[hilltool]

Pretty dumb, I know, but last year I bought an older glass rod off ebay which I thought was a 5/6 wt. Turns out to be 7wt, but that is another story. At any rate- I went and bought a line and stuck it on a 5/6 reel- but now I can't remember if I bought a 5 wt or 6 wt line

Any way to tell?

thanks- (I can't be the first person to not remember what line is on a reel, canI?}

[FrankB2]

Weigh the first 30 feet of line on good digital scale, and then convert grams to grains. I don't have a line wieght grain chart handy, but they're easy to
find. I'll post the weights later if you need them. You have to use a REALLY
good digital scale, as the difference between line weights is in roughly 15 grain increments.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi hilltool,

You can measure the first 30' directly with a reloading scale. They weigh in grains. There is a Chart of AFTMA line weights in the FAQ Section.

Frank

[Fly2Fish]

Originally Posted by hilltool

I can't be the first person to not remember what line is on a reel, canI?

Yes, you are . . . just kidding. Umpqua also makes an analog line scale for weighing line, which I think comes with an index showing what the various weight lines should weigh. It's $20 at Cabalas - image below.

[hilltool]

Thanks to one and all for the replies- I was secretly hoping it was microscoptically printed back where it is attatched to the backing...but i did not really remeber ever seeing something like that. Actually-I think it is a 6 wt. line. The rod is an old st croix glass rod with the old line designations- and after contacting St croix they said they thought it was a 7 wt ( Line D {L 5 F}, HDH {DT 6 F} ). You can see why I guessed, maybe, it was a 5/6 wt. It is a two piece and the female ferrel needs to be glued back on- regular expoxy?

My other rod is an Imperial graphite 2 piece 4wt. So I was thinking I'd have a nice progression here, and I think I figured a 6wt would be a logical next step - though this is only 7'8". I'm just getting into all of this-learned to cast the 4wt ( 9 ft) enough to get a fly on the water- this one is a bit different. I'm going to get a 4 or 5 piece 6wt and then I'm figuring I'll have decent arsenal for the little trout streams here in Wisconsin as well as the big lake I live near. Thanks for the help- nice site.

Hilltool

[FrankB2]

I like Devcon 30 minute epoxy for jobs like that. Slather the inside of the ferrule with
epoxy, and then push it back onto the glass. Wipe the excess off with a
paper towel and rubbing alcohol. You might want to clean the surfaces
with some acetone/alcohol, and make gently scuff the inside
of the ferrule where it will be glued.

I used a 6wt for trout this winter, but it requires careful attention to
make a gentle presentation (no line slapping the water). That's something
you should always strive for, but a sloppy 6wt landing is going to hit harder
than a sloppy 5 wt landing. I'd look at one of the TFO Pro 4-pc rods as
a good value trout/river rod. Rods will cast one or even two line weights
heavier and lighter than the manufacturer's designation, and I'd bet the
TFO Pro 5wt will also cast a 4wt and 6wt line just fine.

[shorthaul]

Originally Posted by hilltool

It is a two piece and the female ferrel needs to be glued back on- regular expoxy?

generally you would use ferrule cement heat it up and melt the stick on and work the ferrule into position and adjust everything while the cement sets then wrap the ends of the ferrule---you can use epoxy, and it sets up, its not very adjustable or removable