Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing Line weight advice please

So my father in law passed along to me a mid to late 80s orvis battenkill 7/8 reel and an orvis 7 weight allrounder model rod. This rod is 8'3" in length. 2 piece. Has a soft or slow action and flexes all the way to the grip. So question is because it's a 20 year old rod and technology 7 weight do you believe it is still a 7 weight line class by today's standards when I buy new line? Probably going to be a bass rig. Sweet rod and reel imo. Thanks

I would say that if you use a true to weight line, like a S.A. Trout, you could use a 7 weight line on that rod with good success. I see you are in Florida and that means Largemouth Bass and that means big flies. You may have trouble with those flies on a slow action 7wt rod.

If it was mine I would try it with a 6wt line, but I have lots of different lines to try without purchasing.

If there’s a fly shop near you I would think they would let you try a couple different lines before purchase.

If no fly shop I would start with a 7 weight line and go from there, but I would try a line that had a mild taper. For instance a Scientific Anglers Amplitude Trout has a longer weighted portion than the Amplitude MPX. You might hear something like the Amplitude MPX has a shorter ‘head’ than the Amplitude Trout. The Amplitude Infinity has a head between those two.

And I only looked at the one website. Rio or whoever will have similar charts for their lines. They all work, and if you fish them enough you’ll develop preferences that probably don’t have anything to do with the weight.

I would also order from somewhere that will accept returns! Then if it doesn’t work out you can send it back.

Yes. Find a shop or a buddy that will let one try a line or two. They are getting expensive enough now, that purchasing simply for research can get a bit spendy. Probably a weight forward for bigger bugs and bucking the wind.

If ones line is a bit heavy, he can start chopping off at the tip. Tough to put material on though if it's a little light.

I would probably go with 6wtf to start and see how that works

The mid-80's were, tragically, not that long ago! I'd go with a line that hasn't changed it's profile much if any like a Cortland 444. Those lines were around then and will work swimmingly on that rod.

https://www.cortlandline.com/collections/freshwater-fly-line/products/444-sl

I went into the “fancy” fly shop to the south of here to get my circa 2002 Ross Evolution (the Ross before the buyouts) re-lined and the young man doing the work looked like he’d never seen anything so old! Hell, sealed drag, all scratched up from rocks and drops over the years, made in the US.

No thanks young man, I’m not here for a new reel. This one is a good one!

Yep, My 6 weight has a Lamson from 1988 on it. Still a damn fine reel and all those nicks and gouges are stories.

I had the same rod and liked it a lot. For bass fishing and shorter casts I would go up not down in line weight. A short bass bug 8 wt. might work well for poppers and heavier bugs. For FW trout I would go 7 wt. and maybe even a double taper. But as others have said try several if you can. People have different styles and preferences. A soft rod can be more forgiving and it telegraphs the feel to the handle better than a fast rod. I enjoy getting out the old fiberglass rods sometimes for the same reasons.

If you like fast rods you may want to go down to even a 5 wt. for a test, I bet you can throw the entire line with a five wt.

Rio makes a bass specific WF floating line for like 40 bucks. Get the 7wt and rock on.

That line, like most Rio lines (Gold for example) is a weight heavy. On a slow rod with big bass bugs I think the weight will work against you. I would suggest a 6wt in that line. Trying to keep a lot of line in the air with a slow rod and big bugs is much tougher with the slightest breeze. The Rio Bass has a short head and that makes a big difference.

Yeah, I doubt a company like Rio has any idea how to make a fly line for throwing big bass bugs on a 7wt. You could probably teach them a thing or two.

Maybe they are looking for some advice on a custom stock too. Did you ever make Splattermatic right with that stock he sent you?

Obviously you are clueless about head length, line weight, fast versus slow rods, and big bugs. And please show me where I suggested anything negative about Rio lines there. What I did was to clearly describe why A Rio line a weight lighter would work better on a slow rod. Those are facts.

And you have to add a topic you are also clueless about. If you actually know something why not stick to those topics...

Bwahaahaa! Feel free to expound upon your thesis that underlining a rod is beneficial.

Ever.

Also, feel free to clue us all in to your dealings with Splattermatic. As it seems he has called you a crook, and you have never supplied a satifactory response to the contrary...

Last chance for you, moron.

Please explain how overlining a slow, soft rod with long belly is going to help throwing big bugs. The Rio line suggested is one line weight heavy to help newer casters with fast rods. Fiberglass rods throwing big bugs not only do not benefit, but open loops. I suggested using the proper weight line for the soft rod to start.

Underlining is clearly useful in many, many situations. Using fiberglass for example, it produces tighter loops and for someone that actually knows what they are doing presentations can be more delicate and accuracy improved. Doubt you understand...

