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Taper and action
Post 13 Apr 2021, 16:15 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 12/20/18
Posts: 204
Location: Yorkshire
How much does wall thickness and weight distribution affect a rod's action?
Often action and taper seem to be used interchangeably to say whether a rod is a progressive or parabolic or such and such action. How much can the weight distribution/wall thickness affect the action of a particular taper?


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Re: Taper and action
Post 13 Apr 2021, 17:46 • #2 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Not sure where you're trying to take this.
Diameter and thickness affect moment of inertia and bulk modulus (stiffness) at any point on the rod - increasing either or both increases the stiffness of the rod at that point - it of course increases the weight at the same time, though what's usually considered is the cross section needed for adequate strength in the rod.

A progressive taper is going to be lighter in the tip and possibly much heavier in the butt, while a para taper rod is going to be comparatively lighter in the more narrow butt section and more mass in the somewhat thicker tip.
In general, para works and feels better in shorter rods, while progressive is the stuff of longer rods.
Your mileage may vary in Yorkshire, because the Brit tradition is long para rods.
Also, good progressive rods in short length is the exclusive territory of glass.


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 14 Apr 2021, 08:18, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Taper and action
Post 13 Apr 2021, 18:58 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 03/16/08
Posts: 3540
Location: Upstate-NY
paras “work better” on short rods, because it becomes increasingly difficult to make tips thin enough to load at close distances the shorter the overall rod length. At some point you cross the line between “limbre enough” and “strong enough”.

This is especially true for graphite and to a lesser degree, bamboo. Fiberglass is better than the other two for rods shorter than 7’ - but even fiberglass runs into the same issues.

By making a short rod “para”, the whole effective length of the rod can load/flex almost immediately - and helps with short casting.

But I also own 8’-8.5’ “paras” and absolutley LOVE them for down-and -across wet fly fishing. Why? Because that thick tip can pick up (submerged) line with ease, and only a single back cast and redirect on the forward is required. The limbre butt loads that rod completely on the single pickup/backcast, and retains the energy to immediately shoot. Cant do that as well with a progressive taper - where a false cast or two are needed to shoot line.


Last edited by corlay on 13 Apr 2021, 19:21, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Taper and action
Post 13 Apr 2021, 19:17 • #4 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
The best short graphite rod I've ever fished is definitely para, the 6'9" 3-pc Fisher that was sold as part of Fisher Combo rods (2 handles, making 3- or 4-pc, 6'9" + 8'10").
These rods were nice enough that T&T sold the 3-pc as stand-alone rods.
When you approach 7' in cane, paras are wonderful, which makes all those PHY tapers so desirable.
Almost no rod is totally para (except spinning and bait rods). Para taper fly rods still have a short progressive tip, otherwise, we'd never be able to handle short line lengths with them.


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Re: Taper and action
Post 14 Apr 2021, 15:44 • #5 
Guide
Joined: 12/20/18
Posts: 204
Location: Yorkshire
Thanks Bulldog and Corlay, I have a couple of short para rods and really like them. I'd like to try a longer parabolic. They seem to suit short casts well though.
I'm just trying to understand how much two identical diameter taper rods can vary in casting feel, depending on blank thickness, the material used, number of ferrule, etc. Hopefully that makes sense.


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Re: Taper and action
Post 15 Apr 2021, 08:08 • #6 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
When paras shine is using short, smooth arm movements + haul.
With increasing line length, a progressive taper loads in a band, moving progressively down the rod.
A perfect para loads more of the total rod length with increasing line length, so the casting I first described loads the whole rod like a bow to shoot out surprising line length.
Likewise, progressive and para are extremes of taper, and just about all working rods are a blend of the two ideas. Real world fly rods are More para, or More progressive.


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