Rod Angles and Lifting Efficiency by Danny Kadota
In the early nineties, we started quantifying the amount of rod pressures we generated at different lifting angles. We had hoped that anglers would take note of how much more fish fighting efficiency you got out of keeping your rod at a lower angle to the water. As a sport boat captain, we inherently knew our fish came up quicker with lower rod angles.
Hook sets and fighting fish with the rod behind your head, creates wild, splashing for sensationalism on T.V., but it's a horrible way to teach our angling crowd how to fish.
Our study on rod angles (done with a 30 lb. graphite rod) 30 degree
angle puts the stress on the line and reel (drag). You will see that
this angle offers the astute angler the maximum amount of pressure
you can generate (62 lbs.).
At 45 degrees, the line and the butt section of the rod get the lions share of the stress (45 lbs.).
90 degrees has the butt and tip sharing the same stress (this angle
gives the rod 12 lbs. of pressure).
A good majority of the fisher people fight fish at 150 degrees, where the midsection and tip of the rod bear the main part of the stress (6.8 lbs.).
180 degrees (high stick, we do not have pictures of this) is the danger zone, where many a rod tip section has broken. Lifting power is 6.2 lbs, 1/10th of the power that you get at 30 degrees.
Another huge attribute of fishing the rod at a lower angle is that the fish circle up in a much tighter diameter, keeping you out of tangles. As you raise your rod angle, the spiraling diameter widens, along with the probability of tangling with twenty other circling fish. A quick and smooth short stroke with any of the new high speed, high torque, or two speed reels can retrieve up to four feet of line per crank. If you time your cranking with the movement of the swell, holding as you go up and
cranking as you go down in the trough, you'll retrieve substantially more line.
This positive gain is attained by the lack of elongation (stretch) of both the braided line with the fluorocarbon top shot. I designed these graphite rods with a secondary shut off, so I do not sacrifice
my recoil. The quicker recoil of the rod keeps the fish coming at you, never getting a chance to get their head down. If they are swimming at you, all you need to do is keep up with the cranking. Also, the secondary shut off stage in the rod will alleviate any surge by the boat or by the fish sounding suddenly. This is where conventionally fast action rods either break lines or pull hooks. If you follow my tips on rod angles and pressures, you should land more fish in less time, with less
fatigue.
http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/fishing-tutorials-members/308944-theory-pulling-angles.html
In the early nineties, we started quantifying the amount of rod pressures we generated at different lifting angles. We had hoped that anglers would take note of how much more fish fighting efficiency you got out of keeping your rod at a lower angle to the water. As a sport boat captain, we inherently knew our fish came up quicker with lower rod angles.
Hook sets and fighting fish with the rod behind your head, creates wild, splashing for sensationalism on T.V., but it's a horrible way to teach our angling crowd how to fish.
Our study on rod angles (done with a 30 lb. graphite rod) 30 degree
angle puts the stress on the line and reel (drag). You will see that
this angle offers the astute angler the maximum amount of pressure
you can generate (62 lbs.).
At 45 degrees, the line and the butt section of the rod get the lions share of the stress (45 lbs.).
90 degrees has the butt and tip sharing the same stress (this angle
gives the rod 12 lbs. of pressure).
A good majority of the fisher people fight fish at 150 degrees, where the midsection and tip of the rod bear the main part of the stress (6.8 lbs.).
180 degrees (high stick, we do not have pictures of this) is the danger zone, where many a rod tip section has broken. Lifting power is 6.2 lbs, 1/10th of the power that you get at 30 degrees.
Another huge attribute of fishing the rod at a lower angle is that the fish circle up in a much tighter diameter, keeping you out of tangles. As you raise your rod angle, the spiraling diameter widens, along with the probability of tangling with twenty other circling fish. A quick and smooth short stroke with any of the new high speed, high torque, or two speed reels can retrieve up to four feet of line per crank. If you time your cranking with the movement of the swell, holding as you go up and
cranking as you go down in the trough, you'll retrieve substantially more line.
This positive gain is attained by the lack of elongation (stretch) of both the braided line with the fluorocarbon top shot. I designed these graphite rods with a secondary shut off, so I do not sacrifice
my recoil. The quicker recoil of the rod keeps the fish coming at you, never getting a chance to get their head down. If they are swimming at you, all you need to do is keep up with the cranking. Also, the secondary shut off stage in the rod will alleviate any surge by the boat or by the fish sounding suddenly. This is where conventionally fast action rods either break lines or pull hooks. If you follow my tips on rod angles and pressures, you should land more fish in less time, with less
fatigue.
http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/fishing-tutorials-members/308944-theory-pulling-angles.html
