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Hi everyone, Im looking for a new rod that can cast the lightest of light lures the farthest. I dont care about sensitivity or twitching or price. The goal of the rod is only distance if we lets say using 2lb fluoro for reference and my line is spooled perfectly to the edge of my reel.
Just want a rod that can absolutely launch a 1gram jig or 1/100oz or at minimum 1/64 oz jig 70’+. Is this even possible or would i have no choice but to get a fly rod?
Sounds like some of the JDM rods would fill those needs
See this topic by gillchaser,, he has been playing and doing some measuring.
Found my combo (crappie.com)
Personally I like the BnM TCB rod. Very good rod and affordable.
Leland's TCB (Trout, Crappie, Bluegill) Rod - B'n'M Pole Company
This one can be all over the place. I have tested many rods for distance. The fact is the results may surprise you. Soft, noodle rods do not cast a 1 gram as good as a more rigid rod. I have found when doing cast tests with 1/64 weight longer rods will not necessarily get you more distance. It can be a crap shoot. If I was wanting great casting distance I would use some other line other than FC. I get the best casting distance with the Varivas Ester or the Varivas Infinity PE. I have many high quality JDM rods. I do not get anymore casting distance with them using a 1/64 than I do with the BnM TCB rod. Of course we do more with the rod than cast…if I’m really needing the best casting distance to go along with sensitivity I will use a solid tip rod.
Regards
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From what I’ve read here on CDC and other places , most JDM tackle users use 1.5g or heavier jigs plus the weight of whatever plastic body you add to your jig . A 1/16oz jighead should be 1.7g . All jigheads are not created equal.
A 1/64 Trout Magnet and body weighs right at 1g .
I first started my experiments using the TM and body as my common denominator.
But since I started , I’ve discovered some tiny spinners that seem to catch everything, but they weigh .7g .
I’ve found The rods that cast the 1/64 TM and 1/32 jigheads with a TM body , do not cast these little spinners the most distance.
I’ve found my 5’ St Croix rods , the Triumph , the Premier , and the Avid casts a few feet farther than my 6’ and 6’3” Abu Garcia Mass Beat 3 rods , which were king of distance with the 1/64 and heavier jigs .
But , the best distance casters have been the two piece St Croix 5’6” ultralight rods . We’re talking six to ten feet farther than a 6’ rod .
I found the Fuji guides work better than the newer all chrome guides .
I think , and it’s only a theory, the longer rods add drag to the line along with the extra guides the line has to go through.
You add weight the drag is eliminated.
The faster you get the line free of the guides , the more momentum the lure maintains.
Reels make a difference too , or maybe I should say spool lips . Newer designs in spool lip shape allows the line to come off the spool better. “Some” 500 size reels have better spools than “some” 2000 size reels .
Another factor is the size of the first guide , or stripper guide , it’s called . Smaller stripper guides and micro guides all slow down the line with a lightweight lure .
Remember also the shape of your lure can make a difference, some lures are more aerodynamic than others .
I saw this back when I was fishing a 3’ senko on UL . When I fished it wacky style , I would get less distance than I would fished Ned style .
Hope this helps .
Right now my top casters are both St Croix 5’6” ULF rods , a Premier and my newest an Avid .
They are a lot of fun when you get a fish on too, no matter what the size .
BTW , I’m still testing and experimenting, almost everyday .
If there’s more info to add after those two posts, I don’t have it. I have some custom built rods with 8 guides that cast well and control a fish excellent, but im not convinced that my 5’6” lightning rod with four guides doesn’t cast as good or better. My thought is that below about 1/48 it just gets tough to cast em. And we haven’t talked about the effects of wind with the super lights. Both casting and sensitivity take a hit when the wind gets up. Even small braid gets blown around but is more sensitive in my opinion. I feel hits on taught bowed line with the tiny braid I use that I don’t feel, or don’t feel as much with mono line and a small jig. My normal jig is about a 1/48 and I’m happy with its performance in most every way. Only one thing helps when the wind gets up, and that’s patience.
I got my new reel today , a Shimano Soare XR 500SPG .
I spooled it up with my favorite line , 2# P-Line Floroclear. Floroclear isn’t 100% Fluorocarbon. It a fluorocarbon coated copolymer line not as stiff as 100% Fluorocarbon.
I tried the new reel on a few rods for distance.
4’6” St Croix Premier
5’ Daiwa Trout X XUL
5’6” Daiwa Trout X XUL
5’5” Daiwa Ajing UL
All of these would cast the tiny spinner between 38-41’ .
40’ with a .7g lightweight lure is a good cast .
Then I put it on my new St Croix 5’6” Avid ULF and first cast was around 42’ . My casts ranged from 41-46’ with the Avid .
This is measured casting in my driveway. If there’s wind I wait for a lull .
I do use a size 0 barrel swivel 10-12” above a wire snap , that allows me to change lures .
The other day I tried a 1g spoon on my 5’6” Premier and almost doubled my distance.
The type and diameter of the line can be a deciding factor when casting super lightweight jigs. A friend of mine uses 4lb Berkley NanoFil (dyneema) for trout and claims it gives him the most distance with jigs down to 1/64oz. I wanted to try NanoFil but a Berkley rep told me it's being discontinued.
As for rod guides proponents claim rods with micro guides cast further than rods with standard guides due to less line line slap. Micro guides are becoming more popular with American rod makers too. I have several JDM rods and all have micro guides so there must be something to this concept. If you do a search you will find many articles claiming micro guides increase casting distance as well as some weight savings.
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I’ve read the articles, and on casting rods I can see it being an advantage.Quote:
Originally Posted by MtnFisher
Micro guides on the last third of a spinning rod will help with distance, but a lot of the JDM rods I own have smaller stripper guides and I think they hinder casting distance , depending on the diameter of the spool of the reel used .
Large diameter spools need the coils to gradually taper into the guides . If the coils are larger than the stripper guide they are slamming into the guide , being squeezed into it , slowing down the line speed .
I’ve tried several rods and reel combinations.
With light lures , you don’t have the power to pull big coils through small stripper guides .