Man Peter, even your explanation of your troubling statements troubles me :Eyecrazy: I don't see a two camps of "light tippet, stiffer rods" and soft rod heavy tippet as being valid. Most of the guys I know who fish light tippets fish soft rods so that the entire length of the rod goes into absorbing the shock of sudden movements of the fish. The thankfully over "noodle rod craze" is a good example of this. I do agree that a stiffer rod transmits more of what the fish does to the angler but the time it takes to land a fish depends (aside from the fish itself) on how much the TIPPET is being used to its maximum. Soft rod, fast rod, it DOESN'T matter! A soft rod can be more forgiving as it is easier to use the entire length of the rod as a shock absorber. Now any rod pointed straight at the fish has NO shock absorbing function, a rod that is bent with the butt of the rod pointed straight at the fish with the rod in an 180 circle is the maximum shock preventor. Obviously stiffer rods in this position are putting more strain on the fish. Rods also must act as a lever. Yes a soft rod bends into the butt more easily than a stiff one, and this gives you a shorter lever, however when a rod is curved in a shallow arc and nearly pointed at the fish, you are by default bending only the BUTT of the rod and you can put maximum strain on a fish, soft rod or stiff one. Light tippets dictate fighting the fish with a rod bent in a maximum arc, heavy tippets can more fully be used with a rod in a shallow arc, bending the butt of the rod. Tremendous presssure can be brought to bear with all rods in this manner.