WF or DT

[Danoinark]

Now let me add insult to injury on this thread....

I have a Rio line that is called a 5/6 floating double double taper line.

Yep, you read that right. I had never seen one before and can't find them listed anywhere.

Its a dt 5 floating at one end and a dt 6 floating on the other. I guess they were marketed as a novelty or something, but why would anyone want to buy something like that. It was given to me. Its a fine line that I use with a small stream 5wt. Actually I use it mostly with the Eagle Claw featherlite

glass.

Dano

[Crippled Caddis]

One man's 'take' on the issue:

<I had in mind the Rio Grande but the more I look at the Selective Trout I think I might just go with it.>

My own understanding is that the 'Selective Trout' line works best on a medium action or slower rod. So you might well be picking the wrong line for your rod depending on the taper.

<Most of my lines are WF. I was under the impression it would help me with distance.------The 8 wt came loaded with WF and I can throw it a mile.>

<the primary reason is that the DT lines will load rods better with less line out of the rod tip----->

<Double taper line is a better bet for shorter casts. It loads the rod better and makes for better roll casts. It loads easier for the shorter range of casting strokes.>

DT roll casts better simply because the taper is more gradual than the WF so the transition of power from rear to front of the line is better as opposed to the fast taper of the WF. As implied by the descriptive name, 'Weight Forward', the WF line has a quick taper from the front to the maximum diameter of the line. Therefore less line out the rod tip implies greater weight than the same amount of DT line-----up to 30 feet-----where both lines should wind up weighing the same to be rated as the same weight line. Remember----the line is rated for the first 30' of weight only so what follows has no effect on the rod weight rating. So the WF should load the rod quicker than the DT for short casts all else being equal. It is past 30' where the greatest difference will be noted. The WF line quickly reduces diameter to the point that after the first 30' the line diameter becomes somewhat similar to the running line in a shooting head system. Therefore as the line out the tip is increased for longer casts the weight of the line in the air increases slowly. Conversely a DT line has a loooooong belly or mid-section of rather uniform diameter compared to the WF before gradually tapering down again in the final 30'. Therefore as the line outside the rod tip increases with longer casts the weight of line in the air increases much faster with a DT than with the WF. This means that the load on the rod increases and the DT will overload the rod faster than the WF. Some rods will simply refuse the increased weight because of design and taper. The WM Featherweights are a notable example of the principle. They are VERY 'tippy'. That is most of the movement of the rod when loaded occurs in the forward 1/3 of the blank. Which is why they are a very satisfactory rod for short casts. And suck like a Hoover on steroids once overloaded. A good caster (I'm NOT one!) can overcome that and make the rod cast down into the mid-section and butt but the rod still isn't truly gleeful about it. They're simply more fun to use at short range where they (and the user) will be happiest.

In summation the 1st of the quotes above is correct because of the 'shooting head' nature of the WF line. The latter two quotes are erroneous----because the quicker taper of the WF will load the rod faster for short casts or heavy flies. The DT is better for roll casts and delicate presentations because of the more gradual nature of the taper as opposed to the WF line.

<Up until a few years ago most rod makers would designate two line weights on the rod. Such as 5/6 which would be noted on the blank. This meant that it was designed for a 5 wt dt or a 6 wt wf line. Even many of the old glass and cane rods came with two wt designations.>

This is a function of the rate of weight increase as more line is airialized as implied or stated in the paragraph above.

Ballistic vest donned, defenses erected, fire retardand spread liberally. CC

[jdmidwest]

I stated that the DT line loads the rod better on shorter casts, and because of the gradual taper, it is a smoother action. It does not load the rod faster and I did not mean to imply that. WF lines in distances under 20 feet cast like crap and do not make a nice loop unless the rod is tippy like you said.

DT line is better on small streams and for delicate presentations.

And the rod's flex has alot to do with the line it is able to cast. I tend to stick with the upper mid range of rods as far as action goes. I don't like the tip flex actions, too much work.