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JanBoy

Can you cast same distance as a #7/8 weight with a #6?

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Hi Guys.

 

Apologies if this has been posted before or is a stupid question, But I've always used 10ft #7/8 weights with fast actions for lakes and loughs as i like to horse the line out at distances when needed. But I've been told to drop down to a lighter rated rod like a #6 weight as its better sport and my standard set up is over kill (i mainly fish for trout). My question is can i cast the same distances with the lighter rod? assuming i have the skill ofcourse i know personal ability is a factor.

 

Like i said probably a stupid question but i could do with knowing understanding more about it. Thanks

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I think you would be very surprised how well a well matched 6wt can cast for lake fishing. It's really my favorite for ponds and lakes, though the 5 wt is pretty nice too. 6 wt is just a good compromise between weight and power. The 7/8 will have a bit more punch on windy days but then that can be said of the 6wt over a 5wt too. I reserve 7 and 8 wt rods for my boat and bass fishing. For two decades I even midge fished the ponds with my 6 wt rods. I mostly use a 5wt now for that though ( only because my favorite 6 wt has a busted tip section LOL).. As to distance , it's really a matter of the flies you throw and conditions you do it in. Big bass bugs and such will toss better on the heavier rods, especially in the wind.

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Janboy, I don't think I've seen your name before (17 posts right now, and this is the first one I've seen ... sorry) so,

welcome to the site.

 

To answer your question, yes. I never had anything larger than a 5 weight until recently (relatively). I got an 8 weight from Mid-West Custom Fly Rods (Steve) and have use it many times. I can throw larger flies with the heavier rod. But I cannot get any farther distances. All of my rods are matched lines, give or take an increment on some. I've got a 5'5" 3 weight from Steve, too. I can get almost as much distance from that as I can from any of my rods.

 

Perhaps it's all about technique? I've seen the records, and I've heard of people fishing at distances greater than 100 feet ... but my maximum accurate distance is about 75 feet ... period. I CAN haul out a little farther than that, but no guarantees it will land where I want it, or even get out there two times in a row.

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I jump from a 5wt right to an 8wt, skipping the 6 and 7 all together. I use the 8 mainly on the Delaware river for SMB. For what I throw for SMB, usually with wind blowing around, I just prefer an 8wt and I'm less tired at the end of the day. It's what your chucking not what your after that matters. Tried my 5wt and with wind it was frustration and crappy casts. Tried my buddies 6wt and it wasn't much better than the 5. Got the 8 and I'm able to punch it out with no horsing, more accurately and with less effort in most wind conditions that I would encounter in a normal day. I am thinking of a 6wt for bank fishing creeks with various streamers though.

 

For bigger water where wind is a bigger issue and your fishing larger flies, I think your right on with a 7/8 and find the sportiness of a 6wt a ridiculous reason.

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I have never been a fan of using a lighter rod to make for better "sport." A lighter rod can cast the distance, but when you hook up with a larger fish, you will have a more difficult time bringing it to net. Since I release most all of the fish I catch, I don't want to over play them. That only builds up lactic acid in the fish, and his harder on the fish. I would rather bring in the fish quickly and release it in good shape.

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I have never been a fan of using a lighter rod to make for better "sport." A lighter rod can cast the distance, but when you hook up with a larger fish, you will have a more difficult time bringing it to net. Since I release most all of the fish I catch, I don't want to over play them. That only builds up lactic acid in the fish, and his harder on the fish. I would rather bring in the fish quickly and release it in good shape.

Suspect that is not really sure that's much of an issue here, utyer, although I absolutely agree with the sentiment. While there are a few lakes in the world where an 8-weight might be considered a fair choice for trout (REALLY big trout), I suspect the OP is not talking about any of those waters.

 

What I would like to understand is why is casting distance much of an issue on a lake, unless you are fishing from shore. If distance were really an issue, then you would be using a shooting head, and rod weight is not going to be that much of an issue. With a standard 6-weight, you should be able to do about as well as the 8, and if wind is an issue just overweight the line or get a line with a heavy head like the Rio Outbound. If you find your casting distance does suffer dramatically, best solution is a few casting lessons which should clear up any bad habits the heavier rod might have been disguising. YMMV.

