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Good job, Greg!
Richard
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2001 5:51
PM
Subject: Re: Grains versus Sink
Type
Rob,
A 300gr
line WILL severely overload your 7-wt IF you use an entire 30 ft or more
section of it.
“Type” refers to the sinking rate of the line.
This has to do with the line’s specific gravity, or how dense it is
compared to water; in short, how fast it sinks. Type-I will sink roughly
between 1 and 2 inches per second, Type 6 will sink between 6 and 7 inches per
second (or something close to that.) When you think “Type” think “how
fast does it sink” and not “how much does it weigh.” It is independent
of the weight of the line.
“Grains” refers to the weight of the line.
AFTMA ratings of line are based upon the first 30ft of a line.
30ft of a 300gr line weighs 300gr or, in this case, 10.0 grains per
foot(300/30=10.0gr/ft.) 30ft of an 850gr Deep Water Express
weighs 850gr or, in this case, 28.3 grains per foot (850/30=28.3gr/ft.)
(roughly, some lines have tapers that screw up the consistency.)
AFTMA standards say a 7wt rod can handle an “ideal” line weight of 185
grains. Range for a 7wt is 177 to 193 grains.
So, if you
wanted to balance a 300gr line on your 7wt, you would need a length of line
the weight of which falls within the range of 177-193gr. Since the 300gr
line (based upon the first 30 feet) weighs 10.0 grains per foot, you would
need a shooting head length between 17.7 and 19.3 feet long (177/10=17.7
etc.)
But, there’s a caveat. When using a shooting head,
you’re only dealing with the length of the head and not the thick belly of a
normal line that adds additional weight to loading the rod which somehow
figures into the AFTMA equation in arriving at that standard. You’re
more than likely connecting directly to a running line somewhere
around.029-.031inches (or less if you use Amnesia) in diameter which,
although it will figure into the equation, is not overly concerning.
Consequently, going two lines up in weight might actually balance the
casting weight without truly overloading .” So, if you were to upline
two line weights to a 9wt, then the range for the weight of the line would be
somewhere between 230grains and 250grains. Doing the math results in a
length of 300gr line between 23.0 and and 25.0 feet long.
Most
folks find a shooting head length between 27-30ft easiest to handle. You
will need to make casting adjustments for the shorter head.
Also, just
because the math works doesn’t mean it will be perfect on the first cut.
For your 7wt and a 300gr head, you still need to find the “sweet spot.”
Its usually best to start with a longer section than you need and cut
back as you experiment to find that “sweet spot.”
Hope this helps
somewhat.
Greg
Gig Harbor, WA
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