 80 blank

On the 80w's, there on 130 blanks. These originally were my giant tuna set-ups but them seem to work well for the swordies too.

[swordfish123]

Also remember, as pointed out earlier by RT that those large guides will slow the action down slightly. The rods I built (you can see pictures of them in the gallery) were rated at 50-100 but i put the Winthrop guides on them- which had a significant effect on the blank's action. I still love the action on my rods, they can handle some serious drag, but I think if i had to do it again, with the exact same rod design, i would up it to about 80-100 or 80-130- espeically if i was going to put an 80W on them or ever use them out of the rod holder. You will still have the nice fast action tip if you buy a good enough blank.

Also, my blank started out at 6' and i cut it down to 5'6- which made a difference.

[Another Grand]

The question you asked is depending on the rest of your gear. If you are fishing hollowcore or if you are fishing drags that are balls to the wall.....you want a rod with alot of action to compensate for the lack of stretch. If you are fishing mono or normal drags, you would be better off sticking with a heavier blank.....my .02.

Regardless......make sure the blank has backbone.

[Fuzzy Details]

AG, fishing hollowcore with mono top shot. I went a little heavier on the rod(60-100) and a little more length(6').

Feel like a kid the week preceeding Christmas. Cant wait.