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Is there a generalised ‘rule of thumb’ for increasing distance cast with increasing line weight?

I assume between consecutive line weights it is fairly negligible, but there must be some increase?

Say a 6w must in most (or all??) go further than a 4w...

I have done two tests. One was 6wt and 8wt SA Sharkskin Trout taper and other line I don't remember just now. There came about 10% difference. Back then my casting consistency was poor and I did cast outdoors although I did chose days there was not much wind. To see meaningful results I did cast many rounds and took worst casts away. If I would do it again I think the difference would come smaller because I can aerialize more line now. Two line weight class heavier is about 30% heavier so 1% longer cast needs about 3% more line weight.

Esa

My average competition results show that I cast a #7 line 10 feet further than a #5. There will be a limit though - I can't imagine throwing for example a #12 further. The comparison is hard though because it's hard to find a long belly line in the heavier weights. (I guess the best comparison would be with DTs)

James

Cheers both

James9118 wrote:My average competition results show that I cast a #7 line 10 feet further than a #5. There will be a limit though - I can't imagine throwing for example a #12 further. The comparison is hard though because it's hard to find a long belly line in the heavier weights. (I guess the best comparison would be with DTs)

James

Or 30 feet shootingheads

Cheers
Lasse

Lasse Karlsson wrote: Or 30 feet shootingheads

Cheers
Lasse

I'd probably bet on the #12 in that instance

Cheers, James

Hi Boisker,
in windless conditions I cast ca. 1-2m further per line weight increase coming from 4 to 8wt.. Didn't test any higher because I couldn't get the same line profiles.
In wind however the difference easily may get much larger. If casting a 7wt. line means to get the head just unrolled against a strong tail wind, while I don't get the head of the same profile but 5 wt. straight anymore... I easily can end up in 10m difference or more.
The higher the line weight, the thicker the lines are. The thicker a line is, the less surface it has for the same mass. So the higher weighted lines have less surface based friction for the given mass compared to ligther lines and thus go further. As James mentioned upto the point when it gets so heavy that it will slow down rotation too much.
Regards
Bernd

Thanks Bernd, I was interested as I haven’t really noticed any major difference between the usual 4 and 6 w’s I cast... I would have guessed (I’ve never measured) that I cast the 6 w perhaps a few metres further but definitely not by much.
But I had wondered whether the small difference I notice was due to me not yet casting either weight as far as others on the forum would cast them... and whether the difference would increase as the max distance for the rod line combo approached, looks like it wouldn’t

Cheers

Try and add a fly at the end into the mix

A nice big pike streamer, and then see the differences


Cheers
Lasse

James9118 wrote:

Lasse Karlsson wrote: Or 30 feet shootingheads

Cheers
Lasse

I'd probably bet on the #12 in that instance

Cheers, James

Ok, I'm game, got something way above that I'll throw then what's the bet

Cheers
Lasse