Some years back I bought a Fenwick 5’-3" glass rod (model FF535) rated for a WF-5 line with a nice small Orvis CFO-II reel. It’s a neat looking little rig.
I have used it very little because I find it quite uncomfortable to cast with. I never get the feeling that I am loading the rod at all. It will easily lay out 30 to 40 feet of line but there is no fun at all.
What am I doing wrong?
I don’t know what you’re doing wrong. If you’re used to casting carbon rods glass takes an adjustment in timing, slow down, don’t force it, just go with it. When I pick up a rod that is new to me I take a few false casts. I try to feel if the rod wants more or less power and adjust my stroke accordingly. Don’t expect your glass rod to be a powerhouse. In my experience glass Fenwicks are pretty true to their marked line weight.
Ray- such a short rod doesn’t usually give you the feedback that a longer rod does. It works, but there isn’t a lot of rod to feel flexing. BTW- are you sure that it’s best with a 5wt. line? Have you tried, say, a 6 wt. on it just for giggles? Might be better.
Chuck
That would be my suggestion. Line up one size and see what happens. Also, open your stroke. Take longer to start your reverse cast and animate your movements. Then try a double haul, and reduce that double haul until you get a feel for the rod.
Just my 2 pennies.
He’s right, rods that short are different and take some getting used to.
I have 5’0 & 5’6" glass rods and they take are WAY different in feel than the rods I have at 6’0" & 6’6". Even though the actions are described as slow, these rods feel fast to me when I’m casting the short distances I bought them for. A shorter leader helps as does a line that doesn’t have a fancy taper. Other than that, it just seems to be the way it is. I really doubt a 6wt line will help matters and IMHO that particular Fenwick which I have cast, will overload badly if lined up.
I wouldn’t line up on it either.
I have a 5 1/2’ 3wt Wildwater rod lined with a dt3wt that has the same feel that you described. I find that if I cast a little more unorthodox in my style I can throw almost the entire length of line for a short time at least.
Whatever you do don’t give up on that rod! I love using the shorter rod on our local spring creek and on a few of my outings on narrow tree lined creeks would have been sol without it.
I like my two 6’6" rods but I have a 4’9" glass rod that I never use
I’ve tried lines in both WF and DT on it from 3wt to 6wt. Didn’t make any difference
Too short, no fun
Years ago got a couple of fiberglass rods, 5’2" & a 5’6" with a CFO II & a WF-2, 3 & 4 all floaters on spare spools. The longer rod still gets bluegill & crappie duty with the #4 for distance & #3 for short casts. When there’s no wind the #2 will fish at about 30’; but not on the shorter rod which is better with the #3 & will fish 30’ + with the #4. Building another 5’ + prinarily for the #2 weight; but it’ll cast the 3 & 4 anyway. Now the creeks & streams I originally got the rods for weren’t 30’ wide, mostly 2’ to 25’ wide. Since most casts were less than 20’ it took some George Harvey shortened leader formulas to get the most out of the rod since 14’ of flyline + 7’ or less of leader was usually the most that ever was on the water; unless it was on the river for smallies & bluegills. Going up a size will cause the rod to flex more & that will result in a slower, more open loop casting movement to achieve proper distance. The #4 topped out at about 50’, which was just more work than needed to enjoy the rod. A #5 wasn’t worth the effort, even if it did cast the same distance. Even if the old addage that just about every rod could be cast with a line weight larger or smaller than rated for, or even 2 flyline weights higher & lower; fiberglass just gets too noodley when overlined or unresponsive when underlined too much.