Thanks for explaining the use of 4wt on a 5wt. Each time you posted you stated that is how you fished the 5wt and it got the best of me and I just had to know the reason for it. I have used fast rods for several years and like them, but, lately, I have started to overline my fast rods by one weight. For some reason I cannot "feel" the rod loading when rigged with the recommended line and I get the feeling I am "standing in the river waving a big stick" and do not know what my fly line is doing during the casting stroke and when I overline the rod one weight, I can "feel" the line as I pull it off the water and "feel" the line as I come forward with the cast. I feel I have more control of my cast by doing this. I will admit that there are a few times my casting is not what I wanted and that was because I was making the cast too quickly and all I needed to do was slow down the stroke and everything would work out great. It is difficult to explain, but, when I overline the rod by one weight, the line, the fly rod and my arm feel like they are working together and more smoothly. I guess I just need to feel the rod do it's thing throughout the entire casting stroke and my casting is more controlled and less effort, at least for me.
Thanks
Warren
Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.