adding a size to sinking line.

[sniksoh 0]

ive had some people tell me to add a size to sinking line when i buy it... i have a 6 weight so should i buy a 7 weight line?...why is this?

[sniksoh 0]

just bumpin this up the list, can anyone help me out?

[JSzymczyk 0]

it's pretty much because you cast a sinking line differently. Because there is so much less air resistance with a sinking line, a fast, tight loop on either the forward or back cast just doesn't work well, and leads to tangles. You will get away with a much looser, wider loop with a sinking line. You won't be loading your ROD the same way... say you're fishing a 7 weight and used to casting a floating line with a fast rod stroke which QUICKLY loads the rod and unloads it, and you cast a nice tight loop to and fro. You actually need to SLOW down with a sinking line during the cast. Therefore, you won't load the rod as much, or as quickly, so you can use an 8 weight line to load the rod the same. I found this to be VERY true with my sinking lines.

 

It's not easy to explain, but it is easy to see and feel. I'm sure some folks don't agree. I'm sure there are others who can explain it better.

 

Lefty Kreh explains it well in some of his books, but I don't have one in front of me at the moment. Here's the bottom line for me: Lefty said to do it, so I did it, and I was very pleased with the results. I have used sinking lines rated for the rod, and did fine too... You should be OK and shouldn't stress too much about it. You'll just have to adapt your casting to the different effects of the sinking vs floating lines.

 

NO WAY am I any kind of expert caster, so you shouldn't take my word for it. I don't think you'll be overly disappointed either way, if you overline by one weight or not.

[whatfly 0]

ive had some people tell me to add a size to sinking line when i buy it... i have a 6 weight so should i buy a 7 weight line?...why is this?

For the most part this is unnecessary. Some will overload the rod so they can feel it load better, but the problem is usually better solved by a couple of casting lessons. The one exception worth mentioning is the Cortland Clear Camo intermediate line. This can be such a difficult line to cast, especially when cold, that most people I know will get the next line up just to deal with the unique nature of this line. For all other full sink lines (I assume we don't want to talk shooting heads), matching the line weight to the rod weight will work fine.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Don't forget also, that each model/line-weight of rod is different too. I can't count the times I've heard people talk about rods- EVEN VERY EXPENSIVE RODS -that didn't cast like they should until being overlined by one weight. Rarely, underlined. It's a whole other can of worms. With a 6 weight, you won't have any trouble if you go to a 7wt line. ALL different manufacturers and types of lines vary somewhat given a stated line weight, i.e. a Rio 6 wt will have a different mass than a SA 6wt, and a Cortland 6wt will be different too. SA Mastery lines are advertised as being 1/2 size more massive. BUT---

 

to be the safest and not worry, just use a line that matches the written weight of your rod. Later, if you want to mess around, borrow or buy a heavier line and play with it.