PLEASE NOTE: In order to post on the Board you need to have registered. To register please email paul@sexyloops.com including your real name and username. Registration takes less than 24hrs, unless Paul is fishing deep in the jungle!
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
Moderators: Paul Arden, stesiik
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
Hi everybody,
Last week I had an interesting experience. I was going out to catch som sea-run brown trout at the Swedish coast outside of Gothenburg. The wind was blowing really hard so I decided to use my Barrio Predator - a line made for casting pikeflies and the like. The reasoning behind this choice of line was of course that the heavy head and powerful front taper would turn over well into the hard wind. And of course it did turn over well - much better than the lines I usually use for this kind of fishing. But I also noticed that the line felt VERY heavy. When I´m fishing for pike the line feels perfect. When using it for sea-run brown trout the same line feels way too heavy for the same rod. Why is this so? A part of the answer surely must have to do with the differences in fly-size - here the typical fly for sea-run brown trout is a size 8 or 6 and a pikefly is of course much bigger than that. The difference in wind-resistance is huge. The linespeed when casting with the smaller fly also seems to be a lot higher (which seems logical). Anyway I would like to hear your thought on this. I have never experienced this before.
Cheers Thomas
Last week I had an interesting experience. I was going out to catch som sea-run brown trout at the Swedish coast outside of Gothenburg. The wind was blowing really hard so I decided to use my Barrio Predator - a line made for casting pikeflies and the like. The reasoning behind this choice of line was of course that the heavy head and powerful front taper would turn over well into the hard wind. And of course it did turn over well - much better than the lines I usually use for this kind of fishing. But I also noticed that the line felt VERY heavy. When I´m fishing for pike the line feels perfect. When using it for sea-run brown trout the same line feels way too heavy for the same rod. Why is this so? A part of the answer surely must have to do with the differences in fly-size - here the typical fly for sea-run brown trout is a size 8 or 6 and a pikefly is of course much bigger than that. The difference in wind-resistance is huge. The linespeed when casting with the smaller fly also seems to be a lot higher (which seems logical). Anyway I would like to hear your thought on this. I have never experienced this before.
Cheers Thomas
- bartdezwaan
- Posts: 550
- Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 6:39 pm
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
I would say the higher line speed makes the line feel heavier. Maybe stating the obvious here
- Paul Arden
- Site Admin
- Posts: 19528
- Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:20 am
- Location: Belum Rainforest
- Contact:
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
To be honest I can’t say I’ve noticed it. I often cast heavy lines with big flies and also fluff. The difference is there but the line doesn’t feel heavier with the fluff. So I don’t think it’s that simple.
Cheers Paul
Cheers Paul
- Lasse Karlsson
- Posts: 5757
- Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:40 pm
- Location: There, and back again
- Contact:
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
Paul Arden wrote:To be honest I can’t say I’ve noticed it. I often cast heavy lines with big flies and also fluff. The difference is there but the line doesn’t feel heavier with the fluff. So I don’t think it’s that simple.
Cheers Paul
Hi Paul
You don't like bricks on a string, why is that?
Cheers
Lasse
Your friendly neighbourhood flyslinger
Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685
Got a Q++ at casting school, wearing shorts
Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685
Got a Q++ at casting school, wearing shorts
- Paul Arden
- Site Admin
- Posts: 19528
- Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:20 am
- Location: Belum Rainforest
- Contact:
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
Hi Lasse,
Because they do one thing only and not very well
Cheers, Paul
Because they do one thing only and not very well
Cheers, Paul
- Lasse Karlsson
- Posts: 5757
- Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:40 pm
- Location: There, and back again
- Contact:
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
so now lines can do stuff, is it coffee?
The barrio predator is basicly a brick on a string in your terminology, alot of mass, in a short string, without the drag of a big fly, it will feel heavy as it retains alot of momentum, especially cast at high speed where most of the weight is felt as the line has little slack.
Cheers
Lasse
The barrio predator is basicly a brick on a string in your terminology, alot of mass, in a short string, without the drag of a big fly, it will feel heavy as it retains alot of momentum, especially cast at high speed where most of the weight is felt as the line has little slack.
Cheers
Lasse
Your friendly neighbourhood flyslinger
Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685
Got a Q++ at casting school, wearing shorts
Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685
Got a Q++ at casting school, wearing shorts
- Paul Arden
- Site Admin
- Posts: 19528
- Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:20 am
- Location: Belum Rainforest
- Contact:
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
Ok but “feeling heavy” for me refers to the casting stroke itself and not the rebound from the energy left at loop straight. In fact the casting stroke with a heavy or wind resistant fly should feel heavier than without, no?
Cheers, Paul
Cheers, Paul
- Lasse Karlsson
- Posts: 5757
- Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:40 pm
- Location: There, and back again
- Contact:
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
I've given up on understanding what people mean when they say feel
When I throw a big fly, I expect it to be heavy, when I throw a small fly, I don't expect it to feel heavy, but using same tackle I might get fooled by my senses....
Cheers
Lasse
When I throw a big fly, I expect it to be heavy, when I throw a small fly, I don't expect it to feel heavy, but using same tackle I might get fooled by my senses....
Cheers
Lasse
Your friendly neighbourhood flyslinger
Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685
Got a Q++ at casting school, wearing shorts
Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685
Got a Q++ at casting school, wearing shorts
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
Hello everybody and thanks for your answers.
Paul - the line feels heavy in "the casting stroke itself". I know this sounds weird and that was the reason I started this thread. And yes the line has energy left at loop straight but that was actually not what I was thinking about. Anyway - this is intriguing. I will repeat this "experiment" soon again.
Cheers Thomas
Paul - the line feels heavy in "the casting stroke itself". I know this sounds weird and that was the reason I started this thread. And yes the line has energy left at loop straight but that was actually not what I was thinking about. Anyway - this is intriguing. I will repeat this "experiment" soon again.
Cheers Thomas
-
- Posts: 66
- Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2016 5:09 pm
Casting a heavy line with a small versus a big fly
I know the feeling you're talking about. It also appears when swithing from big dry fly to small dry fly
Cheers
Simon
Cheers
Simon