Stick to things you could possibly understand.

Do you believe that underlining a fiberglass rod will increase line speed? Or make for more accurate casts? Lol

As you obviously incredibly knowledgeable about such things, of course you would realize that to be wrong.

Line weight is a calculation of weight in grains that the first 30 feet of fly line weighs. When the line is a bit overweighted, it requires less of it out the tip of the rod to properly load said rod. If underlined, it will require more that the average 30 ft out the tip to load it.

That is all, the action of the rod will remain the same no matter the line being cast, as will line speed. The only thing that changes is how much line you have to have in the air to load the rod.

So, a line that is a bit heavier that standard will excel in throwing larger, wind resistant bugs. Also will make shorter casts much easier to control.

Conversely underlining a rod will require more line to be in the air just to make the rod work. Tell us how having more line in the air makes for better presentations and tighter loops...

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Bummer, I was really looking forward to more of your made up BS.

Just a couple more explanations, a bit more condescension, and I surely would have understood that keeping Splattermatic's stock was the right thing to do.

If it was me, do a search on Common Cents System pertaining to fly rod power. It's a simple deflection test using $0.01 pieces. Secure the butt of the rod, attach a sandwich bag using a paperclip to the tip, add pennies till the tip deflects 1/3 of its length, count the pennies, read the chart, done. I've checked all my fly rods and it checks out.

The issue is there is no standardized way to measure the fly line match of a fly rod. The standard was 30 ft of AFTMA line weight and rod deflection. With the improvements in graphite, most/all current day rods are way stiffer than yesteryear rods. Fly line mfr have followed suit which is why you see fly lines marketed at x times heavier than standard for X wt fly line. They are heavier because the rods have gotten stiffer. A fly rod throws the line therefore you need a certain amount and weight of line to enable the rod to throw the line. Plus people want to be able to cast 75 feet. False casting with a ton of line requires more rod power, hence a stiffer rod. Matching the line to the rod is fairly key. Experimenting with line works but at $100 a pop, I'd try to focus a bit closer to what the rod can handle.

Pay attention to this. It follows what I just posted.

As to the rest of the thread, I'll pass. Casting less than 40 feet is no big feat with about anything including a broom stick with fly line. Chuck a big fly 50-75 feet, I'd match line weight at distances cast to my rod. I'm not a fan of way under or overlining a fly rod.

I think I can pretty well tell what a fly rod will do without a scale. Have been seriously into fly-fishing most of my life and was a guide for a long time. I have also taught quite a few very good casters how to cast.

Start with a 7 wt if you find a place to try some lines.

Unless you are making long casts, at short & short-intermediate distances, being a tad overlined is not always a bad thing.

MM

So, If I don't have 30' of line out of the rod tip, then my rod is not going to load properly? I have a massive problem then as I use a 2wt line on a 2wt fiberglass rod, fishing pocket water at a grand total of 15' of distance from the fish. Doing the math, that means about 4' of line outside the rod tip. Yet it works a treat. The same rod/line combination works well fishing for bluegill at 30'. More math tells me there's less than 20' of line outside the tip. And yet I get nice happy loops with both dries and wets. Worse yet, the rod feels nicely loaded!!

Please tell me what am I doing wrong? I mean, your scales tell me I'm from significantly to impossibly underlined in these scenarios. Should I burn incense and leave an offering to Lefty, hoping that he will provide me with inspiration from the afterlife? My casting must be ultra fubared, if I can cast such an underlined rod. Too much slow, not enough fast? The inverse? Too wristy? Not sliding the hand on the shelf? I mean, what am I doing wrong?? Cuz I must be doing something wrong, if the load I have is so minimal, and yet it still works.

Awaiting your response eagerly,
Scott

probably limp wristing it and dropping your tip Maybe try a shooting head on it for more control.

Love my 2 wt Scott fiber touch rod. Ive even underweighted my fiberglass rods.

Is Rio finally making a decent line? I dropped rio lines about 10 years ago.

In a perfect World...

RIO makes some great lines. I got jacked up on the fast rod hype and really like the RIO half weight heavier lines for Bass and Coastal fishing. Using big bugs for bass and on the Gulf a ten mile and hour wind is a good day. The heavier weight lines slow down the faster rods so they suite me better.

The heavy for weight lines work well for new, fast rods.............doesn't work so well for older, slower, softer rods.

JMHO, YMMV

MM

That sums it up!😄

I always start with the same line weight as the rod suggests. Then I go from there. I have a 8wt G-Loomis Crosscurrent that is ok with several 8 wt lines I tried but is a great performer with a 9 wt line. My other rods all do great with the suggested line weight. For some reason I fought lining up on that rod but glad I did.