with all the fad being making the most sensitive, light rods possible what is the effect on hoop strenght.  It only makes sense that the more sensitive you make something the more rigid and brittle it will become.  

Has anyone experienced this.  In my looking for a new jig rod I have become even more confused on what to get because of this debate.  Yes you want sesitivity but not at the cost of strenght/durability.  I have been told by several people that the St. Croix tournament elite rods are quit brittle and have a tendancy to break at the tip, which makes sense if you think about it.  So where is the balance?  Is a rod like the cumara the answer with the blend of weight, sensitivity, and strength or is it a carrot stix.  Being someone who like to find out answers to questions before I spend my money on something I would appreiated any and all input on the subject.

Thanks

All rods break if handled improperly whether that involves breaking the tip on a snag or stepping on it. I fish my Loomis's really hard and have never broke one while fishing (I did break one during storage). Part of getting a high end rod is also getting a high end warranty (megabass rods excluded). Having that warranty will put your mind at ease.

brittleness is not the issue with the modern rods and materials... wall thickness of some of the higher modulous rods can be a concern, though, since it takes a lesser impact or nick in the blank to cause a catastrophic event. These rods are not built to kill snakes with - like the older thicker walled rods were capable of.

As stated, the warranties are so good now that you shouldn't worry as you will be covered for a very small fee.

*edited for spelling

Throughout my life I 've broken 3 rods, 2 out of my own stupidity, 1 due to manufacturer defect, so breaking rods is more a matter of operator error than manufacturer defect.

If the rod breaks then the most probable cause of such event is you.

I have broke my fair share of rods over the years, most of the time when I was doing something I should not have been doing. High Sticking, Swinging in a big fish, Dragging in a big log can all break a rod very easily. The warrenty becomes very important once you get into the high end expensive rods, because they do break much easier that the less expensive rods especially if you are one of those rough guys.

Here is an article by the legendary rod builder Tom Kirkman on proper rod usage.

http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/rodusage.pdf

All rod have the patental to break because of the materal they are made out of today.  Rods are lighter and more sensitive then ever before.  Gary Lommis said it best right in one of there catalogs: I COULD BUILD YOU A ROD THAT WOULDN'T BREAK BUT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO FISH WITH IT.

I have broke my fair share of rods over the years, most of the time when I was doing something I should not have been doing. High Sticking, Swinging in a big fish, Dragging in a big log can all break a rod very easily. The warrenty becomes very important once you get into the high end expensive rods, because they do break much easier that the less expensive rods especially if you are one of those rough guys.

Here is an article by the legendary rod builder Tom Kirkman on proper rod usage.

http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/rodusage.pdf

Good article there...I recognized myself in a few of those "No" pictures.  I'm going to have to keep those in mind and ignore my instincts.  

yeah great article.  My dad broke the tip off my crucial last year and he doesn't fish a lot but I know he set the hook way to hard for braid and snapped the tip off which is understandable.  I think you need to remember that a rod is a tool and that tool is to get fish to the boat not in the boat and it is to fight the fish not horse the fish.

Been down this same road looking for the lightest, most senstive rod, but yet wanted one that would hold up as well as be reasonably priced.

What I found was American Rodsmiths Kicker Sticks. The 7' H Jig Rod weighs around 4 oz. I have two of these and two of the 6'10''H tube rods. Have used them now for 3 seasons and have not had a single problem fishing tubes, jigs, worms, and creatures. Have hauled some big Florida bass out of cover with these bad boys and I am VERY pleased with them.

Forgot to mention these rods are Made for Braid!

A lifetime warranty on a rod does you absolutely no good when your favorite uber sensitive worm rod, that you payed $300 for, breaks on the first day of a week long fishing excursion and the fish are biting on plastic worms.

You can drop down to the mid 100 - 200 dollar range and get a great rod that frankly, isn't that much off in sensitivity or weight of the high dollar rod and actually have money left over for a spare in case that one breaks.

Just my 2 cents.

I think Gary Loomis defeated the correlation of these to terms years ago with the IMX blank.  I believe it mostly relies in the resin, and why Gary was able to use such a high modulous/strain blank.