Lighter weight line on heavier weight rod

[Iroc_Jeff 0]

Sitting in the garage is an old Fenwick FF908 8wt rod that I was going to sell until I went against convention. I went outside and put my 5wt reel on that old fenwick, put on a fly, and managed to cast just as well as the rod I broke. In fact, barring the weight difference, I didn't really notice anything different as both the rods were 9ft.

 

I'm just curious as to why it casts so well being the line is 3 sizes smaller? Is it the slow action of the rod that helps or is this just a case of dumb luck? At any rate, I don't have to buy another rod and get to use this old timer again.

 

 

[hairwing 0]

It happened to me. I had an Orvis 8 1/2 ft bamboo rod the fly shop I bought it from recommended a "C" weight line. The rod was labeled HDH so I put a six on it. I fought that rod for a couple of years and hated it. That was a long time ago. A few years back I uncapped the case and took it to the yard for some ole times sakes memories and decided to cast it with the 4 weight I had available. What a difference! It cast the way I thought the rod should have cast.

 

I've got the Fenwick GFF 806 for 6 weight and it will perform much better for me with a 5 or 4.

 

There seems to be lots of confusion between generations as to the lines required for our rods. I guess we really have to figure it out ourselves. Best thing I did was get a range of fly lines from 3-9. That way I can pick the line for the rod I have.

 

BTW , my selection of SA lines cost me about $11 bucks a piece not $70 or $100 a piece. My suggestion is to put some tape over the rod rating and fish the rod to your hearts content with the 5.

[Crackaig 0]

When I looked into it I found that line rating seems to be a matter of opinion rather than fact. All you are really saying is you don't agree with the guy who rates the rods for the maker. Line rating isn't a set number but a range, some are at one end of the range others at the other end. The difference may not be 3 line weights. It could be anywhere from slightly over 2 to just under 4.

 

Don't worry about it, especially if you are going lighter.

 

Cheers,

C.

[vicrider 0]

I'm not at all surprised that the rod could handle a line wt. lighter, but to take a Fenwick 8wt and use a 5wt on it does surprise me. I have couple of Fenwick Ferrulites I haven't really used in a few years but one is listed 7-8wt., other as an 8wt. I may dig them out and just see how they handle with lighter lines. Years ago I actually used the 8wt. with a 9bassbug taper for big poppers and hair bugs and it handled them almost as well as my favorite 9wt Shakespeare Wonderod did.

 

One of the rod builders I've bought a couple of quad bamboos from won't put a line weight on his rods. The first rod I bought he suggested I start with a 5wt and go up or down from there. I went down to the White River and put a 6wt. on I had handy. Cast fine, used it that way for a week on the White along with a couple of other rods. Just recently as I prep for a CO trip I did take it out with a 5wt and found it much nicer than the 6wt. I still think it can handle a 6 well with heavier beadheads but for normal unweighted or lightly weighted stuff it will have a 5wt on now.

 

I also have lines from 3wt. to 9wt. now and have been going thru rods and establishing what works best for me. My Leonard calling for a 7wt is great with a 6. my Para 17 for 8wt can handle that fine but also handles fine with a 7wt. sink tip line. I have a few rods that for some reason just don't have the "feel" they should have but casting is dependent on timing more than feeling the rod loading.

[ditz2 0]

I totally agree that every rod needs to be tried with a wide variety of lines. My problem is I have several holes in my selection of on-hand lines. I need a 7, 4 and 3 lines and I have been looking for some cheaper lines to fill in. I do find this to be a major problem for our sport however. What is a newby to do about lining a rod? I doubt that many of them will go out and buy 3 or 4 new $75 lines to try on their new rod. This is just one more reason that it flyfishing seems to be rocket science.

[switch10 0]

If you want to try some cheaper lines, try the lines from allenflyfishing.com: http://www.allenflyfishing.com/fly-lines/

 

I have the compass line, and it's not bad at all. Actually I keep forgetting it's $50 cheaper than my Rio lines! Try em out!

[phg 0]

A lighter line will make a slow rod seem faster.

A heavier line will make a fast rod seem slower.

 

Find the line that suits your casting style, and go have fun.

[Iroc_Jeff 0]

When I looked into it I found that line rating seems to be a matter of opinion rather than fact. All you are really saying is you don't agree with the guy who rates the rods for the maker. Line rating isn't a set number but a range, some are at one end of the range others at the other end.

 

This is the whole point of the problem, though. If a manufacturer slaps one weight spec on their rod and you read tutorial after tutorial online that say you only have that line and maybe one size up or down and then 3 sizes is fine, its just confusing. They probably do this for marketing reasons to get one to buy more rods or try new lines or whatever. It would be nice to have a broader range labeled and say this is what happens casting on the lower and higher range wt scale depending on what you use.