"Derek Moody" wrote in message
...

From another point of view, fast rods throwing tight loops are much more
demanding of technique and harder to handle in less than ideal conditions.
Whilst I have a couple I find I use my softer rods most of the time for
this
very reason - I can be as sloppy as I like and generally get away with it.

I have an 8 weight nine footer that I use for general purpose heavy duty
flyfishing. I was up in Scotland a couple of years ago fishing for sea trout
on the Ythan estuary; we had a scouse ghillie. Initially we were using
spinners at high tide from the boats, but later when the tide ran out, we
fished the channel with flies. I was using my #8 and the ghillie asked if he
could see what the blank was like. He double-hauled the hell out of it, and
I could see already that my leader was taking a beating! You know, it sort
of reminded me of when being a teenager and getting your first 125
motorbike. All your mates want to have a go, but if they rev the arse off it
and speed off, you cringe, and in the least count the cost of tyre
erosion...

When I was returned the rod, I saw immediately that the leader was in a
really fearful condition: convulated loops and complex knots were the main
structures immediately apparent, but also there was a good spattering of the
common wind-knot in heavy concentration in the tippet to 3 foot. The leader
was terminally ill, and I had to snip it off at the needle-knot and
completely re-build. The ghillie did later apologise for completely ruining
my leader.