What action of rod works best with braided line?

[UtahAngler]

Ive been using a 7 foot St Croix MH fast action rod with 50 pound power pro braided line and throwing jigs on it in open water. I seem to be breaking a lot of fish off with the hook set I went to the power pro because I break off all the fish on the hook set with mono lines. Im a pretty big guy and been told I set the hook too hard. Im just wondering if there is another action I can use that still has some backbone but will soften the blow when I set the hook because its hard to start setting the hook more timid. Do I need more of a moderate taper or an extra fast taper? Im not sure exactly what you get with the action. It seems to me the St Croix is a lot beefier rod than say a loomis IMX or GL. Any suggestions would be appreciated I would like to build the rod myself once I get all the items I need to get started. Oh and I can still use the ST Croix as a frog rod I dont have the problems with it when throwing a frog with braid must be the different angle or something.

[Mattman]

I don't think that switching actions is going to solve your problem. Try loosening your drag. If you're breaking 50 pound Power Pro, you need some give in your system and you're not going to get enough by switching to one of St. Croix's M-action rods. The drag on your reel needs to break before the line does.

[muskie magnet]

Utah

I always thought of Utah as a trout fishery with some largemouth thrown in. With a hook set that strong with 50lb line I would expect to see the fish 20 or 30 feet on the other side of the boat LOL. I would have to agree with Matt %100 the drag is just to tight. You might check to see if you have a sharp on the tip that might be cutting the line. Mono has more stretch and would be less apt to break than no-stretch braided. A less progressive action would give you a little more cushion but rod actions are more akin to presentations. I fish Muskie and some of my baits do better with m- actions while with others I prefer a faster tip.

Phil

[UtahAngler]

You guys are right I feel pretty stupid I should have thought to loosen the drag. When Im throwing frogs I like to cinch it down tight to get a good firm set and since I use the same rods for both I forget to loosen the drag for throwing jigs. And Utah actually has some great bass fishing, our state record is only 12 pounds but we have a lot of fish in the 5 to 10 pound range in southern Utah. And smallmouth fishing here is exceptional. 5 to 7 pounf smallmouth are pretty common here in one lake. And thanks for your help guys.