RE: fly rods

[Rex S. Takasugi]

Hi, Ed!               Like Kent, I’m no expert caster either…  I have both the Sage SP 9 foot 5 weight and the Sage VPS 9 foot 5 weight rods (to me the actions of the SP and VPS are identical).  I use the 6 weight RIO Versitip Line with those rods and I like the way they cast with that line, over-weighting the rods slightly.  However, a 6 weight line from a different manufacturer may cast differently.  I think these rods cast large flies just fine with this setup.   In my opinion, turning over large flies is not so much a function of the line weight used or the length of the rod, but more a function of leader construction.  Were you using the same leader on the lines and rods you tested?  I’d guess that if you used the same exact leader used on your friend’s 10 foot 6 weight rod, you’d find that you could turn over large flies with your 9 foot 5 weight setup just fine.  His leader probably has a stiffer, longer butt section that helps turn over the fly.  It’s a lot cheaper to experiment with different leaders than to experiment with new fly lines and rods…   Tight lines!   Rex