My current rod is a Shakespeare Odyssey, Telescopic, Wt. 6-7, tip flex, 9', which has served me really well as a starter / travelling rod. I am now going to upgrade to an Orvis Clearwater II, 9', Tip Flex, Wt. 6.

Will I have any problems using my current Wt. 7 lines?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

At the risk of sounding cheeky whats the point of buying a 6# rod if you want to use a 7# line? Buy a 7# rod instead.
To answer your question though, aye you will probably get away with it but your new rod is more than likely to suit a 6# line

I agree with Buzz, I don't see a point in changing the rod and then using the wrong line on the new rod. Let's be honest here, the difference between a 7 wt and a 6 wt is about the weight of 3 rabbit farts, so if you have a large stock of 7 wt lines that you want to use, just buy another 7 wt.

If you really are looking to go to a lighter setup, then I'd suggest skipping the 6 wt and going down to a 5 wt instead. For those just starting out in fly fishing, I don't see the point in owning adjacent line weight rods (ie a #6 and a #7). They are more similar than the are different so again for the beginning fly angler I don't see any advantage, it's just unnecessary overlap.

Grouse

Totally agree with Buzz and Grouse

__________________
"Fly fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the point." -John Gierach

http://tippetsandleaders.wordpress.com/

I tend to overline my rods as I am such a cr*p caster. I do find I can "feel" the heavier line.

I can nearly get a line out..well sometimes, using a #7XP and Barrio #8WF line.

__________________
Roy

Thanks a lot for the above prompt postings, particularily to Grouse who made a lot of sense and has changed my thinking to a 5 weight rod. Am off to the Orvis shop this AM for a test run and will now concentrate on the 5's.

Incidentally, as you will have noticed, as a new boy I accidently posted my request on several sites before I realised I should have been on this one. How do I delete an incorrectly placed posting please.

John

Hi John, welcome to the FFF. As I wrote on another Forum, if you have any WF number 7 lines, you can use them on your intended 6 Wt. DT 7s will load your 6Wt with two yards less line out, approximately, so you would probably have to aerialise less if the 7Wt was a DT. Terry C

I deliberately avoiding going into the discussion about the pros/cons of overlining because I think that's at cross-purposes with what JR is trying to accomplish. There's always the temptation to go off the esoteric deep end in these discussions and forget that all this is splitting hairs when you're talking to a beginner.

As I wrote before, for the beginner (as JR is) looking for a lighter rod, there is no benefit in going from a 7 wt to a 6 wt. Again, from the prospective of a beginner, there isn't enough difference between the two to justify it.

Grouse

At the risk of over complicating things, you really need to take a little time trying as many different combinations as you can lay your hands on, its not just about the rods, its the lines that you put on them aswell, you may find that for example, one 6 weight line on your chosen rod, feels different to another, this is because they have to fall within 2 grain weights to be classed as one particular size, so lines at the higher end of this tolerance will feel heavier than ones at the lighter end. If your convinced that its the Orvis that you want then try it with as many 6 weight lines as yu can and I am sure you will notice the difference.

tight lines

andy

__________________
www.flytastic.co.uk
info@flytastic.co.uk

Thanks a lot, all above for your very useful advice.

Thought you'd like to know that with your help and that of my local Westerham Orvis "man", Terry Weldon, I bought an Orvis Clearwater II Wt: 5 Mid Flex 9' rod. Now I can't practice with it 'cos the family are buying it for a Christmas present

John