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I'm going to take the other side of the street and flat say NO. Don't know what length 6 weight you're thinking about but assuming you downsize to an 8'6" or 9' there is no way you can match the distance of your 8 weight 10' rod. There may be casters out there (I'm sure there are) who could out cast your 8 weight with a 6 weight but they are rare in the hands of the same person (meaning equal ability with either rod) your outfit will outcast any you're thinking of. Is it really that important? You have to decide that based on where you get the majority of your action fishing. For what would be normal size trout a 6 weight can put enough pressure on a trout of reasonable size to whip him quickly. Remember you can't lean any harder on a fish than your tippet strength anyway.

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If you watch casting competitions, they use 5 weights.

 

My 6 casts just as far as my 8, which usually isn't far enough...

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I have a 3,5 and 8.I get about the same outta 3 and 5 but 8 really dings the heavier stuff out there.I would imagine I get the same outta those to because I fish all the same stuff

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Thanks for the fast replies, I probably should have mentioned i am considering the change more for dry flies rather than lures (streamers in USA). But i mainly fish bigger lakes and loughs and most of the time its from the bank.. thats why i'm looking for the same distance with a lighter rod if possible.

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The reason that indoor distance casting competitions are limited to a 5 wt line is that a heavier line can be casted farther. The reason is physics. There is relatively LESS air resistance per line mass for heavier line weights. For a fly line, surface area per mass goes down as line weight goes up. That is why to cast farther into the wind, you go up in line weight.

 

You could ask essentially the same question by asking whether a sinking a line or a floating line of the SAME line weight can be casted father. The sinking line cast be casted farther because for identical mass, it is thinner and has less surface area. This is intuitively true even if you do not know any physics because we know that thinner objects have less wind resistance.

 

The answer to the first question is less obvious BUT the reason it is true is the same reason - less surface area per fly line mass . Less surface area per line mass for a heavier line weight and less surface area per line mass for a sinking vs a floating line of identical line weights. That is why indoor competitions use 5 wt floating lines and not 8 wt lines.

 

So for identical conditions, casting identical flies, the 8 wt rod with an 8 wt line will cast further than a 6 wt rod with a 6 wt line. This assumes that the caster is strong enough to achieve the same line velocity and loop shape with both fly rods. The only way to answer this type of theoretical situation is to assume identical casts of two identical rods and fly lines except for the rod and line weights.

 

 

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That would explain why I feel like I can cast my 8wt with less effort than my 5wt and achieve, at minimum, the same distance. Thanks for that explanation silvercreek.

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I've been told too many times that a 6 wgt is overkill for trout, but then I'm one of those folks who thinks a 7 or 8 wgt is overkill for smallmouth. I own 5, 6 and 8 wgt rods. I can accurately cast 50 to 60 feet with a floating line on all of them maybe another 10 feet with intermediate or a sinking line. For me it's always been endurance. I can fish, comfortably, for a longer time with my 6 wgt than I can with my 8 wgt. A 9 foot 6 wgt has become my default rod for most lakes, rivers like the Delaware and the Schuylkill and light saltwater. The beauty of tying your own flies is you can come up with flies 4 to 6 inches long that can be comfortably cast with one. Fishing dry flies for trout with 7/8 weight that might a wee bit of overkill unless you're consistently catching 5 to 10 lb trout in those lakes and loughs. If you can afford to add a good 6 wgt rod to your arsenal, then do it and fish it.

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JB, if you're comfortable with your present setup, there's no reason to pay any attention to the self-appointed "experts." When I lived in trout country, I used a 6/7wt rod for everything from fishing spring creeks to steelheading. I use a 12wt regularly in the surf, and I take some ribbing occasionally, but when I need the extra casting distance or lifting power, (which is often) it's there. It's ALWAYS better to be over-gunned than under-gunned. You're the one best qualified to choose your gear. Let others choose theirs.

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