Frustrating time casting my new rod

[caberguy]

Got out with my new Redington CPX 9'6" 8wt today. It was a frustrating experience.

I know it's a fast rod, but I just couldn't carry enough line in the air to get it to load properly with WF8F and an unweighted streamer (by which I mean couldn't ever feel it load). Once I put a bead-head streamer and some split shot I could at least feel it load, but still couldn't get much consistent distance... a lot of times the line would just collapse out in front of me. Was trying to focus firm stops on my front and back casts, and trying to add hauls once in a while... but ugh. I will be ordering WF9F shortly to overline the sucker.

It was also pretty windy when I got on the water, that didn't help.

I'm still a novice, but I felt like at the end of last season my casting was coming along nicely, but that was primarily with my Loomis GL2 7'6" 4wt. Obviously these are very different animals though... I was surprised at how heavy the CPX felt today.

 

[shimloom]

Sorry to hear how frustrating your day was. I have a G.Loomis Cross Currant 9'9" 8wt and use SA streamer Express. I think it's 400 or 350 grain line. Casts my 8wt very well.

Craig

 

[axle27]

I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But, a fast rod is not really the way to start. You might be loading it, but unaccustomed to feeling it. You can overline it, but that will slow it down. In turn, this means that you'd likely be better off with a slower action rod. Sometimes it take the right rod to fit how YOU cast...sometimes, it's finding out what the rod wants to come alive.

It's interesting that I read this because I just got back from throwing some line. I casted three different rods:

Orvis Western Series 8'9" 7wt with a BBS III and WF7F.
Hardy Demon 9'0" 7wt with a Allen & Co Trout and Airflo Bass/Musky taper WF7F
No-name 8'0" 5wt Bamboo with a Pflueger Medalist 1494 (I think) and WF5F

These rods are as different as night and day. The Western series casted fine, but the Demon is a cannon that is much faster. The Bamboo has millions of years between it and the others. I had to completely change how I casted this rod as it was much slower, weighed more and took less effort. I look forward to throwing dries with the 'boo in a few weeks.

Beyond this, if you casted a 4wt Loomis with some success, casting a fast 8wt may feel alot like trying to get a broomstick to load like the 4wt...it will, eventually, but it might be better to find one that mimics the 8wt.

Just my opinion.

 

[tpo]

I had a similar experience with an 8wt rod, this one a Reddington RS3. I couldn't cast an 8 wt line (the one it came with) well at all, it was frustrating and I blamed it on the rod. Overlining with a 9wt made a big difference for me. I have a Reddington CPX in 8.5' 4wt and it feels on the heavy side for a 4 wt. I haven't had it on the water yet, but casting my "practice line" in the backyard, a WF6 line, the CPX did a pretty good job throwing that heavy line. Its possible this rod just runs on the heavy side and needs to be overlined to get decent performance.

Tom

 

[pegboy1]

The streamer and split shot IMO will only make things worse. Just look over your shoulder at your back cast until you get the timing down. it shouldn't be that tough if you see whats going on behind you.

 

[MoscaPescador]

Got out with my new Redington CPX 9'6" 8wt today. It was a frustrating experience.

I know it's a fast rod, but I just couldn't carry enough line in the air to get it to load properly with WF8F and an unweighted streamer (by which I mean couldn't ever feel it load). Once I put a bead-head streamer and some split shot I could at least feel it load, but still couldn't get much consistent distance... a lot of times the line would just collapse out in front of me. Was trying to focus firm stops on my front and back casts, and trying to add hauls once in a while... but ugh. I will be ordering WF9F shortly to overline the sucker.

It was also pretty windy when I got on the water, that didn't help.

I'm still a novice, but I felt like at the end of last season my casting was coming along nicely, but that was primarily with my Loomis GL2 7'6" 4wt. Obviously these are very different animals though... I was surprised at how heavy the CPX felt today.

