Newbie questions -- after my 1st season of fishing

On Aug 12, 1:23 pm, Mike wrote:
SNIP

You caught a ton of fish, so why try to fix "something that ain´t
broke"?

Wait another year, and improve your knowledge and experience before
you buy anything else. You can increase the performance of a #6
weight rod into the wind very considerably by using a shooting head on
it. For info on shooting heads see here;

http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbette...ads/index.html

The right head will allow you to cast a lot further, and also to use
larger flies if you wish.

--
Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

http://www.mike-connor.homepage.t-online.de/

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Flycorner?hl=en

Good point. I'm tempted to keep the 6wt that I have for Bass fishing
when I do want to fish larger flies, and then pick up a 5wt, or even a
4wt for panfish and when I fish with smaller flies for Bass.
Sometimes I do wish I had a more subtle way to present flies on the
small, clear ponds, when it is perfectly calm and the fish seem
spooked a bit by the 6wt. I've wondered if a 4 or 5wt would be
better.

Also, if I wanted a heavier line for Bass fishing big flies, is it a
bad decision to load 7wt line on the 6wt that I already have? I'm
just curious.

On Aug 12, 8:50 pm, mdk77 wrote:
On Aug 12, 1:23 pm, Mike wrote:



SNIP

You caught a ton of fish, so why try to fix "something that ain´t
broke"?

Wait another year, and improve your knowledge and experience before
you buy anything else. You can increase the performance of a #6
weight rod into the wind very considerably by using a shooting head on
it. For info on shooting heads see here;

http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbette...ads/index.html

The right head will allow you to cast a lot further, and also to use
larger flies if you wish.

--
Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

http://www.mike-connor.homepage.t-online.de/

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Flycorner?hl=en

Good point. I'm tempted to keep the 6wt that I have for Bass fishing
when I do want to fish larger flies, and then pick up a 5wt, or even a
4wt for panfish and when I fish with smaller flies for Bass.
Sometimes I do wish I had a more subtle way to present flies on the
small, clear ponds, when it is perfectly calm and the fish seem
spooked a bit by the 6wt. I've wondered if a 4 or 5wt would be
better.

Also, if I wanted a heavier line for Bass fishing big flies, is it a
bad decision to load 7wt line on the 6wt that I already have? I'm
just curious.

Using a lighter rod and line can be more subtle. But there are
alternatives to using a lighter rod and line.. There are
disadvantages to using lighter rods and lines, the lighter they are,
the less control you have in wind, and you will not be able to cast as
far either. Usually, a #4 weight is about the lower limit for most
things. One must suit the rod and line to the quarry, and in the case
of small panfish, they are probably more fun on a light rod, as long
as you can use it effectively. The lighter the line, the harder it is
to cast.

Subtlety is also very heavily dependent on your casting technique. It
would pay you to try and improve that somewhat, before you invest in
any more gear. One can make very subtle presentations with
comparatively heavy gear, if it is set up right, The leader is very
important here.

It is not necessarily a "bad" decision" to overline a rod like that,
but it depends on what you want to achieve. Overlining will slow the
rod down, and you must adjust your casting to suit, also, when you
have more than a certain amount of line out, you will be at the limits
of the rod´s casting capability, and this is also not easy to do in
any case with a full line.

This also depends on what type of line you are using. If I were you,
I would try a heavier head on the #6 weight for heavier fishing, and
use a #5 line on the rod for your other fishing. This will teach you a
lot, and give you a better idea of what you want.

No amount of even good advice is a substitute for personal knowledge
and experience.

--
Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

http://www.mike-connor.homepage.t-online.de/

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Flycorner?hl=en

One quite simple way of achieving more subtle presentation, is to use
a longer leader, and aim about a foot or so above the water when
casting, so that your line floats down gently, and does not cause any
disturbance.

This requires a little practice, but you can then present even very
heavy lines with considerable subtlety, and more to the point, the
flies.

--
Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

http://www.mike-connor.homepage.t-online.de/

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Flycorner?hl=en