question about rod flex and lifespan

[John Sv]

Hi,
So I have a 9'6" Powell 8 wt "Summer Run" blank that my father and I wound up twenty years ago. It feels quite soft and slower-flexing than I remember. Is that because:
a. it is "flexing out" due to use of lots of years casting heavy shooting heads, or
b. a figment of my imagination brought on because my two "daily driver" rods are newer rods with super fast actions?

I guess what I'm asking is do older graphite rods, or any rods for that matter get flexier over time?
Thanks!
John

[John Sv]

Anyone have .02$ on this?

[Rick J]

I would not expect any deterioration - I have a number of old Fisher rods from the late 70s early 80s that I still use - in fact I have converted to switch rods and they are amoung my favorite

[Fly Right]

Anyone have .02$ on this?

My $.02
Softer rods protect lighter tippets stiffer rods offer some casting advantages. It is really about how the rod is positioned when playing the fish and the name of the game is to land and release the fish as quickly as possible. You increase rod leverage and land the fish in less time with less stress regardless of the flex by positioning the rod horizontal to the water surface and fighting the fish on one side of your body as opposed to a high tip vertical rod position.

[Fly Right]

My $.02
Softer rods protect lighter tippets stiffer rods offer some casting advantages. It is really about how the rod is positioned when playing the fish and the name of the game is to land and release the fish as quickly as possible. You increase rod leverage and land the fish in less time with less stress regardless of the flex by positioning the rod horizontal to the water surface and fighting the fish on one side of your body as opposed to a high tip vertical rod position.

On another note......I did not answer the question directly. I just wanted to point out that big aggressive fish can be fought ethically with older soft rods and good technique. To answer the question directly I am a track and field coach and have been involved for several years in fiberglass pole vault pole design. We know from long term studies that fiberglass does not fatigue or become softer over time or with a lot of use. Can't say about graphite....never studied it.

[itsbenlong]

I would go with B.........

When I was younger, we would take rods and wiggle them around and the more flexy bounce the better action and feel we thought it had. Over the years, which included some tournament bass fishing and many many rods later, I have found myself leaning more towards faster rods. A few months ago I was up in Alaska and I took my old trusty Lamiglass which I have had for at least 20 years. I am not sure why I took it, just seemed like it deserved a trip since it has been a good 10 years or more since I used it.

Well, I took it out on one of the first days up there and started casting it. I thought someone was playing a trick on me and swapped it out for a rubber version of my old rod which I have hauled many of steelhead & salmon in with. It was the softest, spongy, uncomfortable feeling rod I have had in my hands in a long time. I even had my friend give it a whirl and asked him if he thought something was wrong with it. He just laughed because he gives me a hard time about all my fast action rods.

There is nothing wrong with my rod and it is probably close to the same as it was after the first year of using it. I just don't use rods that soft any longer and didn't realize how much firmer, faster and stiff many of the newer rods have become.

Love my Sage One's though and never going back.......... lol

[Charlie S]

I've been building rods for well over 50 years. I have had the opportunity to handle rods from some of my earliest years and have not noted any significant change in their action. What I have noticed is that rods have gotten faster and faster over the years. If you compare a Sage SP, which was the hotshot star in its time, considered to be very fast with rods of today it certainly would be rated as just fast at the very most. One of my favorites is the old original Winston G series, with what is would describe as a progressive medium action....others consider it really slow until I hand them a glass rod from the same era, much less a grass stick. So, in answer to your question I would have to guess that your memory has been prejudiced by your much faster rods. Those older Powells are gems.

[John Sv]

Thanks everyone!
I figure it was a figment. I've worked a long time in the bicycle industry and there was always a conversation whether older steel frames "flex out", but it is more that newer frames have trended, like fly rods to being much stiffer.

Rick J, I'm curious about how you converted them to switch. I assume you added a longer butt section and then lined them with 2-3 line # weights down in a "switchier" line?

[Rick J]

John - yes - just took off the butt cap and added a lower grip aound 4" long - actually I had Dave Hendrickson (Buff's Barber Shop just up the street from Bill's shop) do the work for me as all my rod building material is long since gone.

Converted 3 rods - a 10' 7 wt; 10' 8 wt and a 10.5' 8/9 wt - the 7 wt is just about my favorite rod for chasing steel - it throws a cut back Vison Ace scandi line - 27' and 360 grains as well as a skagit compact 360 or the RIO skagit short 375 and easily hanldes tips!!

[Charlie S]

That's very interesting Rick. I have a spare Dan Craft 10ft 7wt I may need to build into one of those...thanks for the idea.