On Saturday 23 October 2004 10:51 am, ed wrote: > I have a question regarding a SP 9FT 5wt. I am not a very good caster so > may be off base in my thinking. I used a friend's 10ft 6wt rod this summer > and The 6wt seemed to turn over large dry flys and flys with a dropper > attached much better than my 5wt did or was this because the line was > heavier AND the rod was a foot longer? It can be many things between the two rods. Turning a fly over is a function of having enough power being transmitted to the fly. Since a 6wt is heavier than a 5wt it can store more energy. A 10 foot can move the line faster than a 9 foot given similar action, creating more power. A stiffer rod can more easily generate more power in a good caster than a lighter action rod. Maybe the action just appealed to your casting stroke more. It could also be that the leader was more appropriate to what you were fishing.
Its really hard to say. Especially since none of us have seen you cast, or know what you were comparing. > To save money was thinking of using the 6wt rocket taper on my 5wt 9ft SP > in the future. cheaper than buying a rod - reel and line..... I could use > it for large trout and small summer run steelhead??? You can do this, as most fly rods will easily go up or down a line size and stay functional. The problem will be that you will still be fishing with a 5 weight rod, which is the important characteristic when talking about what rod is appropriate for bigger fish. Personally, I feel that a 6 or 7 weight rod is what is called for when fishing for bigger trout and steelhead. I have caught steelhead on as light as a 4 wt, but I am not going to specialize in that. > My question is will the heaver line be bad for the rod over time or is the > SP like some other fly rods that seem to work better if you go I line wt > heavier? That's not all that likely. Graphite has a much higher modulus of elasticity than fiberglass, so it will be stronger. Fiberglass rods could be beaten to death by overlining, but I have not head of graphite having this problem. Rob --- Mountlake Terrace, WA
