Last night I had a chance to fish with the XT51 6'6" 2 weight rod I put together earlier this spring. I was very happy with the quality of the blank, and that is not in question at all.

I am using a RIO DT floating 2 wt line with it, and to be honest, my three weight built from a Blanks.com $15 second, is much more fun to cast.

As soon as I can, I will try a 3 wt WF line on it, am I on the right track? Does anyone else have any experience with this blank?

TIA

I just made a 9' 5 wt. 4 pc. for a Montana trip. What an incredible rod! A true 10' - 90' caster. Thing is, you can't have any casting faults. My wife finds it to be a tomato stake. I will have to retire my J. Kennedy Fisher 25608 I like it so much.

I was hoping for more input, still wondering if I have under-lined the rod or if my casting ability is better suited to a slower action rod.

Rick, I don't have that blank but I always test my rods and blanks with the CCS and whenever I don't get the feel I want from them, I just keep going up in line weight until it feels the way I like. You might be a person who prefers a heavily loaded feel to a rod, as I do. In that case, you'll rarely be disappointed by using a heavier line. I have the Rainshadow IF662 and mine CCs at 3.27/64. In the yard this weekend, I was casting 55' with a 6wt. line on it (putting 40' in the air and then shooting another 15' to the target). So, the manufacturer rates it as a 2wt., I usually use a 4,5, or 6 on it, everyone is happy. Don't hesitate to try any and all lines on any rod. That's how you learn what you like and dislike and also how you learn what a rod can handle. I have no doubt that most people would prefer my IF662 with a 3wt. line but that means absolutely nothing to me. 30 years ago, almost all 6wt. fly rods had ERNs in the 3.5-4.5 range (I've tested a whole bunch and know this to be true). Now, rods are more powerful but, in my opinion, that does not make them better for a lot of typical East Coast stream fishing. Did streams change? Did fish change? Did how to cast change? No, just the rods changed. It's sort of like the arms race.

One other thing to keep in mind too. Short fly rods aren't the easiest rods to cast. You mention your casting ability. If you have trouble with timing and casting mechanics, I think a short rod will be more challenging for you than an 8' or 9' rod will. Don't give up on the rod or you casting though, just try some different lines and keep practicing. It's fun I think, not as fun as fishing but you can learn a lot that will improve your fishing.

Thanks for that advice. I was planning on trying a heavier line tonite. As far as my casting ability, I've been fly fishing since my teens, (Now in my late fifties), I haven't even thought about casting form, and have never had any problems in the past. Casting becomes like breathing, you get to the point where you don't even think about it. It's very possible I may have casting faults that are magnified by the faster rod.

I hope it helps but I definitely did not mean to be preachy about what is the right way or the wrong way. In fact, my main point is that there is no right way or wrong way, just the way each of us prefers to cast and fish. One thing I've learned since building my own rods, and especially since the CCS came out and allowed me to start comparing rods of all materials and vintages, is that although the labels "3wt." and "6wt." and all the others have not changed in 30 years, the amount of power in fly rods has increased dramatically. If you learned on a "6wt." rod with an ERN of 3.8 in 1960, and decided that that is how you like a fly rod to feel, you are probably not going to like a single modern day rod sold as a "6wt." But, if you buy a 3 or 4wt. rod and fish it with a 6wt. line, you may very well think you died and went to heaven. What I think is amusing is that certain modern day high end rod companies will sell someone a "retro/classic feel" rod for $700 and some fisherman think there is something magical or mysterious about the graphite or fiberglass that makes it feel that way. My opinion is that you can get the same darn thing using any of a number of modern $30 blanks, rated lower than the line you want to use. Voila, use the $650 in savings to buy a plane ticket to a good fishing spot.

Anyway, I'm sure you will love that rod if you figure out which line to use to get the feel you want. The CCS can help you out but is just a time saver not a necessity. Could be a 3, could be a 5 or 6 - just experiment and see what you like. I have pretty well settled on fishing 4 to 7wt. lines on rods with 2.5-5.0 ERN. That's what I like. Smooth as silk with total control and relaxation. Have fun.

Thanks again Steve. I will work on fitting a line to the rod. Maybe in the future, I will look into the CC system, but for right now, I just want to cast and fish. ;-)