casting distance 5wt v 8wt

[Bimini15 0]

That is why things can never be equal and my response was completely in theory.

Those two rods are two different animals, so your objective is not to adjust the cast to make them equal but to get the best you can out of each.

 

I can cast the 10wt longer than the 5wt, but I can't cast the 10wt for three hours straight. When the arm gets tired, I get sloppy and at that point I cast the 5wt. longer than the 10wt.

 

So, from my practical point of view, it is not 5wt. vs 10wt. It is physics vs. my wimpy arm.

[mikechell 0]

Actually an 8 wt line loading a 5 wt rod generally turns the rod to mush.

That was, kind of, my point.

Swampsinger mentioned feeling the tug of the eight weight line on that rod as opposed to never feeling it on a 5 weight.

The tug is from the line, not the rod.

You can't fish 8 weight line on a 5 weight rod, because it can't handle it. The other side of that coin is, you can't fish 5 weight line on an 8 weight rod, either. The line won't even bend the rod, and you'll get almost NO rod loading.

[Dave G. 0]

I was going to mention that tiring out factor. My Sage Graphite II 6 wt is my limit for all day fishing, it's quite a comfortable all day fishing rod. I can do it quite well with that compared with my St Croix which is more tiring or even my Echo which casts like a canon but is heavier. But the Sage 6 wt and my 9ft 5 wt are similar in terms of energy required, the 5 a bit easier on the wrist is all. My 8'6" 5 wt Sage RPL is very easy on my arm for a longer day, though the 9ft Revelation gives me more distance more easily. In fly fishing every little thing is a trade off of some sort. A couple hours of 8 wt casting and I've about had it now at age 66, fortunately that is longer than I tend to bass fish either salt or fresh water ( salt because of tides, fresh because I tend to summer bass fish morning and evening, not mid day and if I do mid day it's jigging and rubber worms and stuff off the boat with the grand sons)...

[Poopdeck 0]

I can cast my 5 and 8 wts an equal distance but that's largely because I suck at casting and prefer to take forward steps to increase my distance.

[Rocco 0]

Another wrinkle in the discussion is rod length and line style. Two handed rods can effortlessly cast to max distance all day when lined properly. And these days you can get them in line weights from 2 through 12 or even larger. If the real question is how do I cast long all day to reach fish way out there...there are some other answers .

 

Rocco

[SilverCreek 0]

The answer is that the heavier the line wt of the fly rod, with all else being equal (fly rod length, action, rod material, etc), will cast the furthest. It is simple physics.

 

What makes the line go farther is velocity and mass. What slows the fly line is aerodynamic drag which varies with frontal surface area.

 

Note that surface area of a fly line (a cylinder) varies with the radius squared and the volume of a fly line varies with the radius cubed. This means the volume or mass of a fly line goes up faster than surface area for fly lines of equal density (specific gravity). Therefore the fly line mass goes up much faster than frontal surface area and aerodynamic drag. Therefore, for equal line speeds and loop shape, the heavier fly line has relatively less air resistance per unit mass than a lighter fly line. This means the heavier fly line will go farther for equal line velocities.

 

This is why to cast farther into a head wind, you go UP in line size and NOT DOWN. Therefore, a heavier line weight rod will cast farther than a lighter line wt rod with no wind, just as it will cast farther into the wind. A head wind is just another version of aerodynamic drag.

 

Assuming the caster is strong enough to cast both rods at the same fly line speed, the heavier line wt rod will cast farther.

 

"THE LONGEST CAST: Steve Rajeff cast 248 feet at the world casting championship in Pretoria, South Africa." Most of the casters use a 50 foot 600 - 650 grain shooting head. Try casting that with a 5 wt or 8 wt rod.

 

 

http://www.anglingmatters.com/lesson7.htm

 

Note the results from this distance casting event for 5 wt, 7 wt, and 9 wt fly rods. As the rod wts go up, the winning distance goes up.

 

http://www.thebfcc.co.uk/records

[Adam Saarinen 0]

Never ever looked at my casts! Put marks on the lawn at may fathers to measure them! 6wt went 20m almost 25m! 8wt went 25m almost 30m! 10wt Hardy Zephyrus! Over 30m 101"!

[Adam Saarinen 0]

101' was Rio Outbound, everything else was SA saltwater taper! Sage X 8wt was the rod I tested on the flats with Rio Permit! SNAP!

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I teach beginners (for the salt) to choose the rod that meets their needs and recommend an 8 or 9wt for their first saltwater rod. If and when they can afford to purchase a second outfit it should be two sizes heavier (or lighter if they're not hunting fish too big for that first rod). In my area you could handle almost every fish you encounter with only an 8 and a 10wt (giant tarpon or big sharks excepted...). In some venues that 8wt would be the heaviest rod ever needed - just depends on where you fish...

 

Casting distance is only one of the factors to be considered (although like most guides the first item on my agenda each day or night with someone I've never fished before is to see just what their casting abilities are -that will determine where we fish and how we go about it...). Some will cast further with a heavier rod -others will do better with something a bit lighter (I keep on hand a 7wt all the way up to a 12wt ready to go...). Equally as important as casting distance is line control (and most first timers to the salt and quite a few old hands will struggle with line control all day long) whether on foot or in my skiff up on the casting platform... That's where the "guide as teacher" might be more important to any angler than the number and size of the fish encountered each day - but that's just my take on it.

 

The next item on the agenda is the size of the fly we're using - my anglers won't fare well with a fly that they simply can't cast well so I definitely have a range of fly sizes (actually hook sizes) that I know are appropriate for a given rod size... Lastly the size of the fish will often dictate rod size (if we can be sure in advance of that - sometimes you get surprised...). Nothing like a fish much too big for the gear to either provide that "fish of a lifetime" or a very frustrating hour or so... pulling on something you have no hope of controlling - not ever...

Particularly when fishing at night we periodically find ourselves hooked up to a fish that's simply way too much for a given rod size. The fish, small (and not so small) tarpon eat the exact same small white fly. Sometimes you can see the fish - other times it comes from below and the fish you're casting to isn't the one you actually hook so we get taken to the cleaners with rods completely unsuitable for what we've hooked. Great fun, as long as you don't care about the outcome....

 

One last point about different line (or rod) sizes.. Many anglers that I've fished with have developed casting habits that suit where they normally fish - but they're not particularly well suited to heavier rod sizes... Quickly learning to hold the rod a bit better and to reduce the number of rod strokes before actually delivering the fly isn't something you want to learn when you're paying for a guide... and the fish you can't quite reach or the presentation that's not quite good enough will make for a difficult day... A bit of practice with different weight rods with another fly angler watching and pointing out areas to improve... is a great idea -before that special trip.