1/2WT heavier lines

[Lee Cummings]

Not changing any goalposts, just trying to make sure they are standing where they should be...

And yeah, I keep hearing that, but haven't seen any data so far, only talk...
As I am only a mediocre caster, I'm happy to believe it's my skills which are crap, but I really need evidence to sway me, and I haven't gotten any solid so far...

Cheers
Lasse

This maybe is the scores Paul means

[Paul Arden]

Wow you are organised Lee!!

As you can see Lasse, apart from one result from Ben everyone’s result increased with rod stiffness. That’s why I had no hesittation in jumping to a ten weight. The Swedes must have done similar tests.

[Paul Arden]

The interesting thing about that result was for me the HT6 - three WCs and two finals - was the rod I was most familiar with. (Probably for James too).

I think I would say for 5WT distance the stiffest rod that doesn’t give you Tennis Elbow is the one to use.

Cheers, Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

So only longest, and no weather data etc.

Cool...

I'm sure the swedes have done similar, Ronny threw 44 in less wind with a rod that has similar stiffness to the HT6 , and Bernt threw 44 with a rod that has a similar stiffness to the tcx 10...

Not really convincing guys

Cheers
Lasse

[Paul Arden]

Hi mate,

We don’t have to convince you!! But if anyone else is interested in a different result to what you have experienced then this is one. At that point I had never thrown the 5 line on such a stiff rod. To throw 2m further than the rod I’d been using for 5 years was pretty significant. Particularly since the HT6 distance was the same as I threw in Norway in the finals 8 months previously.

I’m not sure why you have different results. But if I was you - which I’m not! - then I would be repeated that experiment. That’s the only way you’ll ever be convinced

Cheers, Paul

[Walter]

The dangers of applying amateur data science to small data sets.

[Lasse Karlsson]

Dude, I collected quite a data sample, excluded lucky shots and crap throws, used the remaining 16 casts for each rod as basis for getting a average, and then compared the data sets to a control rod. I also included weather data, and made sure all casts where done cold.

And now you're telling me to repeat because you have a very small sample that says something different?

Honestly I would rather suggest that you guys repeat and collect more data instead
Or you just throw the 10 all year and then compete with a 15, you'll win I'm sure

And just for the record, what I found was, that the rod you practice the most with, will most likely be the one you throw the furthest with on average (and even for the lucky shot, but I'm weak...). And unless you hope that you'll get a lucky shot within 4 minutes, I would go for the rod I used the most. So far noone has won with a broomstick, and noone has won with a brand new rod they have never cast before. And I wonder why you didn't use that information to your advantage in Cumbria, show up, use a broomstick and outthrow everyone

Cheers
Lasse

Ps. And just to make the point that I'm not set in stone, and do challenge myself and my findings, I regularly bring stiffer (10-12 weights) rods to practice, even have a 10 that I've started using almost 50/50 just to see what happens when I get really used to a stiffer rod. And at present they all get beat hands down in fair shootout.

[Paul Arden]

Hi Lasse,

I think 10 is around optimal. I know Bernd finds he throws further with a 12. And I will investigate this of course, but in the short time I tried the 12 I felt uneasy with the elbow. And I don’t want to give myself a case of tennis elbow.

With regards average distances I don’t know. In distance it’s the two longest shots that matter. I do find less consistency with stiffer rods, so that would affect the average. However so long as I can hook two casts up then I’m fine.

Obviously it’s different for you. Which is interesting. I really don’t know why that should be. Maybe it would be different in a competition environment where the longest shots are the ones measured?

Another possibility is that since you are finding that your longest casts are coming with the rod you are using, that you need more time to adapt to a stiffer rod? I actually think that the main advantage is less counterflex. The “bouncing bomb” effect has pretty much gone. I often find myself using pull back to set the rear loop.

Cheers, Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

Wow you are organised Lee!!

As you can see Lasse, apart from one result from Ben everyone’s result increased with rod stiffness. That’s why I had no hesittation in jumping to a ten weight. The Swedes must have done similar tests.

And you might want to change the third rod, as far as I can see, what you guys used was a TCR 8 weight, Lee's....

Would be fun to know what Ben's animal was, looking at the numbers and being biased, Lee only threw half a meter longer than with his normal rod (TCR8) thats nothing when casts are measured to half a meter in comp. Ben threw longest with his own rod. James threw second longest with his own rod, and only you threw further consistenlty when going up in stiffness from what you where used to...

Lets have this one over, do to sets of casts with each rod on two different days, I'll do another one so I have three sets of data, that'll give us a data sample that should start indicating something, are you up for it?

Heck I'll just love to see the data sample for all your rods thrown like that, HT4, HT6, HT8, HT10 and HT12 all thrown with a MED5, ten cold casts with each for distance, longest controlled carry with each, with the MED 5 of course. That's marketing like none have ever done before! And of course we'll see the 12 throw 2 meters further than the rest right

Cheers
Lasse

[Lasse Karlsson]

With regards average distances I don’t know. In distance it’s the two longest shots that matter. I do find less consistency with stiffer rods, so that would affect the average. However so long as I can hook two casts up then I’m fine.

Cheers, Paul

Sometimes you need three or more

I'm with you with less counterflex, main reason why really soft rods don't cut it for all out distance, bouncing bomb still happens, just smaller

Cheers
Lasse