Terminology

[Tangled]

Didn't really know where to put this, so I put it here.

I've been arguing with people in "another place" about the meaning of terms like 'action', 'power', 'recovery time', 'frequency' etc, and found the wiki for fishing rods.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_rod

I'm wondering whether people here would agree or disagree with the terminology listed under 'Specifications'
(I'm keeping my powder dry.)

[Tangled]

Lots of looks, no bites. Just like salmon fishing

[Paul Arden]

Not really but I’m not going to lose any sleep

“When the load is significantly less than the rod's recommended range the casting distance is significantly reduced, as the rod's action cannot launch the load. It acts like a stiff pole. In fly rods, exceeding weight ratings may warp the blank or have casting difficulties when rods are improperly loaded”

I don’t agree with the above.

Action for me would be the bend profile and speed would be the frequency.

Cheers, Paul

[Tangled]

Yeh, I'm considering fixing it

[Lasse Karlsson]

Really shows the downside of Wikipedia, if the users that edit aren't interested, or knowledgable, you get nonsense like that page, lifes too short....

Cheers
Lasse

[Paul Arden]

Was it written by Frank?

[Lasse Karlsson]

It might, though even Frank made sense some times

[Tangled]

The thing is, if a real Wiki editor got hold of it almost all of it would be deleted for lack of citation, regardless of whether they knew anything about rods. The fact that it's wrong would be secondary. Tricky to find a legitimate, reputable and recognised source to cite though. Rod Building Magazine could be one. (Websites like Sexyloops while being generally regarded as the bees knees of fly casting don't meet the cut.) Do any of the casting instructor sites have a decent glossary?

[Paul Arden]

No, but I would be interested in making such a glossary. In fact it would be a handy tool for navigating Sexyloops.

[Merlin]

A pretty difficult task.

In 1979 Fly Fisherman published a review of tackle manufacturers' opinion on rod characteristics (like action, speed, etc.). Makers were Russ Peak, Harry Wilson, Walton Powell, Howard Steere, Tom Maxwell and Jim Green.

In 2004 Fly rod & Reel did quite the same with Jason Brunner, Jim Bartschi, Tom Dorsey, Sam Druckman, Steve Rajeff, Jim Rowinsky, Jerry Siem and George Swanson.

I do not know if any article of this kind has been published since and in which magazine, but from these articles it is quite difficult to find a common view on action for example, some refer to deflection only, some to taper, some to speed of recovery, etc. If we write a terminology, I'm sure that it will be impossible to get an agreement in between a reasonable number of people from this forum.

Merlin