Medium Action
kill3ducks1deer
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Medium Action
I recently got a medium action rod and am having some trouble casting it. It might be because I am used to fast action rods, but it also might be the line, so my question is, what type of line do you guys use for your rods?
"Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it." Ed Zern
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schmoe
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/28 10:19:49
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As long as the line weight matches the rod weight, you're fine. Just wait for the road to load on the back cast. It took me awhile to get used to to slower rods too. But now, I rarely take the faster Ross anywhere
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Cold
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/28 21:31:36
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k3d1d, While I've never personally seen your casting style, I'd guess it's nothing more than a timing issue. You really dont generate the line speed with a slower rod that you do with a typical fast action rod, so you've got to kind of pause at the end of your back cast to give the loop time to roll out. Also, the casting motions and speeds are more significant (start the cast slow, accelerate through the motion, and come to a crisp, complete stop). I have a few glass rods that I fish on occasion, and they usually take a few minutes on the water for me to readjust to their quirks. Line-wise, I like both Cortland 444 Peach and Cortland Sylk, both in wts matching the indicated rating on the rod. DT or WF to taste. DT is more traditional, an dIMO works better, but you may find it easier to adapt your casting style if you stick to a WF taper.
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kill3ducks1deer
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/28 22:19:59
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I guess I will just have to go out and just cast it some more. If I really can't get used to casting it I might have to try a different line on it.
"Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it." Ed Zern
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mohawksyd
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/28 23:03:19
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Cold
You really dont generate the line speed with a slower rod that you do with a typical fast action rod, so you've got to kind of pause at the end of your back cast to give the loop time to roll out. Also, the casting motions and speeds are more significant (start the cast slow, accelerate through the motion, and come to a crisp, complete stop).
Excellent description.
"For the supreme test of a fisherman is not how many fish he has caught...but what he has caught when he has caught no fish." - John H. Bradley
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bingsbaits
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/29 09:05:39
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Cold is correct. Took the bamboo out the other day and it is a whole different stroke, took me a while to used to it. Let the rod do the work and don't overload it with to much power in the cast.
"There is a pleasure in Angling that no one knows but the Angler himself". WB
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casts_by_fly
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/29 13:11:35
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as cold said, timings and ease of generating line speed are the difference. In addition to the above, try the next heavier weight line. At the very least it will load the rod with less user input and you'll start to feel the difference in flex. Once you get the feel of that rod you can drop back down in line size if needed. rick
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kill3ducks1deer
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/29 17:18:49
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Will a different taper effect the casting? Would a DT or a WF line make a difference in the casting? I believe I have a WF on it, and it when I cast it seems to not be strong enough to take it out a decent way. If that doesn't effect how it casts, it is definitely because I am used to a Fast action and I guess I will just need to spend some time practicing with it.
"Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it." Ed Zern
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Cold
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/30 08:37:14
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It might be 5% the line. Maybe. In any event, if a WF taper seems "not strong enough" I'd say it's a max of 1% the line, and almost completely on you (not meant as an insult, if anything, as an encouragement). I'd bet good money that with the symptom you describe, it's nothing more than a timing issue. That you're not letting the loop roll out behind you completely (it takes longer with a slower rod), and you're starting your forward cast before that weighted head can do you any good. With a faster rod, you'd be getting a tailing loop in that situation, but I'm guessing the slower rod is opening your loops to the point that you're just not getting any linespeed, but aren't getting the actual tailing loops and wind knots. Try positioning your body a bit more perpendicular to the plane of your cast and actually looking behind you to watch the line unroll in the air, only coming forward when the line has straightened out in the air behind you. I bet you'll see a marked improvement once you slow down a bit.
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thedrake
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Re:Medium Action
2012/10/30 12:24:28
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What brand and model of line and rod are you using?
If you are using a decent rod and line matched in the same weight rating and it's not casting well, then I agree the issue has to be you. Since you mention that you can cast a fast rod, but not the slower one, I am nearly positive this is correct.
The principles are no different from one rod to the next, and if you truly understand fly casting, you'll be able to cast any rod well. I'm not going to try to diagnose your problem over the Internet since that is nearly impossible to do without watching your cast, but I can point out some problems nearly every new fly caster encounters.
Here are a few o the major ones:
1. Poor timing. Everyone watches their forward cast but not necessarily their back cast. If you are new you should watch both. You need a definite stop and pause at the end of the forward and back stroke, then you will wait to take the line forward unil the loop rolls out behind you. If you take the cast forward before the line rolls out, the cast falls apart.
2. Too much power. Most new casters cast too hard. Since their inefficient open loops are not going very far, they try to compensate by putting more power into the rod. This may get them a few more feet on their cast, but doesn't really help anything.
3. Trying to cast far by carrying line in the air rather than shooting line. If you carry too much line in the air, your rod overloads and the cast falls apart. Also, lots of new casters try carrying more than just the head of the line beyond the tip, which ends with the same result.
4. Applying too much power at once. Power should be applied gradually during the casting stroke resulting in an acceleration, rather than putting all the power at once.
5. Moving the rod like the hand of a clock. You'll often hear people refer to 10 o'clock and two o'clock and the to start and stop positions for your cast, which is fine, but don't assume you need to move your rod in a circular motion like a clock hand. That motion does not move your line with enough power to make a good cast. Instead, focus on moving you rod tip moreso with a horizontal and straighter movement, as if you are holding a nine foot piece of chalk and you are drawing a mostly straight, but slightly curved line on a chalkboard rather than a circular one.
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