I posted a few weeks ago about a fly blank. I have just finished building a TFO TICARX 6wt a friend of mine bought the kit butt gave it to me. My question is what are the limits of this blank when it come to fly line, can I throw an 7, 8, or 9 line on it and if so which weight should i be throwing I am wondering if I can use it to catch redfish on and throw poppers and small to medium spoon flys on

Any rod will cast any line, at some distance. The trick is to find the right line for the distance you want to fish. I have no idea how much power that particular blank possesses. It may indeed cast a #7, 8 or 9 line, but unless it's very powerful it's not going to cast them a long way. Knowing how fly blanks are designed and rated in this era, I'd bet it will easily cast a #7 line at average distances (30 to 60 feet). If you install an 8 or 9, you'll find that they overload it at longer distances (but might be fantastic at close range).

What you're going to have to do is get a line and go out and try it. If the line you choose doesn't seem to easily load the rod at the distances you want it to, you're going to have to move up one line size. If the line you choose seems to overload the rod at the distance you want, then move down a line size.

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darn shame -- but Tom is right. You look for a rod blank, check the numbers according to the CCS system. OK fine. Now you go out and cast it. Don't like how it is. NOTHING WRITTEN IN STONE I have had more rods that I have liked with a different line . AT LEAST WITH THE NUMBERS LISTED -- YOU ARE IN THE - BALL PARK -- ???

You want a 6WT you may have to get a 5 and over line it ??

Bill - willierods.com

With the rod built with IM6 graphite, I wouldn't think you would be able to overline it by much - if at all. Of course I would be wrong if the taper was extremely fast or the blank wall thichness was above average - but I think not.
Herb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2009 07:41PM by Herb Ladenheim.

Very little is more aggravating then purchasing a blank only to find that's it's way off in the ability to cast the rated line. If I purchase a 6 weight it should cast a 6. If I choose to overline it to a 8 it should still perform but should "feel better" with a 6. If the rod "feels better" with an 8 it should be rated a 8 and so be it. If you find a rod that actually feels and casts better more than 1 line weight high or low I would not feel I was doing my job by stating the rod was true to weight. 2 line weights high or low maybe you should voice some complaints. 3 line weights off is unacceptable. If you purchase a 9 foot 5 weight why should you accept the fact that it won't adequately cast a 5 weight line. I will accept a 1 line weight variance against rating. If it goes further than that I don't rate the blank as what it was published I also have a large distrust in any blank of that series I'm tempted to use.

Do you feel maybe you should have built an 8 weight and be done with it ?

Gene



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2009 10:48PM by Eugene Moore.

We up-line TFO's at least 1 if not 2 in the salt down here in Corpus Christi, mostly because we fight 15mph winds constantly on the flats down here. I currently have a 7wt Lamiglas that I up-lined to a 9, and it casts great. You'll only know if you try it.

There is a relationship between the rated line and the amount of that line you have past the tip. Any rod rated for a 6-weight line will indeed cast and feel fine with a 6-weight line, at some distance. Keep in mind that 30 feet of a 6-weight line and 50-feet of a 6-weight line do not weigh the same thing.

The fact that a rod may not cast the rated line very well at the particular distance you were hoping does not mean that the maker incorrectly labeled the rod (there is no such thing as a "true x-weight" rod). It simply means that the designer intended the rod to be used with that line at a distance which is different than what you're trying to use it at.


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By varying the amount of overhang - the length of line outside the guides during the cast - one rod can accomodate a wide range of line weights. The major exception to this generality is a line which lacks the weight in the first 20 feet or so to load the rod at close distances.
Some other factors influencing how efficiently any one rod will cast a fly line and at what distance include the length and diameter of the head of the line, the taper of the line, and the suppleness of the line. Add to these factors the variations in the loading of the rod caused by casters of differing proficiencies and the wisdom of previous advice about using a line that "feels right" becomes apparent.

Fly casting may look like a fairly simple act, but I suspect the physics involved are quite complex and defy simple solutions or definitive labels.

Actually, fly casting is very simple and not at all involved or complex. Most fly fishermen simply don't understand the relationship between line weight and line length. It never dawns on most of them that as you put more line past the tip of the rod, you're putting more weight out there. For most, a 4-weight line is a 4-weight line and they can't imagine what difference altering the amount of that line past the tip has to do with anything.

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Fly casting really is simple and not at all complex. However, in my experience, to fly cast well or to teach fly-casting well is another matter. It would be a beautiful thing if a number on a rod blank or a number on a fly line provided a simple and accurate indication of the best combination for all fly-fishers under all conditions. Simple and universal solutions to optimize performance are extremely rare in real-life operations, much to the dismay of all, including fly casters.