I'm hoping to get a little help on figuring ccs data on a flyrod. Today I decided to check 2 of my flyrods, in hopes of duplicating one (in a self built) and using the 2nd as a guide to buy the right rod blank for another application.

I first checked a cheap 5 wt. which always felt weak for 5 wt. line... if my penny count was right (38) it came in as a mid 4 wt, so I went out and casted in the yard, finding that it does perform great with 20' or so of 5 wt. fly line in the air. Seems like I'm on track with the ccs...

Then I tried an Orvis T-3, 7 wt. that I like alot, the penny count was 4 pennies more than the "weak" 5 wt.?!?!?! Obviously this is wrong, as the 7 wt. is used in saltwater and will hold a good amount of line in the air and cast great at the mid to upper mid distances. I screwed up somehow but can't figure out where.

I shimmed the handle to keep it level while clamped down, hung penny bag w/ paper clip in tip top, weighed it down exactly 36" (9' rod)

Could the cork have compressed enough to show it this light? I know I have to keep testing until I get some consistant numbers... I've used 6, 7 and 8 wt. lines on this rods to get the best results for my casting style and am pretty confident that it's at least close to a true 7 wt.

Sorry to ramble on, I'm just confused and feel like an idiot. ...lol

Any ideas how I went wrong? Alternatively, if anyone has a T-3 907-4 in a 9.5 orvis tip flex, I'd sure appreciate knowing the ccs data. :)

Thanks,

Keith

The CCS doesn't assign line numbers to rods, so it wouldn't have been a "4-weight." 38 cents would indicate an ERN of 4.6 which does not necessarily mean you should use a 4-weight line on it. That all depends on the distances you're fishing. It will certainly cast a 4-weight line, but would also easily handle a 3 or a 5 depending on how much line you aerialize.

42 cents would come in at an ERN of 5.2. That rod would certainly cast a 7-weight line but probably not at longer distances. It would make a great long distance 4 or a pretty good close in or medium distance 5.

If that doesn't seem right then you may want to just double check your set up to make sure you have the rod butt as level as possible and that your deflection amount is correct. If the butt isn't quite level, it can throw the tip off by a large amount and result in a bad ERN measurement.

There is no such thing as a "true" 7-weight, or any other weight for that matter. Any rod will cast any line at some distance.



.........

Tom,

Thanks for the response, I agree and should have worded differently. I was meaning a true X wt as in comfortably "aerializing" 30' of X wt. line per the ccs articles. The only part of the article I really grasped well was the part about # of feet in the air for a given weight and how that relationship worked. (my comments about the "weak 5 wt." were completely validated [in my head] by the ccs articles... my casting was great with less line out, and I'd need 4 wt. line on that rod to like it for the distances I use it for.)

According to the articles, my labled 7 wt. will probably actually be a ERN of 8 or so according to Dr. Hannaman's writings, that's exactly why I want to be able to put a # on it. Either way, my reason for testing that rod was so I could build one that had very similar qualities... since I cast it so well and want to also build a "9 wt." to mimic those qualities with my "average aerialized line footage"

I have to believe I got away from level after setting it up or I just goofed. I'll try to set up a more stable jig and do it again tomorrow. Here I thought "even I can measue a rod using the ccs" ...lol

Okay, I see where you're coming from now. If you think the CCS rating you got on that rod just seems way off from your personal experience with it, I'd have to believe something wasn't quite level.

Unless you want to go to the trouble of building some type of holding jig, you might try setting one of these inexpensive plastic levels on the rod butt just ahead of the grip and then shim the grip until your bubble is dead level. You'll still get some tip sag - that's fine - but you do want the butt to be as level as possible. I'd almost bet that this is where any problem may have crept in.

............

Keith
If you E mail me directly I will send you a sketch of a VERY simple fixture that gives correct & repeatable CCS results.
I don't know how to attach drawings to posts on this board.
HGM525@AOL.COM
Gil

Gil,

If it's in jpeg file format, you can post it on the photo site here.

.............

Gil,

Email sent, thank you.

Keith

Gil,
Check you e-mail for a tutorial on posting pix.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!