What is the "Action" of the Rod?

The action of a fishing rod, when you break it down to one simple term, is the "flex" of the rod.  Action is where and how much the rod bends and moves when pressure is applied to it.  The action can range from Slow to Extra Fast, meaning that the rod can flex anywhere from all the way down the blank to only at the very tip top.  I am going to go through each action, describe what it is, fill you in on the positives and negatives of each action, and let you know what each action is good for in bass fishing.

Before I get too far into this, I do want to point out that generally, each manufacture and rod builder is about the same when it comes to their actions, but sometimes there are slight differences.  You should check out and feel the action of a rod, or talk to the builder thoroughly, to ensure you get what you want.

The "slower" the action of a rod, the more flex the blank has, and the bend will start farther down on the rod.  Conversely, the faster the action, the less bend the blank will have, and the closer to the tip the rod will bend.  That's pretty much rod action in a nutshell.  Here it is in an easy to read chart that I created:

Slow Action

A rod with slow action will start its bend about 3/4 of the way down the blank, and will continue to flex up through the tip.  Another way you will hear a slow action rod described is a "soft" action.  Slow rods are not typically used in bass fishing.  Sometimes, a heavy or extra heavy power, slow action rod can be used to fish very large hard body swimbaits or giant crankbaits, however, I feel that there better options here.

Moderate Slow Action

Like slow action rods, moderate slow rods are still not used very often in bass fishing.  There are, though, more uses for moderate slow rods than for slow action rods.  The slower the action of the rod, the more "play" the rod will have.  This means that when you are fighting a fish, the rod will have more ability to give and take with the fish, keeping a constant, consistent pressure on the line, and preventing the bass from throwing the lure as is thrashes it's head, or breaking the line when it makes a quick hard burst.  The extra play also means that there is a delay when you set the hook--the rod will bend before it puts tension on the line.  This can be good when you are fishing heavy hard baits with thin wire treble hooks, because the hooks penetrate easily without much pressure needed from a hookset.  Also, your bait won't be pulled away from the fish too soon, allowing the fish to take it in before  the hook is set.  This can be a drawback, though.  A delayed hookset will lead to less hookups when fishing soft plastics or jigs with "looser" line and larger hooks.

Uses:

• Heavy Hard Body Swimbaits
• Large Diving Crankbaits
• Lip-less Crankbaits
• Live Bait 

Moderate Action

A moderate action rod will bend about 1/2 of the way down the blank.  Like moderate slow action rods, there are uses to these slower action rods with "soft" tips.  For years, I had heard that faster, stiffer rods would cast greater distances, but this isn't true.  A moderate action rod, with more bend in the blank, will really load up and fling your lure farther.  But a moderate action rod can lead to less accurate casts.  Often times when you are casting crankbaits, or similar lures, to "open water", accuracy is not as important as distance.  In these cases moderate or moderate fast action rods are good choices.  Like other slower action rods, moderate rods do offer a superior action for landing fish.  With heavy lures or with "shifting" weights (such as weights inside crankbaits that move to provide greater casting distance and sound), a rod with more play will keep tension on your line, provide give when the bass makes a quick, hard run, and will keep the hooks in the bass' mouth.  Moderate action rods also have a delay in the hookset, because they "give" some before that tension is transferred to the line, preventing you from pulling the lure away from the fish before the hooks penetrate the jaw.  But, like other slower action rods, you can't generate the same "power" on the hookset, which makes them sub-par for setting large single hooks.

Uses:

• All Hard Body Swimbaits
• Large Soft Swimbaits
• Crankbaits
• Lip-less Crankbaits
• Jerk-Baits
• Live-Bait

Moderate Fast Action

A moderate fast action rod is a great multipurpose rod for bass fishing.  Typically, the top 1/3 of the blank is where most of the bend is in a moderate fast action blank.  The will bend and load similar to a moderate action rod, providing good casting distance and plenty of "play" to slightly delay the hookset, but they also start bringing in some of the desired qualities of the faster action rods.  They provide a little better "feel" than the slower rods, giving you better knowledge of what your lure is doing and what it is bumping.  It also gives you the ability to pick up line a little bit faster, giving you a slightly quicker hookset, with a little more oomph.  They are my rod of choice for most crankbait presentations.

Uses:

• Crankbaits
• Small and Medium Hard Hard Body Swimbaits
• Soft Swimbaits
• Lip-less Crankbaits
• Jerk-Baits
• Twitch Baits
• Spinnerbaits
• Heavy Jigs
• Swimming Jigs
• Topwater
• Live Bait

Fast Action

Fast action rods are used often in bass fishing.  These rods are versatile, and are the most common action rods for different soft-plastic techniques. Faster action rods give the angler better accuracy while casting, allowing you to drop your lure on the target every time.  The fast action also allows you to quickly pick up any slack in the line and get a good, quick, solid hookset, ensuring that the big hooks of jigs and soft plastics penetrates the jaw and hooks the the fish.  Fast action rods also have great feel, allowing you the ability to know what your lure is bumping, and most importantly, you know when a light biting fish gently picks up your lure.

Uses:

• Jigs
• Texas Rigs
• Carolina Rigs
• Twitch Baits
• Drop Shot
• Weightless Soft Plastics
• Spinnerbaits
• Twitch-Baits
• Soft Swimbaits

Extra Fast Action

An extra fast action rods take what is good about a fast action rod and amplifies it.  Only the very tip of an extra fast action rod provides any play, giving you great quick hooksetting ability, however it does take away from the ability to "play" a fish.  It is more difficult to keep even pressure on the line when fighting a fish, giving the fish extra ability to throw a heavy lure or small treble hooks.

Uses:

• Weightless Soft Plastics
• Texas Rigs
• Carolina Rigs
• Drop Shots
• Jigs

This rundown should give you a pretty good idea of what the action of a rod is and what each action is best used for.  Paying attention to what action you are using for each technique you fish will help you catch more fish.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

How to Choose a Crankbait Rod
How to Choose a Rod For Texas Rigged Soft Plastics
How to Choose a Spinnerbait Rod
How to Choose a Jig Rod
How to Choose a Topwater Rod