Fishing rod tapers describe how much a

fishing rod A fishing rod or fishing pole is a long, thin rod used by angling, anglers to fishing, catch fish by manipulating a fishing line, line ending in a fish hook, hook (formerly known as an ''angle'', hence the term "angling"). At its most basic ...

bends or flexes under pressure. Different tapers are used for different fishing scenarios as well as for personal preference.

Action

The action of a taper is described by the flex of the tip of a rod when pressure is applied

perpendicular In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', � ...

to the rod. Only a section of the rod starting at the tip of the rod should bend while the remainder of the rod should stay rigid. Variations can be described in three main categories, fast, medium, or slow with variations in between each. A rod with a fast taper will only flex the top 20 percent. Medium fast and medium tapers will flex approximately 30 to 60 percent of the rod respectively. If the rod has a slow taper, almost the entire rod or blank will bend or flex under pressure.

Usage

Rod taper is important for several reasons. The feel for the lure being used and the fish being caught dictate the appropriate taper use. A fast action tip will be used when fishing

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type lures. The angler can feel and therefore control what the lure is doing quite easily. Since only the very tip of the rod bends, when a fish strikes the angler has ample rod shaft and backbone to set the hook correctly. In contrast to fast tapers, the slow flex rods offer the angler advantages when fighting large fish with light

fishing line A fishing line is any flexible, high-tensile cord used in angling to tether and pull in fish, in conjunction with at least one hook. Fishing lines are usually pulled by and stored in a reel, but can also be retrieved by hand, with a fixed att ...

. This additional flex allows the rod to absorb the force of the fish as opposed to the line. This is often the angler who likes to fish split shot rigs or Lindy rigs for

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

Notes

{{fisheries and fishing Fishing equipment