Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing Anyone here run 4-weight line on a 5-weight rod?

I'm a newby to fly fishing. Have a 5-wt rod and found some heavily-discounted line...but it's 4 weight. Anybody running that combination?
Thanks,
Bob

That all depends on the quality of the rod and the line. A flyrod loads in resistance to the weight of the line, where a spinning rod loads to the weight of the lure. These are 2 very different criteria, therefore the rod and line need to be matched.

If you have a medium to soft action 5 weight rod, you may be able to load it with a WF 4 weight line, but you won't know without trying it. Most cheaper rods show that 2 line weights can function on the same rod, but the better rods are line specific.

If you are just starting out you may never know the difference, but you can also waste a lot of time learning how to do it wrong. If you just want to go cheap, give it a shot, you may find out you don't even like flyfishing and saved yourself some money.

You nailed it there! I'm just starting out and don't know if I'll have the patience to learn flyfishing, but I want to give myself a chance with some good components without sinking a lot of cash into it. My rod is described as a moderate-fast action, and as you say, I wouldn't know the difference, but I think I'm talking myself into sticking with the right line for the rod.

Over-lining and under-lining are frequently done to achieve different effects. Over-lining (ie a 6 on your 5wt rod) is frequently done to help the rod load more easily... and in fact many lines are heavier than their rating just to make them easier to cast by making timing less critical.

It is common enough the line you are looking at may be a true 5wt. Every manufacturer has at least one overweight line model. Rio Gold is an example. And it usually is the cheaper lines that are overweight.

The slower the rod, the less over-lining is likely to help.

Under-lining as you are proposing is going to make the rod harder to load requiring greater timing precision (read skill) to achieve maximum distance. It is usually done intentionally in situations where the casts will be shorter and delicate presentation a must.

Just as overweight lines tend to be the cheaper models in a brand, cheaper rods tend to be slower than claimed, thus making under-lining a reasonable idea.

What are the brands and models of rod and line you are looking at?

I have the rod already. It's a St Croix Reign 5-weight, 8'6", 4-piece. The line I was considering was Cortland Precision Weight Forward Floating Dyna-tip 4 weight line, on clearance for $24.95.

I appreciate your opinion.

The good news is the rod is slower than most, therefore easier to cast (a good choice). And that should make the fishing more enjoyable. The bad news is the line is generally dead on for weight so you will not get any line overweighting advantage.

The biggest problem with that particular line is memory, but in your warmer weather that should be a non-issue.
art

I've got a couple rods that seem to cast fairly well when underlined. One of them a TFO 4 weight - The number on the rod usually refers to a Double taper line-but I've tried it with a weight forward 4 and it's fine - until the wind picks up. It's much better with WF5. Overlining tends seems to be more useful- same 4wt rod w/ WF6 does a passable job lobbing streamers. Good luck. mountainjam

Once, I accidently underlined a 6wt with 4wt line and it cast like a cannon. It was a slow rod, however. Tight loops and all, I looked like a pro! I don't recommend it, nor do I recommend overlining, which slows a rod down a lot.

Your experience may vary, but it's worth a try since you have the line already.

As for line, I buy cheap line anyway. I've got so many reels, my individual lines don't get a whole lot of use. I bought a SA "bass" line at Academny Sports for $25 that's as good as any line I've owned.

Hard to add to what's been offered. I've never had a rod that liked being underlined, but I fish mostly bamboo and silk so that may have an influence. I have had several that came to life by going one size above what they were rated. A St. Croix Imperial comes to mind. Was a dog with the rated #5 WFF and a joy with a #6 WFF. I don't recall that I ever tried a DT on it.

I don't recommend underlining. You will have to run out more line to properly load the rod. More line out is not good for learning how to cast.
I use a 5wt line in a 4wt rod for small streams. The rod loads properly with less line out. Good for accurate short casts.
Changing line weight does not effect a rods action at all. It just changes how much line you need out to load it.

+1...I don't own that particular line but there are plenty of inexpensive lines that work just fine. Heck, an SA air cel was the flag-ship line not all that long ago. I don't remember struggling to catch fish with it back then . Keep lines clean and lubed and they'll work just fine.

If its that cheap try it. Timing may be a bit more critical and it will certainly not cast a great distance but it will likely work just fine for shorter casts. The old R.L. Winston 456 Traditional rod I built is slow and works best with a 5 wt but I will use a 4 wt when I am fishing small (brookies, panfish) and closer and the 5 or 6 wt when dealing with larger flies or wind.