What specs does my rod have?

[LuPork]

Hello all,

I have an older Abu Garcia 3 star spinning rod that I got from a tag sale a while back that I plan to use as a second/backup rod. The writing had rubbed off so I have no idea what weight lures/sinkers I should throw. The rod is about 6ft with large stainless steel guides that tapir down closer to the tip (so assuming spinning rod).

Since the writing rubbed off over time, is there any way to calculate or guestimate the action and power of the rod plus what weight tackle & line I should use? Overall the rod seems extremely stiff compared to others I've used.

[CWitek]

Just go out with a handful of sinkers of different sizes, tie them on and see what the rod likes.

 

Will it load with one ounce?  Does it need 2?  Is 5 too heavy?  A dozen casts will tell you all that you need to know.

 

Those old Garcia 3-stars caught a lot of fish back in the day; they were relatively inexpensive, but worked.  I had--still have, although it's more-or-less retired--a 9 1/2-foot "steelhead rod" rated for 1 to 3 oz and 10-20 pound line that I fished for years.  Got it when I was 11 or 12 years old, and over the next decade and a little more caught everything from winter flounder to a 51-pound striper on it, generally paired with either a Mitchell 306 or Penn 704 and 14-pound Stren.  The rod served well from beach and boat, everywhere from Cape Cod to Florida.

 

Good luck with yours, and hope that it serves as well.