Floating line for 2wt rod question

[Bill in VA]

I have a 6ft 2wt rod for fishing in small mountain streams here in Virginia.

Taking the rod out for the first time this week, had problems getting the rod to load up with only 10-15 feet of line. Anymore and I get hung up on branches.

Never owning a rod this small, or needing to only cast a short distance, not sure if this problem is due to my casting or possibly the type of line on the rod. What I have now is an SA WF2 floating line.

In the yard, I can get the rod to load and "feel" right/better when I get more line out - but this doesn't really do me much good on the water. Maybe just need more practice???

[Buddy Sanders]

Bill,

Or, you could put a little heavier line on it.

A 3 or 4 wt. floating line will load better at shorter lengths and give you more control.

Keep the 2 wt. line for use in situations where you anticipate casts in excess of 30-40 feet.

Good Luck!

Buddy

[Bamboozle]

Bill:

I feel your pain. Right now I'm having a similar dilemma with a 7'0" 4 weight.

It could be the line you're using, the rod or you.

Great help aren't I?

In my case switching fly lines improved things and the line the helped the best, (so far) is the Sci Anglers XPS double taper not the WF.

The reason the DT helped is that the front taper is shorter on the DT versus the WF and that helps load the rod better at shorter distances. I bought an DT2F XPS for my 2 weight for the same reason but I haven't tried it yet. Another option is to buy a GPX line from Sci Anglers that is a half size heavier so a 2 weight would actually be a 2.5 weight line.

Unfortunately experimenting with fly lines isn't cheap but I personally don't like overlining rods. I'm sure you didn't buy a 2 weight to fish a 4 weight line.

[Bill in VA]

I have a WF3-floating line I'll try tomorrow to see how that works out.

The problem could very well be my casting. Things go right most of the time, but still have faults to work out - occasional, sometimes frequent windknots, tailing loops, etc.

[Bugsy]

The gents above have given sound advice.

I think Bamboozle's point to consider the taper length is particularly noteworthy. A long front taper will likely work against your need to load the rod at such short distances. I believe the SA Mastery Trout DT has an even shorter taper than the XPS DT.

And, yes, loading a rod satisfactorily at short distances does take some practice and possibly a modification of our casting style. Finding the right rod/line combination just helps us get there sooner.

[Bamboozle]

Bugsy:

You are right about the SA Mastery Trout versus the SA Mastery XPS. You taught me something. Thanks!

On the DT2F Trout the front taper is 1" shorter. I may try a Trout on my problem 4 weight although on the DT4F the difference is only .5". If that doesn't feel right I'm going to try a GPX. My basement is starting to look like a fly shop with all the fly lines I have.

I know in my case just a subtle difference of a shorter front taper really made my particular rod feel way different.

[Bill in VA]

Guy's,

Your saying that the difference of roughly one foot in front taper will make/break loading of the rod (moderate-fast taper) for short casting distances?

Is that the same as saying that you get to the larger diameter/heavier belly of the line quicker?

[Bugsy]

Guy's,

Your saying that the difference of roughly one foot in front taper will make/break loading of the rod (moderate-fast taper) for short casting distances?

I think the message is that the shorter taper will indeed help. One current line I enjoy has a 10' taper. It's a great line, but it wouldn't work as well for me in tight quarters as a shorter taper. With that short of a cast, I'd only be casting taper and not loading the rod enough unless I increased one or two line weights.

Is that the same as saying that you get to the larger diameter/heavier belly of the line quicker?

In essence, yes. But with a faster rod, you may have to work harder to find your answer, which may include a "heavier" line with a shorter front taper (such as a GPX or other).

[Bill in VA]

I tried a 3wt rocket taper today, but didn't see much difference - which I guess would be expected.

I have a generic WF-5-F line, made by Bass Pro that I picked up a long time ago. Have no idea what the length of the various tapers are on this line. Probably could give that a shot to see what it will do.

[Bill in VA]

I tried my $10 Bass Pro WF-5-F line. The rod loaded up beautifully. I was just casting in the grass, won?t be until next weekend when I could try it on the water.

Next time I am at Bass Pro, I?ll pick up a WF-4-F line to see what that will do.

In any event, I think the rod is a whole lot more usable now. I can get good loops on a short amount of line. Should be able to aim through the overhead cover and get the flies into mid part of the pond/lake.