possibly stupid question on rods

[sploke]

The TL;DR question is - does the direction a rod bends in, matter for use?


I have a jigging rod combo set up with an inline reel, so when you are using it, the rod guides are below the rod.


If I were to swap that reel with a baitcaster reel, the reel and guides would now be on top of the rod, with the rod effectively bending backwards when under stress.  Does this matter?  I'm kind of thinking not, until you were to get into super high end or custom rods, which I am not.

[CL_Outdoors]

It definitely DOES matter... all rods (to my knowledge) have a spine that sits on one side of the rod.

A spinning rod will have a spine that sits on the opposite side of the guides, and a baitcasting rod will have a spine on the same side as the guides.

I would recommend using a rod that aligns with whatever reel type you plan to pair it with. Not saying that a snap would be inevitable if you mismatched the two, but if you're going after big fish or have the potential to hook into one, no sense in risking it!

[appleye]

Most rod builder build the rod on the straightest axis (Commercial rods) so the rod will preform fine under a load top or bottom.  The fishing rod doesn't know what it's supposed to do it just bends.

[HWeber]

Spine vs straightest axis is an ongoing argument in the rod building community. You have nothing to worry about, if it's working for you keep doing what you're doing

[Splattypus]

Not a stupid question at all, unless I'm also a dummy (I mean, I am, but that's beside the point).

I was just thinking about exactly this  the other day

[HWeber]

https://www.rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,486706,486784

One of many threads full of arguing

[fishinator]

When building rods I have seen people raise the tip end of the rod and put pressure in the middle and roll it back and forth. There is normally an area where the rod bends easier. That is the direction the rod is built to bend.

[sploke]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I'm not building a rod, just going to be trying some different reels this winter and I was trying to figure out if I can flip the same rod up or down depending on which reel I use.  Sounds like I probably can.  Buuuuuut, also sounds like a great excuse to go rod shopping!

[bigfoot86]

What fishinator said.  When I start off a rod build I’ll sit the back end of the blank on some type of flat surface and then proceed to make a fairly solid bend in tip of the blank up in the air all while holding the rod at a 45* angle.  Then I’ll roll the blank and you’ll easily see where the rod naturally wants to bend the easiest.  That where you mark out the spine. 

[buz23]

I've built a number of ice rods using solid fiberglass blanks.  I love them, you aren't casting, they are nearly indestructible.  No spine on these, the spine comes from the wrapping process used on hollow blanks.

[slipperybob]

my baitcasting reels are on my spinning rods...

but none of my spinning reels are on my baitcasting rods.