Pairing lines to rods

[Carol]

There is a fly shop that tries to set itself apart by saying they specialize in matching lines to rods. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but my instinct calls bullsh1t on this. It seems to me that there are too many variables and too many preferences to be able to claim that kind of expertise: size of fly, personal preference in rod flex, casting distance, casting ability, specific use, brand and model of fly line .... Am I wrong for thinking it's malarkey?

[Mangrove Cuckoo]

Well... the shop is probably full of experts, so this is their expert opinion.

So, yes...its bullshit.

Out of curiosity, is this the shop that does "shoot outs" and tells which rods are better than others?

[Paul Arden]

I would be more impressed if they were matching rods to lines instead of lines to rods! I think it’s something that all tackle shops do. Generally you look at the number on the rod and the number on the box. The problem is the number on the box can be wrong (and often is) and the number on the rod can be, well surprising!

[Lasse Karlsson]

I'd call BS, but what do I know

Cheers
Lasse

[Carol]

Out of curiosity, is this the shop that does "shoot outs" and tells which rods are better than others?

No. It's not Yellowstone Angler. It's a shop in Oregon, near the Deschutes. Listened to the owner on a podcast and when I heard him they specialize in pairing the best line for the rods, my BS alarm went off.
Here's what their website says, in part (forgive the fuzziness). While I don't disagree that you want a good match, who's to say what's perfect or that it will necessarily improve a bad cast?

[Graeme H]

Your meter is well calibrated.

Cheers,
Graeme

[Paul Arden]

I think this is a consequence of flylines being all over the place when it comes to AFFTA rating. Customers definitely need guidance when it comes to matching rods to lines or vice versa. Going by the number on the box nowadays can lead to some challenging results.

“Perfect match” might be a bit much but some of these lines are definitely not what I would recommend. Take RÍO SW lines. Most of them are 1 AFFTA heavier than standard. And those are not particularly heavy. Some lines are 2-3 line weights heavier. And that starts to get more than a little significant.

So instead of saying that this is not a service that tackleshops can offer, I would actually take the position that they must offer this service.

When customers buy a rod from me I have a long conversation about flylines. If you know the lines, and you know the rods, then you can actually make informed opinions. With the current trend of turning flylines into bricks I think consumers need a lot of help.

It’s a minefield but at least the AFFTA system does still work and it should be the starting point. Since many flyline companies have stopped using it now we have a mess again.

Cheers, Paul

[sms]

Yeah.
-"I like to use light gear on this flat."
-"Ok, I like light too, I use 7wt. How light do you use?"
-"6wt"
-"Which line?"
-"Rio OBS"
-"Ok, so two weights heavier than me then."
-"???"

For a more advanced guy it is easy if 30' weight and total head lenght & weight are stated. But a beginner is lost so easily. And a bit more advanced want the the best, advanced rod there is and then tame it down with line because they can't cast. They want the F1 car but it is too fast for them so they install monster truck tires to make it slower and able cut corners. Even worse, a rod might be designed for ie OBS and marked 6wt recommendation based on that line... If the line was marked 9 and then the rod line recommendation then in line...

AFFTA is great. It works. It would be great if common sense of uplining with really short heads and speys would be the worst stir in the pot.

[Paul Arden]

If you’re putting truck tyres on an F1 car then you should have bought a Volvo. But it’s not just consumers buying the wrong rod, tackle shops are selling the rods to them and overlining them, line manufacturers are overweighting their lines. It’s bizarre.

It’s not like a pair of jeans that say 32” but are really 38” so that you don’t think you’re a fat barstool. It’s about leaders and fly sizes; important fishing stuff. If my 4WT line weighs a 7WT then I can’t fish tiny flies without getting broke off. “Oh that’s ok; I’ll just fish a dog nobbler instead”?

Some of these lines on the market - you might as well just go spin fishing. It’s not an unrolling loop, it’s basically a short flexible float flying through the air. How you can actually learn good flycasting skills with that I have no idea. Fishing a bubble float and a fly is still fly fishing as far as I’m concerned. I really do mean that. But it’s making life a lot more difficult and you lose the advantages that a light unrolling loop gives.

I feel better now

Cheers,
Paul

[Lasse Karlsson]

Man, you are turning into a grumpy old fart arent you

What line is so short you cant get a unrolling loop happening? Or are you reverting back to releasing at RSP2

Cheers
Lasse