What exactly is a soft tip or a firm tip? And how do I tell, and what do I want each for?

I understand power of a rod and the "action" of a rod, bending in the top 1/4, 1/3 etc.

But how does a soft or firm tip equate with all of this? Also, I see most manufacturers

only list the power of their rod and for me it is a little difficult to tell exactly what the action is.

Most of the rods I own, I really don't have a clue as to what their true action is.  They fish ok

at least as far as what I'm used to.  But it makes it difficult, when shopping for a new rod, to

know what to look for because I don't really know what I've got.  Anyway, info on soft/firm would

be appreciated.

I've always felt that tackle manufacturers in general, and rod manufacturers in particular, provide too little information on their products. And rodmakers compound the error by often using the word "action" when they are describing power.

I'm no expert, but I'd interpret a soft tip to equate to what we might consider moderate-to-slow action, i.e., the tip bends to 50% or possibly more. As a general rule, soft tips might be used with treble hook lures and firm tip with single hooks.

Okay, it has nothing to do with Action or Power. Here is a specific example (rods I own) that will make it clear:

Next time you are at BPS, Cabelas or another full-line store, compare a couple of St. Croix rods:

Avid AC66MF v. Legend Elite AS70MF.

Both rods are rated MF, but the Avid has a soft tip, the LE is firm.

When I think of a rod a having a soft tip or firm tip, it's sort of a personal feel not the rated action of the rod.  Like RW, I have two rods that I would compare> 1) 7' BPS Johnny Morris Sig. Med.   2) 6'6'' G.Loomis MH GLX MBR783.

The BPS rod is like a whip.  The tip is real soft and I find it best suited for small to medium crankbaits. It is rated for 1/4oz to 5/8oz lures.

The Loomis rod is much stiffer and works well with either soft plastic or crankbaits.  1/4oz to 3/4oz

These two rods are the complete opposite when it comes to the feel of the tip and both load intirely different.  I guess it comes down to how you load the rod when you cast and that personal feel you get when using that particular rod.

And what are the advantages/disadvantages of one over the other.  Maybe I should say what are the uses of one or the other?  

I was typing while Fishtank was posting.  

What exactly is a soft tip or a firm tip? And how do I tell, and what do I want each for?

I understand power of a rod and the "action" of a rod, bending in the top 1/4, 1/3 etc.

But how does a soft or firm tip equate with all of this? Also, I see most manufacturers

only list the power of their rod and for me it is a little difficult to tell exactly what the action is.

Most of the rods I own, I really don't have a clue as to what their true action is. They fish ok

at least as far as what I'm used to. But it makes it difficult, when shopping for a new rod, to

know what to look for because I don't really know what I've got. Anyway, info on soft/firm would

be appreciated.

One thing you may want to do, before trying to mimic what this or that manufacturer tells you what you need to use for each kind of fishing, is to try out some of them (maybe a friend or 2 have some you want to try).

Like you, I recently wondered if I could do better with all of the 'right' rods.

So I went out and purchased a few rods that were spec'ed to do things like soft plastics and crankbaits better (luckily on sale).  While I liked the medium fast and ultra-fast rods for soft plastics (because of their feel), I absolutely hate the specialized st. croix crankbait rod that was recommended by a dealer.   It's so soft (medium power-moderate action) it's just mush.  There is no feel at all and it casts anything over 3/8 oz terribly.   I think I'm going to use one of the medium-fast rods for most of my cranks as they have a lot more castability and really have never had the issue of loosing fish on a fast action rod.    I'm going to see if Gander Mountain will take the rod back in exchange..but I have my doubts.

All in all, not sure I'm catching any more fish...     :