Question:   Nick,     I am enjoying my Breakaway gear very much.  Thanks.  Is there a rule of thumb for choosing the amount of weight for optimal length of cast?  How does it relate to rod length?  What about lure weight, what works best in the area of weight?

Nickaway’s answer:  Fred, that’s an interesting question. The answer is everything has to be in balance.

Let’s start with the rod.

Rods:

Breakaway and Batson are the only companies currently using a method of test curve and me going to the field and casting each rod and blank to work out what the rod should be casting.

The rule on rod choice is we try to use the smallest amount of rod to be able to target the selected species in a location that we can reach when casting the rod of choice. A longer rod will cast further but a smaller rod if capable will give us more action when using a light lure close. The smaller rod will be more pleasurable to fish with. IE: The HDX will put 6oz of lead and a small shrimp bait at 200yds. But the 10ft 6in rod will cast a three oz plug over 100yds and you can still use the rod to get action out of it. Every rod has what we call a sweet spot. The choice of rod is determined by the species your targeting.

PS: I personally do all testing for Breakaway and Batson Blanks.

Reel choice. Bait caster: The smallest reel will cast further than the biggest. Again it’s about balance as we might need the extra line a reel holds to catch the fish we are targeting. Also the location we fish will determine the reel choice as fishing from an open beach you can land a lot bigger fish than fishing from a pier or jetty. You can move with the fish on the beach on a pier of jetty you have to be sure you have enough line to stop the run as you can’t stay in front of the fish like you can on a beach. Most people will use a reel far bigger than they need and lose a lot of distance because of the choice. Again the bigger reel will require more weight to keep the spool running smooth and to get the spool up-to speed at the start of the cast. Daiwa have a good system on the SHA reel which I use to demonstrate to customers.

The SHA20 requires a minimum of 2oz sinker to get the spool going and cast smooth 20lb line. The SHA30 requires a minimum of 3oz sinker to get the spool going and cast smooth 25lb line The SHA40 requires a minimum of 4oz sinker to get the spool going and cast smooth 40lb line As for distance: The SHA20 will cast further than the 30 and the 30 will cast further than the 40.

Spinning reels: do not follow the same rule as they can cast lighter weights on larger reels. The choice of reel on spinning comes down to weight and feel to match the rod you need and want to use.

At the end of the day the sweet spot of the rod you are using will determine the reel choice etc