This may be common sense to all the experts out there, but I think it bears commenting on for the newbies and intermediates…
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
There’s more to a taper than to a name.
- slowride
- TKF 7000 Club
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i am no expert, just a guy who watches a lot of people flyfish.
i have found that each rod has it's own personality and the action of that rod is greatly affected by the line that is spooled on said rod. cortland 444 is one of my least favorite. i have six flyrods rigged for everyday use and each of them have their own feel and require a few practice casts to produce a tight loop.
jeff, i am glad that you are out doing all the legwork on this one and look forward to hearing your final decision. i hate shopping, except for fishing stuff.
i have found that each rod has it's own personality and the action of that rod is greatly affected by the line that is spooled on said rod. cortland 444 is one of my least favorite. i have six flyrods rigged for everyday use and each of them have their own feel and require a few practice casts to produce a tight loop.
jeff, i am glad that you are out doing all the legwork on this one and look forward to hearing your final decision. i hate shopping, except for fishing stuff.
i have found that each rod has it's own personality and the action of that rod is greatly affected by the line that is spooled on said rod. cortland 444 is one of my least favorite.
Yessir. Not my top choice either...but I wanted to use the same brand of line on each rod for continuity.
You are spot on about line choice affecting rod action too. My old Scott 8wt can be a completely different rod depending on what line it's chucking...
- Ron Mc
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the taper of the line makes a big difference.
thinner, fatter, stiffer, longer tip taper, faster belly, an extra half-weight in the belly...you really see these line differences in cane, where the line can change the performance of the rod dramatically. That half weight difference in a line can make the difference in a rod being able to roll cast or not. Graphite rods probably won't show differences between lines quite this distinctly.
relative performance is also a question if what you're trying to achieve. Distance, accuracy, presentation...
thinner, fatter, stiffer, longer tip taper, faster belly, an extra half-weight in the belly...you really see these line differences in cane, where the line can change the performance of the rod dramatically. That half weight difference in a line can make the difference in a rod being able to roll cast or not. Graphite rods probably won't show differences between lines quite this distinctly.
relative performance is also a question if what you're trying to achieve. Distance, accuracy, presentation...
- Dave Speer
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