Well John, you gave me a tough question to answer accurately. I'd have to say the Yamame is getting loaded from the line much more than the Hera as it is a much lighter and less powerful rod than the Hera. Just how much the Hera relies on the line to cast the fly is open to question. I'm using the same level tenkara line on both and the Hera rod could probably use a heavier fly line to improve it's casting. The Yamame is a much higher quality rod than the Hera but both are useful fly fishing tools. The fish don't care one way or the other, as long as I show them a good fly they bite!