As I have been searching for a new rod I have been casting tons of different sticks. In my exploration I had the opportunity to cast a Brand X 8 wt. I already own a Brand X 6 wt. and I figured they’d probably cast the same (both tested w/Cortland 444 line, but on different reels).
The results:
Whooooaaaaa nelly. Not even close. My 6 wt is much faster than the 8 wt. It was night and day. I also tied on a big top water fly that’s tough to cast and pushed it with the 6 weight almost as easily as the 8 wt.
At this point, I thought that my familiarity with the 6wt was the determining factor in obtaining better casting performance. So, wanting to be thorough, I got my paws on a 6 wt Brand Z and an 8 wt Brand Z. (Thanks Guy!) These two rods were also completely different. In this case the 8 wt was a far better performer than the 6 wt.
So what causes this difference? My natural casting stroke? Maybe. Taper? Maybe. Regardless, I have made the conclusion that each rod models inherent qualities vary substantially between its designated class weights. So just because you like a TFO TiCr 8 wt, don’t assume you’ll like a TFO TiCr 5 wt. The same goes for Sage, Scott, Loomis…whoever.
Again, not rocket science, but just another reason to confirm the axiom “try before you buy”.
Dos centavos.
Bird
