-
It is called the give of the rod. The light rods give a lot more. The rod can not react as fast to the movements of a fish. And one thing that has to be added is that not all tippet material rates the same. Even though the company that makes it gives it a rating I have tested to many of them to know that companys go overbaord on what the breaking strengths are a lot of the time. It is called hype. Or how to sell a product. You just can not put the same ammount of pressure on the fish as quick as you can with a larger line size. The rod flexes slower and does not react as quickly. That is a proven. I have had this talk with others and if you believe in the small rods then you will not agree until it is proven to you like it has been to me. Spending way over a hundred days a year on the water Has let me prove a lot of thing to myself. I have tried many of those dandy little rods. Like I said you can have them they are unnessary in my point of view and were brought out for one reason to make sales that Orvis would not have had. I believe they were the first with the little rods. I tried one on Depuys spring creek that year and found that you just could not do a good job on larger fish with them. Like I said That is my opinion but your may very? OH! buy the way I have access to a machine that is for testing tippet material strengths. It does not lie. That is how I know about what is what. It amazes me how people think that because it says 10x on a spool they believe it. It may be 7x. Just depends on the company.
People being people just do not keep these rods were they should be. On small streams with small fish.
tyflier- You can set the hook with a 5wgt rod just as easy as you can a 3wgt rod. It is called a tip set or you can also slip strike the fish. Either one will set the hook without breaking a very light tippet.
Lefty showed me the tip strike many moons ago. If you push down on the rod the first reaction of the tip is to go up. That is enough to set the hook on 20 to 40 foot casts. It is very hard to get yourself to do it but it does work. Moves the fly just enough to set the hook. Ron
-
i do the same,try to match my rod to the tippet and conditions,,how did our granddads catch trout with 6 or 7 wt. rods and lines,,most of the rods had a soft action unlike graphite,protected the tippet.or am i blowing smoke
------------------
make a rod, catch a fish
-
Matching your tackle to the average fish's size/weight is important for maximum fun and preserving the fish if you catch and release. When you fish, you want to feel the fish and see your rod bend! For half to 1 pound bluegills, 10 inch trout, and the average 1 to 1.5 pound bass, a 1 to 3 weight fishing system is plenty strong, and lets you ENJOY catching those fish. a friend that to chicken to post sent me this.lol told him i was going to call him chicken
------------------
make a rod, catch a fish
-
buildsrods
You are not blowing smoke. The answer is grass and glass rods.
-
buildsrods- You have to look at the whole picture. What may be good for bass and Sunfish may not be so good for a trout. Totaly different fish as to what they can and can not stand as far as how they are played and handled. But people will be people and do as they please. And that is fine by me. Ron
-
RonMT, the thread started with pa. spring creeks,,a lot of stocked fish,,not all will live no matter what rod or line or tippet is used..most are not going to tax a rod no matter what weight.if you really want to save trout barbless hooks and don't take them from the water will save more that a heavy rod.
------------------
make a rod, catch a fish
-
I like my 1 Weight and do not play a fish to any worse point of exhaustion than with my 3 or 6 wgt. I'm usually on 6X or 7X tippets no matter what rod I 'm using. Very rarely I use a 5X or 8x. If you're playing a fish and you're afraid that its becoming exhausted break it off for crying out loud!
What's it going to cost you but a 10 cent fly. A stocked fish costs a lot more than that and a wild one is worth its weight in porthr house steaks.
Buildsrods,
Our ancesters didn't always use big rods and fat lines. My 8 ft one weight very closly approximates the action of a 7ft 9inch bamboo rod I bought in 1952...but its lighter. Its a one-off graphite that I bought unsanded. The company decided not to go to press with it, probably because it was too slow for the modern fisherman...but I love it. As soon as I picked up the blank at a show in Sommerset, NJ I felt that it was familiar and I paid what was asked,$40.
RonMT
They're all toys...even the back bustin offshore rods used for Marlin etc. My wife has told me that so many times that I believe it now!
I find "setting the hook" to be counter productive in my case. With me, the fish are more apt to hook themselves than my having anything to do with it. If when fishing #18 to #20s and occasionally smaller, If I feel the strike and I don't have a fish on already, its too late to do anyhing about it.
IMHO any kind of a set won't help me a bit. Maybe it is because my reflexes ain't what they wuz.
Ol' Bill
-
snipe ,you said the word , slow [ slow can be good],never said big or fat...lol, check out a silk line,look at the guides on a bamboo rod...small, the weight i said would of been for glass rods or plastic line. but most did use 6 or 7 wt. line,,that really sounds like a great rod you bought,,you might even like glass lol
------------------
make a rod, catch a fish
-
Rod action has more to do with tippet security than recommended line weight. A medium action bamboo or graphite rod with a soft tip works best for me. People that buy 0-2 weight rods and over-line them so they work better at the shorter distances amuse me. What?s the purpose of buying a 1 weight if you fish a 2 or 3 weight line on it? This is one case where having small equipment seems to be a badge of honor.
First of all the question needs to be asked of BigFlatBrook: What PA Spring Creeks are you talking about fishing?
The Limestoners, (spring creeks), in Eastern PA ?look? and fish more like freestoners. For those I recommend just about any rod you please as the fishing is as varied as you can imagine. I use everything from a 2-5 weight rod with a 4 weight being my favorite. For the most part in these streams you are wading and there are not as many obstructions in the water to have a fish break you off on. From July on I fish 7X regularly and smaller tippets when required. I midge ALL THE TIME with this size rod and also do so with a 5 weight and 6 weight rod. These creeks are not big and the amount of fly line on an average cast that hits the water coupled with a LONG leader minimizes any effect a heavier fly line would have. As far as fish go there is an abundance of wild fish in many streams sections; in many there is NO stocking so fish mortality should be of concern. Super light outfits MAY increase the risk.
The Central PA Limestoners, especially the famous ones in South-Central PA are TOTALLY different. You will ALMOST always be fishing from the bank and if you are smart, on your knees. This along with high bushes and grasses on the banks make a long rod ideal to keep the back cast as high as possible. 8 feet to 9 feet is perfect which may make a shorter 0-2 weight outfit a bit of a pain in the butt.
Second there is very little open water and LOTS of underwater obstructions and vegetation that the fish ALWAYS seem to head for. Fishing light tippets can be disastrous unless you have a rod with the length AND backbone to guide the fish away from them. Trust me when I say catching a 20+ brown on even 6X is scary in these creeks. When and IF it happens you?ll be happier if you have a 4 or 5 weight. Vince Marinaro and Charlie Fox fished these waters, (successfully I might add), for years with 5 & 6 weight rods.
Almost without exception the fish are wild and precious with some strains having survived numerous disasters. Fish mortality is of the utmost concern with barbless hooks being required in most waters. If I see someone kill a big fish because it was overplayed with tiny tackle in these waters there will be two bodies floating downstream!
[This message has been edited by Bamboozle (edited 02 March 2005).]
-
Bamboozle well said,,,,Charlie Fox that name brings back memories of my youth. a real hero with a fly rod.
------------------
make a rod, catch a fish