grassonfly
Well-known member
i am having a ton of trouble adjusting from my 6 weight fiberglass to my new 9 weight bvk i just cant seem to cast it very well any help?
fast action rod
- Thread starter grassonfly
- Start date
jpbfly
Super Moderator
Not surprising...being used to cast a fiberglass 6 wt...rush your 9 wt
and you'll soon get used too itso don't worry...
and you'll soon get used too itso don't worry...
silver creek
Well-known member
Is the problem an open loop?
Can you describe the problem you are having? Can you be more specific?
Can you describe the problem you are having? Can you be more specific?
grassonfly
Well-known member
the problem is that im not using it to its potential i cast further and more accuratly with the afformentioned fiberglass i know the bvk is a rocke i can feel it in it but i can never use that potential i geuss open loops are my problem
swirlchaser
Well-known member
Your going from one extreme to another and it will take some adjusting. I can't see your cast so I'll give you some broad advise that should help. If you've been fishing a glass rod I can almost guarantee that your going way too far into your backcast. Shorten you stroke drastically and start from there. Make your stops a little more abrupt. I would bet that your waiting too long on your backcast and missing the sweet spot.
grassonfly
Well-known member
i am using a 9 weight cortland bonefish line
caseywise
Well-known member
try shortening your back cast and speed up the cadence of your casting. give it some time and soon you will be master of both worlds!!
casey
!!casey
Well, it ain't the line!
mikel
Well-known member
Jackster...any chance going up a wt in that line would help him feel the rod load? It might slow the BVK down a little and feel more familiar to grassonfly..?? -Mike
That would help him feel the rod load depending on how he casts now. Without enough line speed, a relatively tight loop and a crisp stop he might never feel the rod load.
Now if he has his cast down good (and that I can't say) maybe he just needs to let the rod do it's job just as his smaller rod does. I've seen where people pick up a rod with a line weight way heavier than they're used to and then create all sorts of errors by thinking they really have to horse it to make it work.
sweetandsalt
Well-known member
You bought a good rod but, clearly, very different from what you are used to. Rather than go fishing with it, take it to a grassy park and invite a friend who's casting skills you respect to accompany you (if available, invite him to criticize your casting). Stand sideways to your cast and watch your back cast/fore cast combination in the air, like watching a tennis volly. How symetrical are your loops and timing, are you introducing slack into the cast at any point?
Understand that with your relativly slower and heavier glass rod you feel the mass of the rod during casting but with high modulus, light and fast graphite rods like BVK, you must adjust (and this is a good thing!) to feeling the action of the line rather than the flex of the rod.
Understand that with your relativly slower and heavier glass rod you feel the mass of the rod during casting but with high modulus, light and fast graphite rods like BVK, you must adjust (and this is a good thing!) to feeling the action of the line rather than the flex of the rod.
silver creek
Well-known member
It will but it is not that simple.
There is a misconception that adding line weight changes the rod action, e.g., makes a fast action rod into a mid action rod. Action is the flex pattern of the rod. It is how the fly rod responds to a load. Whether the rod is casting a 9 wt line 50 feet or a 10 wt line 35 feet, it is still a fast action fly rod.
What an added load, whether by a higher line weight or a longer cast does is to change the timing of the cast. So whether adding line weight will help the cast is whether his timing is too slow OR whether the his casting motion does not compensate correctly for the flex pattern of the rod.
As a rod flexes the rod tip comes closer to the rod hand and the effective rod length shortens. The casting stroke must compensate for this shortening of the effective rod length. A faster rod shortens less and requires less compensation. Using the same casting motion for a slow rod with a fast rod generally opens the loop.
So I think the problem is one of both timing and casting stroke. Plus he is going up from a 6 wt to a 9 weight and that will tend to slow down the casting motion because of the change in the fly rod's swing weight. I think he is both under powering the fly rod and the stroke path is off.
Going to a higher line wt. will add load and improve the timing. But this will also increases the casting effort. If there is a problem with an underpowered cast, it may worsen this problem.
There is no free lunch.
swirlchaser
Well-known member
[... I've seen where people pick up a rod with a line weight way heavier than they're used to and then create all sorts of errors by thinking they really have to horse it to make it work.[/QUOTE]
Jackster said what I couldn't get out...
Jackster said what I couldn't get out...
grassonfly
Well-known member
yeah i have no idea whats wrong but its just harder to cast that rod im not a weak guy at all but it feels so huge comepared to my 6 weight today i stopped very abruptly and was forcefull i tightened up my loops a great deal but started tailing a bit and was able to go to about 60 feet with a double haul but i cant get it past that i geuss thats just practice also how much wrist should i use
swirlchaser
Well-known member
Stop right there. I have a 9wt TiCrX and a 10wt TiCr. I use them 3-4 times a week every spring and fall. I can tell you one thing for sure. They do not like to be muscled. Forget about the distance, concentrate on your timing, watch your line. That rod will do ALL the work if you let it.
grassonfly
Well-known member
i generaly begin my cast when the line has completely finished unraveling should i begin it sooner? ive heard that putting for muscle into the cast increases line speed and how do you like the ticrx
swirlchaser
Well-known member
When you get it right that rod will produce all the line speed you need. Just take your time and work with the entire head of the line outside the tip.
The X is a nice rod but the TiCr fits me the best. I could cast the thing all day, not catch a single fish and still go home smiling.
grassonfly
Well-known member
i casted the x and hated it i love the axiom but in the end the bvk won my heart too smooth to pass up
swirlchaser
Well-known member
What are you doing next weekend? Drive down and fish the fall classic in Island Beach state park. We'll get you launching that BVK. You can crash at my place I live 40 minutes from the park.