Here are two things that you can do.
1. Consider casting lessons. Knowing how to double haul is very important. A double haul increases line speed. More line speed means more load.
2. Overline the rod. Go to your local fly shop and try the rod with a WF9F or a WF10F.

Dennis

 

[caberguy]

I'm thinking I might take some lessons in the next couple of months.

I do know how to double haul (at least in principle), but I find getting the timing right difficult when I'm having trouble feeling the rod load.

The extra weight from the split shot and the weighted streamer didn't necessarily make my casting better, but it did help me feel the rod load.

 

[South Holston]

There is a HUGE difference between a 4 wt. and an 8 wt. .. give it another try.. relax.. and don't try to push it...overpower it...

 

[Jackster]

When you mentioned feeling the rod load with weighted sreamers and split shot, is it a short, sharp tug that you feel? The reason I ask is that that isn't really the rod loading, it's the weight reaching the end of its travel.
Some would say that feeling that, you're alresdy too late for going the other way. By the time you start the stroke in the other direction they say the line is already dropping thereby creating slack.
If it will be a while before you get help through a casting instructor a quick video here will help us greatly in helping you.
Enjoy the rod, it's fun and gratifying improving your cast.

 

[Vans]

I learned to cast on a fast rod as well and it took me a bit before i could regularly feel it load up. Just be patient and keep practicing and it will come together. Lessons will make a big difference in helping you get the mechanics of your cast right.

My rod was a Redington as well. A Red.fly2. An inexpensive rod but had good action and was quality for the price point.

Just keep at it.

 

[ditz]

A 4wt is a light rod and a 8wt is a heavy rod and the 8 will take more effort. They are different animals.

Many of todays rods are under rated IMO and need to be overlined to get any kind of 'feel'. Some even need 2 lines over depending on the caster. I never liked to 'need' to look over my shoulder to watch the line to make a cast. You can't watch the target when looking backwards and if you are sight fishing you might as well be sticking your thumb where it does not belong. I too, want to feel the rod load whether the rod is a 'fast' rod or a slow one. Feel is an absolute requirement IMO. Overline it and if you still can't feel it go up another weight but 2 weights is a lot and I doubt that it will be needed. Fly casting is an enjoyable activity in its own right. It is no fun to fight your equipment.

 

[dpreller]

common problem with many of todays " fast" rods. they are great lawn casters "man look how far i can cat this five weight with a five and a half line" yeah thats great but it sucks to fish with at normal ranges.alot of rods today need to be ovelined which means the arent what they say they are.

 

[plecain]

My '3 wt' (labelled) Redington CPX has an ERN of 4.9.

When I asked Redington about it they said this rod likes to be overlined by 1/2 to a full line weight.

 

[streamwalker]

My 8wt TFO cast very well with my 8wt line. Can cast 70 feet with a couple hauls. My 4wt is a different animal but still lined with 4t and can cast just fine.. Be sure your not trying to force your cast forward. Just try to feel the line and the road load. Also watch the rod load. I know forcing your forward cast and casting forward before the road loads it will cause the line to collapse. Also just forget about hauling for now and keep your finger on the string and just get a feel for the rod. Doing this helps me out a lot after casting my 8wt all day then grabbing my 4wt.

 

[silver creek]

If you are going up in line wt, you might also getting a more forward weighted fly line like a bass bug taper.

 

[rangerrich99]

I didn't read all the posts here, but here's my two cents just the same.

I had a Redington CPX 9 ft. 5 wt., which was a cannon. But in order to feel it load I ended up having to overline it with Rio Grand 6 wt. line, which at the time was really 6.5 wt. line (I believe the new Grand is now a full plus one wt). As I experiemented with this rod and various line wts over the three years I had this rod, I found that even as my casting abilities developed, the rod never was happy with 5 wt. line. I did find that 7.5 wt. was too much, and that 6.5 wt. was pretty close to ideal. I would imagine that you should at least try 9 wt. line on your 8 wt., and 9.5 might be better.

