How to Convert the Old Line Weights to Modern AFTMA Line Weights;

[Ard]

If you find yourself in possession of a vintage rod and find that there are a series of letters on the butt section but no indication of what line is recommended have a look at the chart below.

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Before the AFTMA system became the standard rods and fly lines alike were labeled with a code. While the code may have been fun and mysterious I think we can agree that it's easier to say I have a 5 weight then saying, Mine is an HEH - HEG, what's yours?

 

[fire instructor]

I'm confused.... I have an old 40+ y/o Wonderrod that's listed as using C, D, HDH, HCH, and 8H lines.

According to your chart:

C = 7 level
D = 6 level
HDH = 6 DT
HCH = 7 DT
8H = un-listed....

So I'm thinking I should throw a 6 or 7 WF on it, and give it a shot....

 

[Ard]

Hi Rick,

The chart is just one I have had in my browser for a few years. Since this comes up time to time I thought it may serve as a general guideline to sort out line from old to new.

Ard

 

[HuronRiverDan]

Ard,
Thanks for posting the chart; I've had several people ask about line sizes on old rods...This saves me from looking it up..
Dan

 

[wjc]

Thanks Ard! Now I know what weight line I was throwing as a kid on my South Bend rod, and why the WF line seemed so heavy.

 

[Liphookedau]

Rick I think you'll find a #6WF will be Fine,a #5 Rio Grand might even be OK ??
The reason The Early Lines were heavy they became waterlogged.
I remember the HCH or 7 DT Lines very well,from the late 50s,early 60s until The Weight Fowards arrived on the scene as they were all you could buy.
I still have a new HCH Line on a Reel I kept as I was chasing a Hardy's Classic Top of The Range Rod which belonged to a Fishing Mate of my Fathers which I had hoped to purchase & one day use,however now I would probably use a modern DT or even a WF Line instead.
Brian.

 

[nickj]

Thanks, a useful chart. That said, some of the old lines/weights/rods are somewhat iffy. I have an old Orvis Madison, recommended weight is HGH but throws a 6 weight beautifully.

 

[overmywaders]

That chart, made by SA, may have been accurate years ago for the Scientific Angler lines, but little else.

You can't get from diameters to line weights; there are too many variables.

Think about it, the difference in weight between silk, Nylon, and PVC is tremendous. Then, the silk or Nylon braided line would have been "oil finished". Since different manufacturers used different oil/varnish/resin mixes, there is another weight variable. Tight braid or loose braid?

The taper itself is the greatest factor to consider. Silk, and later Nylon, lines might have up to twelve feet of level line at the tip. Then the front taper might have been four feet or fifteen feet. If it was a WF, the belly might have been six feet or thirty feet. Then you have the "holding line", the back taper, and the running line... all variables.

So, how can HCH translate into a weight? It can't.

"You can't get there from here."

 

[philip43]

I purchased an old South Bend steel rod a couple of years age. It is marked HDH, I will put a No. 6, weight forward line on it and try it out. It is marked as being 8'6", but about 4 inches must have been broken off the tip. Thanks for posting the chart.

 

[Ard]

That chart, made by SA, may have been accurate years ago for the Scientific Angler lines, but little else.

You can't get from diameters to line weights; there are too many variables.

Think about it, the difference in weight between silk, Nylon, and PVC is tremendous. Then, the silk or Nylon braided line would have been "oil finished". Since different manufacturers used different oil/varnish/resin mixes, there is another weight variable. Tight braid or loose braid?

The taper itself is the greatest factor to consider. Silk, and later Nylon, lines might have up to twelve feet of level line at the tip. Then the front taper might have been four feet or fifteen feet. If it was a WF, the belly might have been six feet or thirty feet. Then you have the "holding line", the back taper, and the running line... all variables.

So, how can HCH translate into a weight? It can't.

"You can't get there from here."

Here's another conversion table compliments of the Orvis Company. They have a long history bamboo rod manufacturing as well as being one of the first to introduce graphite rods on a large scale to the modern market. Although the calculations may have faults I'm afraid they are what we have.

Silk Fly Line Conversion Chart via Orvis