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1/2WT heavier lines

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Paul Arden
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1/2WT heavier lines

#61

Post by Paul Arden »

With flylines approaching 100 quid a pop you really want to know they make the rod sing. The problem being of course that anglers generally buy the rod first.

I find it interesting because I sometimes hear I tried you 4, 6, 8WT from Mr such and such. I loved two of them but didn’t like X. I say “that’s interesting. What line was on X?” “Don’t know!” Properly set up 4, 6 and 8 will all feel similar. But if the line is one weight heavier or even 1/2WT (Walter) it will feel different.

Nowadays this is even more important. RÍO Bonefish line is one weight heavier as standard. So if you want to fit the right line to the HT8 for example you need to buy the one labelled a 7 because when I designed the rod I did so to cast lines that are AFFTA standard.

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

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Boisker
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1/2WT heavier lines

#62

Post by Boisker »

It’s finding a shop that carries a wide range of rods and weights, is happy for you to test a number of rods and have enough reels spooled up with loads of different lines that is the issue... or not having deep enough pockets :D
I don’t know one single retailer in the U.K. that stocks all the ‘main’ rod brands, let alone being able to let you test them all....
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Walter
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1/2WT heavier lines

#63

Post by Walter »

Knowledge of DH is pretty sparse around here. As a result, lots of silly stuff gets propagated.

Back to the SH stuff. It depends on what you mean by sing I guess. If I’m fishing a 4wt line on a 6 wt rod for example, the only thing I really notice is that it can take more false casts to get the first 30 feet of line outside the rod tip. That means if I’m fishing a small stream and moving a lot I need more false casts each time I change locations. Uplining the rod means I can get the line out quicker in close quarters. It also means I Generate less line speed for a gentler presentation. For a small stream fisher person that could be their idea of sing.

Casting on big waters or to fast fish you might have a different idea of sing.

With respect to the 4,6,8 weight issue I have to admit I haven’t tried the HT rods :whistle: but I have found that in other brands there will be some weights that feel nicer to cast than others regardless of whether they are properly lined.
"There can be only one." - The Highlander. :pirate:

PS. I have a flying tank. Your argument is irrelevant.

PSS. How to generate a climbing loop through control of the casting stroke is left as a (considerable) exercise to the reader.
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Paul Arden
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1/2WT heavier lines

#64

Post by Paul Arden »

Walter I’m sure you can get to 30’ on your very first backcast from a 2m pick up with virtually any 9’ rod :laugh: That’s a Snakehead pickup. I haven’t measured whether stiff rods outperform soft rods in terms of length reached, only I know they are quicker in casting cycle time. I will measure your proposal this week because I don’t see why a soft rod would out perfom a stiff rod in terms of extending line carry.

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

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Walter
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1/2WT heavier lines

#65

Post by Walter »

Paul,

Not sure where you got the soft rod/fast rod scenario or anything about rod length from my last message. I was talking about underlining and overlining. I find that when I underline significantly (2 or more line weights on a 6 wt rod of any length) I need more false casts to get the first 20 or 30 feet of line outside the rod tip starting with the fly in hand.

Other than that i don’t really care much about line weight vs rod weight when fishing.

Hope that’s a bit clearer.
"There can be only one." - The Highlander. :pirate:

PS. I have a flying tank. Your argument is irrelevant.

PSS. How to generate a climbing loop through control of the casting stroke is left as a (considerable) exercise to the reader.
Geenomad
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1/2WT heavier lines

#66

Post by Geenomad »

Walter wrote:
i don’t really care much about line weight vs rod weight
Agreed. It's a relative universe, numbers on rods and line boxes included. Use what works. Force will continue to equal mass times acceleration. :)

Cheers
Mark
"The line of beauty is the result of perfect economy." R. W. Emerson.
https://thecuriousflycaster.com
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Lasse Karlsson
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1/2WT heavier lines

#67

Post by Lasse Karlsson »

Hey, a local guru made up recommendations for shootinghead lengths based on your physical height, then swapped brands and added 1 cm in lenght of the head to your height :D this was singlehand.....

What is a half weight line again?

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 ;)
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Paul Arden
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1/2WT heavier lines

#68

Post by Paul Arden »

Hi Walter,

Underlining by two line weights is the equivalent of using a stiffer rod for the given line. Surely when discussing overlining/underlining we need to use the same line on different rods otherwise you’re have two variables. With a 4WT line we need to compare a 4WT line on a “4WT” rod to a 4WT line on a “6WT” rod. I’m quite sure that from two metres of flyline on the water you and I can shoot to 30ft on the very first backcast (fly in hand is more difficult and you need an extra half stroke at least) The question is does one rod shoot more or less than the other? I’m not sure but I think the stiffer rod will shoot more.

If on the other hand you are comparing a 4WT line to a 6WT line this is different. And the 6WT line should shoot more irrespective of rod stiffness. There may be some circumstances where a 4 line will shoot further but I would expect that to be when the 6-line is significantly overlined and not underlined.

I can run some tests this week. It’s good practise for the fishing in Malaysia.

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

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alp
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1/2WT heavier lines

#69

Post by alp »

Yo Gents,
And what if I stand in deeper water? Should I buy a shorter line, longer rod or move wider? :)
Cheers
Angler Joe
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Walter
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1/2WT heavier lines

#70

Post by Walter »

alp wrote:Yo Gents,
And what if I stand in deeper water? Should I buy a shorter line, longer rod or move wider? :)
Cheers
Angler Joe
It depends. What side of the river are you fishing?
"There can be only one." - The Highlander. :pirate:

PS. I have a flying tank. Your argument is irrelevant.

PSS. How to generate a climbing loop through control of the casting stroke is left as a (considerable) exercise to the reader.
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