Matching rod and line question

[Atlas]

Sorry if this is a ridiculous question. I just recently acquired an Orvis Clearwater 7'9" 5wt rod. Havent fished it yet as I dont yet have the reel I want (I am planning to order a Loomis Venture 5-6wt with the gift certificate I referenced in the swap forum a while back ). Anyway, my question is, I have a brand new Scientific Anglers Mastery Series DT 4 trout line and was thinking about using that line for this rod/reel outfit but wanted to make sure this wouldnt hurt performance too badly. I know its not a high-end rod but i do want to make sure I get the most out of it. Is it a mistake to use a 4wt line on a 5wt rod? Thoughts/insights are greatly appreciated.

Also, if the post is better suited for the Beginner Forum please feel free to move it over.

 

[sandfly]

the dt 4 wt. line will work nicely on that rod. when I was at orvis used to cast one all the time with a 4wt. That rod is under rated as it cast very nice and would work great on smaller waters.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear atlas,

If everyone is honest I'm sure most of the people here on this board have "accidently" mounted a reel on one of their rods that was not the correct sized reel and line for the rod's rating. If you go up one size the rod may feel "loggier" and if you go down one size the rod may feel "peppier", but the rod will still be fishable.

It's a rare rod that cannot be fished with a line one size lower or higher than the rod is rated. It just takes a little bit of adjustment to your casting to make the "wrong" line work.

A DT4 may even make that rod a little better as a fishing tool. Since the line is lighter than the rated line the rod won't load quite as much and the rod action will be a little faster than if you used a 5 weight line.

One thing the 4 weight line will help with is fishing in the wind. It may seem counterintuitive, but it is often better to underline a rod in windy conditions. The lighter line provides less wind resistance and actually makes the rod easier to cast.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Atlas]

Thanks Sandfly and Tim! I mostly fish small streams so it sounds like this line could work out well with that outfit.

All the best,

Jason

 

[PennKev]

Atlas wrote:
Thanks Sandfly and Tim! I mostly fish small streams so it sounds like this line could work out well with that outfit.

All the best,

Jason

Hmmm....


I would actually recommend OVERLINING a small stream rod.
If the casts are short the added weight of a slightly heavy line can be an advantage when trying to turn over a leader without much line out past the rods tip. If you are underlining your rod you will have less load on your rod at short distances and leader turnover will be more difficult. The rod may feel stiff or dead and casting might get tougher.

On larger creeks and streams you won't notice the difference as much, but on small streams, I think you are better off with the heavier line.

Kev

 

[pcray1231]

I agree with PennKev. For small streams, I advocate overlining at least 1 size, 2 in some circustances.

A rod is supposed to be rated for x number of feet of flyline beyond the tip, 30 ft is thrown around a lot, not sure how accurate that is, but lets assume it is. That means a 5 wt rod will be properly balanced with 30 feet of 5 wt line off the tip. If you have 40-50 feet of line off the end, this is actually overlined, and the 5 wt rod would be more properly balanced with a 4 wt line. If you have only 5-10 feet off the end, a 5 wt line is considerably underlined already, the rod would be better balanced with a 6 wt or even 7 wt line.

Add to that that most rods are underrated. Meaning a 5 wt rod often really should be marked a 6 wt. It's a marketing ploy. When people test cast rods, they usually load up long lines and see how far they can cast it, rather than see what it feels like at normal fishing distances. A 6 wt rod with 5 wt line will cast farther and more comfortably than a 5 wt rod will with the same line, hence you can increase sales by marketing a true 6 wt rod as a 5 wt.

At short distances, your rod is likely to be severely underlined as you have it set up, which means it won't load properly. I wouldn't worry about it for an outing or two. But I'd be sure not to make it a long term solution. You'll be much happier with a 5, 6, or even 7 wt line for small stream work with that rod. If you're on big water trying to make super long distance casts, your 4 wt line will work nicely, though.

One thing the 4 weight line will help with is fishing in the wind. It may seem counterintuitive, but it is often better to underline a rod in windy conditions.

I don't profess to be an expert of casting in wind. But I'm skeptical of this viewpoint.

 

[Atlas]

Thanks Kev and Pcray as well. Without a lot of experience casting different rods this is very helpful. Really over my first year of fly fishing I have used a 6' 11" 3/4wt rod with 3 WF line (I have the three because my original 3wt broke and Bean replaced it but had no more 3wt) and that has worked out well for me. The new 5wt was an opportunistic purchase. Admission - I went out and tested the 5wt rod with the WF 3 wt line yesterday and had mixed results (as you could imagine). In areas where I could spread out a bit it did give me some distance but I had some difficulty in turning the leader over at times and it resulted in a bit too much slack (which translated into a decent amount of takes but a lot of misssed fish). Now, there is also a lot of operator error built into those poor casts too :lol:

It sounds like to cover my bases I should invest in a 6wt line as well....I guess the worst that can happen is I still have a back-up line for my original rod or I get a spare spool for the new one and have the 4wt and the 6wt option (or I have to go out and get another rod)....is this how the gear accumulation starts?

Anyway, thanks again to everyone for their input.

Pcray, if you are in Thorndale let me know if you are ever interested in a fishing partner sometime. I am in West Bradford Twp, right around the corner.

Best,

Jason

 

[Lonewolve]

You know sometimes rods are also marked as such 3/4, 4/5, 5/6 ect. ONe numder is suppossedly for the weight foward line the other for a bouble taper line, i can never keep it straight.I use a line size lower , a line size as indicated,and a a line size heavier on quite a few rods. To my understanding and useage most rods are built to handle this.I have noticed that people that put a heavier line by one size on thier rods usually cast far better,better loops their timing is also better.I attribute this to being able to "feel" the cast.Same applies to rods,when guys get back to a mid action they tend to cast far better. just my 2 cents.
Tight Wraps & Tight Lines
Rick Wallace