afternoon all, I'm new to this and when reading these articles am still at the point where I have to seek clarification of a particular bit of terminology or jargon. So, I've a couple/few/some questions if you would be good enough to indulge me


I've seen references to over-lining - what does this actually mean

there are also references to cleaning the (fly) line - what does this entail, how often, what differences should it and/or does it make

now this is bit trickier, I understand about matching the weight of the line to the rod, (I've also seen some references to going up one line weight to maximise the performance of the rod but it looks as though thats a debate in itself). However, what I dont get is having a matching reel

surely (dont call me shirley) if the reel is simply the line storage and in order to cast (and subsequently fish) the line is first stripped off the reel, unless I'm missing something fundamental here in the majority of cases one size reel should fit all situations.

I understand about large/small reels and how smaller diameter reels can impart more line memory but thats not the issue

in summary, I think I've enough random questions to justifiy a post and would be grateful if someone could have a go at a response

thanks, Dave

Here goes, from a newbie,....
I understand that "overlining", is going heavier with the line rating than the rod rating,...using a 7 line on a 6-rated rod.
The weight of the reel plus line loaded on the rod length should balance the outfit at, or near to, the join of the rod handle and rod blank, hence the need for differently-sized reels.
Hope this helps.

Sensible questions.

Over-lining simply means using a line that's 'heavier' than the rod manufacturer's recommendation - for example using a 5wt line on a rod that has 4wt written just above the handle.

Two things here;
- firstly, the rod's rating is based on the fact (?) that the manufacturer has decided that it takes the weight of the first 30ft (approx) of the same rated fly line to flex the rod for casting. If you're, for example, a river fisherman who rarely casts 30ft or more then it makes sense to use a line that's a size or so heavier than the rod rating so that the rod flexes, and so casts well, with less than 30ft of line outside the rod tip.
- secondly, if you're new to fly casting there is an argument that a slightly heavier line will help you to begin to understand the 'feel' of a rod 'loading' and help you to develope your casting abiulity.

Line cleaning -
Lines pick up dirt from the water, the bank etc and it reduces the ability of the line to 'shoot' freely through the rod rings. Cleaning sorts the problem out. Simply strip the line into a bowl of tepid water that's had a DROP or two of detergent added. Swish it about a bit, dry it off with a soft cloth and there you go. If it's a floating line there are a range of line 'slicks' and re-plasticisers available that you can 'dress' the line with to maintain its suppleness.

Reels -
A 7wt floating line is much thicker than a 5wt floating line and Double Taper lines take up much more reel space than Weight Forward lines of the same 'weight'. As a consequence, and because you'll need at least 50m of backing in case you're fishing a stillwater and you hook the 'big one', you'll need a reel that will hold the line and a sufficient amount of backing. Not so much an issue if you're a river fisherman who targets only trout. Sea trout and salmon are a different matter.

There's much tosh written about the weight of the reel needing to 'balance' the rod ... in the majority of cases that's what it is ... tosh! Reels are often listed as 6/7 wt or 7/8wt etc. If you have a 7wt rod and need a lot of backing plump for the 7/8 wt reel.

Hope this helps.

__________________
[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

thanks Jeepster

over-lining makes sense

so with the reel, when people refer to the weight of the reel, its not relative to the AFTM weighting, its more about the physical or actual weight of the reel to counter balance the actual weight of the rod

in order to have a 'matching' outfit then, it is important to know the weight (i.e. in oz or gr) of the rod and line as well as the actual weight of the reel. I suppose this only applies if you want a matched rod/reel as I have also seen people preferring an imbalance towards either rod or reel end

Dave

thanks Lighthouse

you have also indirectly contributed to my knowledge of the fundamentals of casting which is the amount of line necessary to load the rod with sufficient energy in order for it to flex

I'll be talking the talk in no time

I think we are all ever learning on these matters. I just had a 7' 3/4wt built and it casts a lovely long line on a 4wt line, but that's no good to me on smaller rivers where I only need to short line, so I'm using 5 and 6wt double tapers to load the rod on a short line.

I'm not technical on these matters in any way but from my understanding every rod has an optimum weight of line outside the tip under which it will perform best, so to me it makes sense that if it takes, say 25ft of my 4wt line outside the rod tip to make the rod work, then it might take say only 15 feet of a 6wt d/t line (being heavier) to make the rod work. That's really useful to me to be able to roll cast a very short line effortlessly on a small river in tight spots.

So that's what over lining is then? lol

I was advised to try the rod/reel/backing/line setup in order to "check the balance" if possible.
Allegedly,..an imbalance could cause fatigue to set in sooner, which is the norm when using other "tools"
I was able to do this at Orvis, and my combo happened to balance exactly as I had been advised, so,....'Appy Days!
As I bow to the previous poster's greater knowledge, I offer this as it was offered to me,...in good faith.

ok I understand but if thats the case what is the downside to overlining because I can only see advantages (e.g. good to learn with, gets the rod working sooner, get the line out further with less effort etc)

are we back to the weight/balance paradigm that jeepster described so that you need a larger reel to hold the heavier line, which introduces an imbalance and causes fatigue sooner

aaarrrggghhh!

Interesting ... why there?
Should consideration be given to having the first 30ft of line off the reel when achieving this 'balance'?
As the reel moves in both vertical and horizontal planes during the casting stroke wouldn't it make more 'sense' to have your 'balance point' in the hand?
I use a Lamson Waterworks Purist (weighs 2.9ozs) on my Winston Biit, 8ft, 4wt (weighs 2.25ozs) ... should I tape some lead weight to it because it seems that all other 4/5 reels are heavier?
Do reel manufacturers really design reels to match rods or do rod manufacturers design rods to match reels?

I used to think that fishing was such a simple pleasure but you've added a complication that's really confused me!

__________________
[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

So much to learn..................you aint kidding. I've been at it 40 years and still learning...........you'll pick up a lot on here...........birdsnest

__________________
Fear not if I steal from your side, as of yore, from paradise streams to fish Teifi once more.
BN based in Wolverhampton