:?: I was casting a friends sage 9ft xi2 rod in 10wt, and it seemed like I could not get any distance with it. Is it because I am used to casting med fast rods, or is a 10wt harder to cast? Seems like I could not get the rod to load. The line was an intermediate line but it felt like I was trying to cast a broom stick. Was my casting stroke to slow?
To be honest, fast rods are not as forgiving as slower rods.
You really need to work on stopping the rod on both the forward and backcast. The heavier the rod, (difference between 6, 8 and 10 wt) the harder it is to stop the rod. A longer rod is also harder to stop than a shorter one - such as a 10 ft. compared to a 9 ft.
An object in motion stays in motion, so the tip of the rod wants to keep moving unless you stop it. If you don’t stop it it will continue to move the line and not necessarily in a forward motion.
The worst fishing experience I’ve has was with a 12 weight rod from a boat with a full sink line. Just chuck and duck…hard work, if I hadn’t known how to cast I could not have even done that. :oops:
LF, Yes I was tring to stop the rod on the foward and the backcast, and I did notice that it was harder to stop the 10wt. The heaviest rod I have is and 8wt, in a med-fast action. I can cast that rod pretty well. I guess I would need to stop the fast rod a little more abruptly.
LF is correct. Fly Casing in my view is all timing. If you don’t have the timing for the rod being used you are in troulbe from the start. Kinda like dancing some can do it well and some do it just OK and some can’t do it at all. But the good thing is we all can learn if we pratice and get some pointer’s from a good caster. May not ever be as good as they are but you can get the job done.
I was able to cast a 14 wgt some time back. Won’t give the name of the person that bought it for a trip. But less just say he couldn’t cast it at all. I tried to show him but I don’t ever think he got it. Not an easy rod to cast at all. I think I could do it from casting those 40 foot shooting head’s years ago LOL. 
Ron
It’s about transferring energy and line speed.
It takes time to get used to casting an upper weight rod. Once a friend of mine, who is an OK caster and is used to casting 6 weight and lighter rods, and I were test casting a 9 weight at an outdoor show. For the life of him he just couldn’t get 'er to load. His casting stroke had memory to the lighter line rods, and he couldn’t make the adjustment (at least, not at that moment). He also can’t double haul, and he has a very easy, non-agressive stroke.
I believe you’ll find a lot of the techniques and skills (i.e. double hauls) that you use in casting long distances with lighter line rods will help you transition to faster, heavier weight rods. It seems the folks that I know that are better for casting distance than the average fly fisherman can typicaly handle casting the heavier weight rods better than can the average fly fisherman.
Just for grins you might want to visit a shop and cast a 10 weight rod that might be not as fast as your friend’s rod, and see how that casts for you. It will help you decide if it’s the rod or, not being disrespectful, you.
richarde, Yes I Think my memory in my stroke is from casting lighter lines. I use a 4wt, and a 5wt the most for trout fishing. I can double haul, I think It was what Ron said.; My timing was not right for the rod.
I think that one of the secrets of casting Fast Rodsis; You must load the rod early from the stop position both behind and in front.
Getting the rod to flex early will allow you to transmit energy to the line. Naturally if your timing is off and you dont pause long enough for the line to straighten in the air. Spaghetti! Have fun and persevere you will get it right. Jax
You may now understand why we teach the DH with an actual broom I have that has a reel seat, guides and tip-top. It does not ‘load’ easily… if you don’t DH… mostly, it don’t work very well… 
After the broom… 10wt’s are easy!
For some, casting a fast action 10 or 12 weight IS like casting a broom. <grin>
Whether it’s a 3, 5, or 12 weight, the primary differences in the casting stroke between, say, a moderate rod and a fast action rod is typically the length of the stroke. To flex the bigger line rods (or a broom), ya gotta get some energy to the stick.
The stops will form the loops in the line. The quicker or firmer the stop (not necessarily harder or abrupt), generally the narrower the loop, and the more efficient the transfer of energy from the rod to the line. Getting crummy loops? Look at your stops.
However, if the line isn’t getting out or the line isn’t casting, that typically means there isn’t any energy transfer between the rod and the line, and vice versa. So while the stops are one of the most important ayet extremely overlooked part of fly casting, if the line ain’t movin’, there won’t be any energy to transfer to the line. The stops won’t matter if there isn’t any line following behind the stop.
Jeez this stuff is great! A never ending journey . . .
i built a nine weight rod a few years ago intending to use it for surf casting in Lake Michigan. Since then it has mostly been used for Salmon in streams where I only have to flip a short bit of line because that’s all I can cast with it. One reason I hope to make it to the Michigan fish-in is that I will bring it along and hope someone can show me how to use it. I will have to try casting it again in the yard with an emphasis on stopping the heavier rod
Be my pleasure, bring the line too, OK?
Wll do… if vacation is approved. I’ve put in for it but haven’t heard anything back yet. thanks J.C.
I’ve had that rod for 2 seasons now. It replaced a Sage XP which was actually a faster rod than the Xi2. Reading your post I almost get the the feeling you’re a bit intimidated by the rod b/c you think it’s so fast. Slow down a bit and let the rod do the work. What line do you have on it?
sperzonkers2,
“Was my casting stroke to slow?”…Quite likely. That xi2 is one rocket of a rod. I hope you had a 10 wt line on her? The rod will load very well provided you give it the necessary means to do so…i.e. a real STOP in both directions!
Then the line slides off that tip in a wondrous manner. Sage knows how to design rods.
I’m more used to casting med fast rods to the softer rods like bamboo’s for trouting (4wts) but for muskies and larger pike those faster rods like the IMX’s and that xi2 are built for the job. But…you need to be able to handle them as they need.
Get snappier stops. You’ll be amazed.
Jeremy.
Stick with it. You will learn to make the rod your daddy. I have a 9 wt Xi2 and it took me a good dozen casting sessions to learn it. I even used an 11 wt line for a while to help me load it.
Now is use the rated line and chuck it pretty darn good. It is my go to rod.
In UK these weights are thrown on 12 - 15ft double handed rods with no trouble. Perhaps long rods do have their place !