How would you advise a customer who wants you to build a flyrod to cast a five weight line? A great number of blanks marked "5 wt." will perform far better with a 6 wt. or 7 wt. line. Should you risk confusing and losing the customer by telling him this, or should you keep quiet and risk customer dissatisfaction with the completed rod's performance using the indicated line weight?

Any rod will cast any line at some distance. Find out what distance range he expects to cast and fish and then match him to a rod that has the correct power to load easily within that range. A rod that casts great with a 7-weight line at 30 feet may require a 5-weight line to do as well at 70 feet.

That's the key - what distance range is he fishing. Remember, 30 feet of a 6-weight line weighs about the same as 40 feet of 5-weight line. Weight is what the rod is concerned with, not line weight number.

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Just my 2 cents

I never advise someone to go beyone what the rod is advertised to handle. They will only remember you telling them to do it. I tell them what they do is up to them and leave it at that. You can give them all the warnings and advise in the world, but all they will remember is you telling them that it was possible.

Just My 2 Cents

Kirk

I would tell him. There is nothing worse than underlining a rod. The best rods in the world feel like a broom stick if underlined. All experianced fly fishermen should know about lining and overlining rods. And if hes new to fly fishing it is something that he will appreciate, and be greatfull to know . In fact I learned that trick from an owner of a fly shop I used to frequent, and he was speeking of mass produced rods and not builder blanks. In this day and age where everyone thinks the faster the better, fly rod manufacturers have almost overdone it. Alot of the best in the buisness cast like a 2x4 because they are "too" fast and to powerfull for the lines they suggest.. Now on the other hand there are many blanks out there that perform just fine with the suggested line weights. It would help if you knew about the specific blank he requested, and what action hes looking for.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2010 12:51AM by Larry Damore.

I always lean more toward asking customers what size flies they fish and how far they typically cast (reduce by 30% :-) If they are fishing dry flies and the occaisonal nymph for trout, then a 4 or 5 weight is fine, measured of course to ensure it's in that range for the customer's line. Use the common cents system to match the right line as mentioned above. If you confirm his method matches a 5 weight, then it's your job to find the right blank that measures out to match his typical distance with a 5 weight line.

Terry