beginners questions

Hi all,
I know very little about rods and reels, so I have a few of questions:

- does a rod rated 12-15 lbs mean the biggest fish it can bring up is 15
lbs?

- similar question for line rating, will a line rated 30lbs, break if it
lands a 40 lbs fish?

- what is the dissadvantage of using a 30-50lbs rod when a 12-15 would do?


Thanks, and sorry if the questions are too silly

"Victor" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
I know very little about rods and reels, so I have a few of questions:

- does a rod rated 12-15 lbs mean the biggest fish it can bring up is 15
lbs?

This referes to recomended weight (usually light, medium and heavy is
better)
That would make that rod a medium action in my book - which means its
length, stiffness and such are geared towards fish in a medium range (5-15
pounds). These factor into how much the rod works at the fish as opposed to
the fisherman.

The rating doesnt indicate it will snap for a fish at 15.1 lbs - more that
its more of a challenge to bring in a 50 lb fish on the rod without breaking
it - playing the fish on a low rated rod makes for a more "sporting"
adventure .




- similar question for line rating, will a line rated 30lbs, break if it
lands a 40 lbs fish?

Line weight is no indication of fish breaking strength, just how much dead
weigth a line can suspend without snapping (or stretching to far). Again,
its considered more of a challenge to catch big fish on light line.


- what is the dissadvantage of using a 30-50lbs rod when a 12-15 would do?

The main disavantage is that a 30-50lb rod will be much more stiff so it
wont provide the sensation of a lighter rod - both in terms of hits/bites
and in terms of the fight.
Heavy line is also more visable and can scare smaller fish.


Thanks, and sorry if the questions are too silly


If you are just going out to catch/eat fish - the gear to avoid the fight
(heavy), if you go to fish/angle - go lighter and make some sport.

Glnn,
http://sportfishing.mynovascotia.net