What If?

[EliteFisherman]

What if you run 5wt line on your 6wt rod? Can you still cast with it or does it matter that much?

I know you should be using the approriate line designed for your rod but im just wondering if anyone has done this before.

Thanks

[Paula]

I have done this before.. only because i grabbed the wrong reel for the rod i was using. It still works to cast, just not as efficiently. The line is not heavy enough to load the rod properly for an efficient cast.

[monger]

Sometimes lining up a super stiff rod will make it cast better.

A really soft rod might cast better with a lighter line...experimentation can be a good thing

[Taco]

Lefty Kreh on line weights

 

 

[DonAndersen]

HomeWatersFlyFishing,

 

Don't believe that Lefty Kreh crap - using a line less than or great than the line weight on the rod will cause the rod to explode. I know - I heard this @ the local fly shop.

What does this Lefty character know - he's only been fishing 50+ years.

 

Don

 

PS: looked @ your Mooneye movie - you ate a mooneye? Who held a gun on ya'.

[Guest Grinr]

What if you run 5wt line on your 6wt rod? Can you still cast with it or does it matter that much?

I know you should be using the approriate line designed for your rod but im just wondering if anyone has done this before.

Thanks

Not only "can you" experiment with +/- line weights for any given rod,but often times you really should/must to achieve the desired performance.Rod characteristics,casting style,experience,conditions,and probably most significantly,casting distance are all factors that can effect your choice as to which line weight best suits any given situation.

The "Lefty link" above ^^ does a fairly good job of explaining this,however IMHO what is amiss from said article is explaining the "why" this works??

Line weights are standardized under AFTMA in order that a 5wt line for example from manufacturer"X" should weigh the same as a 5wt line from mfr "Y",and are labelled their designated weight based on the weight in grains of the first 30' of fly line.For ex;the first 30' of a 5wt line should weigh 140gr +/- 5-6 grains either way?A 6wt line will weigh 160gr +/- over that same 30' length and optimally is designed to properly load a 6 wt rod when false casting 30' of line.But what happens during a "longer distance" casting situation where one might be picking up/false casting 40,50 ft or more of line.False casting say 45-50' of 5wt line is essentially the same as maybe false casting 30' of 7wt(?) line as far as your 5wt rod is concerned.Conversely,in a

small spring creek where casting distances are extremely short,false casting 20' with that same 5wt rod/line combo might

actually only be putting let's say 100gr of line beyond the tip,essentially making your 5wt rod "think" or more correctly "feel

like" or act like it is casting maybe a 3wt line??

Therefore,in a nutshell,the main thing to remember is that a line's AFTMA designation is really only a guideline that suggests this given line is designed to optimally load a rod of this given Wt when false casting 30' of flyline beyond the rod tip.

Personally speaking,I've never felt the need to justify "overlining" a rod to match short cast conditions,but routinely have "underlined" my 8wt salmon rods with 7 or even 6wt lines when fishing the larger rivers back east for Atlantics where as often as not I expect to be picking up/false casting 45-50+ ft of line and shooting 70-80 ft and more to swing a fly through a lie on the far bank.

[DaveJensen]

I love this kind of thread. Back to the young man that asked a question based on his supply and likely allocated funds for fly fishing. I hope the point of what everyone has written is taken as "Give it a go" and you receive it in an encouraging manner. There is a ton of info and knowledge available, but the bottom line is that if you are given something or can only afford `x`, then use it and do your best with it. As a kid, I used what was available - read - whatever my uncle didn`t lock away for safe keeping was fair game. The combination of lines and rods didn`t matter - getting out fishing did. Some set ups are easier to cast than others in some circumstances, but you can cast pretty much anything, any combo of gear. Sometimes it isn`t pretty. I remember using a floating line on a willow branch on the rainbows in BC`s Clearwater R, we arrived at the camp site but the fishing stuff was all in the other car that would arrive the next day. We had a few spare guides and tip eye, as well as the fly tying kit, so we whittled up a rod. What line is a thumb thick willow branch rated for... regardless, we caught a few fish. But this was back in the 70s and we didn`t know we weren`t supposed to under or over line the rod. Bottom line - give it a go, be thankful for what you have, and get the most enjoyment from what you have. Remember, that $900 Helios rod isn`t going to make you cast that much better or enjoy the fishing any more or less. I`d put my ability to enjoy fly fishing with a $49 Mitchell fly rod combo - circa 1970s - against the $3K worth of gear I walk around with today.

Cheers

[cgyguy]

I love this kind of thread. Back to the young man that asked a question based on his supply and likely allocated funds for fly fishing. I hope the point of what everyone has written is taken as "Give it a go" and you receive it in an encouraging manner. There is a ton of info and knowledge available, but the bottom line is that if you are given something or can only afford `x`, then use it and do your best with it. As a kid, I used what was available - read - whatever my uncle didn`t lock away for safe keeping was fair game. The combination of lines and rods didn`t matter - getting out fishing did. Some set ups are easier to cast than others in some circumstances, but you can cast pretty much anything, any combo of gear. Sometimes it isn`t pretty. I remember using a floating line on a willow branch on the rainbows in BC`s Clearwater R, we arrived at the camp site but the fishing stuff was all in the other car that would arrive the next day. We had a few spare guides and tip eye, as well as the fly tying kit, so we whittled up a rod. What line is a thumb thick willow branch rated for... regardless, we caught a few fish. But this was back in the 70s and we didn`t know we weren`t supposed to under or over line the rod. Bottom line - give it a go, be thankful for what you have, and get the most enjoyment from what you have. Remember, that $900 Helios rod isn`t going to make you cast that much better or enjoy the fishing any more or less. I`d put my ability to enjoy fly fishing with a $49 Mitchell fly rod combo - circa 1970s - against the $3K worth of gear I walk around with today.

Cheers

Times x 2 agree whoeheartedly!