From: "Peter Lami" <plami@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Jim Harvey" <harveyjl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,"Bill Kessler" <wk_eps@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,"Cheryl D'Amato" <damato@xxxxxxxxxx>,"Paul Medeiros" <pematlanta@xxxxxxx>,"Jennifer Andreae" <jagatorfly@xxxxxxx>
CC: "Jim Phillips" <ski_vail@xxxxxxxx>,"Molly Semenik" <mollysemenik@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Under-, and Over-Lining the Rod
Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2005 17:47:20 -0400
Basic Reasons Why Under-lining a Fly Rod to Cast Longer Distances Works ....
- Underlining a fly rod
will effectively make the
rod stiffer because 1.) Lighter line is less weight for the same
length; and 2.) Less weight is less flex from the
rod.
- Underlining a fly rod will also allow the caster to hold more line in the air, i.e. false cast a greater length of line, because 1.) Lighter line is less weight for the same length; and 2.) Less weight and greater length equal more line out of the rod tip than a line of heavier weight.
... But as a Practical Matter, this is True Only in Certain Cases.
Consideration must be given to the action of the rod.
- All fly rods
are designed to cast a certain grain weight of fly line for a specific
purpose. For example, Orvis Superfine rods
are slow, almost full flex rods
greater optimized for shorter more
delicate casts. If a 4-weight line is put on a 5-weight Superfine rod
the rod will have to flex less to perform the same amount of work. This is true because less weight of the
fly line is out of the tip of the rod.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is a Sage TCR. This very fast rod that will not collapse carrying even 90+ feet of line in the air while false casting. It generates super high line speeds. The Sage TCR 5-wt. is capable of casting a 6-, or even a 7-wt. line at shorter distances very nicely. But then would be a slightly slower 6-, or 7-wt. rod. The determination of the weight of rod has more to do with the weight of the fly line being cast. (Editor's Note: This explains why some fly rod manufacturers rate their fly rods with a dual designation, ex. a 5/6 rod. It stands to reason that you would match a 5-wt fly line with a 5/6 rod if you intended to cast longer distances and/or buy a 6-wt. fly line if you wanted a quick, fast presentation. Can you really have it both ways? Probably not, because the "action" of the rod most likely favors one or the other. Try and explain that to a beginner who doesn't understand, or even cares for that matter!) It doesn't make any practical sense to under-line the Sage TCR rod because it is designed to make longer casts and will not overload when carrying a lot of line in the air.
And, consideration must be given to the taper design and weight of the fly line.
- Given the above to be true, most rods have a point when false casting that we can overload the rod. If we took that same Orvis Superfine and put an 8-wt. line on it you can imagine how it would cast -- clumsy at best, reducing its rebound time and the rods ability to straighten after the a cast has been made. The same can happen if a caster holds a certain amount of line in the air with most 5-weights, as the more line out creates more weight. By underlining a slow-, or medium action rod, a fly caster can hold more line in the air needed to achieve longer distances.
(Example: 60 feet of 5 wt. line out of the rod tip might be equivalent to 75 feet of line out of a 4 wt., the exact figure is almost impossible to calculate in general because of differences in line diameter and taper construction).
The above explanation illustrates the relativity in designing rods. While rods are designed to cast a specific weight of line, it is also for a specific purpose. Case in point would be a (again) Orvis Super Fine 5-weight full flex rod. It is designed for short casts and delicate presentations a slower rod that is more difficult to generate high lines speeds with. However, if a caster put a 3 or 4 wt line on this rod it would effectively make it a faster rod and allow you to cast longer distances.
Jeff Wagner
October 9, 2005
Thank you Jeff. Your explanation hereinabove was very informative and helped to clarify a very important concept. Again, thanks!
Peter Lami
