rod/line question

mro1

I’m curious as to how many fly fishermen have only paired their rods with a same weight line?
( 8wt rod, 8wt line etc.)

Mike

AlwaysLearningMore

I have fooled around a little with both underlining and overlining. Sometimes underlining gives me a little more distance on a not-too-fast rod, makes it cast a little quicker. Overlining by a weight, or even a couple of weights, sometimes helps me with short-range casting like rolling casts under boat docks or into shoreline pockets when you are so close to the target that you can't get enough line out to really load the rod. But, I am a hack caster. More experienced guys may have other thoughts.

sunflower

The standard answer is that fly rod and line companies are pretty good at their jobs.
They have engineers, anglers, and experts helping them to build and create the best product possible. It is unlikely you will improve on their outcome by tinkering around. Imagine cutting out a chunk of the line and putting something you created at home in. Though, any individual has their own experience due to the peculiarities of their casting style, etc. Putting a heavier fly line on is sexy, because it makes you feel like you are throwing the thing a mile. The truth is, though, you probably cast the 10-weight line better with a 10-weight rod than with an eight.

tarpon41

I start with grain weight in the first thirty feet for my salt rods 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. And exclusively floating lines. It seems to me that the lines for the last 5 years are either at the top end for wt spec or are heavier again for the first 30. I use short headed Wulffs and they are plus 50 to 150% for the 24 or 30 foot heads but I don't carry lots of line in the air...if you have a 40 to 50 head with the first 30 at spec and carry 40 to 50 in the air false casting you are essentially equal to a heavy 24-30 head...however, I used to use the RIO Outboud which are plus 200-300% but changed to Wulff which are not as heavy...why because they work for me in the wind and always when my days on the water are fixed. It's always windy...but I do carry longer heads 40-45 feet high speced for first 30 in my 9 One and 10 TCR just in case it's calm

lemaymiami

The only time I consider over-lining my rods is for night trips when we're going to be tossing flies at small tarpon in the shadows up under bridges at almost point blank range. Some anglers have difficulty loading their rods at really close quarters (say less than 30 feet) particularly when they can't see their fly lines. Over lining for us is simply a matter of a different reel on the rod (a reel for a 10wt on a 9wt, for instance) and it seems to help a bit... The fish we're working are in the 20 to 40lb size and we're sight-fishing them with an 8 or 9wt rod.

As noted by others, though, mostly the rod manufacturers know their business and all of us are probably better off with the line size they build their rods for - except for special circumstances like I just mentioned... Over the years I've accumulated enough reels that I actually do have two reels for every line size - one that's a right hand and another that winds left hand so that I can set up for each angler that's not bringing their own gear...

Skinny Running

Ive been using a wf line one number higher than the rod. Maybe I should just match them up next time and see the difference.

SkiffmanBPK

I've always matched the line weight to the rod weight. With a quality rod and good technique you should be able to cast all of the line. For me it all depends on the rod. Medium quality rod gets you a medium quality cast. Spend the money and you will see the difference . Just my opinion.

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SUPER D

Different casters, and rods will get different results. Many lines are a half or one line weight heavy. Use one of them and you are over lining the rod. My 7 weight rod, (marked 9/10 weight) is a noodle with a 9 weight line, cast a 7 weight great. I have some 9 weight rods that cast an 11 weight better than a 9 weight. What ever works for you is the correct line. For a good read, Google the common cents meathod of rod rating. I used this on the above 7 weight, and 9 weight rods, and was suprised to see the 9/10 rod was between a 7, and 8 weight. The 9 weight was closer to an 11 weight than a 9.

idlerick

The rule used to be (I won't tell you how long ago) to use the rod's quoted spec for a DT line and go one heavier for a WF line. That was back when DT lines were actually used for anything but dry flies on small streams.
I stick pretty much to the rod's quoted weight, but will go one heavier if I find a deal on a good line that's one up from what I was after. A WF7F, for instance, is usually a lot easier to find below list $$ than a WF6F is, just because it's less popular.
But whenever I've tried to go one lighter, it's been a disaster. I tend to use moderate-to-fast action rods, and generally do not have to reach way out there with a cast. Which is probably why I can use a heavier line but not a lighter one.
So the only way to really know is to try it, but if you're happy with what you're using, why change?

mro1

I "over line" two rods because the heavier line just suits the rod casting/loading better.
Both are fast action rods, a 5 wt St Croix Legend Elite and an old 9 wt Sage graphite III.
I also throw a 350 grain Streamer Express on the Sage. 350 grains is in between an 11 and 12 wt line but the Sage cast it as if it were made for it.

I have a 13 wt Rio Tarpon line which I cast on a 12/13 St Croix Legend. The Rio has a 40' taper which measured out at 600 grains. 600 grains maxed out my Umpqua scale so i measured out the first 20' then the second. 600 seemed suspicious so rechecked the weight with a digital scale. 498 grains for the first 30' and 570 grains for the full 40' of the taper. 13 wt lines are supposed to be around 430 grains. I really like how well the Rio casts.

idlerickSo >>> the only way to really know is to try it

I agree
Mike

mro1

btw...
i have a dozen rods which all have matching weight lines so the 5 and 9 are just exceptions to the "rule".

Mike

mnigro

Many of today’s lines are actually heavy by 1/2 to 1.5 weights compared to the line weights listed on the boxes. E.g. Look at the grain weights for redfish lines, summer & winter, of the same manufacturer. You’ll see a significant difference between the two in grain weight for the first 30’ . Part of selecting lines is done by looking at grain weights for first 30ft and for the full head length. Then experiment to find what you/your rod likes for casting short and long.

And to answer your question, I will upline rods to find the grain wt I’m looking for.

Ol'DirtyCaster

@mnigro said:
Many of today’s lines are actually heavy by 1/2 to 1.5 weights compared to the line weights listed on the boxes. E.g. Look at the grain weights for redfish lines, summer & winter, of the same manufacturer. You’ll see a significant difference between the two in grain weight for the first 30’ . Part of selecting lines is done by looking at grain weights for first 30ft and for the full head length. Then experiment to find what you/your rod likes for casting short and long.

And to answer your question, I will upline rods to find the grain wt I’m looking for.

This is true. If your 8wt line is 330 grains, you're not really casting an 8wt line. Several companies do this (usually for just a couple of the more aggressive tapers) and it's really, really annoying. If you prefer lines with longer tapers (like me), it's really hard to get an honest weight from the box. It gets even more confusing when you compare the power of today's rods to those made 15 years ago. For the most part, you're pretty safe matching the number on the rod to the number on the line.