 

[pegboy1]

common problem with many of todays " fast" rods. they are great lawn casters "man look how far i can cat this five weight with a five and a half line" yeah thats great but it sucks to fish with at normal ranges.alot of rods today need to be ovelined which means the arent what they say they are.

This is purely an opinion based assumption. What may not feel like the true weight of a rod to some might feel perfectly lined with others. For instance I unconsciously double haul to some degree with every single cast I make consequently loading my rod much easier than those that don't. A faster rod (for me) is a more desirable rod in almost all fishing conditions whereas others think this feel is too stiff. Tossing all line ratings aside, one must experiment with different lines to get the "feel" they prefer with any specific rod. Also, the more practice put in allows one to adapt more quickly to many different feeling rods almost making it second nature. I say practice practice practice. A great lawn caster is almost always a great river caster.

 

[dpreller]

well you know more about rod design and casting than i or most people on here ever will but i do know when i see guys test cast rods at our shop the first thing they do is see how far they can throw it. then when i take them fishing and we do most of our fishing at 30 feet and under they wonder why there new high powered rocket launcher doest feel like the wonder rod they had outback. i may not know all the science and physics behind rod design but i do know what fishes best for ME on most of the water i fish and rods designed to be fished with a size over what they are rated for aint it.

 

[Pocono]

I have a 9'0" CPX 8 wt. (I also have a 9'0" CPS 8 wt.; the predecessor of the CPX). Both rods cast well for me with an 8 wt. line.

The CPX is fast; but not much faster than a lot of the fast action rods on the market. It's certainly not in a league by itself when it comes to fast 8 wts. By comparison, something like a GLoomis GLX Max or a Scott S4S is, in my opinion, definitely in a league by itself when it comes to fast action.

I'd say what several of the poster have already said; go back out there, relax and see if you can find the rhythm with that rod.

One way to help with that is to stand in a 45 degree angle. Assuming that you're a righty, that means with your right foot about 45 degrees back and behind your left foot. This position will allow you to pivot your body when you cast and to watch the line on both your forward and back casts.

While in this position, try some water hauls with the rod. Get your fly out there 30 or so feet in front of you, take up any slack, water haul the back cast (with our without a small haul), watch it and start your forward cast before the line completely turns over; don't wait to feel the tug that you describe; just watch the line and the fly. Let your forward cast go and see how you like it. Keep trying this one back cast / one forward cast sequence until you like the forward cast that you're getting and are getting as much feedback (feel) from the rod as you think you can. Once you've got this working for you, then you can add a few more false casts if you need them to get the distance that you want.

I agree with Jackster in that if you're using the feel of the weighted fly and split shot as an indication of the rod loading, then you're probably well behind the actual loading of the rod. Once you feel the tug that you're describing, the line has already reached its maximum distance in the backward direction and has started to snap back toward you; before you've started your forward cast. What that means is that you're going to have some slack line to take care of before you can actually start to get your forward cast to work for you. And that will often times cause your line to puddle on your forward cast. So, don't wait for the jerk feeling; start your forward cast ahead of if.

Also, if you're not using a sink tip or a full sink line, then try one; maybe 250-350 grains, it will help you a lot with the feel of the rod, plus it will get your fly down deeper and faster, which could mean more fish on the line for you.

I use an 8 wt. primarily in the salt for Stripers. I have used them with Steelhead, although I usually prefer a stiff 7 st. for that.

Have fun with it. Figuring out how to get the most out of your gear is definitely part of the challenge of fly fishing. And everyone's formula for success is a little different. You'll find it; and if your progress is still slower than you'd like, then, as others have said, you can always up-line the rod. And remember, frustration is only something that you experience when you've refused to look at it as a challenge.

Pocono

 

[double dry]

Great comments above. Overline it and work on tempo, acceleration to a stop, and see if you can find someone to watch you. Best of luck.